Stupid selling.

Interesting column in the site BeaucoupKevin about how stupid a retailer was to pan a comic in his newsletter. Shows what a fanboy he is, that he would shoot down a product like that, to which I replied.



That’s a very simple-minded way of looking at it.

Stan Lee never met a Marvel comic that wasn’t stupendously great.

I stopped listening to Stan Lee 20 years ago. If he said it was light outside, I’d go to the window to check.

It’s not about the individual sale, or the individual product. It’s about establishing a credibility with your customer, so they believe you when you say, “This is a good graphic novel.” It’s about establishing a relationship of trust.

Is this any good? They ask.

Fantastic! you say.

How about this?

Great!

And this?

Best thing I ever read!

And if they go home and it’s a piece of crap, they’ll not only not believe you, but they may never come back.

Imagine instead, this,

How’s this?

It’s O.K., but this one over here is even better.

Or.

Should I get this?

Lot’s of people like it, but my favorite is this comic.

You’re showing faith in the artform and the industry to be able to pan a comic. You’re saying, I feel secure enough about the quality of what I sell to be able to tell you if something isn’t good.

Always with the caveat, “in my opinion.”

But you want to create an atmosphere in your store that rewards good work. You want the customer to feel like he can ask your honest opinion, and you’ll give it.

Giving a negative review may have the reverse effect of making them buy something else, instead of nothing at all. It’s actually a good marketing tool, sometimes, believe it or not.


I'll probably be completely thrashed over there, but I'm safe over here....

Kevin replied: Duncan, did you actually read the post? You’re turning a mass email to the customer base telling people to not buy something into a one-on-one sales experience, which is not what happened. Amazon doesn’t give me books to not buy in the marketing messages I get from them - why should a comic book shop do the opposite?

My answer:

Even in a newsletter, it’s important to have credibility. As well as entertainment value — you want them to come back, and maybe a negative review can do that. Should be seeded with recommendations for good product, though.

In my bookstore blog, I review every novel I read. Good, bad, or indifferent. I want people coming back to read my blog, to remind them of my store, the remind them that I carry many other novels, good, bad or indifferent. Selling that particular book isn’t the real point of the exercise.

Talking about books, is. Enjoying reading, and saying why I didn’t enjoy a certain book, is not a contradiction. It’s proof that I enjoy reading enough that I’ll try another and another book until I do find that really good book and tell you all about it.


Kevin:

I understand credibility and its importance, but I really do not see how trashing an X-Men comic book gains that from anybody but the people who already don’t like it, who weren’t going to like it anyway. Maybe I’m just too darn positive to work in marketing.

Oh, wait a minute…


I'll let him have the last word.

Heck with that. I couldn't resist.

I think customers appreciate an honest tone, they find it refreshing. I suppose if you really hate all comics and express that, then you’ve got a problem.

But if you love comics, and find one you don’t like, and express that…they’ll try something else. And believe you the next time, too.


Well, this just keeps going:

Another guy slammed me for being stupid enough to tell people not to buy a comic:

I answer:



“Step three: Profit!”

Well, I’m in my 28th and most profitable year.

Without pandering. I like, I don’t like. I’ll tell you.

I’m pretty sure my customers wouldn’t like it if all I did was hype stuff. Nothing but sugar. A little spice just makes it taste better.


Kevin:

So, Duncan, you’d tell people to not buy The DaVinci Code then? You’ve done that? You’ve slapped a big DON’T BUY on it on your blog?

Books and comics aren’t the same marketplace - comics come out on a weekly basis, have a smaller per-unit margin, and aren’t returnable. Comics retailers can chose to pan a title, but they’re also likely to to be panning the next year or so on that title and turning down money that could be coming in for the next year.

Duncan:


Interesting example. I thought The DaVinci Code sucked. Didn’t seem to stop it from selling….

What I tend to do is review a bunch of comic titles at a time, just like I read them.

I already know what comics and authors and artists I like, usually, so the review is more likely to be positive than negative, because of the culling process.

But after that, yes, I call it as I see it. I tend to see good things in almost all books, movies and comics, so even a negative review will hold out hope.

But, yes. What counts is that you are covering the hobby honestly. That you are entertaining. That you are showing you know your stuff, and have the credibility to be a good source.