Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas

John,

You are asking questions that NOBODY EVER asks or even cares about!

Some people should just pay cash and never lease!

jescue

You made that way too simple Joel. We need spreadsheets, pie charts,etc. Not to mention some banks pay 80%, some give flats, others do different amounts on extended terms.

Kirstie_H

reply has been moved to the appropriate discussion.

mackabee

I see. Sounds like a bum window.
:shades:

mikefm58

Oh jeez John! Here we go again.

M ck b e

ROTFLMAO !!

qbrozen

you even going to hint as to the car? ;b

carhag2000

I had the worst month I have ever had in my 10 years in the business, last month. I am so embarrassed that I am not even going to tell you how dismal. Really thought about finding a new line of employment. Nevermind that I was on vacation for 10 days I still should have done a lot better. I am a very emotional person and it made me physically ill how poor I did.
Found the strength ( or courage) to put my chin up and start out again in September and today I deliverd # 7 1/2 for the month! Doesnt sound like much but my all time best month was 18 units. I am not on a pace to do that number but I have put the gun away and my alcohol intake has been cut in half!

grandtotal

Sure, it's a Prius.

epiney

That is when I allow Fate to play a hand in the decision-making process. Looks like it did!

Didn’t we have a thread on this awhile back? When a customer leaves it to “fate” don’t the guys try extra hard to sell it to some one else. :P Seriously, I totally understand where you are coming from and I can be as stubborn as the next guy about stuff like this. Lately though, I ‘m more of the mind if the car and price are right, don’t sweat it. In your case it sounds like the price was right, but the car wasn’t.

I was in a similar situation this weekend. We were $300 apart due to doc fees. I guess some dealers assume doc fees are part of TTL (that’s the topic of another story). Instead of getting into a meaningless debate on doc fees where I heard some ridiculous things like it was illegal to not charge them, it came down to whether or not I wanted to start all over with another dealer for $300. Part of me really wanted to can the whole deal on principle. I said to them, you realize any dealer in this area will beat this quote by $200 to get the sale. As he started to sweat, I said, throw in the all season mats and we will close this thing. He immediately said yes. Some of you will say I caved, and perhaps I did, but it comes down to practicality and time investment. My time is worth quite a bit to me and the price was already more than fair. Besides, I got to spend the rest of my day with my kids riding their bikes. “Priceless”

epiney

I know you are kidding about the gun and alcohol (I hope). It will get better. This is just a speedbump. However, it's not worth getting sick over.

delta737h

isellhondas,

NOBODY EVER asks or even cares

Do you know what reseves are? You don't care??? I'll bet the dealership cares! Afterall, it's income.

John

delta737h

Mack,

Whoa! Easeeeeeeee does it. I come in peace! I'm just asking how your fund providers compute reserves and there are many ways to do it. It's the fund provider that decides how reserves are computed; not the dealership (at least that would make the most sense).

John

delta737h

Mike,

Yeah, I guess it is funny after all we've been through.

Best,

John

carhag2000

Thanks or the kind thoughts. I know its not worth getting sick over but I tend to take it a bit seriously. You should see me today I have an extra spring in my step and things are really looking up. I am even back to flirting with the receptionists. They know that I am in a slump when the office girls get left alone!

tidester

Do you know what reseves are?

Let's move on. I don't want to have to fire up the Kirby.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

isellhondas

Yeah, I know what the reserves are, I spent six years in the Army Reserve..

Lucky I never got called up.

But, to be serious...yeah, I know but I really don't care. You see, I try not to worry about things I have no control over or don't care about.

Life is short...

im_brentwood

Soon soon!

I need to get the shop mived and deal with this nonsense first.. at least I am out of teh hospital thank god.

I'm in the same boat as Mack at the moment... under chemo and what not, real pain in the butt but at least I can still go out for a coke.. the Barley and Hops kind

We need to get all of us in the area together.. you, me, rosen..

lrguy44

This must be the place for the old and infirm - I lost 5 months of work last year with 3 open heart surgeries. Lost a sister and cousin to lung cancer this year. But keep the faith - you now have a 5 year goal to shoot for. Both you guys are in our prayers.

isellhondas

Make me feel humble. I will stop taking my health for granted as my prayers and best thoughts go out to those of you with medical challenges.

epiney

Ouch... Take care, enjoy yourselves and best wishes to all of you.

joel0622

Bad health in the car biz is rampant. I attribute it to a few things and i think if a study was ever done it would be found to be true.

1. High stress level for allot of people

2. Long hours

3. Crappy fast food diet/inconsistent diet/eat in 3 minutes.

4. Work hard/play hard mentality.

5. Not much off time to recharge.

epiney

You are probably right Joel, unfortunately much of our society is like that or headed that way. Are we really better off today?

nthe

"What kind of ethics did the dealer have originally pulling the stunt in the first place? Every business is allowed to make a fair profit but to take ,I assume, a sucker, to the cleaners is highly unethical. It gives every car dealer a black eye."

from what i remember about the original posters comment, the car was bought at MSRP (RETAIL), so the dealer really didn't do anything all that bad. They made an offer on the car, and the buyer accepted. anything else that happened is anyone's quess. To the other poster who said the dealer should resale him something at a lower price, WHY would the dealer want to make less money?

british_rover

Seriously you, Bill and Mack could probably have a scar comparison contest like the one in Lethal Weapon.

