Stories from the Sales Frontlines

madmanmoo

Good story!

I'm surprised you were able to keep your cool as well as you did.

Jipster, cheese is salesman slang. Means you're the house mouse. You get deals from the management that they run into. People call into the dealership and ask for the sales manager, but the managers in turn hand it over to the salesman they know will close it. And that's me.

-Moo

micosilver

Surveys are a part of our life as consumers, not only in relation to car-buying. We I go to ym cell-phone service center - I get a 10 minute long survey, and I ALWAYS give a perfect score, because I know - this is how the service rep gets paid. It can be compared to tipping, exept it doesn't cost you money. I think that f you don't like the salesperson or the dealership - don't buy, but if you buy - give a perfect survey. One unreasonable angry customer cost me $1600 in bonuses last month, even though I bent over to help her. What did she get of it? I don't know, some kind of sick mental satisfaction, I guess. What I do know is if she comes back for help from me - she'll be lucky if I say "hello". On the other side - I wouldn't go as far as calling a costumer and scolding him/her for torching me on a survey. There is Karma, and what goes around - comes around.

jmonroe

I'd hint around for a nice bottle of wine to go with that cheese.

Hey .... I've got a niiice bottle of wine. It's Friday and most people can take off early, sooo, when does the party start?

jmonroe

joel0622

BTW, what took you off the sales floor and put you in the F&I office?

A weak moment, I had been on the floor for a number of years, worked as a Training MGR (best Managers job I ever had), worked the desk, then on one dreadfull day 5 years ago we needed an F&I guy and I said i will do it

Don't really need to put any more of the particulars down on our young hero here on the WWW, who knows he might have cleaned his act up and be a member here

Cheese, thats funny, we call them bones and the recipient is called the "House Dog" get it, throwing the dog a bone.

I throw quite a few around, usually to the guy who sits right outside my door, he is a good polite salesperson who won't embarress me.

isellhondas

Never heard the term "cheese". We call house deal "spoons".

The store you work in has everything to do with your level of success and happiness. The majority of stores ae not happy places. They are a part of some large group and there is constant, and I mean constant turnover.

I told a story here awhile back about how I had interviewed a sales guy from a nearby Ford store. He told me that they had 20 salespeople and how he was their second in senoirity.

He had been there eight months.

This is the norm. These are liner-closer stores wher the salespeople stand in a line taking turns with "ups".

It's terrible. Management turns over constantly too.

This is my 12th year. Same owener, same GM, same GSM and same UCM. As the highest volume Honda dealer in nine states, we must be doing things right.

Had I gone to work anywhere else, I would be doing something else right now. No doubt about that. I got lucky.

cotmc

isellhondas,

I've been meaning to ask: Are you guys highly anticipating the arrival of the redesigned Accords? When do you think you will be able to see one for yourself? Same time as the press, or do they give dealers some advanced notice?

Here's my take: The new Camry isn't a big hit with the automotive press. If I recall correctly, Edmunds, Car&Driver, and Consumer Reports have all rated the existing Accord platform above the new Camry. Personally, I would take the new Altima over the new Camry. However, Nissan's reliability has dropped recently, and that might be a concern. Therefore, Honda is in a great position to hit a home run on the mid-sized sedan market.

joel0622

Same here, I have been here 15 years and have the least time the saddle of any of the managemnt staff. They all range from 18-25 years. Half of our sales staff has been here 5 years plus, Several with 20+.

Its a great Family owned store, with a great enviroment. like most places though the bottom 1/3 of are sales staff continually rotates. That group who think the job is easy money. People have no idea what so ever how hard you have to work in this biz to be successfull. It is amazing how many people come through the store that used to be in the car biz. The hardest part of the job for most is the hours, but like I used to tell folks when I interviewed them. People who work average hours make average wages, those who work extrodinary hours make extrodinary wages. Now keep in mind extrodinary depends on your personal opinion.

jipster

when does the party start?

It starts as soon as you pop open that bottle.

But, I'm going to be a bit late. I have a luncheon engagement with my brother and his wife... at Hooters.

I'll down a couple pints( and I'm not talking ice tea) for ya jmonroe.

isellhondas

From every thing we hear, the 2008 Accords will be incredible cars with lots of changes. Me, I tend to concentrate on what I have on hand and I don't think too much about what's coming. We get no advanced notice. Honda keeps things pretty quiet. They want to sell what they have in stock!

The new Camry, while certainly not a flop, hasn't excited too many people it would seem.

As far as Nissan, I don't know what has happened but they don't seem to be what they used to be. They build good cars, but, somehow, they just keep missing the mark. The Quest is a good example of this. Still, there is nothing wth Nissans and I often steer my used car customers toward these. I don't know why, byt way back when they were called Datsuns, they were just more popular it seemed.

jmonroe

It starts as soon as you pop open that bottle.

