"It helped that I have good credit, but even more so for those that don't, the F&I guy has access to more lending options than the typical person"
I agree - I always secure financing before going to the dealer. I always tell them what rate I have been approved at (and am honest about it), and offer them a shot at beating it. Every time, the dealer has been able to beat my rate, and I too have good credit.
The way I look at it is if the best I can get is 5.5%, I don't care if the dealer charges me 5% (and is really getting 4%, but marking it up to 5%), they are still getting me a better rate than I could get on my own.
Yesterday was a good one, but I didn't stop moving for 12 1/2 hours. I came in at 9:00am. I did follow up until 10:00. I met my first customer. They purchased and I delivered the vehicle. I worked a couple of phone ups that I had caught and was about to head out for lunch at 1:30pm.
Just as I was walking out the door, my appointment showed up early. I worked that deal. This one was a bit of a marathon as we just couldn't get numbers right. Eventually, the numbers gelled up and we got that vehicle delivered as well.
All the salespeople were busy as the evening came on. I tried to help a woman who told me she knew what she wanted, but she was ALL over the board. She was looking at a Scion, a Civic Si and wanted to see what we had comparable. I directed her towards the Sentra Spec-V. She thought the Altima coupe and the Z would be interesting as well. Righhht. I quickly dropped her to our internet guy as I had 2 other appointments show up almost right next to each other.
I juggled the two customers in adjacent offices. Closed one on a Maxima, but the 2nd couple couldn't move another $30/month. It's a little frustrating because I know I could have closed them last night if I had the time, but I just didn't. I'll try and get them wrapped up this morning.
A hat trick at the beginning of the month is always a good way to start.
moo....just curious. If you've got a customer come in, who is all over the board (in your case...the Altima, to the Sentra, to the Z), do you let them test drive all of the models?
Another quetion...when you've got more than one deal in the fire at the same time, do you pass one or the other off to another sales person in the interest of expediency?
I'm not moo and not even remotely a car salsperson, but I would answer yes and no to those two questions. If it weren't busy, I'd let her drive them all, might get a "love it" reaction to one and it would hopefully instill soem gratitude and loyalty for the future.
As for handing off a deal in bag... not on your life :P
This is worse than a season of 24. Will Jack Bauer aka mack save the world and will Mrs. Johnson get the leather and DVD player she's always wanted or will Gina spoil the deal.... maybe they'll all end up having dinner at a diner and we'll never know, did or did they not buy..hmmm
No animals were harmed in the making of this story.
I juggled the two customers in adjacent offices. Closed one on a Maxima, but the 2nd couple couldn't move another $30/month. It's a little frustrating because I know I could have closed them last night if I had the time, but I just didn't. I'll try and get them wrapped up this morning.
me? i wouldn't want you doing any juggling. you are either working with me, or somebody else.
$30/mo seems so small. but wait, that's another $2K+ on a 6yr note. enough to buy new tires 4 times over. just out of curiousity, how much were you into the profit category at that point?
I remember a good story with regards to that.... I remember desking a deal with a guy who was hell-bent that we were going to screw him somehow. He was on a leftover service loaner.. car had like 2,500 miles.. I think the sticker was like $35k, invoice $32,500, incentives all told came to about $3k and I was dumping it for $27,700.... used ones like it on AutoTrader were selling for that or more.
Anyhow, we ask him how he planned to pay for the car as he said he was brining in a bank check. Turns out he was financing through his bank because we would kill him on the rate, no problem Sir, have at it.
Background note: Guy is extremely obnoxious.
So he turns up to take delivery, hands over a draft from Wachovia Bank. He then gets all smug and says "Look at the rate I got, 7.9%, sure pays to have good credit, eh?"
F&I Guy, with a straight face and not missing a beat, says, Wow, had you gone through us we could have done 6.75% through Wachovia but if we went through Chase I could have gotten you down to 6.5%. OK, let's get the paperwork started so we can get you on your way."
"You WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"
"Well, you said you would not finance through us under any circumstances, so there was really no need to discuss it with you I thought."
