Stories from the Sales Frontlines

audia8q

lets put a little different twist on this...lets say a salesperson is greasing the palm of a sales manager who feeds deals to that particular salesperson....is that really any different than sliding a bonus to the operator...who is essentially the gate keeper for all incoming phone sales inquiries?

joel0622

lets put a little different twist on this...lets say a salesperson is greasing the palm of a sales manager who feeds deals to that particular salesperson....is that really any different than sliding a bonus to the operator...who is essentially the gate keeper for all incoming phone sales inquiries?

That is 50 X's worse then an operator taking money. Any Manager that puts himself in that position is an idiot, and is asking for trouble. He would have no credibility once that word got out on the floor.

Now I may be way off base. I have only worked at this one store for the last 15 years with the exception of a 6 month leave of absence in 2003 to move my Mother in Law.

graphicguy

If you still feel the same way, then you aren't "corrected". Chastised yes, but we have a good re-education program for you right over here...

Please sit down.

user....I've been properly and harshly dealt with. I'm performing my penance. No Woodford for me tonight!

jipster

You havce derived alot of information about me and what I do and don't do just by the fact that I used my standard signature...

No, the information I derived about you came from your original post. You believe it okay to "bribe" a dealerships receptionist to get the majority of cold sales calls sent your way. I don't believe this is playing by the rules.

That and the fact that you "appear" to be soliciting business for your book on a web site that forbids such solicitation. I would think this to be common knowledge or common sense. But, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

You certainly are welcome though.

jipster

No difference. The principles are exactly the same.

oldfarmer50

...on the tip vs. bribe thing.

In another life I was in the field of medical sales. My human services education taught that it was unethical to solicit referrals through monetary inducements. This is how I ran my territory. The most I would do is transport medical professionals to the facilities for tours. On rare occasion a business lunch would be paid for.

After years of success the company put several young women into my area who proceeded to out produce me 2 to 1 on referrals. As my fortunes soured their's soared to the extent that one was promoted to supervisor and the other was made my boss.

Long story short, I was fired because I could not duplicate the success of these young women.

Two years after I left the FBI raided the company offices.
It seems that the two young women were giving payoffs to the referral sources, bribes if you will. The company went bankrupt a short time later.

The point here is you can achieve short term success with bribes and unethical behavior but in the long term you will leave a path of destruction in your wake.

I bet the doctors, nurses and social workers who did this would be the first to condemn the F&I guy who misquoted a rate.

jipster

Good story oldfarmer. We in Louisville have been waiting 10 years for our I-65 bridge (John F. Kennedy)to be repainted... due to a series of bribes and unethical behavior.

The painting has just been re-started... for the third time.

kyfdx

Don't let that Woodford get lonely... I can keep it company, if you need me to....

graphicguy

oldfarmer....paying off customers to buy your goods/services is indeed, unethical.

My former spouse was a pharm rep. It always amazed me how they did business....expensive weekend getaways, expensive golf trips to the DRs...all surrounded by the veil that the trips were purportedly to talk about the company's latest and greatest. Essentially, the drug companies were paying the doctors (via the gifts and trips) to prescribe their brand of medication.

And, we wonder why drug prices have excalated so much.

kyfdx....the Woodford will be waiting for me tomorrow. I'm headed to Keeneland, regardless of the weather. I'll break it out down there tomorrow night. Not to worry :P

thenebean

not related to cars...

my family is greek, and my dad's side of the family still lives over there. my grandfather was in the hospital a few years back, so my dad went over there to be with him for a bit. he took some cash with him, because it seems in greece (where the hippocratic oath was written) doctors will treat their patients based on the tips they receive. apparently their doctors are SEVERELY underpaid, and so they serve the patients first that have money to tip the doctors for their work...

i was amazed when my dad told me this...and greece isnt remotely third world or anything like that...

wonder how many other countries do this?

and to relate this post to cars...

I love the new G35!!

