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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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Well I have not marched any place since I got out of the Army, but I will stroooolllll over there and ask them what cause an emergency brake pad to fail. But first I will give you my guess. I will say that it was from dry rot or being applied in wet weather in above freezing temps and then left on when it got below freezing and released while it was froze. Just a guess, don't even know if it gets that cold where ever you live.
" Yer left yer right, now pick up the step"
Gawd, how I don't miss the Army!
I'm in the Pittsburgh area and it definitely gets cold enough to freeze here and because of this, I remember as a kid being told by my father, not to apply the emergency brakes in the winter unless I had to for this very reason.
Sorry about that marching comment. The last time I did it was when I was in Navy boot camp and I didn't like it either but I knew better than to complain. Even though I was a kid I wasn't THAT dumb.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
But the question is, did you pass this knowledge on to your son as your father did to you
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Not according to my mechanic, not according to my cousins husband, not according to my sons friend (all mechanics) who say they see as many old Hondas and Toyotas as they see old GM's and Fords.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'm curious as to whether our other salespeople friends would have made such a magnanimous gesture... and why or why not?
There was an agreement with the Volvo, both parties got what they agreed to. Now you're wanting to spoil everything and give some money back? :surprise:
Rebate I could understand, but in this case and the previous case(lady wanting to overpay by 6k for the Jag)... it seems a violation of the salesperson code of ethics to be handing money back needlessly... perhaps grounds for termination.
I had a 92 Chevy that I drove to 155K miles then sold to a friend who put on almost another 150K miles before he did something stupid and dropped the tranny. All with just regular routine maintenance (no replacement of brake cylinders). So I guess Chevy is better than Honda.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Oh my this place is invested with ground pounding land lubbers.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'm curious as to whether our other salespeople friends would have made such a magnanimous gesture... and why or why not?
There was an agreement with the Volvo, both parties got what they agreed to. Now you're wanting to spoil everything and give some money back?
Rebate I could understand, but in this case and the previous case(lady wanting to overpay by 6k for the Jag)... it seems a violation of the salesperson code of ethics to be handing money back needlessly... perhaps grounds for termination.
Thats the great thing about the car business. No two places run the same. No two business owned by the same guy run the same. And every deal stands on its own. There is no set recipie for every deal
We are not a Fast Paced go, go, go place. If you got something coming you get it. On occasion the customer is thrown a few bucks back if the deal ends up being way out of line. Be it monetary or through free service. Its not like your trying to crack the Davinci Code, its a car deal. The only thing we have to remember is that it is a one way street. the customer loves to be told we owe you, but don't you dare call them and them they owe us. And its not something that happens everyday. We are talking about 2-3 occasions a year, we are better business people then that
Like I said the atmosphere in this dealership is like none 90% of you have ever seen.
As soon as you see our show room you know its different.
The biggest reason we run like we do is that we are family owned, one store, Owner sits on the BBB advisory council and is on the NADA council. He does not want his name coming up on either.
I sure did. I remember telling him (and his 3 year older brother) exactly what my father told me. Namely, "Don't call and tell me the emergency brake is frozen and you can't move the car or worse yet you smell something funny while driving the car because I'm go to tell you to walk home and you won't drive again until spring".
BTW, he just called because he has a problem with a sink shut-off valve that he wanted some advice on so, I ask him if he and his wife use the emergency brake very often in winter and guess what he said, "I remember what you told me a long time ago". I then asked him if his wife uses the emergency brake (she's the primary driver of that car) and he said I told her what you told me but I know she's not worried about what I said (son talking here) but I'm pretty sure she listens to me.
Soooo, I think that shoots down that theory. :confuse:
Still looking for an answer.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Don't that make ya feel good.
Do you have the R.O from when it was checked out? if you do Email me at the address in my profile and I will give you a fax number to shoot it to.
You know, 89,000 miles is a LOT of miles.
