Stories from the Sales Frontlines

deskman

madmanmoo

Thank you

I am thankful i have good doctors,a understanding employer,a loving wife .

Deskman :shades:

obyone

On a related note up until at least 15 years ago most college accounting professors banned calculators from their classes and you couldn't use them to take the CPA exam.

As I understood it one could still use an abacus.

lrguy44

Hang in man, take it one day at a time and spend time with family - even if it means a pay cut.

It can and will be beaten! :shades:

snakeweasel

It's a good thing they stole the name from a now defunk company that can't defend itself.

Well the Rambler was a car made by Nash which was merged with Hudson to create American Motors which was bought out by Chrysler so it technically still in existence (think Jeep).

Anyway I do think that they have a statute of limitations on that. Not sure of the legalize involved but after a certain amount of time and under certain conditions another company can start to use anothers brand name.

snakeweasel

Don't laugh I have one and I know how to use it.

dino001

Oops - I don't know why I thought you lived in Naples. Shoulda checked before made that comment

dino001

You lie to your wife and you get in trouble for lying so you she wouldn't let you lie next to her. So, you spend your next night laying down on the couch. Next day if you want go a buy at Moo's or Deskmans and if you are a laydown and lay down too much cash there, your wife, once realizing it would not let you lie down next to her again... :P Did I get all of it right?

Yeah - when you are not native speaker, it's actually easier to remember things like that, as those irregulars are first things you need to learn after basics are over.

isellhondas

I guess my memory isn't all that bad!

Thanks!

isellhondas

Sorry to hear that and I certainly wish you well with your treatment.

deskman

I will find out what is in store for me treatment wise dec 26th.

thank you for the kind words

jb_turner

"A fine of US$1,000 per vehicle is applied if the sticker is missing."

But then it has to be proved that the dealer willfully removed the label.

mackabee

Heck, I'd be delirious if all my new car customers would come in and offer Edmund's TMV.!! I've had a few and usually I give them 2-3 hundred more off just for GP. Win win situation for both parties.

mackabee

Sorry to hear about your cancer. Since I'm a veteran of the cancer wars please feel free to contact me. My e-mail is by my user name. You want to talk, feel free too. Best thing to do is talk about it, worst thing to do is think about it and feel sorry for yourself. Stay strong, stay upbeat, and most of all live each day as if it was your last one.

mackabee

That's the day after my birthday. I'll be thinking of you while sitting at the infusion center getting my chemo. I hope you don't have to have surgery and if you get chemo that it doesn't hit you bad. I'm done with 5 cycles and have 7 to go and I'm starting to feel the cumulative effects now. My neuropathy is beginning to get worse making it difficult for me to hold on to things or type, not to mention walking has become a chore. The nausea I can control with meds so no problem there. My taste buds are starting to go so most food is beginning to taste like cardboard (literally). The hair is very thin now and splotchy. I'm wearing a hat every day to cover the bald spots. Other than that I feel GREAT! I'm alive! and it's one more day I get to spend with my beautiful family. God bless and I'll be praying for you.
Mack
:shades:

deskman

Mack

Thank you very much.I will know more the day after christmas.

I hope all is well for you and that your treatment is successful.

best wishes
Deskman

deskman

I guess we should look at the enviroment that we work in because cancer rates are very high in our industry.

isellhondas

Victor,

I have to say, your great attitude will get you through this.

joel0622

One thing that aggrevates the crap out of me is when the a salesmen pre-quals a customer good and identifies that there are some red flags in the credit department, so being a good salesperson they tell the desk what they have uncovered.

So instead of stopping the process right there and getting an app the desk will still quote a WAC payment using a 9% or worse yet a 0% rate on new cars.

Don't get me wrong I know they are just trying to keep the buying process moving but it usually comes to a screaming halt when I tell Mr and Mrs Jesse James that the payment is actually $650 instead of the $475 you had been quoted.