-thene

chikoo

eh... so how many palms did u have to grease to get a customer rating of 4.5/5 on barnes&nobles.com?

joel0622

OK I thought this was funny. This is one of the reviews written on B&N. It is by a Honda salesman.

Excellent stuff. I would give this book five stars but I don't think anything is perfect.

I wonder if he feels the same way when he gets burned on a survey from a customer with the same attitude

british_rover

That is funny.

jfknott

Jipster,
Please tell me where I stated that I felt it was ok to bribe the receptionsist. I simply stated that it is not a new occurrance. I then expanded on the thought of who it is and it is not ok to give money to in exchange for leads or deals. I personally have seen it as a slap in the face when a dealership employee brings a customer from service or the body shop who is interested in buying a vehicle and then returns expecting a "birddog" for helping to support the company and sales staff that support his livelyhood.

jfknott

None, but thank you for asking.

jfknott

Joel,
I kinda felt the same way after I read it. Oh well. I have found the reviews can be an ego boost but the sales are what matters.

jipster

Apologies if I misread your post. But, to me there was a strong implication that if it was okay for service writers to birddog, it should be for the receptionist as well(which is entirely different than what this "tip" vs "bribe" thread has been about). You wrote it has been happening since the car business began and is not a new occurance., but you certainly didn't say you disapprove of it.

But, you did have a few punctuation errors which made your post a bit difficult to follow. So, that may have been the problem.

Anyhow, welcome to Edmunds. Hope you hang around for awhile.

jfknott

Jim,
I can see why this is such a hot topic. Ten years ago I worked at a dealership that employed 30 to 40 salespeople at a time. All of the sales calls were given to one girl that set appointments. She basically told the customer whatever they wanted to hear and then set the appointment. Once she had the customer's info she was supposed to give the lead to one of the team leaders, who in turn evenly distributed them to the salespeople to followup with. Only problem was that by the time a salesperson had gotten the lead through the proper channels the girl setting the appointments had already given the lead to one of here "favorites" for a small fee that is. These "favorites" normally paid her $100 a week for the leads.
The dealership itself did not find this to be a problem since they felt like it was making everyone more aggressive and in turn resulting in more sales. Like lions fighting over meat.
Well needless to say I think I stayed at that store for a month. I have never agreed with it, however like I said I have seen it go on forever.

Oh and Btw, punctuation never was a is not a strong point of mine.

I'll be around for awhile. I noticed I posted in another category, and it was like the host was pushing me in to this forum.

I was even speaking on the topic at hand, however once he realized I was a professional automotive person it was like I got put in a room with all of the other "troubled children". Ok, Jeff you should go play with these kids in this room. Anyway it is good to be among my own anyway.

I travel the country 42 weeks a year and I am lucky enough to get to meet alot of you out there.

Oh and one more note, the dealership that use to allow leads to be handled in this manner was recently in our local news because their mortgage company is in the process of foreclosing on both of their store to the tune of about 21 million dollars. Better them then me.

JFK

jipster

Jeff, thanks for the clarification. I never realized how prevalent this practice was until it was brought up a few day ago. Everyone wants to feel like they are being treated fairly by their employer and co-workers, unfortunately as you and several others have pointed out... this doesn't always happen.

I noticed I posted in another category, and it was like the host was pushing me in to this forum

Yup, that would be our main man Tidester(host). He has his own fan club here ya know.

This is a very popular discussion at Edmunds, and Tidester knows how much many of us salivate for some good sale stories. So, props to Tidester for directing you our way. I'm not in the biz... but find it very interesting. There's a fairly large group of salesmen that post here, and an equally large number of groupies that just like to hang out for the stories.

Looking forward to any stories, or comments, you may want to share.
Jim/Jip/Jipster

jmonroe

Oh and Btw, punctuation never was a is not a strong point of mine.

FWIW, that ain't punctuation. What you did is closer to grammar but I don't know much about that either.

