Stories from the Sales Frontlines

obyone

Hunt for Red October is second only to Red Storm Rising.

snakeweasel

To me it looks like damage done when the tailgate was down, like dropping something heavy on it when loading or unloading. I doubt that any truck would look undamaged after that.

mackabee

oops I spoke too soon! Looks like the Colts did the laying down at the end. Dang, anything to keep the Patsies undefeated!
:shades:

obyone

Been happening on a bunch of Tundras that were loaded with ATVs. Never seen that happen either on any trucks that I've owned.

BTW, the trans aren't failing on the Tundras though some dealers have swapped them out with rebuilt ones only to find out that it was failing torque converters.

mackabee

Richard, have you ever heard of DVD's? They are much better picture quality, you can start the movie where you left off so you can make a head call or get some snacks. Awesome Idea! DVD's are cheap too and you can watch them as many times as you want. You can buy them, rent them , even down load them online. The players are very inexpensive too and you don't have to worry about setting a clock on them like on the old VCR. Best thing since the wheel.!
Mackabee

moparbad

Go Colts!

moparbad

The real story is that sales are increasing, a lot!

October sales-

Ford F-Series
588,952 -12.5% YTD
Oct 2007: 51,741
Oct 2006: 55,947

Chevrolet Silverado
526,575 -2.4% YTD
Oct 2007: 48,716
Oct 2006: 52,409

Dodge Ram
301,689 -1.0% YTD
Oct 2007: 24,711
Oct 2006: 28,251

GMC Sierra
174,621 -1.8% YTD
Oct 2007: 17,417
Oct 2006: 18,080

Toyota Tundra
162,348 +59.2% YTD
Oct 2007: 17,868
Oct 2006: 10,046

Toyota Tacoma
147,964 -0.4% YTD
Oct 2007: 12,449
Oct 2006: 14,121

Chevrolet Colorado
64,878 -18.4% YTD
Oct 2007: 5,753
Oct 2006: 7,151

Ford Ranger
62,209 -20.9% YTD
Oct 2007: 4,775
Oct 2006: 6,471

Nissan Titan
55,960 -9.7% YTD
Oct 2007: 5,001
Oct 2006: 5,972

Nissan Frontier
55,696 -17.2% YTD
Oct 2007: 4,959
Oct 2006: 5,063

mackabee

What happened? I thought they had the game in the bag? Fix, fix, fix.

Mackabee

sterlingdog

You really are a trip! I have a DVD player and DVD's you loony bird. I enjoy old movies---30's and 40's, especially the old gangster movies. The Hunt for Red October just happened to come on one of those channels while I was reading the paper. You're talking to the person who used the first BETA recorder in a North Carolina school system back in 1979. My students couldn't believe that they could watch the CBS News from the night before and then discuss it. I actually had a small moment of fame as NC Teacher of the Year for that innovative teaching strategy. I know that I am the old one here but "Snow on the mountain doesn't mean that there isn't fire in the furnace." Thanks anyway for the tip. Any other time I would have thought that jmonroe had written your post.

sterlingdog

You just may be correct in that thinking.

laurasdada

Wow, for most of the game it appeared that two teams were trying to beat the Pats: The Colts and The Pats!!! Tough, tough game. I'm afraid that if the Colts had Harrison and didn't lose Sanders in the second half that it may not have been as fortuitous an outcome for the Pats.

I was preparing to put the whipped cream upon my slice of humble pie... But you have to believe that one of these teams will be the last man standing come the final gun of the Super Bowl.

Still, a good time to be a Boston fan. Not to mention my Alma Mater is in the football Top 25 for the first time in history (UConn!).

fezo

Oh, hush up about UConn!