Now he pops a fuse and is furious and demands to talk to the manager. I come out...
"Sir, what's the problem? Is everything Ok with your new car?"
"What's this guy saying he can beat my rate by a point and a half?"
"Well, if we had the opprotunity to do so, we probably could beat aretail rate from your bank, probably using your own bank if you wanted to"
"There's NO WAY, you guys are LYING!"
"There is a way Sir! You have to understand, you might buy $25,000 from your bank once every 3 years, we buy more than that from a bank before lunch, they sell us the money very cheaply because we buy a lot of it. Kind of like how Best Buy buys TV sets cheaper than you can, they buy millions of them so Sony sells them to Best Buy for less than you can buy one for at the Sony Store."
"Well, umm, can you get me that rate maybe?"
"Sure, let's talk to Rich and see what he can do"
He ended up financing with us of course... of course, since we are all evil and greedy we made a point on the rate, but we were still 1.4% cheaper than his bank.
Might have a line on a decent 525iA that a customer of mine has... he wants to get into an E39 528i and is looking to dump his 91 525iA Sedan.
190k, paint is really weak, leather worn, but mechanically it's 100%... suspension, cooling system, brakes, trans was done at 155k, etc.. all in good shape.
Yep! Serial #7 no less! The E28 M5 page on Wikipedia has a pic of my car on it(That I uploaded.. hee hee).
Now, I have spent another $4,000+ on it and have a lot more to go.. but... not the place to do it, but I took a pic of it with 17 other E28 M5s at 5erFest in Chattanooga over memorial day weekend. I'm on the event team for that event.. which will be out west next year.
We still see this on one of the local cable access channel here in Philly. Some multi-brand place. I think its called the Cherry Hill Triplex in Jersey. It is funny to watch but must be a nightmare for a serious buyer actually there to buy a new car.
Did your store have other people available for new car buyers or were they 100% pushing the used goods out the gate?
Did your store have other people available for new car buyers or were they 100% pushing the used goods out the gate?
I honestly don't remember, but I would guess if you wanted a new car that day your were SOL. We had 100 + customers standing on the used car lot. No salesperson in the world is going to leave that many used car customers to go sell a new Escort and make a mini deal.
me? i wouldn't want you doing any juggling. you are either working with me, or somebody else.
It depends. For me if I'm paying full sticker or close to it, you better believe I want full service and a quick turnaround. If it's a mini, I'd be pretty flexible. Probably just put a deposit down and finish up by fax or come back when it's quieter.
It all depends on the timing of the deals. If they work out right I can work two at the same time and you would never know you are not getting my full attention. The there are times when the timing isn't right and it just don't work.
I do my best to counsel. Typically when someone demands to drive a bunch of different vehicles, they just aren't sure what they want. I pull out of them what they need and want, and then I can narrow the field down. If they refuse to be counselled, then I dump them on another salesman.
A couple of Sundays ago, I greeted a single woman who wanted to drive 3 different SUV's and it didn't matter which models of each, just wanted to drive. She wouldn't narrow down, so I had her go to the front desk to page an available salesman. I don't have time to waste on that.
As far as juggling deals, there is a sweet spot in negotiations and test drives that you can work with to make sure both deals are going down. I've never had a problem with anyone because of that juggling. If I know that I'm not in that sweet spot, then I will have to pass the deal on so that the customer is being taken care of. Rarely happens though, I'm an excellent multitasker!
Probably the biggest dog and pony show I have ever been involved in was when we did a Slasher Sale. I don't know if any one has ever taken part in one but they are a hoot.
Holy cow, where did you say you sold cars? Tijuana? Nogales? East Germany circa 1982? :P
We have Mazda and Audi franchizes among others. a couple walks in and they want to test-drive CX7 and RX8, and they have 30 minutes. There was no way I was going to drive 2 totally different cars, so I told them that we would not be able to do it in 30 minutes, and they will have to re-schedule, pretty much blew them off. On the way out they see the new TT, and the guy says "Can we at least drive this one?" Well, that's a different story! TT sells itself, and long story short - they are driving 2008 TT, I got a nice commission, and everybody is happy!
