Stories from the Sales Frontlines

fezo

Yeah, but you prefer 30 or 40 because you're Canadian.

I love Canada but it is too darn cold. Couldn't you guys annex Florida? Actually for some of last week it felt like you did.

driver100

if I find a vehicle that's decently-priced that I want, I'll take the hit on the trade-in.

I enjoyed your shopping excursion day. But, getting up at 4 am to look at cars. No wonder you couldn't decide.

I think all of your reasoning was sound, except I think you should try another dealer only because that dealer gave you a low price for your trade-in. I think they didn't want your trade-in because they have too many of those cars, or they aren't in a trade-in cycle. You might find another dealer who would be interested in your trade-in and could do more with it.

Also, you aren't probably keen to do this, but it might be worth it to list the car for sale privately just to see what people would pay for it. I realize one problem is you didn't really see a car that was that attractive for you.

What are you trading in, and what are you looking for. If it's a Mustang maybe you can get a group price as there seems to be a lot of interest in them around here.

driver100

he handed me the check. $27,000.

That's how much you wanted 10 months ago.......you should be so happy you should be buying us all a drink.

driver100

Since your wife was an English teacher, you could let her proof all of your posts. They would be perfect.

Close, but not quite right. She was a family therapist and at one time she did teach (at one time I did too, believe it or not).

She just happens to be very knowledgeable about the English language.

Yes, I could have her proof read for me, but I don't want her to know too much about my imaginary friends. Any other ideas! (wink)

tjc78

Gave him the title, signed, emptied Avalon contents, removed plates,
came back in with the remotes, he handed me the check. $27,000.
Total time 25 minutes.

Its a shame the Avalon didn't work out for you. I loved both of mine. Enjoy whatever you end up with to replace it (and of course share the sales story ).

fezo

4 AM is way too early. i think the last time I was up at that hour was when I was born at 3:53 AM. Well, maybe a couple of all nighters.....

driver100

trip to India was offered to a group of us to assist our offshore partners. I view it as a possible career saver

stories was about kids playing Cricket in Bhopal.
It was tough to watch.

Don't watch Slumdog Millionaire!

28firefighter

I was up at 3am, but it wasn't car shopping. :sick: 1.5 more years of grad school to go.

mako1a

Explorer, outside CONUS trips are the gateway to getting ahead in many companies.

I was asked to go to the Persian Gulf in 1980. Everyone else declined, so I took it. We were 40 miles off the coast of Iran during the 444 day US hostage taking event on a Navy intel ship. A bit unnerving. It will make you appreciate coming home to the US.

Job wise, It was like taking an elevator up through the echelon of management. That trip paid big benefits for the next 20 years.

mako1a

Its a shame the Avalon didn't work out for you. I loved both of mine.

It was one of the finest cars I've ever owned.
Just always had the news stories in the back of my head.
Made me wonder if it would take off on me. Not likely,
but drove my wife crazy wondering. She would not drive it.

Maybe I'll get some intended acceleration from a Mustang.

snakeweasel

but a nice sunny day at 30 or 40 degrees is better than 114 anytime.

Ok, but next time its 15 degrees out, windy and 6 inches of wet snow on the ground you can come over and shovel out my driveway.

After I retire I don't want to see another snowflake again. Each year I get tired of the winter sooner than the year before.I will put up with 115 degree summers for no snow.

stickguy

nothing like going to a foreign country to train people on how to take your job!

my company (ex) went through this about 4 years ago. I was part of a transition team, and we were overseeing some bestshoring.

I ended up hustling a month in Iowa (a pair of 2 week trips). Some others did 1 shot (4 weeks in a row) to India. And given the stories, I made the right choice!

even got to do some car browsing, but I guess that would have been more interesting in India. Not much exciting to shop in Iowa.

cdn_tch

But mainly I want to be away from the snow

I hope you mean the type that stays around for months on end not the type that may be around for a few days...