Thanks for the authorization.

It’s almost noon here and Mrs. jmonroe is at the mall again so I may as well start my weekend before she comes home and ruins my day with bills like she usually does.

Something tells me I’m going to have the last laugh today.

jmonroe

graphicguy

moo...nothing nefarious. Isell always states that he's happy to be at a family run store, as he pointed out above. You're starting to sound like him.

j.....if it weren't for an important financial meeting at 3:00 p.m., I'd be thinking of calling it a week at noon, too. It's been a very stressful one and I could use a Woodford and a cigar this afternoon. Have to put that off until this evening, though.

I'm on my own for awhile. The g/f had minor surgery this week. So, she's not going to be any fun. I need to go show her that I'm sensitive to her plight and then go hang out with the "guys" this weekend.

lemko

Occupation: Pharmaceutical Sales

A Crown Victoria is an unusual choice for a drug dealer. It's more likely the kind of car a cop or a cabbie would drive.

gmanzx3

"what goes around-comes around"

Not sure exactly what that was referring to. If it meant because I hurt her on the survey...I deserved the scolding. Then I wholeheartedly disagree. I criticized the finance guy. If the system is set up that she get's hurt for that...that is the system's problem, not mine. "Scolding" a customer...even if deserved...is so unprofessional it deserves reprimanding.

If you meant that because she was unprofessional after the sale, she deserves the low score. I totally agree!

psorter

People who come in with bags of money aren't all drug dealers, I have friend whose parents are in the restaurant business, they have bags of money in the fridge, cause they officially don't have the money to begin with (for tax reasons) and can't legally invest it, I suspect many small cash businesses are like this, but it's not like I ask around.

kyfdx

Are tax cheats better to deal with than drug dealers? :surprise:

gmanzx3

Are tax cheats better to deal with than drug dealers?

They're probably less likely to be armed!

1racefan

"They're probably less likely to be armed! "

Any sales people here ever had a customer get physical, or pull out a weapon?

cotmc

When tax cheats buy a new car, are they expected to pay sales tax? :P

Hmmm, this isn't looking good when a customer comes in with a bag of dough. Almost seems like the dealer should charge a $100 fee for the time it takes to verify none of it is counterfeit.

user777

that is a great story. got me thinking about the security of everyone in the office, specially after the first incident. do you have a button under your desk?

joel0622

Any sales people here ever had a customer get physical, or pull out a weapon?

I have had people verbally threaten me on the phone. No big deal just idiots who take the whole process to seriously.

We had a police officer pull a weapon on the show room one time years ago. A lady had bought her 25 yo son a truck. he did something to make her mad so she was trading it in on something for her. He came in and started raising hell, she told him to leave and he started yelling at her and other customers. We called the police, when they showed up and he saw them he reached in his jacket, the police drew on him and he wised up real quick and layed down on the floor.

nj2pa2nc

when I travel from NC to NJ I notice there is a alot of new camrys on the road. If fact the last time I kept track they won. There are also alot of them in my neighborhood. I remember those datsun days. The car salesman that sold me my vw beetle in 1971 became a datsun salesman at a dealer near where I worked. The last time I was in the area I noticed it was now a lexus dealer.Memories

kyfdx

But, but... the question is..

Did you close the sale?

nj2pa2nc

a few years back I read in my local paper a customer was arrested for pulling out a gun in the service department. He was not happy with his bill. He shot the gun into the ceiling. He was arrested. I wonder if he still had to pay the bill

1racefan

"a customer was arrested for pulling out a gun in the service department. He was not happy with his bill."

Volkswagon dealer's service department? JUST KIDDING

user777

in GA I think it's illegal to bring a gun to a school, a sporting event, a bar/restaurant. not sure, but maybe they should include car dealerships as well. :shades:

volvomax

Probably driving too fast and not wearing seat belts, not the cars fault.
Remember Princess Di?
An S-Class hit a concrete pillar at high speed. 3 people died because they weren't belted.
The body guard lived, in the rt front seat BECAUSE he wore a seat belt.

lemko

I remember a story from a few years ago where a guy went psycho at a Ford dealer and drove his SUV through the showroom window.

kyfdx

Tell me if this sounds familiar....

I have a co-worker who owns a used car lot.. My mother recently went into a nursing home, and I have to sell her car, so he asks me to bring it to work, so he can look at it..

On his lunch hour, he takes it for a spin...

"How much are you looking to get?"

"$3200"

"Let me check the Manheim report, I'll get back to you."

Couple of hours later...

"Let's make this easy... What is your bottom dollar? We can avoid all that back and forth." (keep in mind... I've worked with this guy for over 20 years.. even bought a used car for my mother-in-law from him)

I think for a minute....

