I got to see an MFK 700 & an OF 2200 Systainer!!!

[chrisrosenb]

The closest woodworking store to me is over 50 miles away. If I am in the area & I need  :(want) something, I try to support the area stores. With the high fuel prices it is a treat to get to visit one.  A couple of weeks ago my wife needed to go to Cincy for some shopping. I had work to get done but I thought this would be an chance to hold the new Festool routers in my hands. After all I still have some holiday gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. At the very least I thought I would come home with a MFK 700 if I liked the feel of it & maybe even the OF 2200.
  I went in the store & was surprised to not see either router on display. I looked around the store for a while until the salesman that sold me several other Festool tools finished with another customer. I asked him about the new routers. He replied that they had them in stock but not on display. We went to the Festool display area &  he picked up the MFK 700 systainer opened it & he said. "That is a nice looking router". He took the router out of the case, turned it so I could see all all the way around it & then put it back in the systainer & closed it. I then asked about the OF 2200. He pointed to a systainer in the middle of a stack of other systainers. That was all that was said about the OF 2200. Needless to say I left the store the same way I went in. With empty hands & gift cards still burning holes in my pocket.   

 

[Dan Clark]

Chris,

That's an interesting sales technique.    Perhaps you should have shown him your wallet, pulled the give cards out, turned them around, and said, "These are nice looking gift cards!".  Then, of course, put them back in your wallet where they belong.  8)

Like you, I take a dim view of sales people who aren't willing to work for my business.  It's also a major reason I buy Festools from one of the on-line resellers who is active on FOG. 

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Woodenfish]

Dan, I don't think you can fault the store owner entirely.
It's not their place to greet each customer at the door and ask them how much money is in their pocket,
what their credit card limit is or the value of gift cards they may have available then assign some money-grubbing sales person to follow
them and attempt to close the deal on every product they eyeball or inquire about in the store.

Chris complained about the 50 mile travel distance and cost of fuel which is nothing in comparison to the price of the Festools he was considering.
When he wrote, "If I am in the area & I need  : (want) something...", tells me he was unsure and did not display much more than casual interest in these items perhaps do to their expense in an unsure economy or his assertiveness skills need some serious polishing.
By price alone these tools will not fall into the hands of the meek or bewildered. He failed that test and received its reward! ;D

Calm the hell down Chris and take a deep breath, you can do it! ;D

 

[joraft]

Dan, I don't think you can fault the store owner entirely...

... tells me he was unsure and did not display much more than casual interest in these items perhaps do to their expense in an unsure economy or his assertiveness skills need some serious polishing.

I disagree. The store clearly dropped the ball. Customers don't need assertiveness, sales people do. When someone comes into a store and asks to see a product by model number, a good prospect has just fallen into the sales person's lap. Minimum sales technique would require letting the prospect get a good look at the product, letting him hold it in his OWN hands.

My guess is the sales person hadn't taken the time to familiarize himself with the new products and was worried about appearing ignorant. So he brushed the prospect off. Yes, someone does need to polish their skills.

John

 

[tvgordon]

Chris, which store did you visit?  I've been to three store in cincy that carry Festool.

I drove about 1 hr 15 min to Wood Werks in Columbus.  They had both routers out and one of the salesmen, when he saw me looking at the MFK 700, came over to show me how to change bases, etc..  He said he had gone to Vegas and was telling me how impressed he was with the Kapex.  I was really impressed with both routers, but ended up just coming home with a tape measure and toolie.

I agree with Chris, the salesman really screwed up.  Took the tool out of the box, turned it around and put it away.  Give me a break. :-[

Tom.

 

[Woodenfish]

I'll have to disagree with your disagreeance on the lack of assertiveness on the customers part.  ;D

If I drove 50+ miles to a store that I was locked into to shopping at due to having a gift card for that establishment,
you can be pretty much damn sure that if the first sales person I spoke with could not provide me with the attention I deserve
I would have found another. I would not have left having my needs go unfulfilled.

My thoughts are that this store's sales people are most likely hourly employees so they probably have little incentive
to rate their customers on their ability to close a sale with them or move on to someone else for a better earnings potential.
But they do often times have many customers to deal with let alone being mindful about theft or someone getting hurt.

I do not believe that you can come to expect the same caliber of personal shopping service as you might receive at a high-end
retail store like Nordstrom's or similar but in a woodworking store certainly service reflects MOST of their customers needs.

Either you know what you want in the first place or you ask for what you need specifically and any sales person is more than
willing to give you your desire. Their training is more than likely on the aspects of how-to-blah-blah-blah rather than pushing
merchandise on to customers which could increase costly return goods and loss of profit.

