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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
As it is however I am disappointed in the reaction and moreover you might as well have typed "YOU ARE A LIAR"
Host do what you will as I have not name called anyone in here, rather they have name called me.
I guess I should stick to regular ole... guy walks in, buys a car, leaves... that oughta keep people around! There are many bizzare stories out there so why do I have to be attacked?
the story is true. Whether you can take off your "cynical" glasses is up to you.
Glad to have entertained... and yes I was offended.
The Anonymous Dealer
good bye
Truth is generally stranger than fiction. I know I have seen some strange truth back-in-the-day before I got to the car selling stage of life.
From the day I started selling cars (we're talking six months here), I have been amazed by what I see and hear. IMHO dwilliams drinking and tipping stories seem extremely plausible. Back in Los Angeles I saw crazy stuff all around all the time. Especially when I drove a cab! If you ever drove a cab in a bigger burg, you would see dwilliams stories as more than likely true. So call me gulible but I am buying the stories for now.
So whazzup d! give me five!
Don't be hatin!
Peace!
Audi 5000!
I couldnt agree with you more, out here there is nothing better to do than to gossip a lot of the time, so there are always plenty of rumors going around, most of them not true, but typically the unbelieveable stuff is closer than most people think...
like this one about me and two chicks...
But, you really didn't explain much of anything. i.e Why back injured guy is up on stilts putting up ceiling tiles?
Why he says to make as much money as you can before you have done anything? Why he donates $11,500 to a car dealership??
You didn't ask this guy why he was "donating" all this money??? Just a rich back injured dude up on stilts..giving away ten thousand plus dollars to...GASP...a car dealership...BECAUSE? Because he is a nice guy who wants to "reward" salesman and dealership for doing what they are suppose to do. I think even an optimistic person would be pessimistic given the facts...or lack thereof.
Anyhow...goodbye.
Since the barter system is still being used (abet rarely) I can see heads of cattle and other things being used as a "down payment". I can also see tips being given. However buying a USED truck and then giving the dealership an extra $10K pushes the limit. If he is trowing money away why not get new while he is at it?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You and a couple of baby chickens? Not sure I want to hear about that.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'm not calling anyone a liar, but around the barber shop, they call that "putting 10 on top of 5". A little hyperbole never killed anyone. Maybe some guy with a cold came in and paid MSRP for a Focus.... same thing.
I can see that the guy could have recovered from his injury and was back at work (probably with another firm/contractor) while the legal proceedings slowly marched on.
The guy doesn't have to be a workman's comp cheater who faked an injury and was moonlighting while waiting for his big pay day.
For me, it takes multiple postings before I start scratching my head.
As I read it, this guy was waiting on his payday and needed something to live on while he was waiting. Dwilliam said that the guy was months away from that big day when he approached him about a sale.
tidester, host
Juries can be crazy, but I still don't think that 2.5 million is feasible for someone that is fine today.
"As I read it, this guy was waiting on his payday and needed something to live on "
Yes he can waste $11,500 cash. He needed financing for a used truck. If the application is being scrutinized because of his poor credit, the bank isn't going to throw that much on top of the loan for kicks.
There you go buddy did I get that frog out?
I have a real short one.
Our other salesguide drops his customers Range Rover off at his house which is maybe 10 minutes away from the dealership. Before he left he called the person told him he would be dropping it off in a few minutes. They say no problem they are not home right now hide the key in blabh blabh ablhab.
It is in one of those huge developments where all of the houses look the same you know the kind I am talking about.
He sees the address he is looking for pulls into the driveway and leaves the key in a secret spot by the front door.
Someone else is trailing him in another Rover and picks him up takes him back to the dealer.
They drive back to the dealership.
About 30 minutes after they get back he gets a phone call. His customer is wondering when they are going to bring the car back.
My co-worker is confused as he did that less then an hour ago. :confuse:
He explains this to the guy and the customer replies with, "But my driveway is empty."
Now for a split second my guy is just in a panic and then he goes.
"oohh man you almost got me that is funny don't do that to me."
He thinks it is a joke. Ooops you got me.
Customer replies, "No I am serious the car is not here really this is not a joke."
Now they are both starting to panic did someone see where he hid the key? Was someone waiting in the woods across the street and stole the Range Rover?
