Man I have to mention the phone call I just had with a music store about 1/2 hour from me. Talk about (and I'm going to use the harsh words), "uneducated idiots" who have NO idea what they're talking about. When I called I asked for the keyboard department. Well thinking I'd get someone who works specifically in that department that knows their stuff..... BOY WAS I SORELY MISTAKEN.

They're an authorized Roland and Yamaha dealer, so I thought great let me see what they have on the floor. I started with Roland to see what they have (hoping they may have a G-70 or the new GW-7 on display). They didn't have these models, and when I mentioned the G-70, EXR line, VA line, and the GW-7, this guy was TOTALLY clueless. He said and I quote " I don't think Roland makes those models and I'm certain that they are all discontinued."

It gets better. I asked about what Yamaha's they carry. He said well we've got the DGX and the P-60. I said do you carry any PSR's. Again he said and I quote "The PSR line is something Yamaha discontinued."

I flat out told this guy on the phone he is the most uninformed keyboard salesman I ever talked to, and advised him to visit the Roland and Yamaha website to update himself on the current models. Geez what a dope. How in the world do these people get hired????

Man I wish George or DanO were near me.

Squeak

I supposed that’s one of the reasons that arranger keyboard manufacturers don’t put their arranger in certain stores. They want to make sure that the sales people in the store can and are willing to explain the capabilities of the arranger keyboard.


Most keyboard stores today just concentrate on synth workstations and don’t have a clue about the latest arrangers and their enormous capabilities. (As illustrated by the topic starter).

I think even if a store just sells synth workstations, they should be made aware of other type of keyboards by the brand manufacturer they are selling.

Like with other professions and fields, one should always keep up to date with what is on the market even if you are not directly involved with it. So someone who sells just synth workstations like Yamaha, should know that Yamaha still makes PSR key boards. If not any thing more, it increases the sales person’s credibility and shows that the sales person knows what he or she is talking about.

On the other hand, if I went to that store and the sales person told me that Yamaha does not make PSR keyboards (and I know they do), I would not trust the sales person even if synth workstations are what the store specializes in.

Hey Squeak.....Just think of the number of people that the sales staff told this to that believed it...you didn't and you challanged it....but how many believed what they heard because of the position of the staff...because they are there, they must know.....Bull....I agree with you, it's a shame that some are in the position of knowing and know nothing......
Tony Rome

to the genesys,
It was bad enough he didn't even know the PSR line. I even asked him if he carried the Motif ES line. Guess what he asked when I said that? He said "hmmmmm, Motif ES..Roland makes that one right???" My patience with the guy was really starting to drop.

Squeak

Just because they work there dosn't mean squat...
I blame the management for hiring these nitwits, your YOUR OWN BEST Informations source,
BUYER BEWARE!!

I wouldn't be so hard on the help. My son, who is now in college is working for Home Depot full-time during the summer. They trained him to work in the special order section which means he help people with doors, windows, etc. He tells me they move him to Kitchens, Lumber, outdoor, and paint sections all the time and he doesn't know what the heck he's doing and they are not training him. They put him there because they are short handed and need the coverage.

These young people are trying their best to help the customer and make some money. Please try to show some respect for them.

Al

Wow...Thats insane!!! What a moron! I mean PSR line... thats like 7 different boards right there! Motif line... thats 2 there. I dont know what models he could know! Thats just about all of them there! Even though ive been keyboarding for about a year now, I know just about everything about keyboards back and front. When I get a car Im hoping I can get a chance to work at GC or something and actually be a knowlegable salesman.

Phil

It's hard to find them now Penny. I can also understand where kbrkr is also coming from. However, selling keyboards is an area where you have to know what you're doing. Not everyone that walks in knows how to play. You can't rely on the customer all the time demoing the board for themselves. The salesperson MUST know how to operate EACH keyboard their store sells, and be up to date on current (and even past models as well). I used to work in a music store years ago, but I knew what I was doing. I sold a lot of keyboards because I knew how to demo and use every board we sold. That's why I'm helping a local store right now on the side. Periodically I'll demo keyboards, and even drum machines for customers to help him make sales.