We went to Vegas ~10 years ago to get away from the cold and snow. And wouldn't you know it, we seemed to have brought it with us. Somewhere I still have the pictures of palm trees covered in snow!

kyfdx

I saw some photographs from Mumbai, this past weekend.. First thing I spotted were the Mercedes hubcaps on some little tiny Tata-looking sedan.. But, I think it was actually a Mercedes.

Just to stay on the topic of Indian car browsing...

graphicguy

kirstie....you gave up that easily? OMG! Any one of us would have spent 3 hours researching cars on the internet and would have been to at 6 dealerships....all before noon.

Your logic is sound. Usually Carmax is a little on the higher side for trades. I do think I'd get a couple of other "buy bids" from other dealerships, however. That will give you a fair picture of what the car's really worth. I know quite a few dealerships who won't shy away from a 100K mile trade (no auction) if it's nice.

Good luck and keep us posted!

graphicguy

mako....'grats on selling the Avalon. We all know you've not been happy with it for a very long time.

At least test driving a new Mustang GT is on my "to-do" list at some point. Not that I'm in the market. I just like Mustangs. Who knows? There may even be an impulse buy lurking when I do.

graphicguy

You only need so much and we have been truly blessed.

houdini....so very, very true. What a great way to view life.

I feel blessed, too. Yeah, there were some tough times, but those taught me valuable lessons. Plus, I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't had tough times to overcome at some point in their lives.

I won't mention out loud who I'm talking about (a certain former spouse), but I used to preach the same thing. How many more cars will it take to make you happy? Vacations? Bigger/Posher house?

I mean, will one more diamond do the trick? If not, how many will it take? I'll go out and buy them tomorrow.

I'm not a cheapskate. I wouldn't even call myself frugal. However, there does come a point where you look around and say "more of this, more of that, more money will not make me any happier."

Speaking of careers, I was having this conversation with my best friend over the weekend. He is the General Manager of a smallish Aerospace company with a plant here, one in Canada, and one in AZ. When he took the job, he was only in charge of the local plant (which has shrunk quite a bit). This company used to make entire planes. Now, they just make a few parts for jets.

Anyway, he had been bemoaning the fact that he could run the local plant with his eyes closed.....that it was no longer a challenge. After a couple of years of hearing him, and even though he didn't ask for advice, I gave it.

"Unless you're willing to travel to those other plants, and show you can effectively run them, and do so more cheaply than the way HQ is running them now, you're not going to be promoted. But, that means, spending at least a week/mo in Canada, at least week/mo in AZ, and a week/mo here."

He worked on a plan (and the political wrangling he had to do), he came up with a plan. With the ability to do WEBx meetings, con calls, emails, etc, he could do all of that. Plus, although they'd have to give him a raise, he'd still be cheaper than paying 3 separate General Managers.

He got the position about 6 months ago. Hearing more grumblings (remembering about being careful what you ask for, you may get it) recently. Being gone 2 weeks out of the month is no picnic. And, his wife is starting to be a bit nervous.

But, only way he gets the job is if he's not willing to sit comfortably, 9-5 without reaching further out (traveling) to get what he wanted.

houdini1

Well here is a little advice to some of the younger posters here. Getting married is the one most important thing you will ever do in your personal and probably your professional life. Nothing else is even close.

Team up with the right woman and everything you touch will turn to gold. Get the wrong one and nothing will turn out well.

How do you pick the right one? You don't, they sort of pick us you know. We just have to recognize a good thing and not blow it.

isellhondas

Now, that is the best advice I had ever heard in any of these forums.

I got lucky a lot of years ago.

I lot (most) of my friends didn't get so lucky.

Kirstie_H

Yeah, the problem with the research is that I don't have a specific vehicle in mind to purchase. I'm looking for a good deal on a small SUV or crossover, preferably with AWD / 4WD, that could do some very light towing. That's the extent of my criteria. Since I no longer drive very far very often, it's not going to get beaten up mileage-wise, and I don't need all of the super-upgraded features. I don't even really NEED to trade yet, so I think I'll just wait til something strikes my fancy.