Not that I want to see all of you guys with your shirts off cause that would be really scary. :surprise: :P

I gotta lose some weight myself but other then that I count myself lucky and send my prayers plus positive energies your way.

nthe

"I think what might bother me the most is that I have proven (in my mind) that this X3 did not receive the level of inspection that BMW always advertises"

maybe those things happened after the inspection?

nthe

"but I don't understand why they didn't give themselves, oh, maybe $300, or so, negotiation room? "

probably to allow for a quick and easy sale. an either take it or leave it. That way they get their money back out of the car, but don't have a salesperson tied up all day over it. besides, just cause all you wanted was $300, what if the next person wanted 1500, and the dealer says i can give you 300 and thats it. that person then gets the idea that there is still more room for haggling and it makes it harder than it has to be.

jescue

I just traded for your kind of car. A 2006 Cooper S with the John Cooper works package. 4600 miles and I had no idea these were so much. List was $37,000! This thing has nav, leather, harmon kardon,everything. Pretty cool little car.

mackabee

I've shot for the 5 year goal twice now. I hope this one is the charm!

Mackabee

mackabee

I think they overallowed $20,000.00
Mack

isellhondas

No matter how a used car is priced, it's never enough. People will always want to grind for more.

mackabee

I agree with all of them except number 1. I've always enjoyed it so it has never been stressful. Well, maybe once in a while when it's the last day of the month and I'm a unit away from a bonus level. The other four I whole heartedly agree with. There was a time not too long ago (Three years) that I thought I was invincible and nothing could hurt me and I would live forever! :shades:
Mackabee

mackabee

I would send you some pics of my scar when it was infected and open, (talk about a scary sight!) My wife took those. The pics however, were lost when my computer crashed last October. Kind of glad I lost those pictures, there was also a few of me in the hospital with all kinds of tubes sticking in and out of me. My middle son took those. :sick: I guess I would be the winner! I have the scar from the re-section surgery, the scars (about twelve) from the laparascopy surgery last April, and my mediport is still implanted in my upper right chest. My wife calls me the bionic man!
Mackabee

mackabee

I just T.O.ed an 84 year old customer. He was with Lucky our Vietnamese rep and he came over to get me as he felt there might have been a generation gap. Lucky's 27
We were working a deal on an 08 Avalon. Customer trading 06 Avalon that was just hit. :sick: Come to find out his regular salesperson is on vacation and won't be back for a few days. As I take the appraisal and worksheet from Lucky I go to meet the customer. I notice right away he's not all there. I ask what he wants me to do, difference figure, payments, or what. He tells me he will pay cash and just wants to know what I'll give him for his car and how much for ours. I go to the sales manager and as soon as he sees the name on the worksheet he says. "Don't do anything with this guy. His nurse just called me." and he shows me a piece of paper with the customer's name and the nursing home's number. Seems he got in the car without permission and drove himself over here to trade it. The car was in an accident Sunday afternoon according to him. It was a hit and run and he also left the scene of the accident. The lady from the nursing home came to get him and I helped them put the car in the body shop to get an estimate. Driver's side front bumper, light assy, and fender are shot. Really nice old timer too! Served 30 years in our navy then did real estate for 20. Alzheimer's has a hold of him now. I'm surprised he found his way here.

Mackabee

carhag2000

I would send you some pics of my scar when it was infected and open, (talk about a scary sight!) My wife took those. The pics however, were lost when my computer crashed last October. Kind of glad I lost those pictures, there was also a few of me in the hospital with all kinds of tubes sticking in and out of me. My middle son took those. I guess I would be the winner! I have the scar from the re-section surgery, the scars (about twelve) from the laparascopy surgery last April, and my mediport is still implanted in my upper right chest. My wife calls me the bionic man!
Mackabee
All of my scars are emotional and believe me its not a pretty sight! Epiney asked about me drinking earlier. Most people drink because they like it I do it to keep from getting on the roof with a gun!

isellhondas

A lot of jobs that ae worthwhile have similar health risks.

In my case..

1. I don't stress much. I have a "no fear of loss" attitude that actually helps both my sales and stress level.

2. At this stage in my life and career, I pace myself but I can still work the hours if necessary.

3. This is true

4. I don't know if this is really bad?

5. True, but the same with most jobs.

All of the "easy" jobs don't pay much!

user777

I would say you should bring in a bowl for fresh fruit: apples, oranges, and bananas and grab one of those rather than some garbage fast food. You must have a coffee / break room. Have the manager put a fridge in there and bring some low-fat luncheon meat or yogurt, carrots or celery. Avoid vending machine "foods" and sodas. Drink more water.