However, if I may provide some helpful advice, I recommend splitting your stories into several posts. Just go ahead and keep us hanging. It seems to be a popular approach these days.
While you're at it, try adding some details about your lunch; your associate's lunch; your sinus congestion; or your favorite CD from the 70's. This type of filler will help you stretch the story into next season!
(I hope this doesn't get me blacklisted from all the Toyota dealers!)
ah, no. how could it work out so i wouldn't notice? i mean you are either speaking with me, or your sales manager. trust me, i'll know where you are going. even if it's the can. :shades:
Heck, I had THREE customers show up around the same time tonight! I just got home about and hour and a half ago. One I had talked to last week and called me to test drive a Prius while I was with another customer. I sent the Prius customer (wife, husband, and daughter) out for a test drive while I took care of the first customer and went on a test drive with him. We came back from the test drive and started working numbers. The family came back from the test drive and had a bunch of questions. Mainly about our "freebies" and then wanted a Silver pine color which I have in the back. I excused myself from the first customer and while we were doing his credit check I took the family to look at the Silver pine Prius then I offered them and overnight test drive to ensure nobody else would sell the car from under me. I went back to the first customer and then a lady that I had talked to earlier in the day showed up with her husband to look at a used Sequoia. I found the keys for it since it was a recent trade and has not made it through the shop yet. I gave her the keys and she understood that I was busy and just wanted to show it to her husband. When it was all said and done I have one riding over night, the first customer we have to hash out tomorrow since he's a "ghost" no credit score, has paid cash for everything and has switched jobs a couple of times but at least he has lived in the same place over five years, has a trade that's paid for that's worth $300.00 plus $500.00 cash down, and the last one is getting back with me tomorrow since we are only $990.00 from where she wants to be. I think I may have three deals here. Mackabee
When it works out perfect is when you have a customer show up just as you are putting a customer in the finance office. Group 1 is introduced to the F&I guy. As they are going through the F&I process you prep the other deal to come in. When group 1 comes out (usually about 45 minutes if finance does a full presentation on a finance deal along with an exit interview). When group 1 comes out you put group 2 in the finance office and do your delivery with group 1.
The stars have to be aligned just right for it to work so well.
Before I went into Management and was still selling I was to the point that 85% of my business was repeat and referral so allot of my folks would rather wait 15 minutes then have me turn the deal over. These were folks also who I didn't mind letting test drive by themselves.
Here are a few things that sucks when you turn a deal over, other then the obvious which is splitting the commission.
1. You turn a customer over who buys a car and the one you keep walks
2. You turn a customer over who is on a used car and hero you turn them over to puts them on a new car
3. You turn a customer over and he buys, then two weeks later that customer sends a referral in and they ask for the guy you flipped the deal to and not you
4. You have a very, very good repeat customer come in on your day off and the guy who catches him pisses him off and he quits buying from the dealership
5. You turn over a deal on a F-Series buyer and the sales person sells him a truck that does not fit his needs.
Had that happen one time. The law of the jungle here says that if you catch my customer and I am busy then you help him. Had a green pea catch the wife of a guy who was starting a business and needed a F250. I told the green pea, "he needs a heavy duty, not a light duty with a 4:10 limited slip rear end and the pay load package". The wife wanted to surprise the guy with a new truck. All the GP and the women new was the truck said "F250" on it and it was white.
To make a long story short the day ended She bought him a truck, I looked at the paper work early the next morning and it was the wrong truck. 10 minutes later the receptionist pages me and it is him. He got , What the hell out of his mouth and I stopped him, told him to bring it back and we will get him the right one.
As it turned out the truck he needed, even though it was $1800 more expensive ended up being $700 less because of the rebate.
That was 5 or 6 years ago and that guy still buys a couple a year from me and thanks me every time he comes in for not sticking him with that truck.
