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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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Yeah, it sounds simple.
I don't know if you have seen or experienced the fallout from a dealership closing.
A lotta people become unemployed, a lotta debts go unpaid.
It isn't pretty.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
hmm, one of those,"if she can't take it with her... she ain't a going" types.
I'm the same way, going to be 148 years young this November. :sick:
I'm the same way, going to be 148 years young this November
maybe in looks but not in smarts!!
sorry, just had to say it!
-thene :P
LOL... you've got a way with words moo. That one almost had me in tears.
Great story.
LOL... sounds like you're hitting on the Jipster. That I can even find my way to the "on" button on this fangled machine is a testament to my "former" genius.
Not even a blip on the screen compared to when car manufactures start their cutbacks and layoffs. :sick:
It isn't pretty.
That’s what I just said.
But when you do the wrong things; manufactures that don’t care about quality, other than to give it lip service and dealerships that don’t know how to treat their customers, the real people in the world pay the price. :sick: :sick: :sick:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I hear ya on that. But, at least it appears both GM and Ford, and to some degree Chrysler, have finally been improving reliability of their domestic vehicles during the past few years. A little late? Yes, very. But at least there's no more of that "Quality is Job #1" idle lip service.
Now, if only they could make more cars that are actually fun to drive, with interior appointments to match the imports.
Also, I question whether the Big 3 are prepared for the strong possibility that gas could rise above $4/gallon real soon? Perhaps a few less $$ will be earned on Escalade and Expedition sales? They compete with their trucks and larger SUVs, but not as well with sedans. (Edit: Well, I may be speaking too soon. With models such as the CTS, 300, and the Fusion, they've made some decent strides.)
People will want to trade in their "tankers" and nobody will pay us any money for them.
" But...but, the internet says it's worth XXX"
Wait until summer when the prices REALLY go up!
Not gonna argue that.
Sometimes however, things go wrong that are outside your control.
There are plenty of well run nice Ford stores that can't make ends meet and plenty of Toyota stores that mistreat their customers and are making money.
In the end, the dealer is held captive by the product.
If you have a desireable product, people will buy from you even if you don't have the best rep.
If you don't have a desireable product, all the CSI in the world won't save you.
the deal is, you buy a duck for $5, it gets put in the water and somewhere downriver the top few to cross the finish line get prizes.
we will be given 100 tickets to be sold.
my own kid ditched me, and i have to drive around some boys i don't know from 10 until 3.
it looks like a pretty good day weatherwise, but all of us would rather be doing something else.
so here is my strategy, i'm going to make 2 teams, assuming 4 kids(they must go house to house in pairs).
team 'resolute' and team 'vespoli'. these are the shell(crew boat) manufacturers.
the team that sells the most tickets will get $20 each and the other team will get $5 each, and i'll get to feel like the 'king of cars' for a few hours.
I used to audit dealerships.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I don't know if you have seen or experienced the fallout from a dealership closing.
A lotta people become unemployed, a lotta debts go unpaid.
It isn't pretty.
It happens when any business goes out of business. But the simple truth is there is no right to make a profit. Companies go out of business all the time and new ones come up to take their place. If that wasn't the case we would still be going around in horse drawn wagons.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Ya that and the fact that a couple Foriegn have more recalls PVB (Per vehichle Built) then the domestics over the last 6 months will really make it fun. Some of them are learning what happens when you get up into the top 3 range.
Well, I may be speaking too soon. With models such as the CTS, 300, and the Fusion, they've made some decent strides.)
I can't speak for the CTS or 300 because I have never drove one, but the Fusion is as fine as any car in its class, and the 500 is the best car never talked about. It is the finest car I have ever owned.
I agree with that but herein lies one of the "wrong" things that domestic manufactures have done; namely, over saturating the market with dealerships.
Toyota seems to know not to do this and they were relatively new getting into the US market. However, the dealerships that really pay attention to the details of how to do it will survive.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Amen, there are way to many in a metro area. Nashville is not that big yet we have I belive 13 or more dealers in the area.
It is a 2006 with only 9,000 miles I have a pretty good idea what it is worth but you always need to go through the motions.