Spoken as a Rutgers alumnus.

mackabee

I knew you would enjoy that one! "loony bird" that's a good one!

mjohnsn

I have been lurking here for a long time and really enjoy all of your stories etc. I never had anything to contribute until now. I'm thinking about trading cars, went to my dealer on Sat. worked w\a salesman, took a test drive etc. Asked him to check on a few generic features for me. He said he would be off on Monday but would call me on Tuesday. I am looking at '07's so the selection at the dealer and the area is limited. I am going to my credit union today to discuss the financing and afterward I would like to go by the dealer and ask them to search for a car w\specific packages just as a long shot, if it's not out there I'll go w\the one I test drove on Sat. How can I do this and ensure the salesman I worked w\on Sat. gets as much credit as possible? Should I work w\a SM or would it still be a split? I could wait until tomorrow, call my salesman and give him the specifics to search but since supply is limited, if the car configuration I want is out there today it might not be tomorrow. Any help and\or advise is appreciated.

kiawah

What kind of 07 vehicle is it that you are looking for, and have you searched online inventories. Otherwise, I'd wait till the salesman was back tomorrow. The salesman would appreciate it.

joel0622

WOW!!! If there cost as much as ours do then they had to spend close to $6K just to cut all the key to move them. But I guess that money is no object when egos collide.

jmonroe

I have a DVD player and DVD's you loony bird.

Why don’t you call him a dumb s--- like Mrs. Mack does, he’ll no exactly what you’re talking about. No need to clean thinks up here.

jmonroe

lrguy44

The SM will turn you to another sales person so it will be a split

mackabee

Now, now jmonroe. No need for that. She actually calls me "TIGER"!!

sterlingdog

How do you suppose he confused dumb s--- with the word TIGER? Wonder if he needs a hearing test?

greanpea68

At half time for the beloved Patriots game I was starting to think I might loose the bet made in the beginning of the year that the Pats would go 16-0. I was trying to remeber what i would have write at the end of my posts. I was afraid I would have to say Jmonroe and Joel were the best posters ever or something crazy to that affect. Thank goodness the Patriots came through in the end.

Mackabee, I was starting to believe that the game was fixed by the referee's. I can't remeber when was the last time I saw so many bad calls and missed calls on penalties. I just thought it was a conspiracy that all of a sudden the best team in NFL is getting penalty calls on almost every play.

Cheaters, After all the talk about the Pats cheating guess who goes and tries to cheat. The famous Colts. I don't know if anyone heard it but when the Pats had the ball The Colts stadium officials would play crowd noise on a CD over the speakers to try and throw the Pats off. You could actually hear the CD skipping.

As for stories... I take this up yesterday and they come in to see the coupe. The up has been researching the coupe for 6 months and he brings his friend who there to serve as his third base coach. The up we will call Jimmy and the third base coach we will call Monroe. Jimmy drives the car and he loves it. Monroe wants to drive the car also. We are looking at 6cyl. coupe. Now Monroe wants to drive the car also and he gets up on the highway getting it up 90 MPH. Both of them are screaming this car is awesome and having a great time. We get back to the dealer and Jimmy the prospect states he has VPP (vehicle purchase program... through Nissan) Which gives him the best price on a car that we can get sticker all day long. I show the figures and Monroe the third base coach starts saying he didin't really think the car was that great and that it is not worth $22,000. Ir really didn't drive that great etc. ect . All negative stuff coming out of this guy. So turn to him and ask him " SO if the car wasn't so great why were you doing 90MPH all excited and now you are like well i isn't really a great car. All he can say is he thought it would have been better. Than I say to him are you buying the car or is Jimmy buying the car while I am looking at Jimmy for a answer. Jimmy says well I have never bought a brand new car and Monroe has so he my helper to get a good deal. So it was fun while it lasted and in the end I brought them to the computer and pulled up Edmunds and showed what other people were paying and with there VPP they were getting a better deal by $1800. I said it is what it is you can think about it all you want but there is only one car out there nad I wouldn't wait that long. All i can do is follow up and see what happens. The thing that was killing me is that this was during the first quarter of the Pats game.
Too be continued...

GP

greanpea68

Ok so Toyota truck sales are up for October which is good for Toyota but over all truck sales are down. I would say they are down because of gas prices. Most people I am dealing with are looking for something good on gas.