I'm serious.

Score some sales points by offering a healthy snack like an orange or apple to a scared customer when you are doing the numbers.

Take a long walk at a park or something for a half-hour everyday. It's worth missing a customer or two.

Run or get exercise some other way.

What you got is an Rx for future health issues. Only you can care for yourself enough to avoid that.

snakeweasel

All of the "easy" jobs don't pay much!

Not always true. While my main job doesn't pay heaps loads and gobs of green stuff I do make more than 75-80% of the population and my job isn't really that hard and has great job security. :shades:

The other jobs I play around with are much harder and pay less (sometimes).

snakeweasel

Run or get exercise some other way.

I think we could provide a service to these salesmen here to get them exercise. We could just walk in unannounced and yell "Anyone want to sell a car today" to give them the incentive to run away.

fezo

I actually took a lower stress path specifically because of my health. The money's a drag but not awful and if I had a high stress job I'd probably be disabled out. Still could happen but I'm approaching an age where that wouldn't matter as much. I do have young kids, however, and that keeps me going.

Not all of us are old and infirm. brentwood is young and infirm.....

Soon as you're ready.

snakeweasel

Yeah I took the lower paying job, but I am home evenings (except during tax season) paycheck is more predictable and I have a lot less to put up with.

british_rover

Sweet I have a guy I am working on right now with the same car. He is looking at getting a LR2.

You can get a John Cooper Works MCS up over 40,000 now easily.

That is insane. I only paid 24,500 OTD for mine in 2004 and the only thing I would have added was a LSD but that wasn't available in 2004.

mjfloyd1

I hadn't read enough of the past posts to know of Mack's past and Bill's current problems. My prayers go out to both of you.

Please take care of yourselves!!

Also make sure you re-arrange your priorities so that you take the time for what is truly important. Realize that when things happen at work that seem important, you need to take the time to take a deep breath and know that if this is the worst thing that happens to you today, life will be OK.

Mark

nyccarguy

Best of luck to both of you. Stay positive! Get better soon!

dino001

No matter how a used car is priced, it's never enough. People will always want to grind for more

No matter how any (new or used) car is priced, it's never enough. Dealers want more. Just a fact of life - everybody want get more, work and pay less on either side.

Mr Salesman/F&I MSRP? Oh, yes - those cars are so hot, I have to charge you full sticker. Paint sealant? Absolutely essential - why would you want your color fade? Fabric protection - c'mon you can't leave my lot without it. Extended warranty? Do you really want to risk a scary failure? Doc/Prep/wahtever fee? We charge all - do you really want to haggle over puny $699?

Mr. Customer: Book/Edmunds say my car is worth five thousand more! Oh - it was a retail value on 2 cylinders more with leather? Never mind - I want more!

tayl0rd

I always had a feeling you guys would call the competition when a customer leaves your store to continue shopping around!

And talk about stalking a customer! :surprise: Wow! I think a restraining order my be in order.

isellhondas

I was talking about a sale tagged used car.

Th price has been reduced by 2000.00 in order to make the car sell quickly or maybe it got mistagged...whatever.

No matter how good the price is, it's never enough.

I don't know why you brought up that other stuff.

dino001

I don't know why you brought up that other stuff.

Just to show a human nature. You post a car for 2 grand off - people want 2500 off. You offer 5 grand for the trade - they want 6. Customer agrees to pay MSRP - he gets bumped with all add-ons. Actually willing to pay MSRP would be a giveaway to a dealer that a whale is coming

So only in that context - it's never enough, regardless who it is. By its definition price is too high, trade too low, commission to low, salary too low, disk space too small, etc. There was no attack intended - just a little poke

joel0622

I have said it before, a smart negotiator always leaves room for the customer to win. It is human nature for the average shopper not to look at the OTD price but what they go knocked off the list or allowed for there trade price.

If I had a $100 every time I have had to explain a trade difference it would amount to a months wages in a years time. On more occasions then I can count I have missed deals because the customer had the misconception that another dealer was giving them more for there trade because there "allowance" was higher even when our difference was $700 less.

dino001

You're right. So what do you do with those rare customers who can add, subtract and multiply and understand concepts of trade difference, interest rate, etc. in other words - engineers with their dreaded HP and TI calculators? Lets exclude the subgroup of those who would argue about 50c/month payment or $10 tax/stamp calculations - just those who simply come prepared and demand a deal that is (really) skinny but doable...

epiney

So what do you do with those rare customers who can add, subtract and multiply and understand concepts of trade difference, interest rate, etc. just those who simply come prepared and demand a deal that is (really) skinny but doable...

Do the deal with least amount of effort and investment, take it as incremental volume and move on to those who can't add subtract and multply and bring in Sony PSPs instead of HP and TI calculators. In other words, the ones that can only understand a monthly payment number.