I am getting the registration out of the glove box and something falls out of a little box landing on the floor.
I get the reg out set it to the side and start looking for the "something that fell out of the box." I see and go to pick it up and it is a FREAKING razor blade :surprise: :mad: that cuts half inch long, nearly to the bone deep slash in my pointer finger.
Now I am bleeding all over the place but amazingly have not gotten it on her car.
I grab the reg holding my pulsating finger away from my body as I drip a crimison trail across the parking lot. I walk into the shop and call out to the service manager holding up my hand.
His eyes go :surprise: because by now it looks like ripped someones heart out of their chest. I have never had a finger cut bleed soooo bad. I get myself cleaned up and wrap a tight bandage around my finger.
I get all my stuff together sit down with the woman after I put her razor blade back in her car. :confuse:
Tell her the numbers I worked out for her car and the LR3. Afterwards I need a Razor blade to cut her off the ceiling. We are apperently offering her 8,000 dollar less then BMW is for her car. She leaves saying how BMW is going to sell her the X5 for 55,000. The X5 she wants would sticker for over 60,000 dollars compared to a LR3 with more equipment for 54,000-56,000 dollars.
I am going to call her everyday to see when she buys this imaginary $60,000 X5 for $55,000, the biggest discounts on the new X5 are 2,500 dollars in my area, and when she gets $40,000 for her $33,000 MDX.
Edit: Exuse any typos it is very hard to type with part of your finger missing and a big bandage on it.
A Baltimore County woman is getting help from her delegate over claims a local car dealership is forcing her to purchase two cars she can’t afford and doesn’t want.
Del. Emmett Burns Jr., D-Baltimore County, said he is launching a campaign including legislation, media briefings and public protests at the Russel Toyota dealership on Route 40 in Catonsville, where he said Evelyn Campbell purchased two used vehicles in January.
When Campbell’s credit union denied her financing, the dealership forced financing with a high interest rate without her signature and towed the cars to her house, he said.
“They drove them to the house and left them there — I kid you not,” Burns said. “She said, ‘They can’t do this to me,’ and I agree.”
Burns described Toyota Russel managers, whom he said he contacted three times, as “recalcitrant.”
But Wade Sterry, the dealership’s general manager, said the Better Business Bureau, state’s attorney and Campbell’s attorney agree her complaints are invalid.
Campbell drove one car off the lot they day she purchased it and left one for leather installation, Sterry said.
Campbell signed a hold contract to delay the processing of the sales contract she signed for three days, and a delivery contract, which she said she thought allowed her to return the cars if financing was denied.
But Sterry said Campbell understood she could not return the car unless the seller agreed or for legal reasons.
“Once you buy a car, it’s final,” Sterry said. “There’s no changing your mind.”
Not being in sales myself I wonder if it is OK for the dealer to auotmatically sign this person up to a high rate loan and tow the car to her house. I am also not sure if the paper work the person signed gave the ok for the loan. It seems like everybody in the story except the purchaser and the politician believes the woman has to keep the cars.
I did something similar with my all-in-one Ethernet crimp tool when running some cable in my house. Went to pick it up without thinking--it has one exposed blade on one side for stripping cable, and two opposing blades on the other side for cutting cable. I wasn't looking at it, and ended up really gouging one of my fingers. Amazingly, it hurt less than a paper cut, but there was a heck of a lot more blood!
You've been missed. I (& I'm guessing others) appreciate your contributions here & on other boards.
WElcome back, BR. Ain't sales fun?
-Moo
Is that business as usual, for the sales rep to search thru the customer's glove box? Not that I have anything to hide, but I much prefer to pull out necessary documentation myself, rather than have someone else do it for me. I also don't ever recall needing to show registration for a trade-in bid offer? Maybe I've been growing too much gray matter in my memory cells?? :confuse:
But I completely agree on the MDX price. Expecting $40,000 on an '06 MDX trade-in is ludicrous. :surprise: That lady needs to realize she is driving at outdated model. The MDX was completely redesigned for 2007. According to Edmunds, the '07 MDX is "miles ahead of its predecessor", with much more luxury and performance than the previous design. I purchased an MDX brand new back in Fall of 2000, when they were first introduced. (Paid about $35K back then.) It was a great family hauler, but I can only imagine that design was growing long in the tooth by 2006.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Yeah she was way crazy about the value of her car. Even edmunds and KBB thought it was worth right around what we were giving her. One of the few times they have both been fairly accurate.