For those of you who asked about my 4am comment, I wasn't out shopping then!! I just woke up too early, and was ready for a break and the great outdoors around 1pm. Dealerships won't open at 4am, not even for an Edmunds forums host.

jayrider

With a hemoglobin at 7.1, I'm surprised you have the energy to post. Are you on prednisone ?

driver100

asked about my 4am comment, I wasn't out shopping then!!

Maybe you forgot to put your clock back an hour.

You certainly aren't desparate for a new car, so that is good when it comes to negotiating. Just a guess, but I think you aren't overly motivated, more like if it happens it happens.

Out of curiousity what are you trading in? That might give us a clue as to why they weren't too excited about your trade-in.

Did you check on line just to see what kind of small SUVs are out there? How small is small? Which one appeals to you the most at this time? Do you care about HCC (handling, control and cornering) or do you just want a basic car to get you from A to B? Why are you even thinking of trading, if you go so few miles and your car is mechanically sound?

Questions, questions???? :confuse:

driver100

Team up with the right woman and everything you touch will turn to gold. Get the wrong one and nothing will turn out well.

That is one of the wisest comments I have read lately. 100% true! Kind of like cars, but a lot more critical to your happiness and well being.

fezo

I have been on prednisone many times but I'm not now. I have a thing called myleodyspastic syndrome. My bone marrow doesn't do a good job of making blood. For almost two years I was one transfusions every two weeks. Now I haven't had one in 14 moths with the treatment. May have to get one again next week.

I'll have to deal with it the rest of my life but I have a lot of things I have to deal with like that all the time. I'm a tough one to kill off. I still plan to live to 100.

I've lived with the current thing close to four years and expect a bunch more.

Kirstie_H

Trading in a 2003 Infiniti G35 (all the toys that came on that MY apart from Nav). And nope, I'm not overly motivated right now. The idea of having a $0 car payment for awhile is just as appealing as getting something different.

I bought the vehicle when I lived in a very suburban area and traveled 50 miles RT daily to/from work. Now I live in a rural area and don't travel for work. The roads around here are pretty crappy, and my car handles pretty poorly in snow. I'd like something that handles better in snow and has a better ground clearance and isn't as likely to be beaten up by the roads around here - I have to be pretty careful and play dodge-the-pothole a LOT.

Small, as in, not large. Escape, Murano, CR-V... those are all fine. Looked at a Subaru Outback too. I'm not looking for the room so much as I am a little bit of height and 4WD. The rest of it, I don't care about much at all.

In addition to my car, we have a Crossfire & a Chevy pickup (can't remember the model, but it's a double-cab, kinda big). Two out of our three vehicles are no-go in the snow around here, which means when my SO is travelling for business (which is about every other week), the truck is at the airport and I'm stuck at home... I mean, yes, I can go a couple of miles to the grocery, but most other stuff is 7+ miles away.

I'm trying to talk myself into toughing it out for one more Winter and hoping for a light snow year.

greanpea68

You know that I did a "google" for it.

Rich.....
Your a teacher and teachers always do thier homework

GP

fezo

Don't make him say "you're not your.".....

tmas

WINTER is almost here! I've got my snow broom, gauntlet gloves, fur-lined ruskie hat...are we excited?!

No we know shenanigan's occur when snow falls, sales staff disappear, plow trucks get abused, hot cocoa prices soar, etc. etc. The arduous task of removing snow from each and every vehicle is often underappreciated by both management and customers', but it's neccessary to sell the damn things! But somehow, I look forward to the weather here in New England and will be sharing any stories that come out of it.

Does anybody do that on this forum anymore?

driver100

Does anybody do that on this forum anymore?

Where have you been hiding out? 3 Posts!

Welcome aboard and let give us a sales story to work with.

driver100

Rich.....
Your a teacher and teachers always do thier homework

Nice to hear from you....even if it is only 8 words.

driver100

Trading in a 2003 Infiniti G35

Have you tried snow tires? I say that because I went through one winter without snow tires (have never bought them before and have never needed them), however the bimmer was useless in snow....scarry! So I got the snow tires and I was a bit skeptical how much of adiffence they would make.