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 05-29-2005).]

Face it....arranger enthusiasts are a minority.....synths lovers are everywhere.
zuki

Arranger people are just smarter..

Another perspective:

It is hard to find and hold on to truly knowledgeable salespeople considering the relatively low pay and long hours that comes with working at a music store. Why the low pay? Well one reason is the relatively low profit made in selling keyboard products made even lower by the potential to shop over the internet and pit stores against each other from all over the country. This makes it impossible for a store to pay a reasonable wage based on the qualifications of an individual. I am not saying that a store should gouge a customer with exorbitant prices, but if you want/expect to have the proper service from local stores that I feel you deserve, then the store and salespeople deserve to be compensated fairly for providing that service.

So what happens is stores hire the cheapest labor they can find, I.e. young kids who think it is cool to work in a music store because they get to hang out all day with other musicians and play on all the guitars and buy stuff cheap; not because they are looking for a profession. I find that a lot of music store salespeople don’t have a sense of pride in what they are doing. There is a huge difference in working at a music store and being a professional salesperson.

When I was in music retail, I made it a point to read every manual, go to every factory product training session, etc. to make sure that I knew everything there was to know about the products I sold. I would also get the manuals for the products that I was competing against and learn them as well so I could be as informed as possible. I know there are still salespeople around who take pride in what they do, but they are getting harder and harder to find.

Dave


[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 05-29-2005).]

All the points made here are valid points.
The store could have higher a new person, or may be they had someone else from another department of the store fill in last minute. That to me is perfectly acceptable.

However, regardless of the reason for the lack of correct information from a keyboard sales person, it could be detrimental for the store and the store could be losing potential customers.

For example, if I did not know anything about keyboards and I wanted to get a PSR for someone and went to that store and took the information as the truth, I would have left with out getting a PSR keyboard. And may be the store had PSRs or had the ability to order one for me.

I think some keyboard stores are in a catch 22 situation. They can find a way to get knowledgeable sales persons (and may possibly make them have to increase the price of their products), or they can use the best persons they can afford (knowing that they may not be experts in keyboards, and may occasionally give wrong information to potential customers).

What ever the case, we as consumers must always do research before investing in a musical product regardless of where we are getting it from.

Ditto for Dave,
Worked in a computer store, work now as a professional.
Over the years I was working in the store (1993-1999), there were always people who would pay say 5% more, because they felt that they were getting the attention and the experience of an expert even if we were 23-27 years old.
But their number kept lowering over the years, because the majority of customers was simply adding up numbers and finding a lower total sum elsewhere.

Squeak,

I worked in sales for a number of years and the number one thing I was taught was never LIE to a customer. It is ok to say "I don't know, let me do some checking for you." If you get caught lying to a customer you most likely will never get that customer back.

What you experienced was poor sales training.

Tom

Yes that's the think that bugs me the most too. I don't mind the sales guy saying, I don't know, but I'll find out for you". After all there's a lot of different, complicated gear to learn (especially when you factor in all the software packages), with new models coming out all the time.

But I won't put up with being lied to. In fact - I simply won't shop there again. I usually have a couple of questions I've researched before going into the shop. I ask those, knowing the correct answer, and can judge whether the rest of the queries I have are going to be answered truthfully.

It might seem harsh, but I'm potentially spending a lot of my hard earned cash (a new keyboard is a major investment for most of us) and I need to know I'm spending my money wisely.

I agree there are economic difficulties in employing and retaining good staff and I accept that as someone willing to pay that little bit extra for good service, I'm a dying breed. But there's no excuse for lying except that we let them get away with it.

