Price v's Relationship

[HA_DA_JA]

I have been asked to source out a new mixing desk for a small church of 150 people in a small country town (Population <25000) as I live in the city and can get better prices.
I have spoken to their new (established in Oct 2009) local music shop and they can special order the mixer in for this church but the price is higher by only 10-15%.
I dont think they have a local service technician in there area if the unit fails it would have to be sent to the city anyway.
So my question - is it worth paying the extra money to establish a good working relationship with the local music shop?
And what does a good working relationship between each party look like?

[rob]

as a personal general perspective it is always worth paying a bit more for a relationship.

price isn't everything.

when the mixer breaks under warranty, even though the local shop may not have a tech, it will still be them that you return it to for repair and their problem to organise the repair.

having said this, I'd check that they are the kind of people who also value the business relationship and want to support you. Sadly I think many retailers are bitching about being undercut / direct purchases off the internet and not responding by upping the one thing that they can offer...personal service and support.

I buy most of my general electronics parts from the local electronics shop. I have trade accounts with all their suppliers and can buy most things a bit cheaper direct than I pay through them. However, I can walk in there, shoot the breeze, ask for help and toss anything that is faulty back over the counter. They look after me very well, and I more than happily pay for that.
Also like me, they are the local guys needing to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

[norm]

Relationship's and service/knowledge are my keys. Price is third on my list but is important as I dont like to feel I am being taken advantage of. Where I get this, either in Australia or the World for that no longer matters. So to my mind the local shop has to measure up in all areas. Discuss the price issue with them and see how they react. This will give you an indication how they approach their business and how they see their customers. Regards Norm

[musikwerks]

It's possible his price is higher if the town is far away. Shipping will always cost more the further out you go. I don't think you can give a generalised answer because each supplier etc will be different.

Having said that, if the desk goes down on a Sunday morning then it may well pay to have bought locally as I'm sure he would have something in the shop he could swap out until the other desk is fixed.

[Milo]

The other factor to consider is warranty: if the desk goes down in the warranty period (some products have up to 6 years), then it has to be sent back to an authorised repairer, otherwise the warranty is void and the owner would have to pay the local shop for an otherwise-free repair. Horses for courses

[prequalizer]

I would buy from the cheapest place thats established, even ebay or online should be considered. Most items that do become faulty has passed their warranty dates.

In my opinion, a good relationship with a music shop is when they give you very good prices all the time and for that, you buy from them all the time.

[musikwerks]

Relationship has to be based on more than price or it's no relationship at all. All you're doing is going wherever the best deal is. Good relationships are based on mutual respect, give and take. To only go where the cheapest prices are is no relationship at all... it's just take, take, take. Price is just a part of the experience. After sales service is incredibly important too. On higher ticket items the build quality is usually sufficient so there's less chance of needing the service side but on more budget conscious gear the service side of things must be a consideration for the longer term.

As an example of 'relationship', I received an email from a retailer a while back asking how my cancer treatment was going. He said he'd been thinking about me all week and thought he'd drop me a line. I haven't purchased anything from him for about 6 months and he knows I'm in no position to buy anything at the moment but he emailed anyway. That is what relationship is all about. He doesn't know this but by that simple gesture he guaranteed himself a life long customer. Cheapest price or not, he will always have my business.

[prequalizer]

Relationship has to be based on more than price or it's no relationship at all. All you're doing is going wherever the best deal is. Good relationships are based on mutual respect, give and take. To only go where the cheapest prices are is no relationship at all... it's just take, take, take. Price is just a part of the experience. After sales service is incredibly important too. On higher ticket items the build quality is usually sufficient so there's less chance of needing the service side but on more budget conscious gear the service side of things must be a consideration for the longer term.

As an example of 'relationship', I received an email from a retailer a while back asking how my cancer treatment was going. He said he'd been thinking about me all week and thought he'd drop me a line. I haven't purchased anything from him for about 6 months and he knows I'm in no position to buy anything at the moment but he emailed anyway. That is what relationship is all about. He doesn't know this but by that simple gesture he guaranteed himself a life long customer. Cheapest price or not, he will always have my business.

Sorry, but I disagree.
Bottom line is, no shop will take a loss. They always make a profit or at least break even.

It's not about take, take take, because these stores still make a profit even if they give you great prices.

When you build relationships based on their high pricing, then all you are doing is being committed to them for their higher pricing. What compromises are the shops making, what, sending you an email with wishes, notifying you of a sale coming up, providing you customer service for equipment failures when they should, throwing in a few rack nuts with your purchase. If a relationship is based on give and take, then let the stores give you great prices because they still make their cut regardless and you are staying committed to them and making them sales.

[musikwerks]

Never mind.

[heathen]

Most gear retailers totally shit me too but they are there to make a profit, they're not all the same so when I find a good retailer or techo I stick with them.

Most times when buying something expensive I'll have a good chat with the dealer, usually a price can be worked where they are happy with thier margin and you feel happy enough about the price too. Usually if I've worked out thier price compared to overseas or ebay they will mostly nearly match it if they can and give you warranty, sometimes a dealer may only make say $500 on a bit of gear and save you 5 or 6 hundred.

Sometimes everyone can win.

[rick]

i buy anything new from somebody i know locally at what ever price we come to
i need the warranty they need the support
i buy second hand things wherever i find them

[TimS]

i buy anything new from somebody i know locally at what ever price we come to
i need the warranty they need the support
i buy second hand things wherever i find them

absolutely agree..

[graemeh]

I used to have a treasured relationship with the guys from Allan's Music in Ballarat and anything new I wanted I tell them want I could get it for elsewhere and they'd match the price or better it. And we supported each other and I'd tell all my clients what decent guys they were.

Then Vodaphone (let's name names) took over Allan's nationally and dictated prices across the board thus wrecking all the relationships the manager and staff had built up over the years. The Manager and his senior staff all resigned in protest and now Allans Ballarat is a shadow of it's former self with a staff turnover you wouldn't believe... The prices are low but advice is questionable at best and as for support I wouln't know 'cause I now buy most of my stuff from Mick at Mixmasters who is honest and is likewise able to do good prices.

So I would agree wholeheartedly with Kris, and have chat to the local guy and see what he can do...

My 02c...

[Martin]

it can depend on what shirt you are wearing, i walked into a music store with a particular shirt on and the guy offered to give me a patch cable, i paid $2... i make a point of what shirt i had on, because he did..

a few weeks later i needed another $2 patch cable and a 30cm patch cable

he charged me $15, i wasn't wearing the shirt


who knows whats going on with that 'relationship'

[HA_DA_JA]

So we decided to pay about $150 more for the mixing desk and buy it from the local music shop.
I think some things stay the same over time in that it was better to have a relationship with the local shop owner.
It was worth paying the roughly 10% extra.
IF things go bad having that relationship to work things out will be better then 10% we could have saved.
I guess making friends based on common interests can be life long deal as well, even though it was a business deal.
Everyone wins.
Cheers

[musikwerks]

So true Dale.

I have experienced exactly what you're talking about since my diagnosis. Some long term clients have backed off, worried I might drop dead in the middle of a session but most others have re-scheduled their deadlines to accommodate my treatment and subsequent side effects. It's been quite humbling to see how much people are keen to help where they can, even though it's 'business'. That's what relationship over price means.... to me anyway.

Glad you got your mixer tho!

[heathen]

Some long term clients have backed off, worried I might drop dead in the middle of a session

Could ruin the vibe a little. :)

Just jokin!!

[musikwerks]

lol... it's cool. Cancer jokes are allowed. :-p