"$3000"

"Would you take $2900?"

I love the car biz!!! :surprise:

madmanmoo

Don't know if you guys remember this story from about a month back, but one of our sales guys had a gentleman pull a gun and put it to his head. Then said, "Give me the keys."

So he did.

Just yesterday, a woman called in to report a hit and run on one of our toll highways. She said the vehicle had one of our tags on it, not a drive-out, but a Nissan tag. Black Maxima. The guy driving the vehicle looked her in the eye and then sped off. 8:45 am.

Coincidentally, this is the vehicle that was stolen. Gotta love our local PD. Protecting and serving!

-Moo

thenebean

Don't know if you guys remember this story from about a month back, but one of our sales guys had a gentleman pull a gun and put it to his head. Then said, "Give me the keys."

i don't know if i'd consider him a gentleman if he pulled a gun to your co-worker's head!

I hope they catch that guy! he's ruining a perfectly good maxima!!

-thene

jipster

I have a co-worker...

"3000"....."Would you take $2900?"

That Tidester(shaking head)...he knows all the tricks.

kyfdx

LOL!!

Not Tidester..

You wonder why people (sales and buyers) do it? Because it works..

Final price: $2950 with a full-tank of gas... :surprise:

boomchek

who works as a service advisor for a Ford dealer said they had a scrap in the service dept last year.

Customer wasn't happy with the bill or the repairs, and was yelling at everyone, and so he wanted to speak with the owner, he went to the owner's office and started yelling and cursing and so on. Then he threw a hot cup of coffee on either the owner or a manager that happened to be there.

One of the employees (don't remeber who) punched him right in the face and broke his nose.

My friend tells me that a few minutes after the customer left for the owner's office, he reappears in the service dept with a bloody face. He is very polite, pays the bill and goes home. :surprise: :surprise:

cdnpinhead

Now that was an interesting story.

Keep bringing them!

cdnpinhead

I wish you guys had a BMW store in the Southwest.

I really, really like to trade with the same local (even approximately -- I don't mind traveling to buy a car) people over a period of years (or decades). It's damn near impossible these days.

Sadly, in the ever-expanding "valley of the sun," turnover (not just of salespeople, entire dealerships) is a way of life.

Truly unfortunate -- loyalty matters to me. Showing my age, I guess.

explorerx4

service department too. i had a problem with my focus. i had run over some road debris, on a few occations. when the fan assembly started dragging on the ground, i realized i had a probem.
they called me back with about $1400 in repairs.
i asked if they could put the car up on a lift so i could review what was wrong with them. turns out part of the estimate was for a new a/c condenser. it only had a few fins bent and even the mechanic was skeptical. the reply was 'it could leak'.
anyways, while we were standing there, something caught my eye. there was a recently dead mouse in the engine bay.
the sa and mechanic looked at each other mumbled some name. i sure someone ended up with a little gift in their desk drawer, or something like that.

driveright

Had I gone to work anywhere else, I would be doing something else right now. No doubt about that. I got lucky.

It takes a big man to make a comment like that.

jmonroe

turns out part of the estimate was for a new a/c condenser. it only had a few fins bent and even the mechanic was skeptical. the reply was 'it could leak'.

Yeah ...... but there is a better likelihood that it won't leak.

Show me a car that doesn't have a couple bent fins on a condenser or a radiator and I'll show you a car with no miles on it and even then there is a better than even chance that brand new cars have a few bent fins. It's impossible to touch these components without bending a fin.

I hope you didn't fall for that repair bill.

jmonroe

explorerx4

i did not have the condenser replaced. the bill ended up being about half of what was originally written up.

volvomax

Who do you deal with?
Both BMW stores in Phx have been owned by the same groups for years.
I have sme friends at Chapman who have been there for years as well.

cotmc

Max,

I concur regarding ownership. I've seen the same owners at our local BMW dealers since, what, the beginning of the 90's? There might be some confusion for some people regarding UAG's move from "Camelback BMW" to "North Scottsdale BMW", but it's the same management/ownership.

Regarding sales staff, I can relate to cdnpinhead. The excellent sales associate we had in '97 at Camelback BMW has reportedly been with Lexus for several years. Another excellent sales associate with Chapman in '98 (who helped me pull an excellent Valentine's Day surprise for my wife!) is no longer there. The sales associate I worked with in 2002 at North Scottsdale moved out of state before 2003! :surprise:

My recent transaction at North Scottsdale introduced me to their excellent internet sales manager and a very good sales associate I've seen around in years prior. I hope they both stay awhile!