There are so many more products available today than even a few years ago. Yes, salepeople should be aware of their product lines, but what is more upsetting is that the first saleperson gave so much misinformation. There is a difference between not knowing and misinforming. I am most happy to help a salesman with information I might have, but if he/she is a total idiot, then forget it.

Learning is a few clicks way.....95% of what I know about Casio,Yamaha keyboards and others., PA sound systems etc. I have learned from you guys and other forums that I visit as often as I can, you have to have the desire to learn, not just to go for the money.

The internet has unlimited resources about everything...including the Home Depot stuff and the how to's, when I was laid off from an Office job after 17 years, I trained myself on how to do house remodeling, asking questions researching the internet for evreything I wanted to know, so if somebody is intrested in music or anything else, there's a way to do it.

So there's no excuse for a Sales person not to know @ least a little bit about what he's selling or doing for a living.

I think we need to call George more often

Home Depot isn't a fair comparison to me. HD can sometimes be a professional Contractor's worst nightmare. At least it was back when I was in the business.

Sure, it's often cheaper than going to my local lumber yard or supply house, but for a small outfit like I was, the minutes that often turned into hours wasted trying to get exactly what I needed for job cost more in time than it was worth, not to mention sometimes less than superior building products in some facets of the business. As a pro, you want to get in, tell them what you need, and get out, prferably with top quality stuff. I wasn't trying to be the cheapest, but instead trying to satisfy my customers and keep my name clean. I never had to advertise. Word of mouth kept me busier than I needed to be almost all the time. In times when I had to bid for a job, I doubt that I was ever the cheapest either. You get what you pay for, and building material is no different.

Music stores.. that's maybe a little different story. Most, even a GC, are much smaller venues than a Home Depot, and you would expect a`salesperson to be trained, at least in the finer art of customer relations and general knowledge of his / her area. I don't expect the guy / gal to know every function on every piece of equipment. That's probably unrealistic. It is a good thing at least if you know how to turn it on, maybe get through a few menus and functions. Please have at least a working knowledge of the gear that is out there, even the competition that you don't carry. As was already stated, I too learned much of what I know about gear by reading up on it, and then when I could, messing with it a little.

Just as important to me, leave the condescending attitude about certain gear, like arrangers, at home. You're there to help sell your store's products and be helpful along the way. That describes Chris, the KB manager from Alto Music in Middletown, and that's why he will always have me as a customer, for as long as we are both around.

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 05-31-2005).]

seeing this topic started me thinking,(maybe dano or george can comment)everytime i have been into a music store there has never been or hardly ever any music coming out of the store,i mean if you go in someone will say can i help you,is this your opinion? what i am trying to say is why don,t these stores play their keyboards loud so people will come into the stores,or play them on their forecourts like they do at exhibitions,and malls cause these keyboards of today with their marvelous accompaniments,are better than the organs in the past,(this is the sizzle)this has got to be the best way to sell keyboards,or is there a noise abatement order in place? mike

nardoni2002,
Hey REALLY GOOD POINT THERE! When I was in highschool I worked part time for a piano store in or local mall. My job wasn't to sell pianos. My job was to PLAY. My job was to draw in customers by playing the piano, and (some were digital too). Then at times I would also demo models on the floor. For a highschool kid it was a great job. I got to play piano all evening, and make money for it. It brought in a lot of customers too. It's a good idea, but you have to consider today do owners want to invest in this? Is it worth it to them considering all online competition, and some stores afford to hire someone just to play?

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 05-31-2005).]

hi squeak,i would have thought that shop owners who love music would be players,also demos could be limited to lunch hours when the people are around and weekends when families are out shopping,i know if i passed a shop or forecourt and a good player was demoing a new,any keyboard i would stop as i am sure would many others,and if you was given a demo of how easy it was to play (even newbies who play one finger chords can sound good) sales would pick up,maybe you pro,s who work at gigs in evenings could get some extra work (if you want it) playing in these stores,mike