for the hell of it....and since I have to time to spend...hopefully it's not wasted...
 
There have been numerous threads about guitars. This and that...just folks sharing, talking and enjoying.
At work I've heard people joke about getting a job at Wal-Mart in their retirement years...Ug...yeah I'm old enough to be in conversations about retirement...weird but true.
Anyway, if in my retirement I wanted something to help keep busy and/or even have a little unneeded income I think I'd apply for a job at a music store...if there was one around, which there isn't.
Then I thought- you know it would be cool to be a guitar salesperson that would have a good reputation by being helpful with good advise and information for the customers. So.....
 
The scenario; You're a guitar salesperson and a father with his teenage son need your help picking out the first guitar for his son because they know nothing. How would you handle that?
 
I know how I would and for some reason thought if I did write my approach it may be of interest and possibly help others.
Of course I'm not unless others think it's a cool idea  and if so want to mention theirs first...or just shoot this dog before it bites somebody.

People have asked me for that advice before with starting guitarist.  I always respond to buy the best instrument that you can afford.  I suggest that your entry level player will advance faster, the better the instrument.  I know that the final decision is up to them, but I try to give them the best options that are within their budget range.  
 
I have also suggested that buying cheap instruments, the player will either out grow its limitations quickly or they will just tire of the guitar and quit.  Its a hard call for a parent that is not really sure if their child will stick with it.  
 
If you are a parent who plays guitar, go for what you would like like to inherit when your child quits or loses interest. 

I've been asked many times too Mike, but never as an employee at a music store.
 
Has your advise been limited to "budgets"?
 
Although "price" is expected to be a factor "off the cuff" I was wondering what important details about guitars one would enlighten the unknowing with. In my way of thinking there are characteristics of guitars that should be important to the customer and many factors that are of no value to them.
 
With that I'll submit what I think is how I would make a sell.
 
1. I'd get a Les Paul and a Strat style guitar.  (model, make not important)
    The reasoning;  These two guitars show all the most important differences in most all electrics.
 
2. Then I would point out those major differences while the customer had one in hand.
    I'd start with the scale-length. Switching between the two-pointing out how the distance between the frets do make a difference and also change the string tension with the short-scale being easier to bend notes.
 
3. The Pickups difference.
    I'd inform them about the two basic designs of dual and single coils. Letting them hear the difference.
 
4. The bridge.
    How one is a common type of hard-tail and the other-trem and how it may be a major issue for holding a tuning and requirements that may or may not resolve the problems.
   Also what intonation is and how it is adjusted - on each type.
 
5. Necks
    How one is angled and one is straight or parallel to the body and how they feel -one shorter than the other and even more so because the one angled also has the shorter- scale length and tilted/angled head that not only change the feel of length but also how the guitar "wraps" around you.
May even mention the methods of neck mountings... set-neck/neck through/ bolt-on and the bolt-on advantage being that one may purchase different necks (carefully) if desired.
 
6. The contour and fret size differences (and may to find guitars to add for example)
   Demonstrating how not only the contour (back of neck) and fretboard radius feels but also how short, small frets may feel to be a slower playing, harder to bend string neck. Also mentioning how some wood fretboards require a protective finish and may add to the slow feeling to some players.
 
7. Lastly controls and finish selections.
 
 
Well, that's my guess of how I'd start my first day as a salesperson at a music store. May not make a full day but that's how I would start. LOL

Simple. I would ask the parent what their hobby is.
 
Then I could draw the analogy of starter vs. intermediate vs. pro guitars within the framework of ther hobby to help the parent out of the $50 mindset that 101% of them have.
 
 
 

I used to give guitar lessons and I remember some of the godawful guitars some of those kids came in with. Bad necks, junk tuners, high sharp frets, etc etc. It's no wonder a lot of kids who really seemed to want to learn to play quit because of the frustration of a bad guitar. Then there is the issue of sore fingertips from practicing until calluses are built up.
 