That lining material isn't very thick. It won't last a lifetime. It's also possible that at some point, the car was driven with the e-brake partially applied. We've all done that at some point.
When I traded my '97 Monte Carlo for a 2000 Monte Carlo, I was talking to a friend (the owner) and mentioned that they didn't allow as much for my trade as I figured it was worth. He said he didn't know anything about what a car is worth (and he really doesn't), but if it is true he would send me the difference.
A few weeks later he sent me a nice check.
I agree, it does happen.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
I guess some customers like to do their own looking and some have to be entertained about the car they're looking at like this blog writer.
In my opinion, I'd just hand a brochure, point out some key features and send the client out on a test drive on their own.
"we got a great salesman, someone who was excited about the cars and his job....He directed us on a special route........He went through all the features.........I would definitely have bought the xA. But I hated the way the A/C blew right onto my right hand, and the smog rating isn't very good"
Poor guy probably wasted a couple hours with her, and she didn't buy for a couple of stupid reasons.
"then we went to the next counter and got a Toyota salesman,"
OMG, more time wasting!
"He didn't offer any of the points that the Scion guy did, so driving the car along the same route was missing all the cool sales information the first guy gave us."
Umm, yeah he probably saved himself some time so he could move on to a "buying" customer.
"Passionate sales people really make an experience sing. For a high-priced product like a car, they don't make or break a sale, but they certainly help"
I can understand about being passionate about a product, but there's only so much energy one has, to do a full presentation and demo drive to EVERY customer that walks in (5-10 a day).
"I was excited about the car, despite the salesman, and probably will be buying a Prius. But not one of these dealerships had such a fantastic experience to keep me from shopping around for the best price."
"Probably" is not a sale and doesn't pay the dealership's or salesman's bills.
She tried but didn't make any point with her blog cause she never bought anything anyways. So really it doesn't matter if the sales pitch was good or not, or if the saleman was enthusiastic when in her mind price is the determining factor where she'll buy. :mad:
C'mon lady, are you there to buy a car or hand out Oscars for best salesman preformance? Go see an opera if you want entertainment.
Reminds me of a customer I had who wanted me to get him excited when explaining the features/benefits of an Accord, by showing lots of enthusiasm to convince him to buy.
I'm not a circus clown or a street performer, here's a brochure, entertain yourself at home pal.
Or like Joe Pesci said: "Funny how? I'm here to entertain you? I'm here to frickin amuse you?"
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Am I missing something here?
With that being the case, why did you buy? :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I guess you sales guys see all types. A buyer like me only wants you to give my offer to the sales manager. Other buyers want to be entertained.
I think I will stick with computers.
I might sew up a deal and then get a call from a wholesaler on the customer's trade...they give me $500 extra! I don't call the customer and let them know that. That's money for the dealership.
-Moo
I s'pose some people actually need/want to be sold....have their hand held about the vehicle they're interested in.
I think most of us here would rather walk into a dealership, sit down at a kiosk, and check off what we want from some sort of menu driven check list. The kiosk sorts through the check list to see what, if anything, the dealership has on the lot that would fit. Some "lot runner" goes and fetches the car for our test drive.
We come back to the kiosk after the test drive and make our offer. It goes immediately to the manager's desk where the offer is accepted or not. If it's accepted, the paperwork is automatically generated and we give our electronic signature to take delivery.
Oh hell no we don't do that. If we are smart enough to broker a car after the fact then the money is ours. You work a wholesaler just like a customer. The story I told was one in a million thing. Like I said it may occur once or twice a year if that. Allot of times short deals are taken on a Saturday with every intention of working the wholesaler for more money on Monday.
If you walked in our shoes, you would know the key words are VAST MAJORITY. Maybe once a year someone will stand in front of me and say "I want your best deal on that car now and I will buy if it is good." Even Internet informed buyers (which most of ours are) still need a good walk around, further information on what is important to them, and a very demonstrative test drive before they make their buying decision. In other words, a good informed salesman is still the heart of the process.