It's good to know people like Max, Isell, etc, have been there at their dealerships for a long time and have no immediate plans to leave. It's a shame, for both the staff and the customers, we don't see more stability within the business. Change happens -- everywhere! Example: How many engineers are still with the same company, or in the same type of business, from eight years ago?

cdnpinhead

How many engineers are still with the same company, or in the same type of business, from eight years ago?

Interesting question. In my case, I started with Honeywell (actually AiResearch, then Garrett Turbines, etc, etc) almost exactly 39 years ago. There was a hiatus of about a decade, so I've only got 27 years continuous with them. But then, I'm an old f***, to whom loyalty has some value.

I'm seriously considering going with an ED 3 series next fall, and Chapman (oh, wait, it used to be Linda Brock) BMW is my most convenient store. When I drop in there to do my initial negotiation, one of the questions will involve how long the person I'm talking with has been working at the store. Anyone want to bet that it'll be over a year? Five?

And, to Max, thanks for your response. When the time comes, I'd appreciate any introductions you are willing to provide. And thanks again for all the helpful input on the other boards.

explorerx4

same car, more miles, with a story.

boomchek

before I worked in car sales.

In the late 80s when I went with my parents car shopping we went to a GM dealer as my folks were looking at Astro/Safari vans. Since my dad was/is a contractor he needed something with cargo space.

The salesguy showed us a cargo Safari van (no upholstery in the back, only one window on the sliding door, no carpeting, no rear benches.

My dad said it's not going to work as it will be our only car and there's four of us and only two seats in there. The salesguy then thought of a great idea:
"Well, why don't you buy this van as is, and you can build your own bench seat in the back cause you're a handy man."
:confuse:

Another time this was about two years before I started selling cars I was in the market and went to a Ford dealer. After settling on a Mustang I went to get my credit checked, and the salesguy said they would approve me but at 29% interest (my credit wasn't that good).

Being the nice guy that he was and knowing that I wouldn't go for it, he offered me some helpful (offensive to some)advice (this is his words, nothing I made up):

"If you want that car, go hook up with a fat chick, date her a few times and get her to cosign the loan for you. After that just dump her and you'll have a nice car at low interest!!" :surprise: :surprise:

And he was serious about it too.

Man, the stuff some of these guys come up with!

kyfdx

Yup... same car... a lot more miles.. For 150K, that has a nice looking interior... cleaned it up well..

Since I basically wholesaled mine, I'm happy with the $2950..

mikes2

Well, I bought a new car on Friday (hooray!). I'll leave the make/model out, to avoid any possible conflicts of interest

My issue relates to the dealer/sales manager - they were awful. They basically lied almost from beginning to end, and tried to pull all sorts of old, BS scams, and on and on. It was truly ridiculous - if I'd been in a better frame of mind, I would have laughed. Oddly enough, the F&I guy was great - he was the only honest, straight shooter of the bunch. We actually had an interesting chat about some of the insane deals customers put themselves into (I'll relate them seperately!)

I only ended up back there since they offered the best price for the car and my trade in by far - almost $3000 lower than the next dealership. If the difference hadn't been so great, I would have gone elsewhere in a blink of an eye. (As an aside, I assume they got large incentives from the manufacturer, since they're high volume - can't figure out why else they were so much lower).

So, the big issue for me is what to do about the survey? The sales guy and manager were brutal liars, and played fast and loose generally. In particular, I dread to think what they do to people who may be less sophisticated (not that I'm special, just that I knew what I wanted, and knew some common pitfalls to avoid).

I don't hold a grude, and since I saw what they were doing, they couldn't take advantage of me (at least as far as I was aware! So, from that perspective, no harm done (to me at least). On the other hand, they exemplified what everyone doesn't like about the industry and car shopping. Similarly, the other dealer gave me the exact experience I was hoping for (and the manufacturer was too no doubt) - honest, to the point, and pleasant from beginning to end. If they hadn't been $3K off, they would have had my business in a flash. So from that persective, I feel I should make a point, so that the bad aren't rewarded...

What do people think? I don't want to be vindictive, but will not reward these guys... Staying silent (i.e. not returning the survey feels like a cop out, and will do nothing to hasten the departure of people like this).

So what to do??? This is the first time I've come across a bunch like this....

isellhondas

I don't understand HOW there could be a 3000.00 difference?

Something just sounds wrong unless this is a VERY high end car. Either that or they made a major blunder in appraising your trade or something.

You may never get a survey.

imidazol97

What are some of the tactics they applied in your case?

stickguy

Well, my opinion is, if the manufacturer sends you a survey, they want to know how the dealer is doing. Since you obviously don't think they are doing well, it is in their best interest to be honest and return the survey, stating exactly how they did.

Really now, the dealer is probably anxious to know where they can improve, right?

isellhondas

The particulars. What did you buy and what did you trade.

Very few cars have 3000.00 of profit built in.