My standard advice for kids under 12 and their parents is to start with a small scale acoustic with nylon strings. Not a great expense and easy on the fingers. The other advice I always give is to find a teacher immediately. Explain to the kid that you are going to take these lessons every week for 6 months. Then I tell the parent they have to be firm on making the kid practice the lessons daily, with the carrot being an electric guitar of decent quality at the end of 6 months if the kid is still interested in playing.
 
Buying a kid under 12 a nice electric guitar (over $400) and an amp is a mistake IMO. And selling this setup to an uninformed parent is short sighted. As a salesman, I'd rather inform the parent why I recommend the nylon acoustic/teacher/commitment method, then if the kid hangs in, have the opportunity to sell them a nicer guitar/amp/accessories and perhaps gain a customer for life.

Excellent points Randy and I too mentioned instrument issues to parents and students if they had them along with some possible solutions. (I didn't work on guitars then so no solutions involved me)
 
As a salesperson I'd hope I'd be working in a store that had a wide price range of playable guitars for their selection and informed decision. "Informing" would be my major interest. Not everyone can take good information and make a good decision with it...and as a salesperson, rather than a teacher, I'd feel I'd done my part.
If "dad" was set on buying his kid this or that or that kid was then set on owning this or that after I had done my part...they're good to go IMO.
 
Bapu- spot on. The money part can make people just decide to be a vocalist...and end up being able to claim "my band" when they've paid no dues for anything and usually didn't even buy the mic.!
 
 

As far as classical guitars go, if the kid is small get a smaller scale classical.  These weren't as prevalent when i was young but I remember my guitar being way too big for me.  It's always nice to get a solid top, but if it's not in the budget a composite top is ok.    Get the nicest one you can afford.  If you're selling guitars at a shop, don't spring this on the parent at first.  I hate hearing that from salespeople (*well, what can you afford?*)  nobody in a post internet world believes that you get what you pay for, because you don't!  But explain to them why the better guitar is more expensive.  Explain the benefits, not the features that's true of all sales jobs.

Ah, yes Michael; I usually try to explain the difference in scale length between Fenders and Gibson.  Also explain the differences, advantages, disadvantages and tones between single coil and humbucker pick ups.  If they seem interested, I may go into neck shapes, wood types, etc.  
 
I had a Worship Leader ask my opinion recently, he is an acoustic player and wanted to switch to electric.  I gave him a ton of information on all the differences that have been mentioned.  In the end, he was dead set on a Tele.  So, he did what he wanted all along anyway.  

I've enjoyed this fantasy job. I think  I know that I've enjoyed this more than I would dealing with customers.
If I had to deal with the public I'd probably end up in jail for a very long time...well not for a very long time. Longer than I would care to be there no doubt.
 
Randy reminded me-  My teacher told me; "Mike, you're going to get a student that you know will never be able to play a guitar...and don't you tell them"..."whatever you do, don't tell them".  Ok I said. A guitar had nothing to do with it at all.
Money just can't buy a player and a player can play any guitar that's playable. Only so much a salesperson, teacher or guitar can do.
 

spacey
I've enjoyed this fantasy job. I think  I know that I've enjoyed this more than I would dealing with customers.
If I had to deal with the public I'd probably end up in jail for a very long time...well not for a very long time. Longer than I would care to be there no doubt.
 
Randy reminded me-  My teacher told me; "Mike, you're going to get a student that you know will never be able to play a guitar...and don't you tell them"..."whatever you do, don't tell them".  Ok I said. A guitar had nothing to do with it at all.
Money just can't buy a player and a player can play any guitar that's playable. Only so much a salesperson, teacher or guitar can do.
 

Yep, I used to get them all the time. The test for me was to ask the kid what favorite song of his he wanted to learn. Usually the 1st or 2nd lesson is when I would ask this. Then I'd teach him the chords and draw out the chords for him to practice. If he hadn't even tried to learn it by the next lesson, I had a pretty good idea if the kid was going to stick with it. I was rarely wrong.