By now my guy is sitting down really, really getting nervous. You would too if you think your cursomers 85,000 dollar range rover was just stolen.
His customer is on his cell phone walking around the neighborhood. And exclaims, "Hey when did Joe Shmoe get a Range Rover like mine."
As he walks closer he realizes what happend. With all of the houses looking exactly alike he must have transposed the address and dropped the Range at the wrong house a few houses down.
:shades:
No actually Range Rovers were injured in the this story the sales guide however lost about two years off his life.
So, in the paper, I spotted a 1964 Beetle advertised for, I think 550.00. I called and the guy gave me a good description. He said the original dark green paint was in reat shape etc. I told him I would come by his house later that evening to see and probably buy it.
Now, if anybody is familiar with Hermosa Beach, CA, they would know it's loaded with tiny narrow streets and alleys that go everywhere like a maze.
After arriving in Hermosa, I realized I had forgotten the address at home but I was pretty sure I knew where to go. Besides, he told me it was in his driveway.
After driving around a few minutes, I spotted a nice 1964 VW in a driveway with a For Sale sign on it.
I knocked on the door, and I told the guy I had come to see it. It was in great shape so I bought it and drove it home.
An hour later, the phone rang..." Hey, you didn't show up like you were going to"
Ah...he lived a block away!
I told him.." What are you talking about?,,I just bought your car!"
He knew of the other one for sale on the next block and relized what had happened. Of course, I was curious and drove by it the next day. It wasn't as nice as the one I bought by mistake.
It turned out to be a great little car that served me well.
Anyway, keep those stories coming.
I work in construction. I've seen it (settlements on that order of magnitude). Recoveries like that are rare, but they happen. I've also met people with back disabilities who couldn't sit down, but were perfectly comfortable standing up. That could've been the case. There are also injuries that doom you to arthritis within 10-15 years even though there's no noticeable effect in the present. One guy I heard of with a case like that kept working until his settlement came in.
As for buying used, maybe this happened right after Ford "girlified" the F-150 so the guy wanted the previous body style. Who knows. This is a tense thread...
The point regarding buying used is that he needed financing for it. Figure that a used truck goes for 15 to 20k. I know that it can be much more than that, but let's assume that it typical since it wasn't mentioned that it was extravagant. If he was buying a quad cab F350 duelie, it probably would have made it into the post.
So his credit is ravaged and he is doing this work to scrape by until this settlement comes in and all of a sudden he has an extra $11,500 in cash to throw around for kicks??? That didn't come from the loan secured by the truck, so where did he get that from? If he had that type of cash lying around, why did he need financing?
One of the many points that made no sense to me.
$2.5 million is a common injury settlement amount when there's negligence involved on part of any company in the work area. It's even a common amount when it was totally due to the injured workman's stupidity, which was not the case here. (Like when you have a piece of plywood labeled "hole!" over a hole in a slab, and a worker removes that plywood to make his work easier then falls through it; companies get sued successfully over that sort of thing. Juries don't mind awarding insurance companies' money to workers at all. Those amounts might cover a decade or three of lost wages+benefits, and there are often severe health care expenses for the injured party... a few million won't make them rich.)
For example check the gray box on this page: http://www.arnslaw.com/firm.html
2.5 Million invested conservetly will produce an annual income of about $51,500 per year (adjusting for inflation) for 65 years. Or well over $100,000 (adjusted for inflation) in a more aggressive portfolio. While it won't make them rich it can afford a decent lifestyle if administered properly.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Perhaps...but don't forget who we were talking about. Someone with a severe back injury who doesn't have the common sense to stay off of a pair of stilts, poor credit, and throws away 11.5k, before his settlement check arrives,to a car salesmen/dealership.
I'd say the odds of this guy "investing conservatively" are slim and none.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
When you take an auto loan, it is secured by the car. The bank would never give you $11.5 over the reasonable purchase price of the car. What if he defaults? If the car is collateral, how would they get that extra money back? That's why the bank appraises houses before they do a mortgage.
I personally think that most of whatdwilliam came up with was crap.