He pulls away and we wave then as our UC manager is complaining about him so more I say, "that is ok I gave him a Woman's polo shirt wait till he tries to put it on."
I'm glad you were able to post most of that stuff for me. I think the one reason that keeps me from flipping deals to someone else is #4. Each salesperson has a different personality and a different way of selling to people.
If a customer gets used to dealing with ME, then someone else may not gel as much with them. I hate taking that chance. Some of the consumers here have posted that they would not allow themselves to be juggled. I think if they were put in that spot by a true professional, then they wouldn't mind as much.
One person comes in to test drive, you give them keys and let them do that. While they are on their test drive, you start to get the other customer's trade being evaluated. Back and forth you get everything done. There will always be some downtime for the customer. I do my best to just make sure they know exactly what we're doing so they are on the same page. I've never had anyone complain.
I think the one reason that keeps me from flipping deals to someone else is #4. Each salesperson has a different personality and a different way of selling to people.
You should be worried about that. A little while ago, I made an appointment for my wife and I to test drive and see a car. I had already seen it and it was one of these "I'll show my wife and barring any major catastrophes, we'll buy the car." We had to arrange a babysitter as well.
Well the sales guy gets paged a few times and then someone else shows up to take us for a drive. He doesn't know that I probably know the vehicle better than many people in the dealership, including monthly sales volumes and YoY sales figures and local inventory at five dealers. Right off the bat, he starts into the white lies about this is the only car that has real wood and it handles better any other one in it's class and blah, blah blah. We get back and he starts complaining that the test drive was longer than 15 min and then goes into the "better act now" close. There'll be no cars to chose from etc, etc.
You know what happens, my wife says, I have to go. She hates the car. Does she really hate the car our just the sales guy? It really doesn't matter at this point. We end up leaving and what was supposed to a confirmation drive and closure, end up in a no sale. I didn't love the car enough to go back and buy it.
I don't mind being handed off if I show up unannounced, but if I make an appointment days in advance, either show up or call and reschedule.
Is it better to detail a car before trading it in? Does it make a difference to the ACV. Or more directly, will I get more than the 300 bucks I spend for the detail. Vehicle is clean and low mileage (less than 40,000)
No, you really won't. Dealers know they are going to have to detail your trade,and the internal cost of a detail is rarely over $100 anyway. A good U/C manager can get a sense of how a car was cared for by its general appearance. A low mileage car is generally worth more, but it depends on the definition of low mileage. A 10 yr old car w/ 40K is low mileage. A 4yr old car w/ 40k isn't.
I thought I read somewhere the average yearly mileage is usually between 12k to 15k if thats true wouldn't a 4 year old car with 40k be considered decent for 4 years?
Yeah, but if it is, say, a Ferrari, that would be WAY high mileage compared to an average Ferrari of the same year. On a Nissan Altima it would be low mileage compared to the average mileage of all Altimas of that year. That was his point.
20,000 miles on a 4yr old car is considered low miles.
Low miles means the car is much better than average. No dealer is gonna pay extra money for a 40,000 mile 4 yr old car. that is the real definition of low miles,would you pay extra for it?
I've read that 15k is average yearly mileage. I have 60k on my car right now and i'ts 4 years old. Honestly I don't know how anyone can drive less than that.
So are you trying to tell me that if you had two 2003 model cars for sale, the same in every respect EXCEPT that one has 40,000 miles and the other has 80,000 miles, the average customer would NOT pay more for the low mileage one? Wow! That IS hard to believe.
(That is pretty much what you said, right? If that's what you meant, then I don't trust you.)
I could see an elderly person not putting on many miles especially if they're only going to the grocery store and to church and getting their oil changed and taking no long distance trips.
No dealer is gonna pay extra money for a 40,000 mile 4 yr old car. that is the real definition of low miles,would you pay extra for it?
Yes I/We would pay more for a car with 40,000 miles on it than a car with 60,000 miles on it. You will more than likely depending on the manufacturer still be under warranty.
