Shiftwave sales rep that may gatekeep rather than facilitate
I've spent almost a month trying to arrange a straightforward transaction or short pilot with Shiftwave for a refurbished demo chair for my research. However, I’m ALSO a small business owner. I was willing to go either route (a simple transaction or a rental/refurbished unit) given my academic timeline but my long-term vision for my practice and partners.
I had a call with their sales rep, Kellen.
What happened:
He repeatedly moved the goalposts in the call: quoted a previous refurbished sale at a certain price, then told me they "won't go below $Xk." (25% less than the price last sold). Speaking of budget, he floated a rental (no concrete deposit/term numbers) and then started attaching referral and "earn" requirements that were never agreed. First, it was 3-6 months of research, then, it was “plus 5-6 referrals.”
When I said "that might be feasible," he suddenly upped it to 10 referrals (mind you, this is over $100K the company would make, if each chair $10K, which is far more than "earning" the chair).
When he said my budget was "not even close" and I agreed to the new price and terms he mentioned, he suddenly said "I'm not comfortable with that" and would have to talk to leadership—even though he is the one who put the number out there. He said he would get back to me by the end of the following day, meaning Tuesday, as it was Monday.
Wednesday, he said he talked with "leadership," said rentals/bandwidth weren't available - but there was no evidence he actually engaged leadership during our conversation; felt like a stall. This is in line with every other email and phone call that ended with “I will text you the event info” for a demo in the chair, and no email or text came.
I have an approved budget that can increase if a clear, timely commercial proposal is presented. I am also partnered with the best spine surgeon in my city, and a med spa owner who are definitely willing to buy multiple units and likely at full price should everything (my research or a refurbished unit) work out. I think any business owner could understand that. I would also think someone in sales would understand how scale works. Sure, one might be a couple thousand off or so, but if they end up buying 10 more, in sales commission, you've won.
He refused to negotiate any option and insisted on opaque approvals and shifting terms.
Bottom line: a month of chasing with no transparent proposal and no accountability. If you're planning a pilot or research collab with Shiftwave, be prepared for unclear terms, slow/ nonexistent follow-up, and a sales rep that may gatekeep rather than facilitate.