TiVo Community Forums Archives - Are you in a habit of checking CE Stores for TiVos and helping to sell them?

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Are you in a habit of checking CE Stores for TiVos and helping to sell them?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: mtchamp

I usually check my local stores for TiVos, but I was on a weekend vacation in Boston and visited the CambridgeSide Galleria Mall. I checked Circuit City Express, no TiVos, Cambridge Soundworks, no TiVos and then Best Buy. Best Buy had 4 DirecTV HDVR2's on the shelf and a couple of TiVo 80hr standalones too. I also found a couple of guys looking at TiVo 80hr orange boxes next to the ReplayTVs. I jumped right in to offer assistance in case he picked up the ReplayTV.

You looking to buy a TiVo I asked? He says yes and now I'm really exited. I tell him I've had TiVos for over two years and can answer any questions. I asked him if he heard about TiVo and he did from a friend and he had already tried it. So you must know how us TiVo people just can't say enough about them. He smiled in agreement. I told him it would change his life and he would be joining the cult.

We touched on TiVo versus ReplayTV because they were right there next to each other. I told him the difference is software. I explained if you want your programs automatically recorded, guaranteed, go with TiVo. If you want some cool features like show sharing over the internet or archiving to your PC then ReplayTV. I brought up the DirecTV option and monthly subscription versus lifetime. Maybe if he was unsure about a couple of things, I helped out with my TiVo rant.

I suspect he came in to buy a TiVo and the ReplayTV was there and he probably would not have bought it, but it could have tripped him up. I feel like I closed the sale when he took a TiVo off the shelf. I saw him a few minutes later in the checkout line. It was a beautiful sight. I was the only one I ever saw in a checkout line with a TiVo.

I stopped to invite him to tivocommunity.com and search for mtchamp. I had already left the store when I remembered that Best Buy wants you to checkout TiVos in the video department, at least that was the policy when I bought one. I could have saved him the useless wait in line. I hope all has gone well so far with the set-up and should he come here for a visit, welcome to the TiVolution.

Have you noticed the membership of the Tivo Community Forum has been increasing by more than 500 a week and the number of members online has been increasing as well? I see over 400 and 500 often and over 600 one day last week.

Posted by: LiveBlues

Good job! Add one (or 2 or 20) more to the TiVolution.

Posted by: pendragn

My wife hates it when I do that. I'll find some poor unsuspecting soul gazing in the direction of a TiVo box and the game is on. I've never stuck around to actually watch them walk out the door, but I've seen a couple pick them up.

tk

Posted by: Philosofy

Another hint is to troll around in the DirectTV section, and mention the Direct TiVo's to anyone looking at DTV.

Posted by: willardcpa

quote:
"I told him it would change his life and he would be joining the cult.

We touched... "

:eek: :D

Posted by: TiVoPony

Oh, I've been known to sell a TiVo or two when I'm walking through a retailer.

But I usually don't mention the cult. ;)

Cheers,
Pony

Posted by: smak

I swear to the maker, i was going to post this exact thread a few days ago.

I don't go out of my way to go into a place that sells Tivo, but when i'm in a best buy or similar, i always check the tivo aisle, to see what they have in stock, and the prices.

If I were to notice somebody eyeing it, i may feel the need to make a few comments.

-smak-

Posted by: timdthomas

I've gone in with my 6 year old daughter, and get her to chime in too!

Posted by: grecorj

quote:
Originally posted by TiVoPony
But I usually don't mention the cult. ;)

Of course not -- that comes later. :D

Posted by: phone1

Sure I do it occasionally - what's the big deal? I think Best Buy management really over-reacted by banning me from the store. After all, their stupid sales person is the one who started the fight. :mad:

Posted by: brahamt

The place I absolutely love doing this is at a local store called or Nobody Beat the Wiz (I swear, that's it's real name). Anyway, the store is owned around here locally by Cablevision. In some of the stores, they have their Digital Cable service setup. Whenever I see someone who seems interested, I politely tell them about Directivo. I think I got two different people to drop cable for this option.

I used to be a UTV subscriber, and I have gotten a few people hooked on that. Hmm, time to get to work on converting them.

Posted by: JPriller

I guess I've been going about the game all wrong.

Generally I wander by my Best Buy's TiVo racks to see if there's any open-box deals (there rarely is, and then the price is too high), and when the drone rushes over to help (with visions of warranty sales dancing in its head) I see how little it knows about TiVos.

For example, you'll be interested to know that TiVo is owned by AT&T, and an SA TiVo can record HDTV because it just has to pass the signal through and record it, right?

Posted by: Ellipse

Sounds like there is a rush on the Kool-Aid again. Hope there is enough to go around! ;)

Posted by: jhoetzl

All I can say is....guilty.

My Wife hates it as well, but when you see someone staring at that orange box...and then they look at replay's "Commercial Skip" and pick up that box, I usually chime in...

Posted by: arkham999

In my youth I would do this with Macs. I was in high school and would go to the Microcenter to look around. If I heard a salesperson lying about Macs (trying to persuade a customer to go look at the PCs), I'd step in and help them get the right Mac for their needs.

I definitely evangelize the TiVo to people when it comes up, but I don't go to electronics stores much, so I've never tried to help sell one.