So are you trying to tell me that if you had two 2003 model cars for sale, the same in every respect EXCEPT that one has 40,000 miles and the other has 80,000 miles, the average customer would NOT pay more for the low mileage one? Wow! That IS hard to believe.
Thats not the point and really not a good example. Of course a 40 K car is worth more then a 80K car, just like a 65K car is worth more.
What he is saying is that 40K on a 4 year old car does not put it in the extra clean or clean wholesale category. As a matter of fact 40K -50K on a 2003 model is $450 to $1200 deduct in the black book depending on the category. 25K to 30K is $150 to $375 add depending on the category.
"I don't mind being handed off if I show up unannounced, but if I make an appointment days in advance, either show up or call and reschedule."
epiney: If I recall, you typically look at nice, higher-end cars. However, the sales rep who took you and your wife on the test drive seems to use the old-school approach and sales cliches. Just curious, which car line was that dealer?
I think the primary point of volvomax's post is that, in a clear majority of cases, it doesn't make good financial sense to spend $300 to detail your trade-in.
As a customer who has traded-in nearly 15 different vehicles, I can vouch for that argument. I've traded in all levels and mileage of vehicles: from a 1-year old Lexus, a 3-yr old Audi A6, to a Chevy S-10, and a 6-yr old Mazda.
Not once did an appraisor indicate my bid was reduced because my car was dirty. And when I had my cars all waxed up and completely spotless, inside and out, it didn't help. I would usually hear, "Wow, this is a REALLY clean car!" "Good, can you give me more money for it?" "Nope! It will still need to be inspected, and we automatically take it through detail, anyway."
The only instance when the general condition of my trade-in affected the bid was when I traded-in a 2-yr old BMW 328i. The windshield had a small chip in it, near the middle. The BMW appraisor told me he was taking $300 off his bid due to that chip.
In recent years, I've been avoiding trading in my car whenever possible. My last vehicle was a lease, and before that, we sold our 4 previous vehicles privately.
I think there is a relative thing here...not only would I not pay the same for a four year old car with 80k, I wouldn't be looking at it. If there was a 4 year old car with 40k and a 4 year old car with 50 k, I don't think I'd put a lot more into the 40k car personally. Usually the used cars I look at are 2-3 years old and are under 40k, mostly under 30k. I don't think I would pay a lot more for a 2 year old car with 20k vs one with 30k.
Yes, I agree if you are saying what I think you are saying. The average buyer of the average car would pay MORE for a 4 year old car with 40,000 miles than he would for a car exactly the same EXCEPT with more miles on it.
That is really common sense now, isn't it? Which is why I was surprised at Volvomax's statement.
Comments
I agree - I always secure financing before going to the dealer. I always tell them what rate I have been approved at (and am honest about it), and offer them a shot at beating it. Every time, the dealer has been able to beat my rate, and I too have good credit.
The way I look at it is if the best I can get is 5.5%, I don't care if the dealer charges me 5% (and is really getting 4%, but marking it up to 5%), they are still getting me a better rate than I could get on my own.
Just as I was walking out the door, my appointment showed up early. I worked that deal. This one was a bit of a marathon as we just couldn't get numbers right. Eventually, the numbers gelled up and we got that vehicle delivered as well.
All the salespeople were busy as the evening came on. I tried to help a woman who told me she knew what she wanted, but she was ALL over the board. She was looking at a Scion, a Civic Si and wanted to see what we had comparable. I directed her towards the Sentra Spec-V. She thought the Altima coupe and the Z would be interesting as well. Righhht. I quickly dropped her to our internet guy as I had 2 other appointments show up almost right next to each other.
I juggled the two customers in adjacent offices. Closed one on a Maxima, but the 2nd couple couldn't move another $30/month. It's a little frustrating because I know I could have closed them last night if I had the time, but I just didn't. I'll try and get them wrapped up this morning.
A hat trick at the beginning of the month is always a good way to start.
Happy selling!
-Moo
Another quetion...when you've got more than one deal in the fire at the same time, do you pass one or the other off to another sales person in the interest of expediency?