Geeez .... you really do want to mechanize the system, huh? :P
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
That would make me unemployed
Are you saying that you couldn't get another job?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Yeah, I know.
I'm sorry, I should have asked 'graph' what he wanted to do with you and the others who hang out here.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Just pay us what we make now and we will stand next to the Kiosk and look important
Thats good work if you can get it.
Are you saying that you couldn't get another job?
Well I guess I could always figure taxes for people, thats about the same as the car business. Playing with other peoples money all day. :shades:
It works both ways too. Sometimes in our efforts to make a deal, we will pay too much for a trade. We can't get ahold of our usual top bidder wholesalers and we just take a deep breath and pay too much for the car.
The next morning, it won't move when it get's put in drive or we spot a huge puddle of oil under it that we couldn't see on a dark rainy night etc.
This happens too.
I'm just a bit edgy right now, cause it's been a slow march for us. Non stop rain, delayed tax refunds, and cause I blanked out the first half of the month, and was told that if I don't meet a quota I'll be out the door by end of the month. :mad: :mad:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Tough working under a threat like that.
Hope things pick up for you!
I think many would want to walk into a super Walmart, with cars locked and stacked to the ceiling in some type of vertical carousel, all prepreped with plates ready to go (which Walmart would force the manufacturer to do). And discounted similar to other items in the store.
There would be a various unlocked demos that you could sit in, but you want a test drive? go ask your neighbor. You want something under warranty fixed? Go to a manufacturer authorized repair facility. you pay cash, or, but of course, you could get Walmart financing, cheapest rates in the country..
anyhow, in the past two vehicle purchases from dealerships, i've gone in and was one of those people who knew exactly what he wanted, and what he wanted to pay, and knew those vehicles were on the dealer's lot.
i communicated right up front i was ready to buy, and here's what i wanted to pay. evidently, this is sorta novel for some salespeople as was mentioned because then they had to slide into presentation/sales mode, which i told them upfront was just gonna make me walk. and i kept going even when someone came out to stop me before getting in my car.
the dealerships i did purchase from cut right to the chase and met me at my number, doing the sale in 15minutes.
i know i'm leaving some money on the table, but i know i'm going to get a good deal. if i present a good offer which i know has all sorts of money for the dealership and the salesman doesn't escort me right over to someone in the position to say yes, i'm gone.
Bingo!
Cars are still an emotional decison for the vast majority of people.
People want to feel good about their decison, they want to feel informed.
Even I like a good sales presentation.
Went to Dillards last nite to buy a new pair of Ecco's.
Had the best shoe salesman I've ever seen.
Guy was a shoe geek!
He told me about shoe construction, materials, demo'd the flex in the sole.
It was like being at a good car store.
So, I ended up buying $500 worth of shoes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You have the IRS looking at all your paperwork too?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I walked into a Wal Mart..once.
It was like a low class K-Mart. No thanks!
I thought the only way you could do that was to buy a couple pair of Nikes for the kids. :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I have a couple of Johnston and Murphys', but my favorite shoe by far is the Ecco. They are so comfortable to walk in all day on the lot.
Salespeople are complete laydowns when it comes to other people selling them things. Well, at least I am.
-Moo
He may be doing himself a disservice by not listening to some of the salespeople, but then again, maybe he does know everything.
Snake, I love you like I loved my first puppy. He was a miniature schnauzer that we had to put to sleep because he kept biting everyone.
-Moo
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Your opinion is very incorrect. However if I am going to drop $20K+ on something I am surely going to do my research and make sure I am making the right choice. Its not like I am spending 65 cents at a pop machine.
He may be doing himself a disservice by not listening to some of the salespeople,
Just because they are a sales person doesn't mean they know more about the car than I do. I could make a very long list of the obvious mistakes sales professionals have told me. I believe that I do myself the best of services by getting the facts myself.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D