When do you become a SPECIAL buyer?

Now, what do I mean by "Special"?

I don't make this stuff up.  In "General" you get one type of service at Walmart, and another at Nordstrom's.  It's different between Best Buy, and The Apple Store.  Black Angus and Gordon Ramsey Steak House.  I can go on and on, but I think you get where I'm going with this...

First, a short story.  A few Christmas's ago, my wife completed one of those video DVD workout programs (OK, Power 90), and lost a bunch of weight.  That Christmas I wanted to get her a pair of expensive jeans to celebrate her accomplishment.  She would never buy them for herself, so it was the ideal gift.

I had ZERO idea were to go, and I was pretty sure Walmart wouldn't be the place, so I started at one of the larger department stores.  I wandered the isles for 30 minutes, looking straight at the price tag.  I figured if they were SUPER expensive, I was on the right track.

I found a pair over $200.00, and it was now time to get some help.  Even with all my face gestures, no one helped, and when I asked, the young lady wasn't a whole lot of help.  She knew a little about all the jeans, but couldn't tell me all the fine details.  When I asked, "which brand has a reputation of being the best?", she couldn't really give me an answer.  "Well, they're ALL good."

She simply wanted to make a sale.  That's her job.  I got a smile, and she seemed nice enough.  It was the lack practical information that drove me nuts..!  I wasn't asking about what type of cotton was used, where they were made, or how they were built.  Simply, were they the most prestigious brand on the market.  Would my wife recognize the brand?  I'm sure plenty of men walk into that store, want a fast conclusion, and bought the first item placed infront of them.  I just couldn't do that knowing I was about to drop $200.00 + on a pair of jeans.  They had to be the "right" jeans.

I left and called my daughter.  Her advise?  Visit a store (30 miles away) that did nothing but designer jeans.  I made the drive, walked in, and was greeted right away by a classy looking middle aged women.  She was also WEARING SOME AWESOME JEANS.  Kim happened to be about the size as my wife.  Fitting was now going to be a breeze.  Kim asked meaningful questions about my wife's taste, answered all my questions, modeled the jeans, and assured me that if I made a mistake, they would correct the problem.  Most importantly, she assured me my wife would know the Brand as PREMIUM and EXPENSIVE.

I spent $350.00, of my hard earned money, on cotton in the shape of jeans, and LOVED it.  I knew my wife would "GET" the magnitude of the gift making it all worth the expense.  I also knew that if she didn't like them, Kim would make it right.  I was a happy guy, even if I paid full retail.

While my wife protested at first (she knew how much these jeans cost, which was the exact point I was trying to make...lol), she never once asked to return them.  By the way, they fit awesome.  Kim had nailed it with the styling, an amazing feat.

Both places sold high-end jeans.  One got my cash.

I'm not saying that customer service is directly related to the price of the products sold.  At one time I sold a ton of helmets under $100.00, and hope that everyone felt special.  But lets face it, many times this isn't the norm.  By the way, I've been treated like crap in fancy designer shops as well.  It happens.  What I'm asking is "where" is awesome service most likely to happen?  In a mass product store, or a speciality store?

I say a Speciality Store.

Knowing your product is EASIER when there are only 50.  Yes, there are a few people who've been around since the meteor wiped out the dinosaurs.  By simply being around so long, they know pretty much everything there is to know on 100 products.

Thought I would say 10,000...lol.  Nope, the average human must SPECIALIZE in order to have great knowledge, and we have our limits.

If you walk into a store, and you see a HUGE selection, hope for the best.  Yes, there's always the possibility that you'll find the guy, on his own, decided to specialize.  He picked a few (typically big ticket, or hot sellers) and went to work studying.  Smart!  Nothing wrong with this approach, but I've found it to be rare.

Personally, if I'm going to spend over $100.00 I want the guy helping me to know what they're selling.  Over $250.00; they better impress me with above average insight.  North of $500.00?  Wow, the sales guy better earn my trust from the handshake.  Now we're talking about some serious cash.

Why do we interrogate poor teenager at Best Buy about $30.00 headphones, but demand much less from the guy selling us a $700.00 TV?  The truth is, we can do hours of research, but we all crave a sales guy who has the answers.  We ask, "is the TV going to look better in my room, than it does on your wall?"  If get a simple, "yes" we're happy.

It's time we all start asking hard questions.  I expect it of you, the second you walk into my store.