Now I am bleeding all over the place but amazingly have not gotten it on her car.
The next time hold your finger high in the air over your head. The heart (and, of course, I'm assuming car dealers have a heart
Two weeks later when a kid at the car rental angency was cleaning out the car he opened the glove box and the snake wiggled out. :surprise:
No doubt the kid is still drying out his pants. :sick:
There is a Local used car franchise here that in its hay day was notorious for doing everything that your not supposed to do. Forgery, bogus apps, wrecked cars, odometer roll back, the whole 9 yards. When I was in sales if you saw a car pull up with there name plate on there car you did your best not to be the one to greet them. They could clear the bench in 10 seconds.
Anyhow the story goes that a guy bought a truck from them, after a few days he figured out that they absolutley slayed him and that the truck had major problems. He takes it back and tells them to keep it. They tell him it is his truck, he says BS, and leaves the truck.
So they take his truck and park it in the turn lane of the very busy road in front of there dealership and call the police.
Over the years these guys have gone from having like 8 different stores to now having one small one. Hmmm wonder why
But, you really should have someone take a look at that finger and maybe get a tetnus shot... if you haven't already done so.
Glad to see you're posting again.
These glove boxes are gettin' more dangerous every day! :surprise:
The shop has had to deal with a lot of rat damage lately. They crawl under the hood and eat wiring. They can cause a lot of very expensive damage.
Often, the rat is still there. One of our guys was bitten recently. He made the dumb mistake of picking it up by it's tail.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Here we go again - we have no right to make a profit - yet (and let me add legally done) you slam us if we make a big profit. If you think one price is the answer, why don't all accountants charge the same?
Did you mean MOLE?
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes.
In other words, ICK.
I learned something today!
First of all I never slammed anyone for making a profit big or small. Its the contradictory statements that sales people on this forum make that get you slammed.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Secondly, have you ever noticed that you never seem to answer questions that are directed at you? You only point fingers and then fade away when faced with a decent adversary. Please do us all a favor and think before you type. Your posts are riddled with contradictory statements. Most of the time, we just let them slide.
Thanks for playing, Snake. :P
-Moo
isell--the honda salesman at my local dealership went with me to test drive the Civic SI sedan. He drove it first--and pretty irresponsibly if you ask me. He was a young guy and trying to impress me I guess. It is a car that is hard to drive without pushing the rpms. In the end a bit too much car for me.
I also drove the Mazdaspeed3. The (young) salesman wasn't going to let me because his GM didn't want anyone taking it for "joy rides". I guess they determined I was a serious customer and relented. As the salesman is testing it first he blows out of the lot and up to 60mph on a narrow two lane in the bat of an eye. While he's flooring it he says, "yeah, we've had two customers and the GM himself wreck a couple of mazdaspeed6s and an RX8 on test drives in the last year or two!" As I drove the car back to the dealership I realized that the car would turn me into a crazed adrenaline junkie w/plenty of tickets in short order. I opted for a much more restrained middle trim Mazda3, 5 door, over the Civic mostly because of the hatchback. Some cars just invite a level of lunacy. I don't envy any salesperson who goes on regular test drives of fast cars.
Gogiboy
Snake is my personal whipping boy. At least we've got some fresh stories kicking up. You like 'em?
-Moo
I thought the car had backfired but it shot a rodent out of the exhaust system. My guess was he was living in the muffler getting lung disease.
You could have done what we used to do. Drive down the street and turn off the ignition. Wait awhile and switch it back on. That would have blown him out too but it may have blown your muffler at the same time.
A buddy had a Camry that wouldn't start one morning. he found the intake system and air cleaner jammmed with dry dog food some rat had squirrled away!
Yeah, about that ... it doesn't make a good impression with noobs and lurkers so let's dispense with the whip and be more respectful of others.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Apologies to all.
-Moo