For those who've hit high spending milestones with AD reps-

[lkngshrp]

Hello all! My first purchase was way back in 2013 and was maybe 20k with a substantial discount. Within a year or 2 after I was hot for the Platona and was getting ready to buy (again at a substantial discount) but a number of other events and opportunities made it less of a priority and the Platona sat on the back burner.

Fast forward to late 2018 I’m again ready to pull the trigger and return to the same AD (FYI I had maintained the relationship over the years by stopping in and chatting periodically...). I was quite upset to learn that discounts aren’t a thing anymore and that my AD said she couldn’t order one for me and she suggested I start looking elsewhere as it was unlikely she would receive any... It killed me to do this and I did find one at another AD.

Long story short I got my Platona last month and ended up buying a yellow gold Lady Datejust with diamond bezel for my Wife from my original AD and all total I spent just under $150k CAD and I got some Rolex gifts (from the AD I got the Platona from not my regular AD) I would never use and absolutely no access to anything... In a nutshell the 2nd transaction was almost 7x the first one and there was absolutely no difference in how I was treated. $150k means different things to different people.

The grey market up here in Toronto is crazy expensive. There is a reseller selling a preowned Platona from 2013 with a missing link for the same as retail on a brand new piece. The price on a Hulk here is $25-28k CAD on an $11k MSRP watch. Going grey was/is not an option here.

[archer1021]

Interesting topic, I have found that a really good AD (mine) will treat everyone nicely and spend time with all customers even if they haven’t bought anything. I have witnessed this at my Ad which is why they have been around for a long time and are successful.

But once you do hit the $150-$300k you do get preferential treatment. But supple also plays a part.

I spend quite a lot at my AD. I received a black dial Daytona within a month or ask but waiting for white face still almost a year.

Then I received a PP 5712 with 2 months of ask, but still waiting for a skyd blue


In the meantime I have bought 5 other PM rolexes and a ladies steel patek within last 12 months.

Sometimes it just doesn’t matter. Smaller spenders do get some pieces ahead of the big spenders

If an AD treats you poorly because you didn’t spend enough, you are with the wrong AD


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[RHIII]

Originally Posted by archer1021

Interesting topic, I have found that a really good AD (mine) will treat everyone nicely and spend time with all customers even if they haven’t bought anything. I have witnessed this at my Ad which is why they have been around for a long time and are successful.

But once you do hit the $150-$300k you do get preferential treatment. But supple also plays a part.

I spend quite a lot at my AD. I received a black dial Daytona within a month or ask but waiting for white face still almost a year.

Then I received a PP 5712 with 2 months of ask, but still waiting for a skyd blue


In the meantime I have bought 5 other PM rolexes and a ladies steel patek within last 12 months.

Sometimes it just doesn’t matter. Smaller spenders do get some pieces ahead of the big spenders

If an AD treats you poorly because you didn’t spend enough, you are with the wrong AD


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Some great practical examples of what I was eluding to above.


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[Overwound]

Originally Posted by Wimbledon

Well...here's the thing...most of the people spending the big money here on the East Coast are Arabs and oil money. From time to time they will buy out the entire store for their wives and children. They are the true VIPs. Most people who live around here know this and have seen it.

I thought $150K per year that I spent was a lot, but they spend 10-15 times more than I do.

I can get what I want, but they don't bend over backwards. To them $150K isn't a lot of money.

I got a hat and some other junk.

I've experienced this one time back in the late 1990's. With the current watch climate my story may not seem like much but a the time it was something to talk about.

A prince living in Boston bought a completely diamond covered white gold Breitling from the store I was worked for at the time. The case, dial bracelet, all diamonds. The total was just over $30,000.

When we received a photocopy of the credit card we thought the print was too dark. I could hardly make out the numbers. When I manually entered the info through the credit card terminal it went through like a $5 purchase. No call the the card company or verification which would have been normal at the time. It turns out this was my first run in with a Centurian card and the watch wasn't even for him. It was a gift for a relative. I'd like to hear what this person's yearly watch spending totals would be these days.

This wasn't the last or most expensive single purchase but it does stand out in my mind. People are out there buying gifts that cost more than many people's entire collections.

[daOnlyBG]

Originally Posted by Aplover5

I spent a lot with my local southern AD and they said no Daytona, Skydweller. I walk into a AD up north with very little relationship and they pull out a blue Skydweller last November. Go figure.

I have a theory (and this is a bit why I started this thread) that after a certain limit, and after the AD gives you the allocation watch you want, said AD salesmen become greedier, and try to stretch your willingness to spend even further.

A number of responses on this thread indicate there might be a little truth to this.

[Mr DateJust]

The AD I used to use which has now closed sadly I bought about 5 or 6 watches from over a couple of years. All stainless both sports and DJ. They offered me a Daytona at retail a few years back. Also did me a killer deal on a Lady DateJust for the wife. I was by no means their biggest client, not even close but it was a small dealer but I was local and well known to them.

[Tavli3]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

I understand one AD quantifies their customers' ranking every year based on their total spending for the year. Whoever spends the most in that year will get the pieces he/she wants with first priority. There is no accumulative concept, ie, those customers who spent a lot previously, but not so much in the current 1 or 2 years, will not get the hottest watch.

For the purpose of transparency to all the sales people, the customers' spendings are flashed weekly to said sales people at a conference room in PowerPoint slides. They know exactly where their customers are.

Out of all the posts this one stuck out most to me. First I get the fact that they rank customers on a yearly spend and the top guy/gal gets treated accordingly.
But the fact that lets say the 2019 champ comes in 4th or 5th in 2020 that negates them from getting the same treatment? That sounds like bad business to me. Once a champ always a champ unless you do something extraordinary to change that.

