Price Shoppers

[baileyuph]

They can be interesting sometimes.

A shopper drove up with a removed seat from another car to get an estimate to repair about half his seat, which was loaded with electronics, very detailed OEM design in leather/vinyl, and also needed padding restoration.

He asked for a price which was provided, then said he would be back if another shop about 15 minutes away wasn't cheaper.  Fine I said.

As suspected, he came back,
I asked how much higher was he?  He explained that I wasn't the cheapest,  the other shop just didn't act like they understood the task "doing it back to OEM ways" nearly as much as I.   Somewhat modestly,  I said, oh don't be too hard on the guy, he has only been in business about a year, but welcome back.  The other guy got started by filling holes in vinyl/leather and spraying SEM or equivalent dye over the wear, I knew who he had visited.

The other guy indirectly did him a favor because this job wasn't for a rookie or low experience worker.

Working on newer sophisticated seats (details in the design, electronics, plus air bags) is not for the inexperienced.  So much auto seating in newer cars has become of that nature.  

Point made is; so much of what we do is not a "Wal Mart" item, as price shoppers can sometimes detect.  But "price" drove the consumers usual thinking.

Doyle

[Agent 002]

Most people think Price>Quality. In your case the customer thought about it and made a smart decision. Your right on the newer seats and all the electronics in them. They're damn near robots with all the gadgets they come with

[bobbin]

I was asked for a quote on a sectional a couple of weeks ago.  Two end pcs. (w/arms) and 2 middle pcs..  Pretty straight forward, right?  Uh... so I thought until I read, "there are removable  back pcs.").  OK, I can do that, but...

1.)  Do they want me to slipcover the seat/back as one unit?
2.)  Do they want me to treat the "removable" backs as separate pcs.?

I refused to submit a price without looking at the piece (on my dime).  I offered a basic time that was convenient for me to "go see" and have heard nothing.  And he wonders why I am unwilling to "do anything for him?  Do you hear bells? I didn't think so... I've already donated to the Salvation Army!

[Mike]

.. I've already donated to the Salvation Army!

speaking about that,  I wonder if the bell ringer outside the local market see a decline in donations as many people like myself who don't carry cash and use a deny card to make purchases I leave the market and I don't have anything in my pocket , and my soinn jar takes much longer to fill then it used to emptying my pocket when I get home.

[baileyuph]

I am going to make this short and sweet, because to dwell would lead readers to think I am an egotistical "Sew and Sew".

The saga continued with the young man's high tech seat I told about above.  The seat was finished during the day, he came to pick it up and paid me. 

Before the day was over, couple of his friends came by to drop off work for their cars.  They commented that the job I did for the guy earlier that day was "over the top".

With that and further thinking, I caught myself saying WOM!  Work of mouth is a powerful tool, knew it, and saw it.

That is the best marketing tool in my honest opinion.

That is my story, I believe I will stick to it!

Doyle