As a seller for 30 years here are some red flags when dealing with customers.
A customer wants a discount for no other reason then they are having money problems. (asking the seller to work for less so they can live a little better). Usually followed by saying they want the best. (wanting champagne on a beer budget)
A customer gives a long list of requirements to meet their needs – like more pictures, drawings, quotes for personal service, that may occupy half an hour of the sellers time- for free-without also stating they understand personal service will cost more, or even that they are an interested buyer.
Example I get kids doing book reports for school and need information. Competitors who want to compare prices, the government trying to put out bait for a sting, people who are bored who just want to chat . As a customer- do not look like these sorts, or say so up front.
A customer who acts like they are at the front of the line. In a physical store we wait in line till it is our turn. On the internet I quickly discovered as a seller I do not have to answer my mail in the order it is received. I can scan fast and look for friends, regular customers. I can scan the mail and decide who is at the front and who is at the back of the line. As a customer you can figure out if you think about it, how to get to the front of the line as a good customer.
Many issues are new to the internet. In the old days we went to a physical store and could make a decision about what sort of place this is. On the net someone in theory could be living on a street bench running a store from a library showing pictures of anything. Many of us for example would not want to buy a diamond from a guy in a back alley opening his coat and whispering “Wanna buy a watch?” Yet such a person can create a great web site for $100.
A local guy where I live had a web site selling airplanes. He has no airplane nor place to keep one. If you contact him and inquire he goes and buys an airplane from the same place you can buy one. He has pictures showing airplanes behind a fence. It’s just a picture. Likewise customers are capable of posing as being someone they are not.
Had a sort of friend once. Watched him get on line and go to his favorite web site looking at 500 grand race boats. Asking for literature, and discussing on line with a dealer all the specifications. The dear thought he had a customer. My friend was on welfare, no job, no place to stay, and could barely afford a meal. He saw nothing wrong with this. As a seller this was an important lesson for me. I need to spot this type if I hope to stray in business and keep my prices reasonable.
Thus- look for indications both seller and buyer sing from the same sheet of music. Example: on my selling web site I define terms like ‘free’ and ‘prompt reply’, raw, finished, good customer, for customers who are suspicious and had hard times in the past. Maybe the reason is right there in back and white – saving us both a lot of time and aggravation.
Buyers can look for references, satisfied customers, pictures proving the seller makes this stuff, like pictures of him in the shop on the web site making stuff. But what can the seller do to check out the customer? In a physical store I might see how you dress. In a glance decide if you are wacked out on drugs, walk the walk you talk. It’s harder for the seller to have much information on the buyer.
Mistakes get made on the internet. I get people in my web store who think they are in McDonalds, want it supersized for another dollar, cheap fast the way they want it, forgetting that Ronald Mc might not be able to speak English and that’s why he smiles – and you have to point.
But I also get customers who think they are in tiffanies and wait to be seated, asking for a menu, not realizing they are at a one man show doing the selling- making buying the advertizing the web site the picture taking and – well personal service means a person and we need to get along with this person. It’s one reason personal service was given up and everyone was created equal with impersonal service.