pushingtin

Let me say first off, thanks for taking the time to reply. I do appreciate any and all feedback as all I want to do is become a more efficient salesperson. But I have to state that this has nothing to do with being a self righteous individual. Wal-Mart is the devil to America. Yes they cater to the needs of low income individuals and they prosper because everything that they are able to sell on the cheap is a direct result of hiring people and paying them below average wages. Not to mention the amount of goods that they purchase from sweatshop factories, but those people in China don't seem to mind (you would really never know would you?)because their economy is growing at a staggering pace while ours has been on a slow down for the last 7 years. During this slow down, American factories, textile mills, auto plants have been laying off workers in search of cheap labor costs only to inflate their bottom line. GM is still selling lots of vehicles, many of them very cheap or with outrageous incentives and rebates, they do this because they need to keep pace with their many competitors. They can do this because their cars are made in Mexico, by Mexican workers. So their whole "An American Revolution" campaign is a load of s**t. Basically GM workers revolted - and the company bolted - south of the border. This is the new theme with American corporations - have you not noticed that most companies' customer service call centers are located in third world countries? This is the new trend here in America, maybe Wal-Mart originally, when they were mainly in the south, offered a new business model that would help a lot of people, but now they represent American greed at its ugliest. Many of the folks that not only shop at Wal-Mart but that work there as well are doing so because they lost their jobs in manufacturing, steel mills, and the once great auto industry - which at one time was the backbone of this nation. So this is what the American consumer is left with: a giant conglomerate (5 Waltons on the Forbes top 10 wealthiest Americans), cheap prices, and cheap wages. THEY ARE SHOPPING AT OR WORKING FOR A COMPANY THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT. But they don't see that part of the picture and neither do you....and in 20 years we will manufacture and produce nothing that the rest of the world wants....we will be that country that is importing all of our goods from other countries....and POOF the middle class is gone....there will be only the rich and the poor.

sterlingdog

I agree with kiawah. One more day won't matter that much and I would suspect that the salesman would be in a better frame of mind to help and negotiate with you. Be sure to check your figures on this site for the pricing of the new car, as well as your trade-in if you have one. Also, though your credit union may be the best place to go, allow the F&I guy a chance to share his financing possibilities as well. You might get a better rate. Remember also to listen to his various insurance options in case one appeals to you. You don't have to take any of them, but you might see one that appeals to you. Don't jump at his first offer but realize that he has to make a profit. They are in business for that reason. Depending on the car, consider how long it has been on the lot, how much demand there is for the car, the hold back, re-sale values, options on the car, incentives, etc. Good grief, I sound like one of these guys! Good luck to you.

mrsuzuki

Let me first say that I agree with you 100%.

I just wanted to add that America will always have something the world wants. Food. We produce enough food to feed the whole world over. Funny thing is, why are there American's starving. Lenin was right, we are going to implode.

sterlingdog

Tony, I didn't realize that you were a salesman. That makes your comments interesting. I do agree with some of what you say. We have out sourced ourselves to death. Here in the South, many of my friends and neighbors lost everything when the textile plants closed. Also, it is true that we are buying from the largest communist country in the world. It is also true that some companies act shamefully toward their employees. Keeping these comments in mind, how to you help the American consumer when they come in to buy? As a salesman, are you after every possible profit dollar? Do you actually try to save your customers money? If so, what does your employer think of that? Now I don't mean this in an ugly way at all, but feeling as you do I am surprised that you are in sales. We have to realize that we live in a competitive society---though perfect it may not be. I buy groceries at Wal-Mart because I can save quite a bit on many products. If some of the other grocery stores in my resort area would cut out some of the frills like free samples of food and wine, highly decorated deli and cheese sections, monogramed shirts for the cashiers, etc. then they might be able to lower their price of a loaf of bread. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. American consumers can be greedy as well. We want to be catered to and we want to keep up with the Jones's life style. Our first step to correction in the American economy is for the consumers to set the standards...realistic ones.

stickguy

why not call the SM, tell him you are working with the guy who is off, and ask him to hold the car for you until Tuesday, pending the results of looking for a different one to trade for?

If the supply of left overs is really tight, I might not wait, even if it means your salesdude gets a split. If you really like the guy, and were looking at something in high supply (an '08 say) then for sure wait for him to get back.

stickguy

some people don't know when a good deal is staring them in the face.'

Sticking with my theory that most people don't learn a lesson unless they learn it the hard way, I hope someone else comes in and buys the car for MSRP, and when Monroe and Jimmy come back, they are out of luck.

jmonroe

The SM will turn you to another sales person so it will be a split

When I was ready to buy in 2006, Mrs. Jmonroe and I went to the same dealership where we purchased in 2005 but our salesman was off that day so we said OK, we’ll come back tomorrow. The sales manager said one of these guys (as he points to other salesman) can help you and you can finish this up tomorrow and I said I could wait and that I didn’t want the salesman that I had dealt with in 2005 to lose any of his commission. He said again that the salesman I dealt with would get credit but I knew better (or at least so I thought). So we left.