It's all about 2-way communication not mind games.

 

[joraft]

I do not believe that you can come to expect the same caliber of personal shopping service as you might receive at a high-end
retail store like Nordstrom's or similar but in a woodworking store certainly service reflects MOST of their customers needs.

I do understand what you're saying, but what we can expect depends on the dealer we choose. One of the Festool dealers in my area (about 40 miles away) IS run much like a high-end retail store. They are very knowledgeable about every product, have the ability to demo anything you want to see, and will spend as much time with you as you wish. Of course, that often means you have to wait until those who arrived before you have asked all their questions.

John

 

[Michael Kellough]

{IF} you know what you want in the first place...

...why waste gas going to a store? Let UPS buy the gas.

But, if a guy goes to a store to check out a Festool there is a good chance he might just go ahead and buy it then and there since the price is the same. The store wasted an opportunity to make a sale.

On the other hand I agree with you in that if I drove that far to check out the 2200 I would have picked it up before I left. A good store would have not only had it on display but would have let me try it out.

 

[Woodenfish]

...why waste gas going to a store? Let UPS buy the gas.

You must of missed the point about the dreaded gift card. Them things lock you up to shopping at
the retail location and if your not careful, they can sometimes lose value monthly or expire.

 

[Michael Kellough]

...why waste gas going to a store? Let UPS buy the gas.

You must of missed the point about the dreaded gift card. Them things lock you up to shopping at
the retail location and if your not careful, they can sometimes lose value monthly or expire.

Right, I forgot about that. I liked the suggestion to show them to the salesman who failed to do his job.

 

[joraft]

...why waste gas going to a store? Let UPS buy the gas.

But, if a guy goes to a store to check out a Festool there is a good chance he might just go ahead and buy it then and there since the price is the same. The store wasted an opportunity to make a sale.

If I need a demo before buying a tool, I feel obligated to buy from the person who spent the time with me, even if it means driving back a second time. Otherwise, any Festool product is only a few keystrokes away.

John

 

[Dan Clark]

If you're dealing with a 50 buck tool, maybe that's reasonable sales technique.  When the customer is interested in tools that cost $500 to $1,000 and given Festool's stellar reputation for pre and post-sales support and service, the MINIMUM I expect is some hand-holding and care. 

It's not the 50 miles; it's the $500.  Part of the Festool price structure is the cost of this service and support.  You are paying for that!  It's not a freebie.  I think Chris has every right to be PO'd.

Dan. 

 

[nickao]

Woodenfish, why would you even want to give a store like that your money.

If they do not cater to you and you have to assert yourself to see a tool, I would take my money elsewhere.

What I do not get is why so many guys even go to the stores. With the 30 day guarantee and free ship don't you get the best service right here on the FOG.
The 30 days is much better then playing with a tool for 30 minutes in a store. I bet most here know more about these tools then the salesmen.
I for one do not have time to go see a tool that I know I will buy anyway.

Chris's experience is exactly why I purchase almost 100% of everything  on the net. Rockler and Woodcraft have let me down to many times to count.

Nickao

 

[Woodenfish]

Nick, I think I explained my rationing fully and completely already. With the upmost respect for Chris that I can give to him,
he is an adult, he owns many Festools, he knows what to expect. I think that you are giving the retailer too little credit on a
one-sided explanation.

I think your assumption of "most here knowing more" than retail sales persons is unfair. I have met many different sales people
at WoodCraft (Woodridge), Rockler (Formerly in Tinley Park + Schaumburg), and Berlands (Joliet + Lombard) where I have
purchased half of my Festool collection. I've not experienced poor service at any of these dealers and learned that some attended
training in Henderson too. Although the Festool line is new to some of these dealers, many of the people working in the stores
have quite the personal Festool collection themselves.

The other half I purchased from an online dealer who is an active participant in this forum. The only difference between the two
that I perceived is that when the retail sales person is about to communicate, he lacks a delete key and may come off differently
than someone who has been given time to consider his thoughts before posting them electronically.

I first ventured down the slippery slope with a web-based purchase of several thousand dollars through the online dealer after much
investigation of the products. Although the experience was pleasant, I felt that in use these tools were to important to me and that
the knowledge gained in the above named locations was better and I give that value. I have now doubled my initial investment
through local purchases only. This is not stated to attempt to discredit the fine, outstanding dealers who participate in this forum.
These guys definitely are the cream-of-the-crop-premier-numero-uno-top-dog-go-to-guy sales professionals who have displayed the
most knowledge and by far have the most experience with the line no question about it, I'm just explaining what works for me.