1. Banks are not in used car business; they want timely payments, not a repossessed car.
2. Repossession hardly pays, especially after accounting for administrative costs, etc. At best, it reduces bank losses.
Okay, Mike, that makes it your turn to come up with a good story for us! We're all waiting.
Next one to mention the $2.5M story gets the same honor.
tidester, host
tidester, host
I stop by Ira and meet a young man who is not particularly knowledgable about several year old Toyota minivans but does show me several that suit our needs. But the used prices are high enough that I decide to check out a new Caravan - we'd had one for business use and it worked out well.
By this time (about 6:30 or 7:00pm)it is drizzling slightly. I walk into Herb Chambers Dodge and meet another young man and explain our needs. Specifically, we want a Caravan Sport as they are the only Caravan model with bucket seats in the second row in lieu of a bench. I explain to him that I am a small business owner, I've bought two vehicles from them before, including a Caravan, and I have a check in my pocket to pay in full on the spot or have a high enough credit card limit to buy it on a MasterCard - they aren't that expensive.
Whether they didn't know how to use the computer to check the inventory, it was down, or they had the idea of wearing me down, he professes not to be able to tell which of the Sports in stock (6-10) have buckets. He does get a list of inventory #'s and rough locations. So we start walking all over the lot looking for the ones with buckets.
After a few minutes I realize the first obstacle to purchase - he can't visually distinguish between a Caravan and Grand Caravan. So every time he sees a Sport he walks to the side to check inventory #. I point out that there's a big gap between the slider and rear wheel well on the Grand, much smaller on the Caravan, so he doesn't really need to check every single Sport. Our search gathers pace accordingly. This is a Good Thing, as it is warm, and the drizzle is just light enough to get you very damp without actually needing an umbrella or raincoat.
We finally find two with buckets. One has a high speed stereo and some other options we're indifferent to. the other has what we want but not much else and has a sticker about $2,500 less. There are the usual dodge rebates credits etc so the street prices are many thousands lower, as determined here and elsewhere.
I announce that those will work and I would like a price for each. The saleman tells me that's not their policy - he wants me to pick one and negotiate on that. I consider this very dumb sales tactics but select the more expensive one as it will still cost less than a used Toyota.
After a several minute wait he comes back from the sales manager with a price. This price is as far as I can tell almost exactly $1,000 more than what Edmunds and a buyer's service tell me is the best deal. I am NOT in a good mood at this point and Toyota reliability does count for something so when I hear what I consider a chump price I say, "No, thanks, that's not attractive enough, I'm going back to the Toyota dealer and buying the used Sienna."
The sales manager instantly appears at my side and offers that they really want my business, "If I'm serious about buying."
Hmmm, let me get this straight. I walk into the dealership and announce that I've bought two cars there in the last three years (and drove in with one); that I have a check in my pocket; give him my business card to prove it's true; I know exactly what I want down to having the manufacturer's option package numbers; I've spent the previous 45 minutes walking around their lot getting soaked; and they won't even give me a quote on the two vehicles. And now they offer a deal which the salesman was looking grim faced over upon his return (we've spent a fortune on sales training so I understand the body language).
When I tell him I'm still leaving he instantly offers me the "right" price - the $1,000 lower price that would have done the deal initially. But I am so annoyed with their process that the idea of trying our first Toyota - even used - is more compelling.
I drive back to Ira Toyota. It's a little more than 1 hour after I was there previously. A request to see the fellow I spoke with first meets with consternation and I'm eventually ushered up to the sales manager's desk - it seems that in the meantime, the salesman has either quit or been fired! So I'm back to square one.
At this point I decide that a purchase is not meant to be. As luck would have it, I pick up a copy of WantAdvertiser and the exact vehicle we want is for sale, used, by a guy who bought a new Suburban to tow his boat (without telling his wife first - it shows up in their driveway which is when she discovers she has to furl the side mirrors so it will fit in their garage!). It's two years old but in perfect shape. The guy has every scrap of paper from original sticker to the receipt and warranty for replacement Michelins he put on it. He is also a small business owner with a family, doesn't want to waste time, and the deal is done in 20 minutes.