I came back the next day and as I walked in the salesman comes over and said, "I heard you were here yesterday and I really appreciate that you didn’t get involved with any of the other salesman because that would have muddied up things if you buy". I told him that the salesman manager said that he would get credit for the sale and he said, “that’s true, but not all of it”. I guess dealerships just don’t want you to walk out under any circumstances and will stretch the truth to ensure a prospective buyer doesn’t leave.

As it turned out, my salesman wasn’t as hungry in 2006 as he was in 2005. Although this was a BIG dealer the car I wanted wasn’t in stock and he wasn’t willing to even try to do a dealer trade, he just kept trying to sell me what he had, so I left and bought elsewhere. I thought that was kind of dumb on his part since he knew I was a real buyer and especially since I waited for him to be my salesman.

jmonroe

dino001

I simply disagree with almost everything you said here. In my opinion, while your observations may be correct in many instances, your diagnosis is flawed because it is based on incorrect economical and political assumptions. Since this forum is not a place for such a discussion, I will not elaborate on it.

mrsuzuki

Why not? Its not really much of a sales story forum anymore anyways.

oldfarmer50

When I was at the auto show yesterday I was happy to see that this year the high end and sports cars were all open to allow the public to sit in them except one...Land Rover.

The Rovers (not sure what models) were locked up tighter than a drum. What was worse, I saw that the driver's door handle was partly broken as if some one had pulled too hard not knowing it was locked.

I guess sitting in these cars is by invitation only.

british_rover

Maybe something bad happened last year? Land Rover doesn't provide any support for the dealers at the Auto shows so those cars are all right off the lot. Land Rover doesn't even give us some staff to help out in the middle of the day we have to take people off the sales floor to cover the auto show.

We aren't even going to the local auto show this year and neither are the local BMW, Mercedes, Jag dealers. I am not sure about the local Porsche/Audi guys but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't show either.

oldfarmer50

"...Maybe something bad happened last year..."

But isn't the chance you take no matter where your vehicles are parked? Joel recently told a story about several trucks that had the wheels stolen while sitting in the lot.
I don't think they will stop letting potential customer sit in them.

For what's worth Porsche, Audi MB and a few other high liners always locked their cars at past shows. This year they didn't and I watched a few 10 year olds jumping on the seats. But then again they jumped on the seats of the econo box cars too. While they were jumping dad was talking to the salesman.

chikoo

Oops you ain't supposed to say that either. The PC term is "challenged".

I know. Which is precisely why I said that. I was venting!

stickguy

Keep in mind that the dealership doesn't really care which saleperson makes the sale. They just want the car sold.

The SM is the front line representative of the dealership owner (you know, the guy with all the cars!) He is responsible for "pushing tin". So of course he wants to get you to buy from any salesperson, as long as you buy today.

it is really only the sale people that have a vested interest in who you buy the car from.

I'm surprised that some enterprising dealer hasn't implemented a "virtual" salesman kiosk in the showroom. You enter your info, pick a car from the list, get presented with a price, and click the OK button. Your paperwork is then processed by a Joel type in the back room.

Hmm, this might actually work. You of course need a carmax type used car center to process trades (go there first, they can enter the price into your account). And a Saturnesque bunch of attendants to handle test drives.

maybe give a discounted price since they are saving on the commission?

And yes, the option of dealing with a live person will still be there, and some people might not be allowed to self process.

This would probably last about 20 minutes until the sales force banded together to disable the machine!

And of course it would only be useful to the jmonroes and Bobsts of the world that already know what they want.

chikoo

They shop at Wal-Mart, which means that have no interest in quality service or quality products, its all about fast and cheap.

the irony is that out of all the service stations that I go to for oil change, Walmart has consistently provided the BEST experience when it comes to oil change. They are quick, efficient and above all, honest.

When they take my car, they cover my leather seats with a plastic cover, put a paper mat on the carpet, check the essential fluids, even checked the AC for free in summer, clean the windshields - all for the same price as anybody else.