Not only has shopping at the retail stores helped me acquire the tools without waiting for a delivery person, I've come across a whole
bunch of other great deals, some freebies and a few nice prizes that were not available online. Of course anyone may have a dissimilar
experience but my personality is such that folks generally want to please me because I try to make them feel good about doing it.

 

[nickao]

I have never met a salesperson that knew more about a tool than me that I was interested in. I am not bragging, but with the internet I have so much information at my disposal.

You must have some darn good  stores where you live., I find a sales person getting 10.00 an hour or less, 99%% of the time knows crap. And I am not being unfair, I am being truthful as to my experience.

I am either the most unlucky guy in the world to experience this my whole entire life or you are the luckiest to find so many good sales people. I actually kkow the stock and items at the stores better than the sales people.

Just the other day my wife had to call me from the store and I had to explain to the sales person that they did sell what I wanted and it took an hour until a manager finally found what I needed. I  stick by what I say, the sales people here are crap across the board.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

I have to agree with nickao in general: sales people are (generally) not in the know. If they were they would probably be working with the stuff instead of pushing the box to the counter for you. Some sales people do have an interest in the products they are selling but too many of them do not know how to handle the product. Though I trust my Festool pusher he readily admits he thinks I know better what I need and if the product will suffice. What I trust is his knowledge as a whole: he knows the feedback on the stuff he sells.

Most sales people know their brochures - but sometimes I wonder if they even read them through. Some sales people really make an effort to be the best at their game and if they go that extra mile to find out about the products strenghts and weaknesses then all the better - most just don't do that.

The person I trust the most is an old Festool service rep I have bought stuff from - he is blatantly honest and tells you what can or will break over time. And if it can be fixed. He has tallked me out of buying some stuff if he felt that it wouldn't fit the bill, items he did have in stock. Great guy - and smart - he knows he will get his share of my dough sooner or later anyway. 

Here in Sweden we have had quite a boom in home renovating and large scale building booms over the years and never have so many hardware stores opened up and never have there been so much to choose from. Unfortunately the knowledgeable sales staff haven't increased exponentially to fill out the gaps. We have clusters of warehouses but when scouring them for stuff I need we find that in one store there might be just one or two persons who KNOW their stuff and the rest are just filling out the gaps. Most of them do not even know what a router is.   

 

[petiegolfer]

I worked in retail for 10 years selling spectacles. I was a dispensing optician and fitted the patients specs and perscription.

One of the first things I would ascertain is what the patient wanted, then how much they knew about what they wanted and then how much they had to spend. This was always done first and done quickly.

Then it was down to business of choosing frames to suit their face the type of lenses etc etc going through all the pros and cons of whet ever they might be having.

My best buddy inherited a sizeable amount of money when his mother died. One of the first things he did was to buy a new car. He wanted me to help as he's not really a car nut. So after discussion we went to the local BMW dealer. A prearranged appointment to buy a car that day....they were told this.

We were asked how much we wanted to spend...the answer was as little as possible for something I want but there is no budget limit. This is where the sales guy went wrong...my buddy wanted a 3 series...if I had been the sales guy...I would have had him in the drivers seat of an M3. The guy was a chump and couldnt get his head around what was happening. We both agreed that he was almost obstructive. ???

In the end we left scatching our heads as to why the guy made things sooo difficult. At the next place we went to Marcus dropped ?17500 on a two year old 330ci with full spec....without even driving it. He paid for it on debit card. We went back to the BMW dealership and asked the sales guy to come and have a word....he went pale...pretty woman kind of thing.

To this day we discuss the incident...we both agree that we couldnt have given the guy more buying signals. I can only think that he didnt believe Marcus had the cash. The crazey thing is if the guy had taken us out in the M3..Im sure Marcus would have brought it

Good sales people are few and far between especially in retail.

Piers

 

[bruegf]

Apparently I've been very fortunate as the Woodcraft dealer in Merrillville that I go to when I want to handle or use a Festool tool before I make the final decision to buy is very knowledgable and is more than willing to spend as much time as I need to look the tool over.  If I don't need to see the tool first I usually buy online.

Fred

 

[Dan Clermont]

*sigh*

Festool does offer training to their vendor's in Hendersen and Lebanon  training facilities. Each store should have at least one person on staff who knows the product line.

I still think the best Festool salesman are the ISA's like Timmy C at Festool Junkie, Bill at Festool Supply Northwest and a guy by the name of Bob Marino. These guys have either used the tools for years and or run businesses using the tools everday!

Dan Clermont

 

[vteknical]

I suspect Chris left the store with gift cards like Visa or Mastercard that could be used anywhere?

Certainly a lot of assuming being made on Chris's behalf or expense?