As for handing off a deal in bag... not on your life :P
What does a guy buying a Lexus want with a Land Rover shirt anyways? Just because you can get it doesn't mean you should.
No animals were harmed in the making of this story.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
me? i wouldn't want you doing any juggling. you are either working with me, or somebody else.
$30/mo seems so small. but wait, that's another $2K+ on a 6yr note. enough to buy new tires 4 times over. just out of curiousity, how much were you into the profit category at that point?
I remember a good story with regards to that.... I remember desking a deal with a guy who was hell-bent that we were going to screw him somehow. He was on a leftover service loaner.. car had like 2,500 miles.. I think the sticker was like $35k, invoice $32,500, incentives all told came to about $3k and I was dumping it for $27,700.... used ones like it on AutoTrader were selling for that or more.
Anyhow, we ask him how he planned to pay for the car as he said he was brining in a bank check. Turns out he was financing through his bank because we would kill him on the rate, no problem Sir, have at it.
Background note: Guy is extremely obnoxious.
So he turns up to take delivery, hands over a draft from Wachovia Bank. He then gets all smug and says "Look at the rate I got, 7.9%, sure pays to have good credit, eh?"
F&I Guy, with a straight face and not missing a beat, says, Wow, had you gone through us we could have done 6.75% through Wachovia but if we went through Chase I could have gotten you down to 6.5%. OK, let's get the paperwork started so we can get you on your way."
"You WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"
"Well, you said you would not finance through us under any circumstances, so there was really no need to discuss it with you I thought."
Now he pops a fuse and is furious and demands to talk to the manager. I come out...
"Sir, what's the problem? Is everything Ok with your new car?"
"What's this guy saying he can beat my rate by a point and a half?"
"Well, if we had the opprotunity to do so, we probably could beat aretail rate from your bank, probably using your own bank if you wanted to"
"There's NO WAY, you guys are LYING!"
"There is a way Sir! You have to understand, you might buy $25,000 from your bank once every 3 years, we buy more than that from a bank before lunch, they sell us the money very cheaply because we buy a lot of it. Kind of like how Best Buy buys TV sets cheaper than you can, they buy millions of them so Sony sells them to Best Buy for less than you can buy one for at the Sony Store."
"Well, umm, can you get me that rate maybe?"
"Sure, let's talk to Rich and see what he can do"
He ended up financing with us of course... of course, since we are all evil and greedy we made a point on the rate, but we were still 1.4% cheaper than his bank.
Might have a line on a decent 525iA that a customer of mine has... he wants to get into an E39 528i and is looking to dump his 91 525iA Sedan.
190k, paint is really weak, leather worn, but mechanically it's 100%... suspension, cooling system, brakes, trans was done at 155k, etc.. all in good shape.
Let me know if you want me to get you his info.
Bill
Now, I have spent another $4,000+ on it and have a lot more to go.. but... not the place to do it, but I took a pic of it with 17 other E28 M5s at 5erFest in Chattanooga over memorial day weekend. I'm on the event team for that event.. which will be out west next year.
Did your store have other people available for new car buyers or were they 100% pushing the used goods out the gate?
Regards,
Kyle
I honestly don't remember, but I would guess if you wanted a new car that day your were SOL. We had 100 + customers standing on the used car lot. No salesperson in the world is going to leave that many used car customers to go sell a new Escort and make a mini deal.
It depends. For me if I'm paying full sticker or close to it, you better believe I want full service and a quick turnaround. If it's a mini, I'd be pretty flexible. Probably just put a deposit down and finish up by fax or come back when it's quieter.
A couple of Sundays ago, I greeted a single woman who wanted to drive 3 different SUV's and it didn't matter which models of each, just wanted to drive. She wouldn't narrow down, so I had her go to the front desk to page an available salesman. I don't have time to waste on that.
