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Dealers Too Busy For OnLine Shoppers
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In reguards to car salesmen...well, you do need someone to go with you on that test drive. You don't want to get lost do ya?
Oh yeah, sorry I failed to clear this post with you first bobst. It won't happen again.
That seems like it might be true. Guess I was overly optimistic with all of the positive Internet buying experience stories I've read. I sent an inquiry off last week for a "free internet quote" to 7 local dealers and so far only 1 reply and they didn't even pay attention to all of the detail I asked about in my request.
All I ask of a sales person is to carry my written OTD offer to the sales manager without losing it. That is how the sales person is useful to me.
Any more questions?
When I was working at an Infiniti dealer, I heard a customer telling a collegue that one of the things he has against the M45 was that it wouldn't play recorded CDs (CD-Rs). Of course, being the font of all useless knowledge I knew they would play so I caught my collegues attention and told him. The customer was adamant though that, no, they wouldn't play. For whatever reason, I happened to have a CD-R full of music in my desk draw. Showed it to the customer and popped it in the CD player. Reaction from the customer? "That's not a real recorded CD, it's a fake to con buyers with." Not to be deterred, I burnt a fresh one in front of his eyes. The reaction this time - it must be a non-standard CD player in the showroom car. At the end of the day we gave up. No matter what we did, he was right, we were wrong.
Customers talk about product knowledge but in my experience many don't want to take advanatge of it. At Infiniti, not only did we have to pass tests to prove our product knowledge of our vehicles but our competitors as well.
As to what is a salesman needed for, a lot of customers arrive on the lot not really knowing what they need. In many cases they would arrive on our lot not knowing our full range of vehicles and in many cases left in something different than they came to look at, purely due to it being more suited to their needs. I sold plenty of M45's (the old model) to folks who came to look at G35's and I35's. They didn't know the model but once they found they could get $10000 off the sticker and 1.9% finance they were sold. Remember, 90%+ of customers don't research every last detail on the Internet before setting foot on the lot, even "Internet buyers".
Justifying my job or my occupation is as simple as this: Manufacturers dont sell directly to the consumer. The manufacturers have agents (dealers) and those agents "hire" people to sell.
No different than Starbucks, clothiers, tire companies etc.
Anyone who works for a living is either directly or indirectly involved with the sales process...unless you work for the government.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
i used to sell - sold for two years, and i was up front and honest about everything, and people would still treat me like crap, because i was a "car salesperson". imagine if i treated customers that came in with that same chip on my shoulder that customers have on theirs! believe me, there were times that i could have been quite confrontational with a customer, but i never was. always polite, kind, honest.
im not in the business anymore, but having been on that side of the desk has given me a different perspective of the whole buying process. people who think there is no value in having a good salesperson and buying from a reputable dealer who makes you feel comfortable should really think again.
too many people "reward" the skeevy dealers because they show you a ridiculously low price, grind you down, keep you there for hours, and then get their money back on the back end. instead of people walking away, they go ahead with the deal, because of the time and money investment.
its worth your sanity, health, and your financial peace of mind to spend a few more bucks at a reputable dealer that makes you feel comfortable, is helpful, and has a long standing tradition of customer service.
my two cents
-thene
It's funny how this whole process works:
-First, the dealers turn the buying process into a minefield
-Then, they tell you that to avoid the minefield, you are best off by following their sage advice. (Of course, you have to pay a "few more bucks" for this comfort.)
Of course, it is the dealerships that created that minefield in the first place. It is part of an overall strategy to make the process confusing and frustrating for the average buyer, an attempt to wear down the buyer in order to create more opportunities for profit.
Whether online or offline, it simply isn't worth paying a premium for this alleged helpfulness. Akanaten is basically right -- salespeople don't create value, they raise costs for the customer, who is expected to pay a premium in exchange for "better" treatment, while they use the threat of poorer treatment in order to extract higher prices.
The fact that the range of sales prices can vary so much, and that very good salespeople ("very good" meaning that they produce high sales volumes and prices for their employers) should tell you that profits are highly dependent on their ability to pull more out of each individual customer. Obviously, a smart customer can pay a lot less than a not-so-smart customer, and it is the salesperson's job to help generate as much profit as possible, particularly from the latter.
too many people "reward" the skeevy dealers because they show you a ridiculously low price, grind you down, keep you there for hours, and then get their money back on the back end.
