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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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Good story, Joel.
Thanks.
You know, divorced. Split the sheets meaning they split up every thing they had.
Cool story. I've never had something like that happen to me.
-Moo
Why would you deny her this pleasure? Do you really like car sales that much?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Just kidding! :shades: I had a 15 hour (no lunch) workday yesterday and opened up to 82 new posts in my favorite discussion group. Geo's comment gave me a chuckle. I'm surprised nobody used it yet.
Joel - I was also with the US Army in Alaska. Arrived in Delta Junction "Cold Regions Test Center" in mid-OCT and left 6 months later. It's an absolutely beautiful and fascinating place! That was 30 years ago. My body could take the -50 degree temps then, but I wouldn't do it again.
Deny her the pleasure of what? Killing me?
BTW, I do love the car business. Like all jobs it has its moments, and I am tired of working every Saturday. But the job is different every day. When I get to work I never know what the day will hold or who I will meet.
I guess how I got started in this business constitutes a story.
I got out of the Army in 1991 after 8 1/2 years and really wasn't sure what I was going to do. My wife and I started out by moving back to my home in N. Idaho to help my dad on his cattle ranch. Country life was not for my wife.
So we moved to TN in 1993 and I worked as a Commercial Mason and ran a Pressure Washing biz on the side. In Aug of 1994 I tore my rotator cup and could not work.
In those days my young bride and I lived pay check to pay check and every $$ counted, so me laying around and recouping was not an option.
One Sunday looking through the Classifieds I saw where Car Dealers had guaranteed income for 90 days while they train you. I thought, hell I will do that for 90 days and by then I will be healed up.
That will 13 years ago come August. My training pay was more then my normal wages and I found I had a knack for selling trucks, and if you like selling trucks a Ford Store is the place to be.
So After my 90 days I had my first month on full commission and got a check a for $4200. It was the biggest check my wife had ever held in our hand. I have not been able to afford to leave every since
That, Joel, was a cool story.
The sales managers don't get paid if they don't hit their sales plan??? :surprise: That's one promotion I wouldn't want! :P
I agree. Anyone else want to post on their start in the business?
i really don't sense anyone was beating up on salespeople here. if anything, us-non-sales frequenters were keeping the site lively while you guys were taking in more people on the lamb or with guns and money and a destination. the stuff for furture stories.
the only thing missing from the story was the lawyers.
:shades:
While anyone can make mistakes, I'd still rather take my car to someone who works on Nissans all day, rather than a guy who may see one once a month. It's not like I pay a whole lot extra for the privelege, not when the oil filters for my car are $10 a pop, it takes 6 quarts of oil, and costs me $22 OTD. So in reality, I'm paying a $5-$7 premium. That's MORE than worth it.
My old man made me change the oil myself (and the brakes, and the belts..). While I'm glad I have all that knowledge, unless we have a nuclear holocaust and all the mechanics are killed, I think this know-how will be largely mothballed.
Although, I've never had to pay for a brake job. That might cause me to dust my shadetree brain off when I get a quote... at the very least, I'm sure the dealership's price for this would be outrageous and I WILL want to go somewhere else. I wish Costco did brake jobs!
Uh I know we don't offer that service, but I guess some stores will do anything for good CSI scores
LMAO, where is your mind right now?
Edited to make no sense now
LMAO, where is your mind right now?
Hahahaha
I just made the edit. Thanks for the catch. :surprise:
I did just meet my wife for lunch, but it wasn't one of "those" lunches.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Me too but before I could make a reply to hurry up and make an edit, the edit was already made.
Now Mrs. jmonroe wants to know what's all that laughter coming from the office.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
If you believe in your product (be it cars, service, or whatever), you will have more sales success. People who enjoy and believe in what they sell always come across better. They naturally have the product knowledge that helps customers.
I was approached years ago to go to work at an import store. The offer was strong but in the end I just could not see me selling something that I have no interest in. Hell I got out of line at Lowes the other day because I accidently picked up a pressure washer with a Honda engine in it
You mean a "nooner"?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
With your pull, you should be able to talk Ford into makin one for ya. :P
Personally, I like the Brigs and Straton engines (they have always lasted me at least 12 years) because I've found the H engine to be a bit pricey on those lawn type items although my brother thinks they're great.
Of the three sons my parents raised, one turned out to be a dope and before anyone jumps in here I'm not the dope.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
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Me to, thats what I thought I picked up, they both look the same. The Briggs had more PSI more GPM and was $30 cheaper
The first Brigs mower I had lasted 15 years and if the housing didn't rust away I might still be cuttin with that one. :P
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I'm surprised the difference was only $30, I've seen $60/70 at least. :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
The sales managers don't get paid if they don't hit their sales plan??? That's one promotion I wouldn't want!
Well, I guess the dealerships pay their Sales Managers based on some basis. This is additional payment from the manufacturer to the dealership sales managers. (I've never been in the business so I don't know how much of this goes on.) The article indicated some reservations by management at some dealerships concerned that the Sales Managers might be inclined to make deals influenced by this extra money from Chrysler that might not be in the dealership's best interest. Read the article for details.
I will let you know how it goes. These things are always fun.
Na, ya think so
Anyway, Joel0622, what struck me is that they are still using the Ford emblem (of course), high on the rear deck lid. Personally, the font speaks of history and it seems out of place on the car. Maybe not on the trucks, but on these cars, I think so.
Ford needs to update it's image. I think they should change their logo. Maybe if they'd use an F, but not in script. But on the Fusion, they've got to do something with the front end.
Anway - these mailings actually work as sales tools?