As far as juggling deals, there is a sweet spot in negotiations and test drives that you can work with to make sure both deals are going down. I've never had a problem with anyone because of that juggling. If I know that I'm not in that sweet spot, then I will have to pass the deal on so that the customer is being taken care of. Rarely happens though, I'm an excellent multitasker!
-Moo
Stop complaining. He may do a "Take Away" with your story.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Holy cow, where did you say you sold cars? Tijuana? Nogales? East Germany circa 1982?
:P
a couple walks in and they want to test-drive CX7 and RX8, and they have 30 minutes. There was no way I was going to drive 2 totally different cars, so I told them that we would not be able to do it in 30 minutes, and they will have to re-schedule, pretty much blew them off.
On the way out they see the new TT, and the guy says "Can we at least drive this one?"
Well, that's a different story! TT sells itself, and long story short - they are driving 2008 TT, I got a nice commission, and everybody is happy!
However, if I may provide some helpful advice, I recommend splitting your stories into several posts. Just go ahead and keep us hanging. It seems to be a popular approach these days.
While you're at it, try adding some details about your lunch; your associate's lunch; your sinus congestion; or your favorite CD from the 70's. This type of filler will help you stretch the story into next season!
(I hope this doesn't get me blacklisted from all the Toyota dealers!)
Mackabee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_spinning
really fun to watch.
The stars have to be aligned just right for it to work so well.
Before I went into Management and was still selling I was to the point that 85% of my business was repeat and referral so allot of my folks would rather wait 15 minutes then have me turn the deal over. These were folks also who I didn't mind letting test drive by themselves.
Here are a few things that sucks when you turn a deal over, other then the obvious which is splitting the commission.
1. You turn a customer over who buys a car and the one you keep walks
2. You turn a customer over who is on a used car and hero you turn them over to puts them on a new car
3. You turn a customer over and he buys, then two weeks later that customer sends a referral in and they ask for the guy you flipped the deal to and not you
4. You have a very, very good repeat customer come in on your day off and the guy who catches him pisses him off and he quits buying from the dealership
5. You turn over a deal on a F-Series buyer and the sales person sells him a truck that does not fit his needs.
Had that happen one time. The law of the jungle here says that if you catch my customer and I am busy then you help him. Had a green pea catch the wife of a guy who was starting a business and needed a F250. I told the green pea, "he needs a heavy duty, not a light duty with a 4:10 limited slip rear end and the pay load package". The wife wanted to surprise the guy with a new truck. All the GP and the women new was the truck said "F250" on it and it was white.
To make a long story short the day ended She bought him a truck, I looked at the paper work early the next morning and it was the wrong truck. 10 minutes later the receptionist pages me and it is him. He got , What the hell out of his mouth and I stopped him, told him to bring it back and we will get him the right one.
As it turned out the truck he needed, even though it was $1800 more expensive ended up being $700 less because of the rebate.
That was 5 or 6 years ago and that guy still buys a couple a year from me and thanks me every time he comes in for not sticking him with that truck.
That's pisser!!!
I'm glad you were able to post most of that stuff for me. I think the one reason that keeps me from flipping deals to someone else is #4. Each salesperson has a different personality and a different way of selling to people.
If a customer gets used to dealing with ME, then someone else may not gel as much with them. I hate taking that chance. Some of the consumers here have posted that they would not allow themselves to be juggled. I think if they were put in that spot by a true professional, then they wouldn't mind as much.
One person comes in to test drive, you give them keys and let them do that. While they are on their test drive, you start to get the other customer's trade being evaluated. Back and forth you get everything done. There will always be some downtime for the customer. I do my best to just make sure they know exactly what we're doing so they are on the same page. I've never had anyone complain.
-Moo
You should be worried about that. A little while ago, I made an appointment for my wife and I to test drive and see a car. I had already seen it and it was one of these "I'll show my wife and barring any major catastrophes, we'll buy the car." We had to arrange a babysitter as well.