That is one reason why it is important to seperate the negotiations of the purchase from the trade-in. Indeed, you don't want to get a good deal on one portion of the deal, only to get burned on the other. You should be able to do that without paying "a few more bucks."
And the slimeball salespeople who pull nasty tricks such as lowballing customers etc...
Somewhere, between these extremes, there are people and stores that simply try to deal from a position of decency.
What else am I supposed to care about?
Every extra dollar that I spend is one less dollar that I have for myself and my family, and one more dollar for you. If it's a choice between my family and you, there's no contest about who gets priority.
There's simply no reason for a customer to pay anything more than is necessary. The dealership can either take the deal or not take the deal, but if you're going to take the deal and cry about it, then you're just being a poor sport.
miles to avoid those "certain" dealers who have that
dreaded ADM sticker or the really BAD dealers have the
old mop and glow, mudflaps, phony stick on chrome stuff,
mud flap package on EVERY car on the lot !!!!!!!!!!!
I pity the poor salesfolks who work there..........
my guess would be no.
you have a right to your opinion, and how you do things...and i have a right to mine. but like that ol' billy joel song goes "we didnt start the fire..."
people started hating dealers long before many of us started selling cars...its perpetuated now because of everyones misconceptions. its this on-going GRUDGE people have...this chip on everyone's shoulder...
but im not gonna change anyone's mind here - im just gonna tell you how i see things...take it for what it is...
-thene
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Anyway my recent truck purchase was through an internet manager. I e-mailed him with what I wanted and he found it at another dealer some distance away. I took his initial offer of $200.00 over invoice. So I guess he won't be trying to deal for any shirts or he's not trying to feed his family.....
just an fyi...
-thene
As for being too busy for online buyers, As much as I post here and reasearch on the internet, I really do not care for interacting with clients at least the pricing aspect online. Exchanging notes, booking appointments is fine but A typical email to a Audi dealer goes like this:
"I am looking for a black and ammaretto 06 A6 3.2 CVT. (impossible to get)
I need rear airbags, sunshades, (rear airbags are rarely ordered.)
I will be ready to buy in 3 weeks I am looking this specific car, and I want to get the best price, I have forwarded this email to all dealers in the southern states and who has the car and gives me the best price, I will buy the car. I have 2001 Saab 93 to trade in with 75k miles on it."
You see what I mean? Lets say, I give a great price like a 1000 over cost and email it with the condition we have to order the car. He will email me back and tell me that dealer x in timbucktu will give him 850 over. I am not going to get into the best price discussion again.
I enjoy dealing with people face to face, I do email my clients I just perfer doing business in person.
As for the people in this forum, who are not happy until they squeeze the last penny out of a dealer, you really are not affecting the dealership profit, they will get paid from the factory and your service and parts business, you are directly affecting the livelyhood of the sales associate. I understand if the he or she is unprofessional and unknowlegeable, and does not have good time management skills it is frustrating. But if your salesperson is knowlegeble, professional and smile and say "yes sir" even when you talk to them in a condescending matter, they are providing a service and should be paid for the services rendered. PERIOD! Until dealerships start opening factory outlets, you will have to deal with us and deal with the fact your money goes in our pocket. We have families to feed too! And I know I am going to get a backlash, but I bet you that if you were on our side for just one week, you would see differently.
Don't dealerships have to agree to participate in these advertisments?
1. I am more than willing to work with you but I can't become a non profit institution
2. I won't judge you by my last customer if you won't judge me by your last dealer.
It is too easy to generalize
Exactly right. Here's a tip for the dealers -- if you don't want to give internet price quotes, then don't promise them to potential customers.
It's odd: First, you promise people online quotes, then you wonder why people want online quotes. It would be more honest if the dealers would get to the point: "We don't really want to give you a firm internet price quote, we're just trying to lure you into the dealership and generate a lead. So please, don't email us unless you want to pay something close to MSRP, OK?"
I have been solely Internet for over 5 years now. When I have a customer come into the dealership, my closing ratio is approximately 80%. that means they are here to buy a car, a specific car and they have my pricing in hand.
I ask my customers HOW they liked our process and how it compares to other dealers. Typical response is "I sent out 10 inquiries and 7 responded...out of the seven, three came back with a price (the rest wanted us to come in and talk about it)...and you were the only one to give a complete breakdown of the price."
The vast majority of dealers say that if you give the customer a complete price, they will shop that number. My response is "Who cares? If they want to shop me, let them go right ahead. Our desire is to get the customer that wants a good deal and no hassle."