What a surprise! They make winter driving manageable, except if there is a huge snow build up, because I think it would get caught in the wheel wells.

The snow tires did make a very big difference. You have to get 4, and they have to be good quality. It isn't a huge expense because your regular tires will last longer.

stickguy

if it means getting stuck at home, drive the SO to the airport and keep the truck for yourself. Doesn't do any good parked there.

Or, for possibly less money than a weeks parking, use a car service.

tmas

[More of a subject]:

We have awards at our store monthly. Little tokens of appreciation from the boss for team player, most units, best customer satisfaction etc. I think team player is the strangest -it could just be the next guy on the list, I'm not sure. One thing I do know, there's always a Team Parasite!

This guy is practically part time! He conveniently is only able to work during the busy hours. Burns fresh customer's and brooms 'em if he sees a better up over his shoulder! He needs more t.o.'s than the Yankees pitching staff and spends almost no time working support for the regular lot duties. To top it off, he has a crass attitude problem and a negative personality. I think every store must have this stereotypical sales jerk wandering around. The question is, what do we do about it?

isellhondas

I'm surpised you don't know the answer to your question!

GET RID OF HIM!

Quite simple, really!

jipster

The question is, what do we do about it?

Put Ben-Gay in his jock strap... itching powder in his shorts. Or, you could talk to the sales manager and say team morale seems hampered by what many see as preferential treatment to this jerk. If the jerk is bringing home the bacon for the dealership, nothing is likely to be done. Madmanmoo, a former poster, turned a garden hose on a jerk like co-worker who was sitting on the pot in the dealership bathroom... but he was a fast runner.

Kirstie_H

driver - last year we had snows that were 8-10" pretty continuously throughout the winter. Even with snow tires, it's just not a car that's made for the snow. It's kind of a rural area and many roads don't get plowed well, and the ones that do get plowed get plowed to the point where the road is a series of craters.

Stickguy, you overestimate the services available where I live. Not even a taxi in this town, much less a car service!! The airport is 50 miles away, so that'd be a round-trip of 2 hours - both for the departure & the return. I'd rather stay home! Trips are usually only Mon-Wed or Thursday afternoon, and it's not like they come as a surprise so I can stock up in advance. I don't *need* to go anywhere... it's just the boredom of being trapped in the house. I'm just trying to figure out how much it's worth for me to be entertained.

tallman1

I'm heading to the Auto Show in Seattle this weekend. I didn't quite make it last year. I'll bet isell is going to miss working it!!

Kirstie_H

i dunno... maybe if you can round up some toddlers and give them forks, with the intention of letting them check out the interiors of the display vehicles, you might just lure him out.

tallman1

lol... that's a plan! Kids under 12 are free. I'll have to round a few of them up.

Now you know what I'm doing for my birthday on Saturday... how about you?

604doc

"I'm heading to the Auto Show in Seattle this weekend. I didn't quite make it last year. I'll bet isell is going to miss working it!! "

I'm thinking about going tonight. I've never been to the Seattle show. Looking forward to it.

isellhondas

I've been "on stage" since I was in high school but I wasn't a big fan of working the Auto Show. Actually, I was pretty good for the first hour or so but then it got old.

The same endless questions..." what is the difference between an LX and an EX?"

Or..." You would THINK that Honda would......."

Then I would hear the stories about the great and not so great Hondas people had owned. I would watch the 70 plus guys look int he trunks and say..." Ah see it's got one of them damm donuts for a spare tire!"

I learned quickly which models to stay away from. S-2000's Civic SI's and cars like that were "stroke magnets". I wouldn't stand near an Element because people would always want to see how the rear seats folded and doin this is hard on the back and a bit difficult to do. It would be a long four hour shift to say the least.

I did sell a few cars from my contacts at the Auto Shows and it was fun to talk with some of the guys from other stores.

The first few years were fun but as time went by it became less and less fun.

Kinda like the car business itself.

I've still got my "Blue Card" which gets me in for free so I ma go with my son on Friday just as a civilian and to see some of my old cronies.

