As a smart home technology users and DIY-er, I’ve been to my share of technology and home stores and I’ve had my fair share of online chats with technology associates. The types of people that I have dealt with when buying home automation never ceases to amaze me. Some really want to sell me the best stuff, some just want to argue and be right, and some don’t care what you buy. Here’s my round up of the types of people that sell you home automation:
The Believer
This salesperson is all about home automation. They believe it is the future, and they are more than happy to talk about it for as long as you’ll listen. They bought into smart home technology early on, and they have all the latest products. They are more excited about your purchase then you are. They will likely try to upsell you, but not on purpose. They just want you to have the most amazing set up – they probably don’t even realize they are upselling. I want to like The Believer, but the truth is they usually annoy me a little. They are great sales associates for people that are new to home automation, though.
The Non-Believer
The Non-Believers are my favorites, because I am able to mess with them the most. They don’t really believe in smart homes, and they are usually pretty sure that AI is going to overthrow humans one day. They don’t follow real home automation news, but they know all the sensationalize stories that exist on social media. They will approach the sale cautiously, and they will be sure to warn you about using this technology because they honestly feel morally obligated to do so. When you leave the store, they make some joke about how they will see you again soon when you decide to return your devices.
The College Kid
Ahhhhh….The College Kid. They are to be commended for working a job while they are in school, but most of the time they do not want to be there. They are thinking about either their next test or their next party, and they think all the old people that come in for home surveillance cameras are boring. You can sense their boredom from the parking lot, before you even enter the store. They like to make fun of both The Believers and The Non-Believers, because they can’t imagine having that much passion either way about this job.
The Buzz Word User
Now, this is my least favorite – and, side note, this person is the most likely to lose a sale. They use all the home automation buzz words that they can find online and they string them together into one long sentence that is meant to make them sound smart – but just leaves everyone confused. They are most likely to be always talking, but never saying anything.
What types of people have you run into when buying your home technology?