Anyways, welcome aboard.

jmonroe

jmonroe

...and an equally large number of groupies that just like to hang out for the stories.

You talkin about ME. :P

jmonroe

user777

I was even speaking on the topic at hand, however once he realized I was a professional automotive person it was like I got put in a room with all of the other "troubled children". Ok, Jeff you should go play with these kids in this room. Anyway it is good to be among my own anyway.

go ahead. start from the beginning. we have time. tell us about any traumatic experiences you recollect having as a young lad, or more recently as an automotive professional. this information will not be used by anyone for their advantage. :shades:

jfknott

Well you see 777. I think it all began in the second. No wait a minute, yep it was the First grade.............

user777

i remember in the 2nd or maybe 3rd grade visiting a field of vehicles with a couple of friends, one of them - their family owned the field... his two younger brothers were in tow; most of the cars were completely rusted out, without wheels, without windows. we spent hours climbing in an out of the cars and dodging the hornets and their nests.

but there was this one vehicle... i *think* it was a desoto, my memory is a bit fuzzy. anyway... it had keys, and it turned over!!! :surprise:

what luck! whew hew... hey... let's go racing.... :shades:

we took turns standing up and driving. this didn't last too long though. my friend's father put a stop to it pretty quickly, but the bigger three of the five of us got a turn at the wheel... maybe a minute each.

i knew i had done something kinda illegal... uncommon... special.

jfknott

Are there really car sales groupies? I wish

joel0622

Are there really car sales groupies? I wish

My wife will tell people that she gets great deals on her cars because she sleeps with the Finance Manager. It is great to see the reaction on there face before she tells them that she is married to me

jmonroe

My wife will tell people that she gets great deals on her cars because she sleeps with the Finance Manager.

Darn…….. why would she go and ruin a good set up like that?

This is almost what I used to do years ago if I had to call Mrs. jmonroe at her office. If someone else answered and didn’t recognize my voice they would say, “may I tell her whose calling”? I’d say, “the guy she slept with last night” then I’d hear a l o n g pause. When they figured me out I’d hear them say, “it’s your wise a - - husband again”!

It wasn’t fun calling anymore until once when one of her wise a - - co-workers thought she recognized my voice said, “if this is the guy she slept with last night, she doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore”. Not to be out done I put my fingers over the phone and tried to disguise my voice saying, “ah…this is the cable guy and I wanted to know who was going to let me in, it doesn’t look like anyone is home”? This time I hear a long, long pause and finally the voice said, “let me get her”. Mrs. jmonroe comes to the phone and when she knows it’s me she says, “oh, I’m going to kill you but that’s if Jean doesn’t get to you first”.

Those ladies just don’t know when to just sit back and go with the flow.

jmonroe

jfknott

Actually I met my wife 15 years ago when she was buying a car from another salesperson. Every other salesperson was staring her down. I did get my looks in but I was never one to gaze long enough to make a woman feel uncomfortable.
Well in this instance it must have worked to my advantage. Because she asked the salesman she was buying the car from who I was and if he could set us up.
Before we met she dated another guy in the car business.
Oh MY, I think I married a CAR GROUPIE
Well if that is the case they make good wives.

joel0622

It takes a special women to put with this business. The car business has broken up more marriages then liquor. My wife is one of the good ones. She understands the whole concept and the hours.

user777

i would think the kids could work the line as well.

which raises the question, does a car salesman and a car sales groupie wife have kids that are also groupies -or- do they themselves shy from the car shopping experience?

another question of possible interest is: when shopping for a car, do the kids bring you (salesperson) along for "support"?

or here it is from another angle- when shopping for a vehicle for you or your family, can you use a "special handshake" to do the deal quickly?

jfknott

Most of the car sales professionals (salespeople and management alike) that I have met seem to purchase vehicles for their children from the dealerships they work for so there is very little "bringing the salesperson along for support" or buying from other dealerships that would require "the special handshake".

