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He is smarter than words can say, he is 100% correct. Sit back and see what it is that your customer wants and needs and give it to them, Stop worrying about online sales lost, if you can't beat them join them.
Every customer has needs and wants. Do not let them slip away when they arrive at your store. Bad mouthing the online retailers will do exactly that. During the season (and the off season) I have customers walk in my store asking for items that they have seen on any given website and if we offer them, this is an opportunity to gain this customer, if I do that's great but many times I do not and I will get it for the customer.
I have other customers that are in the store that say something to the effect of "I will be back later" or they outright say "I want to compare pricing with your competetors for the best price", both brick and morter and internet. I will actually take them to the computer and look up these websites or even call my store level competitors and answer the question right there and then. If you put the extra effort to help these customers at the time of the diliberation they WILL see that as a service and, from my experience, will buy the product from you for the simple fact that they know they would not get that kind of effort either down the street or by any internet supplier.
Earn your customers, we do not have any rights to them, they must be earned and nurtured.
Justin
We need to remember that giving away free advice is just that, free. That means every phone call you take and offer the answer to means one less customer that walks in your door. I usually offer 5 or 6 vague solutions to a problem but insist that a water sample be brought in before a more definitive answer can be offered. This at least gets the person in the door where I have a chance at making a sale. I know many people that troubleshoot the problem over the phone and as a result they dont get paid for their time or knowledge. Moreover, they set a precedent that pool knowledge is free, just pick up the phone, then buy the cheapest solution off the internet.