Lastly that they have weekly Power Point meetings to show customer standings on a weekly basis? Seems a bit much to me! Do they group them into divisions like sports teams? Whose leading the AFC East Rolex division, whose leading the AFC West Non Rolex Division, whose the NFC Jewelry Division leader?

Makes no sense, a whale could go months with no spend and then come in and drop a couple of hundred K in one shot. But for 6 months of the year he's ranked as a piker cause he doesn't show up in the weekly standings?

Has anyone else heard of this practice being done at an AD? A good SA should know who their good customers are without a weekly PP ranking. A good SA will treat their vips properly and go to bat for them no matter what their weekly/monthly spend is at any given time because they are loyal and a steady customer. I would like to think my SA operates as such but maybe I'm naive?

[dkast85]

I've bought two brand new watches from my AD (an explorer 1 and an Oris). Every time I have a repair I go to the same AD. Every time I need some jewelry, I go to him. He pretty much told me explicitly that the next time a BLNR comes in, he will call me first. I was told this in early December from him. Note that I put my name on a list for a BLNR in late 2018. Whenever I get a repair on a watch, he strikes 15% off the top of it. I was inquiring about getting a diamond earring for my wife, he took 20% off the top right away. But I always go to the same guy at my AD. You have to find your salesman at your AD if you want to be noticed. But maybe don’t take advice from me because I have only gotten the call once, and it was for an Explorer that I waited two months for.

EDIT: oh I got invited to the store's christmas party. That's different.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by daOnlyBG

I can't comment on the Chanel J12, but your all your Rolexes are allocation pieces with the exception of the Two-Tone Submariner, which (in all honesty) is easy for most AD salesmen to move.

I guess I'm trying to say that while you did spend money (and quite a bit, I might add), you haven't exactly bought something an AD would struggle to sell. I'm guessing your AD is waiting for you to help them out in that regard.

You do have fine taste though!

You nailed it. Buying what they can sell easily does not count in gaining VIP status.

[037]

Spending certainly helps but being a favorable customer doesn't go overlooked. I know I beat out a few higher spenders last year and am grateful my AD doesn't always pick based purely on money spent.

[Tavli3]

So who gets ranked higher the guy who bought the one piece sitting in the case for the past year or the person who bought the 5 easiest pieces to sell?


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[Chaching]

I am at the Top of my AD’s list and can get whatever I am looking for at Retail. Never a issue. Let’s just say many zeros spent over the relationship.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by Tavli3

Out of all the posts this one stuck out most to me. First I get the fact that they rank customers on a yearly spend and the top guy/gal gets treated accordingly.
But the fact that lets say the 2019 champ comes in 4th or 5th in 2020 that negates them from getting the same treatment? That sounds like bad business to me. Once a champ always a champ unless you do something extraordinary to change that.

Lastly that they have weekly Power Point meetings to show customer standings on a weekly basis? Seems a bit much to me! Do they group them into divisions like sports teams? Whose leading the AFC East Rolex division, whose leading the AFC West Non Rolex Division, whose the NFC Jewelry Division leader?

Makes no sense, a whale could go months with no spend and then come in and drop a couple of hundred K in one shot. But for 6 months of the year he's ranked as a piker cause he doesn't show up in the weekly standings?

Has anyone else heard of this practice being done at an AD? A good SA should know who their good customers are without a weekly PP ranking. A good SA will treat their vips properly and go to bat for them no matter what their weekly/monthly spend is at any given time because they are loyal and a steady customer. I would like to think my SA operates as such but maybe I'm naive?

If you have more than 10,000 customers and 70 Sales Associates (SA), and each SA claims that they have 1-2 extremely important customers to the AD, how would you allocate your highly sought after watch to them? I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Will a 1989 champ still get the most revered watch over a 2019 champ if you are in the AD business?

[Tavli3]

My thoughts are in a different scenario than the one you described. I deal with a small family owned store so from that perspective you can understand my comment.

From the description you give I understand your perspective and weekly meetings in such a large company would make sense. But I still think knocking a guy off vip status who was previously a top customer just because they’re not spending at some point in time is not good business


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[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by Tavli3

My thoughts are in a different scenario than the one you described. I deal with a small family owned store so from that perspective you can understand my comment.

From the description you give I understand your perspective and weekly meetings in such a large company would make sense. But I still think knocking a guy off vip status who was previously a top customer just because they’re not spending at some point in time is not good business

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I guess they are still VIPs in the eyes of the AD, just that they are not as important as the top dog. It's cruel but I can understand this approach given they have limited popular watches. It is not the end though, they can still outspend the top dogs in the current year to climb back to the top, or at least among the top.

[Goonthree]

I buy enough to get all the hot watches and my ad is nice to everyone. As for VIP, I do feel like one at Rolex but when my friend walk in to AP for the first time and spend nearly 1M the first day. He got VIP treatment and within a week was ask if he wants 1 of 3 AP ultra limited grand complication for $740k. Those watches probably dont have above msrp like hot Rolex but when I go with him, the watches they show him are all above 200k+. That is when I know how small a fish I am

[air_king]

Originally Posted by brucethemanlee

In this market.... it's about history, $$$$$, and relationship!

no different than any other hard to obtain item in our current capitalist society....(for right or for wrong)

“current” capitalist society? When was it different

[beshannon]

I'm getting there

[brucethemanlee]

Originally Posted by air_king

“current” capitalist society? When was it different

I should have said “existing”


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