Who says Walmart sucks in service needs to try their Service station.

dino001

Politics is usually a dangerous subject and gets sacked quickly.

british_rover

With Nardeli in charge over a Chrysler now I imagine that very thing will start happening at their dealerships. :surprise:

dino001

And of course it would only be useful to the jmonroes and Bobsts of the world that already know what they want

So Bobst comes to the showroom and sits in front of the terminal. He puts into computer "I want my new Sludgemobile for $21000". The computer spits "No way - we are losing money on that" on the screen. Bobst stands up and wants to leave. A metal arm extends from the terminal and stops Bobst. The computer then says "OK". Bobst proceeds to the backroom, where another computer prints a paperwork adding $100 charge for the extra keys. Bobst gathers his belongings and leaves. The doors close in front of him with banner "Turn around - the keys are free of charge". So he signs papers and then Joel comes from the back to shake his hand...

kyfdx

Funny...

lemko

AMEN, BROTHER!!! I suggest you check out a site called walmart-blows.com

jmonroe

And of course it would only be useful to the jmonroes and Bobsts of the world that already know what they want

Bobst proceeds to the backroom, where another computer prints a paperwork adding $100 charge for the extra keys. Bobst gathers his belongings and leaves. The doors close in front of him with banner "Turn around - the keys are free of charge". So he signs papers and then Joel comes from the back to shake his hand... (End of dino's post)

What am I…chopped liver?

Ain’t I gonna get a crack at that machine? :mad:

jmonroe

dino001

You can, but since you may have different negotiation style, I didn't know what you'd do with it. Bobst is clean cut - he leaves anytime you say no. How about you? How do you approach it? Put Edmunds invoice prints onto the scanner, or perhaps say magic holdback word, after which the machine extends a hammer and hits you in a toe? Tell us how would you do it?

jmonroe

How do you approach it? Put Edmunds invoice prints onto the scanner, or perhaps say magic holdback word, after which the machine extends a hammer and hits you in a toe?

Well, if the machine is going to play rough, I’m wearing the steel toed shoes that I wear when I cut the grass and whenever I think Mrs. jmonroe is about to pull this type of a stunt on me. :surprise:

Tell us how would you do it?

Simple, I’d tell the machine that it has one shot and I’d input my price (even lower than what Edmunds TMV says because I want a better than average deal) then get ready for the ruff stuff.

I should be able to beat my 30 minute time limit with all of this new fangled automation.

jmonroe

joel0622

Will the machine tell you "I have a Mother Board to feed"?

greanpea68

Sticking with my theory that most people don't learn a lesson unless they learn it the hard way, I hope someone else comes in and buys the car for MSRP, and when Monroe and Jimmy come back, they are out of luck.

I hope so too. :shades:

mjohnsn

Actually, that is what I ended up doing. I called the dealership and asked for a SM. I told the SM who I was working with but wanted to see if he could find a car configured the way I want (or would like best). He said he would look around and call me back. That was a few hours ago, so I don't know if he'll call back or not. If he doesn't I'll talk to my salesman tomorrow morning and get him looking. With luck I'll be driving a new car by end of the week or early next week.

toyota2lexus

I worked twenty years with a Toyota dealer, one day the owner decided to change the way we sell cars, instead of negotiation he was going to a one price philosophy.

He posted invoices on windshields right next to retail sticker, advertised that we'll show you how much we paid and charge you a fair price, you can see exactly what we have in the car and the price that you paid.

Instead of paying commissions we were paid a flat commish per car sold, net result to me was about a 50 to 75 percent pay cut.

In the year and a half they experimented with their system sales fell more than fifty percent.

People would note the posted "no haggle" price and go to the Toyota dealership ten miles away and get a much cheaper price.

The old salesmen like myself left, the new management had to continually hire and train a new sales force of nothing but greenpeas, most of whom would leave their employ within a few weeks when they realized how much money they weren't making.

I recently got a telephone call from the old store, they were ending their "one price experiment" and wanted me to come back.

No promises or contracts, just come on back, with great satisfaction I told them - no - am happy where I am at and most distrustful of them for the way I was treated after spending so much of my life with them.

lrguy44

Good for you - Hope you found a truly "happy home"