CONSIDERATE Salespeople & CONSIDERATE Buyers

jlawrence01

Personally, I am getting rather tired of all of the new car ads. They make them nearly impossible to compare. And they ad all of the discounts (recent grads, prior owner, etc.) together when they know that most will not qualify for the promotions.

On the other hand, the automotive press is not much better. Over Christmas, USA Today had an article that GM was offering a $99 per month lease on a 2003 Grand Am to employees of suppliers. I had to take one of the fleet cars in for service so I dropped on in the showroom. And I had to pick the sales manager off the floor laughing at the article.

prophet2

A few years back, the mega-dealer with "screamer ads" got cited for their "buy the Rodeo, same car as the Passport, but $3000 less." Of course, the ad failed to note that Passports were all V-6 engines and the Rodeos in question were four cylinders.

dust90

Yeah, I'm familiar with some most of the come on ads. "We just had one of those at that price and it sold yesterday"
Now that you mention it, I'd probably have a better idea of "fair" price by just researching rebates, dealer incentives and Edmunds TMV.
Thanks

isellhondas

Shoppers in their zeal to buy cars for the "best" prices continue to flock to the stores who run these scramer, sucker ads, they will contnue!

bobst

When we bought our Acura RSX last October, we dealt with a usual friendly salesman and the usual firm sales manager. After they accepted our price, we then waited for the car to be cleaned.

At that point, we were turned over to another person who had a private office, so he must be a somewhat senior staff member. He explained some of the features about the car and how Acura would help us if the car broke down on a trip, but didn't try to sell us anything extra. He was an exceptionally nice person.

I figured his job was to be a "smoother" and make the buyers feel very good about their purchase. Maybe the owner thought the customer might like to see a new face after having a tough negotiation with the sales guys.

In our case, we were very happy with the deal, but talking with the smoother made the whole buying experience even more enjoyable.

Do any of you use the three-person approach?

driftracer

person approach, but never a "smoother". I think that dealer would have to be doing REALLY well to be able to afford someone with the job title of "Customer Warm Fuzzy Giver" or "Group Hug Manager".

thel

Maybe he's just some guy that the dealer fired a long time ago, but just doesn't know it so he talks to people after they buy a car for something to do....just a pilfered thought.

ladyofluxury

Mack you wouldn't happen to know of Checkered Flag Toyota would you?

stickguy

I'll bet you a buck that he does.

isellhondas

Yeah...I think Mack "knows" of the place!

ladyofluxury

I was reading a post from Mack on another board and I just kind of figured it out...lol It's not that far from where I live and my husband and I have been there before, he is looking to buy a Camry and I'm getting a 4Runner.

Such a small, small world...

mackabee

I'm very familiar with the place. It's been my home away from home for the past 8 years. Stop by and say hi sometime.
                           : )
                              Mackabee

ladyofluxury

Do you mind if I e-mail you?

mackabee

Not at all, my e-mail is in my profile.
                      : )
                        Mackabee

bowke28

most luxury brands use a person or people for delivery only. these are people that will take you through the car head-to-toe, and go over the warranty, service, etc...

when i sold linconls, we did this. VERY happy people in the end. i've made the suggestion to hire someone for the nissan and ford stores here. its being planned now.

normally, its someone not good enough to sell things, but who has very high product knowledge.

driftracer

I considered it MY job to take the new owner through the car, head-to-toe, go over all the manuals and warranty guides, show them where all of the maintenance items are checked, and even show them where the spare and jack (and tools) were.

No, this wasn't THAT long ago.

Anyone who does not spend that 30 minutes with the buyer of their multi-thousand dollar automobile is doing them a huge disservice.

Additionally, after spending time in service, I can attest that 90% of consumer's initial "problems" are brought on by lack of knowledge as to how things are supposed to look, sound and work in their new ride, and if their salesman had gone over a few things, like how to set the stereo stations, the clock, and work the a/c unit....

It's amazing what that extra 20-30 minutes can do for CSI, both in sales and service.

And salespeople, what ELSE are you going to do right after a "throw the keys at 'em" delivery besides go have a smoke or talk to the green peas at the "I'm up next" spot?

sandman46

I just sent you an e-mail. Let me know if you got it.
Thanks.