But in the event that we do need to buy from another dealership we can use our "secret handshake" to make things go smoother. :shades:

joel0622

In 15 years my wife has never been to the dealership to buy a car. She has been here allot but never for the purpose of a purchase. With the exception of the Ford 500 she drives now all the others have been used Mustangs/SUV's. It usually goes something like this.

Sitting at home my wife says, "I would like to trade my Explorer." I say "OK".

I then start watching for a good late model trade in to come through. With my job in F&I I see them all, so basically I do what we call "Cherry Pick" one.

When a great deal comes across my desk I call my wife and say. "How about A 2005 Limited Explorer with all the bells and whistles" She says, "is it the color blue I like?" I Reply "no". She says "OK", I then ask "are you going to keep this long enough that I should put a Service Contract on it?" She says "ya".

That never seems to happen though, I always have a refund coming.

She then tells me not to forget to put GAP on it because of what happened to a friend of ours ($5200 out of pocket on a total loss)

I type it up and bring home the paper work.

When she decided she wanted a car we went with a new one for a couple reasons. She loves the 500 and I was able to get 0% interest for 72 months. I kept my equity and rolled the whole thing into the loan and pocketed $2200 to pay off some stuff I was paying interest on. Sweet deal all the way around. But it will take her out of her two year trade cycle because we did not put the equity toward the car.

joel0622

I type it up and bring home the paper work.

Quoting myself here.

I forgot to mention, its funny when I put the contract in front of her to sign it. She always reads it over, I always asks her what it is she is looking for and she tells me she is just making sure it is right. I then remind her I am the guy that typed it and I promise I have not put the screws to us. She always ask if it is simple interest and if there are any penalties associated with paying it off. She is a hoot

boomchek

If you scroll back a month or so, I have a story in there on how I met my fiancee.

She was buying a car from me with her now ex. :P

mako1a

That's their car over there which they're trading.

Their-plural posessive denotes ownership.

There-a place. (not here)

They're-contraction. (They Are)

jmonroe

That's their car over there which they're trading.

I knew that but there are plenty here that ain't good at this stuff and can use the help.

Thanks,

jmonroe

british_rover

I was at the LR2 launch all last week so I only worked Friday and Saturday.

I only had one customer the whole week and I still sold a car.

My closing ration is 100% and I ROCK.

jmonroe

My closing ration is 100% and I ROCK.

Does this mean you're begging for more "launch weeks"?

jmonroe

madmanmoo

Ahaha.

I love you, Mako1a. It appears we're cut from the same cloth.

-Moo

oldfarmer50

"... That's their car over there which they're trading..."

Could you please give more examples? I'm not sure I understand. Does it go something like this:

That's their car over there which they're trading but they're such laydowns that their deal will make me enough money to buy that yacht over there.

Kirstie_H

For further tips, feel free to visit my CarSpace page & check out the links, or go directly to Basic & Advanced You're.

Bring on the (spelling, grammar, and syntax error-free) sales stories.

british_rover

Ehh not really once every couple of years is fine.

All that FREE expensive food, FREE expensive booze, FREE expensive hotel rooms and heated pools tend to wear on you after a while.

:P

lrguy44

And take it from a witness - BR took FULL advantage of all! :shades:

british_rover

Yeah except for that nasty Blood Orange Margarita thing at Jimmy's. I won't ever order one of those again.

mac24

Excellent links Kirstie. You're so much more than an evil forum host!

tidester

Excellent links Kirstie.

Just don't get Kirstie started on apostrophes and commas!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

chikoo

|||| She is a hoot ||||

you bet! Damn.....

imidazol97

>You're so much more than an evil forum host!

I second that.

explorerx4

which one of you is going to post pictures on 'BarSpace'? :P

nthe

"I was at the LR2 launch all last week so I only worked Friday and Saturday.

I only had one customer the whole week and I still sold a car.

My closing ration is 100% and I ROCK. "

thats the same closing ratio i had on sat. crappy weather, and i only had 1 up, but he bought.