I bought our next new company vehicle at AutoFair Honda, a no haggle dealer.....
tidester, host
THIS IS FICTION (since you cannot believe truth)
I awoke one morning against a rock. There was the faint smell of blood on my collar and an ache in my soul that would not be faint. As I slowly rose to an upright posture I felt every bone in my body scream out with pain. My ribs felt as if they might explode. I looked up to see a massive cliff above me and immediately became afraid for my life.
"Is this shock? am I about to die? I am bleeding... how long have I been... ?" I desperatly questioned myself.
After some time I determined I might live whatever infliction hath been wrought upon me. I chuckled at my phrasing though I didn't know why.
I realized quickly that I had suffered some sort of loss. "I don't know WHO I am" I thought.
"Who am I?" I puzzled. I literally could not remember my name. Moreover I had no recollection of the place I had found myself.
I did not know my surroundings and began a rather frantic pace about the floorings beneath me. I was in the middle of nowhere! "BFE" as I now understand it.
I did not know who I was or where I was or what was in front of me and I was bleeding from my... I was bleeding. I didn't even understand the meaning of the word but I was... Bleeding. And I knew it was bad. I desperately tried to grasp for some memory, some strand that would link me to my predicament (I know NOW how to explain myself but at that time it was pure emotional drive and not concious thought)
I threw myself to the ground in despair without consequence and thudded against the hard earthen floor. As I rose I recognized something. "Tree" I said aloud! "Rabbit" I gleefully anounced to noone! "SNAKE!" I knew the creature, although fearfull of it's approach.
I reminded myself of everthing I passed as I ventured through the "forest" (proud for knowing it's name.) And then she appeared
I stood aghast and amazed at the creature before me. I knew not her name or reason for being yet she appeared before me naked as the skies. "I know her" my soul cried out "I know her"
"Eve" I said.
"Adam" she replied.
As an afterthought... How do you perceive yourselves? Are you really the guy who puts yourselves in the salesperson's shoes? Are you the salesperson who empathises with your client? Do you ever reach out? do you even try?
If you consider this...
"that customer wasted MY time" you didn't do your job!
"I beat his deal by $100.00 bucks... he showed me everything about the car but I bought down the street" You don't deserve the time of day.
SHAME ON YOU IN EITHER CASE!
The Anonymous Dealer
Luv to have you down TX way
Many happy years of ownership!
I remember most poseters being pretty irate over his taking up so much time and bandwidth here over fabrications.
Glad to have you back.
Keep them coming.
NORTSR1
british_rover, "Stories from the Sales Frontlines" #2100, 18 Jul 2006 8:25 am
Did you ever tell the rest of it?? We went off on a tangent about x-plan, then we got sidetracked by worker's comp scams, etc. I'm not sure you finished it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I couldn't work in a place like that but they abound!
Double-secret probation?
Qualified him faster? Any faster and it would have happened on the showroom floor, and, boy, wouldn't that have been inconvenient.
I guess that matters to some people, but a lot of us are just looking for the lowest price, not a relationship.
However, we have a wonderful relationship with Tony, Sal, and Biagio who make fabulous pizzas at Pomodoros in Fairfax Town Center. Now THAT is important.
Any person can sell us a car. It is much harder to find people who make great pizzas.
Incidentally, Pomodoros is situated on the land where the Battle of Chantilly took place on August 31 (I think) in 1862. Two federal generals were killed there, one being the famous Phil Kearney.
Kearney had fought in the Battle of Second Manassas a couple days before and he wrote his official report after the battle. Because he had lost an arm in battle a few months earlier, he had one of his aides hold the pad of paper, and the aides's hands were shaking.
He asked the aide why he was shaking, and the aide said he had been so scared during the battle. Kearney said, "Son, you must never be afraid".
Right across the road from Fairfax Town Center they have a small park with a memorial to Kearney and the other general who was killed (Stephens, I think). Every time we go there I wonder what Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general at the battle, would think if he saw the place now.
I too want to pay a low price, I would not pay anything near MSRP. Being in the military I demand that people treat me with respect, and ensure I do the same, it is part of my job. I would never walk into a business and demand that someone sell me something at $X or I leave. To me that is disrespectful, not only to the dealership, but also to myself. I do not want anyone, let alone someone I am trying to conduct business with to treat me like the Seinfield "Soup [non-permissible content removed]"
Your method works for you, and my method works for me.