The Sandman :-)

driftracer

responded, and thanks.

bowke28

i cant even begin to understand how things used to be back when you sold the flintstonemobiles. ;-)

driftracer

very funny, but I just turned 40 and this was in 1992-1994.

dbgindy

Drift sold cars before leases..... :-)

Duncan

driftracer

dbgindy

LOL

Duncan

bowke28

i didnt even get out of high school till '92!!!

;-)

duncan...i gotta back drift up on this one...my dad leased cars right before drift started...in the late '80s...1880s. HA-HA!

driftracer

I'm only 10 years older than you, but I have 10 times the experience you do, green pea.

Now, can we get back to talking about considerate people?

dbgindy

I didn't mean to start anything. Just a small joke...

Duncan

driftracer

Never a problem with a joke, unless we get into trouble and get put on double secret probation.

KCRam

And you won't know if you're on it, will you?

kcram
Host
Smart Shopper and FWI Message Boards

driftracer

Animal House!

Now, back on topic, ladies and gentlemen!

blockislandguy

drift, did any of the guys who do this ever realize that after the 30 minute delivery you can (rightfully) ask for some referrals? Just like the whole life guy does after he sells you a policy.

driftracer

you're right on the money.

After all the hackles have settled down after negotiation, plus the F&I debacle...the consumer gets to fall in love with the vehicle again, and get the vehicle demo'd by a pro, learn things they didn't catch when they were researching, and remind themselves about the options they purchased, reaffirming the sale and the decision.

After that full explanation of all the books, service walk, then going to pick up the car from detail and going over everything, the consumer is feeling good, as they should be (you hope).

In addition to providing a good service with some serious benefit to the customer, you'd laid groundwork to get referral business - I guarantee the person's last few salespeople didn't give a rat's butt enough to do all that.

30 minutes worth of work with each customer was worth an extra 20-30 deals in a year.

isellhondas

And I tailor my deliveries accordingly. If I know my customer had had three other Hondas and is in a hurry, I'll do a very fast delivery.

If I get a real detailed buyer, I'll go over EVERYTHING in great detail.

I think my customers appreciate this. I know if I was the buyer all I would want to do is get going. I wouldn't need or want someone showing me what every switch and button does.

bowke28

i find that if my customer lets me take time for a detailed delivery, ive done a good job...if they seem in a hurry, then i probably have done something wrong...like telling them that they are old...

;-)

sandman46

We now have 2 Nissans bought at the same dealer and the buying experience was great, not rushed or pressured. We were even taken out to the service department, which was something that multiple Toyota purchases never did for us. Bravo Nissan!
I think all dealerships should implement this procedure, left a very positive reaction in my mind.

The Sandman :-)

blockislandguy

Speaking of deliveries, some import dealers recognize the importance of this and even have a dedicated delivery area. The delivery is done by appointment so no one is rushed nor competing with the receptionist's page. Drift is right, all the bad vibes are removed and the customer's decision is reinforced. He doesn't drive out having buyer's remorse but willing to send some people to his friends at xyz motors. In many cases the import product is not any better than the domestic, but the customer service often is (in my limited, non-Asian experience). That's one of the drivers of import car sales, certainly not the five cylinder engines or other goofy ideas you see in some imports.

tornado25

"Maybe he's just some guy that the dealer fired a long time ago, but just doesn't know it so he talks to people after they buy a car for something to do....just a pilfered thought."

Just as long as he has his red Swingline, the guy's happy. ;-)

sross

I must express my appreciation for my experience with the considerate service I got at John Elway Toyota today. I'd put a deposit down on a car 5 days ago, signing a form that clearly said it was nonrefundable. Personal issues came up about the purchase, and I really needed to get out of the order. I was willing to do almost anything to get out of the purchase, and I was completely prepared to forfeit the deposit--I just didn't want to have to take delivery. (My lawyer friend confirmed that they were completely in their rights to hold me to the contract.)

Not only did they ultimately let me out of the purchase order, they gave me all of the deposit back, saying, "Just think about us when you ARE ready to make a purchase, and let your friends know about our service."