EDIT:

It really used to bother me when people would abuse the Auto Show cars. People would slam doors and let their kids jump on the seats. Anything removable would be stolen. One year someone stole the DIPSTICK out of an Odyssey!

They must have walked out with it up their pants leg!

driver100

To top it off, he has a crass attitude problem and a negative personality.

I would be careful....could be a relative of the boss. In that case, not much you can do.

I think in any work place with about 10 people there will be some conflicting personalities. Not excusing this jerk, just saying that it might be better adjusting to him being there than getting upset. I used to get upset at similar jerks, but I found it best just to do my work and not let it get to me.

Just treat him as your entertainment for the day.

driver100

Even with snow tires, it's just not a car that's made for the snow.

Even in Southern Ontario we don't get it that bad. Most winters we get 4 or 5 snowfalls where you need snow tires. Usually the streets are cleared off by the next day.

. it's just the boredom of being trapped in the house.

Why do you live where you do? Up until 14 years ago we lived in a rural area and we had a quarter of a mile driveway. Our son lived next door and he would blow our driveway out with a tractor. Then, it was a 15 minute drive just to get into town. I was really tired of the country life. It takes 15 minutes just to get to town and sometimes we would have to make that trip 2 or 3 times a day. We were very isolated as well. Sometimes you have to go to a store or a mall just to be near other people. I missed being able to go for a walk in the evening because there weren't any lights.

Although living in town has some negatives, such as less privacy, I think it is better....for us. Even if I don't see our neighbors, at least I know they are there. You can easily go to a store or a show, or sports event, or mall, or library if you need to be amused. And, I like walking through the neighborhood and saying hello to people on the street. As we got older I like the fact we are closer to doctors and hospitals.

I know people who live in the country like it. I found the isolation was enough of a reason to move. I don't know if a new car even with 4 wheel drive will be the answer to the isolation situation.

I sometimes go through rural areas and try to picture myself living in the country again.............nah, not any more.

tmas

My solution to the team parasite so far...take videos of him talking(exhibiting his ignorance) to managers, customers, co-workers etc. with my cell phone. He's getting the idea that his demeanor is comical and not just one of us laugh at him behind his back.

I don't know what the end result will be, but it feels good for now!

verdugo

I don't want her to know too much about my imaginary friends.

Hey, we're plenty real, thank you very much :P

verdugo

4 AM is way too early. i think the last time I was up at that hour was when I was born at 3:53 AM. Well, maybe a couple of all nighters.....

For me it was 4 hours ago. :sick: Day trip to Arizona for work.

isellhondas

I wouldn't do that. Jsut ignore him.

People like him eventually get fired or they move on.

I don't think I could work in a store that would put up with that.

jmonroe

The horse 's name is Zenyatta and the trainer was asked what he fed her, and one thing she gets is a full bottle of Guiness beer.

Sounds good. You seem to like doing research on stuff like this, so see if this trainer can set up a similar training program for a 60 something male with 2 good legs.

jmonroe

Kirstie_H

We're not "in the country" exactly. We're in a small, way-outlying suburb of Kansas City. It's a neighborhood with a regular ol' driveway and such. The streets IN the neighborhood are new & good - it's just that to get OUT to anywhere else requires taking some poorly-maintained roads.

I'm just "isolated" because I'm fairly new here and don't have neighborhood friends yet, plus almost everyone is gone all day, and my fave bar & grill is a trot... again, not that far, but the roads are lousy when the weather's bad.

jayrider

Stealing a dip stick from the Autoshow --- pretty harsh and they got away with it. Reminds me of a similar incident when my son was in kindergarten. We had visited the LeBrea tar pits in LA and decided to use the visit to work up a science fair project. Got some roofing tar in a bowl with plastic animals and chicken bones and made up a model. He got to take it to the county science fair and won a red ribbon. When we went to pick it up all the toy animals were stolen but justice was served immediately as evidenced by the black smears and fingerprints left on the table. I can only hope the little thieves put them in their pockets to sneak their treasures home. Truly nasty stuff.