It works for us.
Except...they don't care and I don't want them or expect them to.
Also Blast Faxs aren't worth responding to.
My last "free price quote" inquiry got me 0 out of 8 for getting a price. The most detailed info I got was that they had the van in the color I wanted. I pressed for a price, but they wouldn't go for it.
I would certainly be more inclined to shop a dealership that was honest and fullfilled their promises. Though I would expect that your "good deal and no hassle" customer typically pays a little more?
We price our cars and hold at that point. The "retail" guys start at the top and work down to our price.
When I say that we hold at that point, I truly do mean it...I have had numerous customers come in and think that they are going to negotiate from our pricing. I stand up, extend my hand and wish them good luck as they leave the store.
The last time this happened was yesterday. A customer came in about a Civic Hybrid. I think the price was $22,386...he wanted it for $22,350. I walked him for $36. It doesn't make any sense as these car are now going for MSRP and are being sold out everywhere. However, there has to be a line drawn somewhere.
Last week one of my salesmen has a customer who wanted an additional $90 or so off a Civic Coupe. We said "sorry" The customer came back a couple of hours later to take our deal...the car was sold.
Name: Bob Smith (Ok good full name I can work with that)
Address: blank (Thats fine I would not put my address down either)
Phone number: A real number (Again that is ok I am not going to call unless they ask me to but nice to have it.)
Email address: Bob_Smith@blank.com(a real email address as well so that is good)
Interested in new or used car: New
Type of car Land Rover Range Rover HSE....
And nothing else.
So how do I answer that? Do they want a quote? I don't even know what options they want or what color. There are not many options on a Range Rover but there are dozens of color combinations.
I just send an email thanking them for their interest and asking them if them for more information. What options they want, what colors they want, what kind of time frame they are looking for, lease vs. cash(close to 2/3's of our Range Rovers are either lease or straight cash purchase).
Out of the two dozen or so internet leads I have gotten in the past couple of months only two have ever responded back. One of them wanted a color combination we could not get so bought it at another dealer and the other could not come to grips with the leasing program for the Range Rover Sport so bought an X5.
Is it quattro? Is it automatic? Like britrover says! How can I give an accurate price quote?
Isell, Thanks! Sometimes when people start grinding over the last 300 bucks or so I say "Is this the last $300 dollars you have?" breaks the ice and they laugh and we usually stop there or maybe split in the middle...*socala cringing at thought of meeting in middle* hee hee!
These are usually (not always)from non-serious people who never respond to my e-mails.
Most people who are serious will give me a phone number.
That's the facts of life.
Name Bob Smith
Email Bob.smith@Smithcompany.com
Vehicle interested in 2006 Land Rover Range Rover.
all other fields blank.
I do not want to waste my time or a salespersons time negotiating price. I email and ask what the best price is for the exact equipped car I want to buy.
If I get an email with a price I'm happy with then I call and make an appointment and then go purchase the car.
If I don't like the price I reply to the email with a no thank you.
I don't argue pricing at the dealer. I don't argue pricing on the email. When I ask for the best price I expect to receive the best price.
If I obtained a test drive from anyone (and received good service) then that dealer obtains my business if they are at an equal price as another dealer.
I absolutely hate going to dealers in person to complete this process. 9 out of 10 salespeople bs me around. And I understand the "other side" as I used to sell and was one of the top sellers although I was not #1.
What completely irritates me is inaccurate inventory on website and no reply to emails. Once again, if you are not going to have an accurate website or not going to use email as sales method, just state on the website that sales will be conducted in person or by phone and inventory changes rapidly so call or visit dealership.
Is it too much to ask to be treated professionaly, with respect and with courtesy?
I've purchased 2 new vehicles in the last two months and I received about a 30% response to email inquiries.
I've purchased 5 vehicles by obtaining pricing via email prior to going to dealership. Two purchases were out of state.
victorydave
I will be buying my next car via internet but it does seem like the dealers are not willing to work very hard over the internet although they will continually harrass you with phone calls if you stop in for just a test drive.
I just wish more dealers used a set pricing structure like Saturn. The price you see is the price everyone pays. I am just fed up with both online and instore negotiating. All salesman are out to fleece you of your money and that is the bottom line!!
As far as inventories being accurate, it's impossible for a high volume dealer to keep inventories instantly updated. Ours is probably 90% accurate at any given time.