Well ya. Out of the 7500 we sent one has the winning number. It is just a matter of if that person comes in or not. Not bad odds really 1-7500 better then the lotto and this is free.
There is a company that offers insurance on these things. If the winner comes in then the insurance company pays us back the $5K
Good luck to you! Hope you make some $$ this weekend.
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Apparently. According to Joel, they get reimbursed (insurance) if someone does "win" so the only expense is the cost of mailing and insurance.
If 1% of their customers are actually in the market to buy then that reduces probability of a winner to about 1 in 750,000 while the prospect of being a winner may draw in a few to actually make a purchase. I.e., it's a pretty safe bet and likely to garner a few sales, more than offsetting the costs of mailing and insurance.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Weirdly enough, I'm usually the type who ignores the "free gift card for a test drive" promotions. Holding that key, which while worthless is a tangible item, did the trick. Go figure.
boy, that would be a flag to me to AVOID visiting the dealership.
We're waiting...what did you win (or buy)?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
You don't happen to know what the insurance premium is do you?
I don't know on this one. We did a 12000 piece mailer a year or so ago and it was right at $450 for the insurance.
About twice as much as Hole In One insurance when we sponsor a Golf Tournament and put a car up for give away.
Most likely a legal disclaimer just in case the guy (or gal) with the winning key never shows up.
My father worked for Kroger and one time they had one of those pull tab contests where the winning tab was for $10K (this was back in the late 50's early 60's when $10k was some serious cash). They held back the winning tab and gave it to one of the execs to stop by a store at random and drop it off to someone. This guy made sure someone who looked like they needed it got the winning tab. It was never claimed.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Anyway, this dealer was near several factories and it was common for guys to walk over on their lunch breaks and walk around the lot looking at cars and trucks. One day when I was working with someone who eventually walked, a little short man in his sixties came in right in the middle of the lunch hour. He had needed a shave about four days earlier, had mud and grease on his jeans and denim jacket and had a greasy paper lunch sack. No one would go near him. The fleet guy, who could not earn commission normally, but could handle sales and earn commission if no salesman was available (had to have manager's approval beforehand)said what the heck, he'd go talk to the old guy. He had no fleet customers right then anyway. The sales manager gave his approval since none of the available salesmen wanted to help the old guy.
You can see where this is going, right? The old guy gravitated to the most expensive pickups on the lot. The fleet guy humored him and went to the sales manager. He added $3000 to the invoice on the one the customer liked best and sent the fleet guy back. The customer said okay and opened his little greasy lunch bag. He had about $12,000 in cash in there, more than enough for a fully optioned F-150 in those days. He left an hour later with a new truck and the fleet guy went home early that day with $1,500 in his pocket.
Taught us all the lesson people had been trying to teach us for years: you can't judge a book by its covers. I quit working for Ford a few months later, but I never forgot the lesson. Funny thing is, through the years if I've gone to a dealership as a customer when well dressed, I get helped immediately, usually get offered a fair deal, etc., etc. I've gone looking sloppy a few times and have generally been ignored. I know salesmen waste a lot of time with lookers, but I've had a lot of sales jobs (not in the auto industry) over the years and that just comes with the territory. I try to forget the guys I've spent an hour with that resulted in no sale and remember the ones who had shopped my competition, decided to buy my product, and I was the lucky one who got the call and made the sale in a few minutes because the customer was well informed from his or her previous time spent "just looking".
THE KEY - 90% of the time when the dealership sends me the key, i go down there with one of my kids and try it. never once have i responded to one of the discount/please-trade-in-your car flyers.
i have sometimes noticed somewhat less interest from salescritters, apparently due to the way that i look/dress - especially at low-end dealerships. but the high-end dealer salesfolk seem to know to ignore how someone looks. i think the internet-boom sort of changed the game - the salesfolk know that there are a lot of not-attractive/mailroom-looking dweebs like me who can and do buy high-end cars.
in my case, the salesman has nothing to do with the sale, or so i think. it's all about the car being what i want and when i want it. whether the salesman happens to be a hot chick or a weird guy or an actual motorhead, doesn't matter. it is a nice bonus when the salesperson is a hot chick and/or is a true motorhead who knows as many technical details as i do. usually i know more obscure details than the salesperson about the car i want. also i know that the actual dealer-cost for any vehicle is UNKNOWABLE by the customer and is private info between the dealer & manufacturer. i think most salespeople don't know the real dealer cost - i think that in most cases only the owner and business/contracts manager know the actual dealer cost. how right am i on that, peeps?
i sometimes like to throw out the term "dealer memo price" at the salesperson. this usually surprises them and seems to be a good way to indicate that i am not going to to fall for any BS whatsoever. all business. get it done.
timing and being in the right place at the right time with the right car available is all that matters.
often i order cars in advance or look at the build-sheets for vehicles that are on the boat or on a train/truck to nearby dealerships, seeking one with the right options.
often it's tough to find the options-mix i want: LOADED but with manual trans, and without NAV system, and without leather if possible. i'll take the leather if i have to. but i will not buy a car with nav system. i hate the nav! real man dweebs don't stop for directions, and don't use nav systems.
i've actually thought of dumping the hightech game and getting into the auto business, i like cars, dealerships and hanging with mechanics, service-reps, and salescritters so much. i think i could be a good car salescritter but maybe i'm actually clueless re that. all the downtime inbetween sales & customers would literally put me to sleep.
anyone got a dealership for sale? i've thought of buying into one, but i doubt i have quite enough scratch for that. i dunno. i'll probably just invest in a dunkin-donuts instead.
Some dealers have a strict 90 day turn policy.
If they can't retail a U/C in 90 days, it gets wholesaled.
Others will keep a car no matter how long it takes to sell.