We believe in music and all its benefits. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the buying process. This article is to make you aware of practices that may affect you in choosing the correct piano for you.
Our primary goal is to help you find the best instrument for you and your family. We work to achieve this goal in a friendly, knowledgeable, comfortable and earnest manner. However, there are many selling tactics that are used which step outside these bounds. We are sad to say we see and hear of these frequently in our industry both locally and abroad.
Unethical Tactic 1: Cognitive Load Manipulation
One of the main unethical sales tactics we hear of is known in psychology as cognitive load manipulation. This is an academic way of describing a method where a salesperson overloads the customer with details and specs as a way of making them feel overwhelmed into purchasing their recommendation.
Unethical Tactic 2: Using a Poorly Maintained “Competitor” Piano for Comparison
Recently, here in Ottawa, we have seen a new tactic. We have had people come into our store that are quite convinced they know the value of some of our pianos, because they were given a presentation that dissects technical differences in an older and poorly maintained example of our piano against a new, flawless example of theirs. Please understand that an untuned, poorly-voiced instrument is neither a good comparison point nor an accurate representation of the quality of piano.
Unethical Tactic 3: Making a feature the end-all be-all of quality measurement
This method is a little complicated, so bear with us for the explanation!
Some customers are manipulated by a product feature and the benefit. A piano is an extremely complicated instrument with over 10,000 moving parts. Within its own scale and design, there are features that are ideal for that SPECIFIC piano. For example, material used for one piano might be ideal for that SPECIFIC instrument based on its design but might be a poor choice for another design. The manufacturing process is different for different pianos; a key aspect of one building process might be detrimental if added to a different one. This is all to say that a salesman announcing with great confidence and conviction that this “feature” has great benefits is technically true but often times is only true for THAT model of piano. That detail is rarely shared!
To put this in a more relatable example, a teaspoon of garlic paste might be a great addition to a sauce. However, it would make a batch of cookies pretty unappetizing.
Conclusion:
Manipulative sales tactics are something to watch out for on both the digital and acoustic side of product research as it can be the main and sometimes the only sales strategy some stores have.
Buying a piano should be a joyful experience that moves at your pace and along with your interests. Ottawa Pianos prides itself on achieving this goal whenever possible, earning your consideration and ultimately the award of your business.
After all how else can we still be in business without a strong belief in the power of music and honest relationships with everyone who has walked through our doors in last 53 years?
*We sincerely hope you don’t run into any untoward methods while you are researching your piano, but if you do you will be better equipped. We will probably update this article or make more like it as time goes one. Sadly, this seems to be becoming more and more necessary these days.
1- The scale of a piano is the technical term for the design of stringing in a piano. This includes the layout of the strings and other elements relative to one another and to the size of the instrument. Chapin, Miles and Rodica Prato, 88Keys, The Making of a Steinway Piano, New York: Clarkson Potter, 1997.