Well the sales guy gets paged a few times and then someone else shows up to take us for a drive. He doesn't know that I probably know the vehicle better than many people in the dealership, including monthly sales volumes and YoY sales figures and local inventory at five dealers. Right off the bat, he starts into the white lies about this is the only car that has real wood and it handles better any other one in it's class and blah, blah blah. We get back and he starts complaining that the test drive was longer than 15 min and then goes into the "better act now" close. There'll be no cars to chose from etc, etc.
You know what happens, my wife says, I have to go. She hates the car. Does she really hate the car our just the sales guy? It really doesn't matter at this point. We end up leaving and what was supposed to a confirmation drive and closure, end up in a no sale. I didn't love the car enough to go back and buy it.
I don't mind being handed off if I show up unannounced, but if I make an appointment days in advance, either show up or call and reschedule.
Dealers know they are going to have to detail your trade,and the internal cost of a detail is rarely over $100 anyway.
A good U/C manager can get a sense of how a car was cared for by its general appearance.
A low mileage car is generally worth more, but it depends on the definition of low mileage.
A 10 yr old car w/ 40K is low mileage.
A 4yr old car w/ 40k isn't.
A four year old Range Rover with 40,000 miles has high mileage.
The higher up the food chain you go the lower the expected average miles per year.
I hate to do this but I would have to disagree with the statement that a 4 year old vehicle with 40k on the milage isn't considered low milage.
That is a average of 10,000 miles a year. The national average is around 15,000 miles per year.
On a Nissan Altima it would be low mileage compared to the average mileage of all Altimas of that year.
That was his point.
Low miles means the car is much better than average.
No dealer is gonna pay extra money for a 40,000 mile 4 yr old car.
that is the real definition of low miles,would you pay extra for it?
No, the average customer wouldn't consider paying more for a 4yr old 40k car. Trust me.
Wow! That IS hard to believe.
(That is pretty much what you said, right? If that's what you meant, then I don't trust you.)
that is the real definition of low miles,would you pay extra for it?
Yes I/We would pay more for a car with 40,000 miles on it than a car with 60,000 miles on it. You will more than likely depending on the manufacturer still be under warranty.
Wow! That IS hard to believe.
Thats not the point and really not a good example. Of course a 40 K car is worth more then a 80K car, just like a 65K car is worth more.
What he is saying is that 40K on a 4 year old car does not put it in the extra clean or clean wholesale category. As a matter of fact 40K -50K on a 2003 model is $450 to $1200 deduct in the black book depending on the category. 25K to 30K is $150 to $375 add depending on the category.
epiney: If I recall, you typically look at nice, higher-end cars. However, the sales rep who took you and your wife on the test drive seems to use the old-school approach and sales cliches. Just curious, which car line was that dealer?
As a customer who has traded-in nearly 15 different vehicles, I can vouch for that argument. I've traded in all levels and mileage of vehicles: from a 1-year old Lexus, a 3-yr old Audi A6, to a Chevy S-10, and a 6-yr old Mazda.
Not once did an appraisor indicate my bid was reduced because my car was dirty. And when I had my cars all waxed up and completely spotless, inside and out, it didn't help. I would usually hear, "Wow, this is a REALLY clean car!" "Good, can you give me more money for it?" "Nope! It will still need to be inspected, and we automatically take it through detail, anyway."
The only instance when the general condition of my trade-in affected the bid was when I traded-in a 2-yr old BMW 328i. The windshield had a small chip in it, near the middle. The BMW appraisor told me he was taking $300 off his bid due to that chip.
In recent years, I've been avoiding trading in my car whenever possible. My last vehicle was a lease, and before that, we sold our 4 previous vehicles privately.
If there was a 4 year old car with 40k and a 4 year old car with 50 k, I don't think I'd put a lot more into the 40k car personally.
Usually the used cars I look at are 2-3 years old and are under 40k, mostly under 30k. I don't think I would pay a lot more for a 2 year old car with 20k vs one with 30k.
The average buyer of the average car would pay MORE for a 4 year old car with 40,000 miles than he would for a car exactly the same EXCEPT with more miles on it.
That is really common sense now, isn't it? Which is why I was surprised at Volvomax's statement.