Now this may not be appropriate for this board, for this was a CONSIDERATE sales organization and I was an INCONSIDERATE buyer. I'm definitely guilty of wasting their time in my impulsiveness, and though I could self-analyze why nice people like me can become inconsiderate buyers, that's off-topic for this forum. But I'll try to find some way (maybe a gift certificate) to let the salesman know how much I appreciate what they've done, as well as spreading the good word.

blockislandguy

Nice post. The problem though (and I hate to bring it up) is that by the dealer giving back the deposit he is eliminating the consequences of impulsive behavior and undermining the nature of a binding agreement. People should understand that there are consequences to their actions. Congrats to the dealer but it sends the wrong signal at a crucial point (e.g., post superbowl) in time in our society.

thel

All right salespeople, if I'm a customer, what would you advise me to do to be as considerate a customre as possible and still get a good deal? Should I call in advance and make an appointment, or just walk-in? Should I arrange my own financing or not? How long and what type of a test-drive is considered "considerate"? How much can I negotiate the value of my trade and still be considered considerate?

Just curious, you hear a lot of different approaches and I'm just wondering what approach puts the salespeople in the best mood to offer a good deal.

bowke28

there is nothing inconsiderate about negotiating. the inconsiderate part comes in when the negotiating is based strictly on making sure the dealer makes as little as possible as opposed to paying less out of pocket (ask bobst).
as a matter of fact, there are many VERY considerate grinders out there, too.

tofun2

After I got one dealer's sale manager negated on the car's price agreement that he made the previous day, I called a different dealer (Metro Acura in So Cal)to check on the availability of the car that I wanted.
After a 20 min phone call, Metro's salesperson told me that they had the car in stock and agreed on my offered price. I was so happy and made the appointment on the same night to pickup the car. The whole transaction was so smooth, pleasant, efficient with nothing hiding that I was in and out the dealership with my new car about 2 hours later; that is about 5 hrs since I first made the inquiry phone call! The finance guy was so nice and courteous too. Even I declined on all his offered "programs", he still offered me a finance rate lower than my credit union preapproved rate. Wow! I was ecstatic.
No doubt, this dealership will win more business from me and my friends in the future. I hope that every single car buying experience should be like this in the future.
I love my car.....

bowke28

im glad to hear that you didnt outsmart yourself again. ;-)

gregoryc1

We have purchase and / or leased five Honda vehicles from Mahwah Honda,(Mahwah, N.J.) since 1997. The sales and service team are outstanding. Very professional staff. Fair prices on service. Knowledgeable service and sales staff. We highly recommend them.

suvshopper4

"Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late last month,

Johnny went lookin' for work, but he couldn't find none..."

stickguy

Well, they turned it into a Sharp electronics facility, so maybe he can find work there.

IIRC, they made Ranges there (or maybe that was Edison). Well, they made something there!

racer63

I think the last cars made at Mahwah were Squaremonts. BTW, the Edison plant, which was making Rangers, just closed a couple of weeks ago.

Keeping this on track and topic, I rarely found stores where sales and service are both good. Usually its either/or.

Rob

jumpnjoe

I went to about 8 different dealers in person and dealt with another 8 or 10 online during my buying process. I ended up at the dealership with the best price, but also found that they were one of two dealers that I had any type of trust with. Bancroft Nissan was great to work with even though I decided on an Accord. Lundgren Honda in Auburn, MA didn't negotiate ($400 over invoice, less than Edmunds What others are paying price) gave an honest price on my trade (matched Edmunds recomended trade in price) and treated me well. They had the right balance of attentiveness vs "attacking." They followed up without harassing and made the experience simple and easy. Assuming I like my car (and so far I love it), next car will be a simple trip back to them for a test drive and choice of color. They did walk me though some of the basics which I appreciated so I don't have to read the manual, but did it fast enough that I didn't feel annoyed by it. Haven't had it long enough to know how they are with service.

rroyce10

........ ** I went to about 8 different dealers in person and dealt with another 8 or 10 online during my buying process. **

              This is a Joke, right .?

                       Terry.

dbgindy

Betcha it's not.........

Duncan

isellhondas

Some folks must REALLY enjoy shopping for a car!

To each his own...