July 25, 2007
Our Night with Saladmaster
A couple weeks ago we had a knock on our front door. It was a sales person. I let my wife get it as I was busy with the kids, though I knew it was likely that I'd be called upon to come to the door and give the final "no." (My wife can't say no to anyone.) Sure enough, five minutes later I was asked to come to the front door.
There I met a very nice man who was a representative of Saladmaster. They sell top-of-the-line cooking pots, pans and the like and he was trying to open up a new market for himself.
I told him we weren't interested, but then he started giving me the details. If we were open to hearing a presentation from him, he'd come and make us dinner using his products. Nope, I wasn't interested, I said. It would be fried chicken, mashed potatoes, a salad, vegetables and a cake. He'd provide all the food for free and he'd cook it in our home (while we watched/helped a bit.) Hmmm. Maybe I was interested. In addition, he'd give us a free salad bowl -- a $90 (or close) "value". I was almost ready to bite when he said he'd also throw in a free serving spoon. Ok, free meal, free bowl, and free spoon, I'm in. We set a date for two weeks later.
He showed up at 5 pm on the scheduled night, set up, and had the kitchen rocking within a half hour or so. While things heated up a bit, he gave us his presentation. Basically, the pitch was:
* This cookware was top-of-the-line.
* It helps people by saving time in preparation and saving money because there's less food wasted (due to their cooking process that doesn't "shrink" food but rather cooks it in its own juices.)
* The food is also better for you because less of the nutrients are cooked out (compared to other cookware.)
* You should look at this product as an investment in the health of your family. It will make them healthier and live longer, better lives. Plus, since it saves money, it eventually pays for itself.
As a marketing executive, I was fascinated by the pitch -- what was said, how it was said, the props he used, the demos he conducted. They were all designed for one purpose, of course -- to get us to by a set of the cookware that very evening.
It was a very well-crafted presentation and quite convincing -- I can see how they get a lot of people to purchase the product. I really didn't expect anything different -- after all, this is the company's business -- but the way it was done was certainly professional and every word and action had a specific purpose. I didn't ask, but I'd guess their "close" rate was very high.
After we ate, he showed us the cookware options. Up to this point, he hadn't said anything about price (another selling tactic -- get people to want it first without a thought toward price) which was a tip off that it was going to be VERY expensive.
And it was VERY expensive.
The set my wife said she liked the best (he asked us to pick out which one we liked the best) was a $5,500 "value" if the items were purchased separately. If, however, we bought the set, it would "only" cost us $3,500. Of course, several items with a "value" of over $1,200 were thrown in for "free" when we bought the entire set.
Oh, and to make things easy for us, they had several financing plans -- 90 days same-as-cash and the like. Or we could make payments. Or use a credit card. They wanted to help us however they could, after all. And really, since this cookware would save us over $100 a month, it would pay for itself in less than three years. How could we say "no"?
We said "no."
He was shocked! How could this be?
We told him we never made a rush decision on a major purchase like this. We needed to do some research, compare prices, and the like.
How much time would we need, he asked.
Maybe a couple weeks, we said. Maybe more.
Well, he couldn't wait that long. If we didn't buy tonight, we would lose the opportunity to get the "free" pieces.
Of course. How convenient.
But, he had a solution for us. If we bought tonight, we had three days to cancel the order. Why not buy it tonight, get the free stuff, and think about it for three days?
We said "no."
But he had another idea. How about we just buy the items we selected as "free" (ones that he knew we really wanted -- in his mind at least) and then if we decided to buy later, these costs would count towards the discounted purchase price of the full set?
We said "no."
He then asked again if we wanted to take advantage of the three-day grace period. We said "no, we wanted to think about it." He told us that his experience was that when people thought about it for a week, most didn't buy. I found that comment extremely interesting. Anyway, we were polite but stuck to our answer. He packed up and left, offering us more freebies if we hosted some "parties" for him. We told him we'd get back to him.
A few extra comments/thoughts on this experience:
* These presentations are meant to get you to buy and buy right now. They are well-designed by people who make their living getting you to do so. They use everything they can -- factual appeals, emotional appeals, whatever -- to get you to buy NOW. They tell one side of the story (theirs) to get you to buy NOW. Just remember these things if you're ever in such a meeting.
* In the course of the presentation, the salesman told us he used to be a "financial planner." I had to smile to myself. Just another example that: 1) almost anyone can be a "financial planner" and 2) there is little difference in the main skill need to sell pots and advise people on finances (for many planners) -- its SALES! Be warned.
* eBay. He couldn't understand how we could say no to his presentation. What he didn't know was that the night before my wife had researched Saladmaster, seen what they had to offer, and done some shopping on eBay. Stuff he was telling us was worth $500 is easy to find on eBay for $50 or so. Sure, it's not brand new, but it's close. And for a product with a lifetime guarantee, what's a year of use?
Anyone else had an experience with Saladmaster -- or some similar company?