If we are not busy it is not a big deal, I just put my salesperson cap on and go try to sell them a different car. It is when we are backed up it is a PITA

The good thing about it though is if we are able to hold it together it usually turns into a used car deal instead of a new car.

joel0622

We have had that discussion here before about the bad health that plagues our industry.

Long hours, bad diet, active social life, drinking and no exercise is what I credit allot of it to.

Hang tough brother, the resilience that you build through this business also will help you beat it.

isellhondas

I agree and I really try to pace myself.

I do this at the expense of a few sales too and that's fine.

Another thing, it seems like most of our salespeople smoke.

No, they don't stand out front smoking but we have an area in the back and they use it.

I'm glad I never picked that habit up.

And, it's stressful. Working on straight commission. I'm sure that may help too.

gogiboy

""A rouge, huh? "
I thought it was Rogue, rouge is what the pretty females put on their face."

Mack--

And "River Rouge" is where pretty men (and women) put together pretty Ford motor cars in Dearborn, MI. Look for the eyeliner and lipstick on your next Focus.

That's why Ford has to build their trucks elsewhere. The truck plant is probably called "down river stubble" or something similar.

Gogiboy

greanpea68

.I use the ok-deal you win big pencil.

I love that one. When i started in the biz thats how it was.

We use full diclosure printed out work sheet

GP

greanpea68

One thing that aggrevates the crap out of me is when the a salesmen pre-quals a customer good and identifies that there are some red flags in the credit department, so being a good salesperson they tell the desk what they have uncovered.

I know exactly what you are talking about. If I get signs they are credit challenged such as where they are financing now Americredit, Cap One, or Banks i have never heard of. I'll have them fill oput a credit app. Before I run numbers I ask them who ever they are on a scale from 1-10 how would rate your credit 10 being the best. If I get 6 or lower I run their credit. You can ussually tell from what they are driving, where they work, etc.

Nothing worse than spinning your wheels.

I think it is the sales person responsibility to qualify the person right so you can prep them for F&I. Nothing worse than a deal blowing up in the box.

GP

greanpea68

I hope the best for you guys also. I am not one to talk a lot about those issues but I do wish the best for you guys. Who else would entertain me when it is slow.

Have a left handed smoke and a smile

Hang in there

GP

dino001

How many ups lie to you about their credit? I would guess certain portion of those with low credit already figured it's OK not to pay bills - so for them it shouldn't be big leap to figure it's also OK to say that they actually do, if you know what I mean .

greanpea68

How many ups lie to you about their credit?

I don't really have that problem. I believe that is because I sell new cars and most people know if they can't afford new. Most people don't want to waste their time and dissapoint themselves.

But it does happen just not enough to think about it.

GP

madmanmoo

I caught a phone-up on Friday night and talked to a woman who was interested in purchasing a Cayenne for her husband. She inquired about our inventory and scheduled an appointment with me for Saturday morning. Very nice, very cordial.

Saturday morning came around and her appointment time slid by. I got a call from her telling me that she was running late, but would be there in a bit. She arrived shortly and we started to go over what her plan was for the next purchase.

It was going to be a surprise for her husband. She had a general idea of what he wanted and told me what she thought he needed. If MY wife did this for me, I'd probably freak out unless she had a printout I had provided for her. Spending that kind of money and not consulting your significant other.... wow. Anyhow, maybe their many years of marriage have allowed them that flexibility.

We pick one out and then proceed to get a number for her trade. After showing her numbers, she kind of slowed down a bit and let me know that she was just wanting to get numbers today and finish up any deal next week. Well, I didn't know this before I started selling Porsches, but Cayennes are extremely popular. We had a shipment of 12 come in a couple days ago and 8 were already sold.

I walked her past my back line to show her all the Cayennes that were waiting to get picked up and tried to impress upon her the importance of moving sooner. December is definitely one of those months where it's better to act sooner than later. The last two weeks will be crazy with activity.

Thankfully, she agreed with me on moving quicker and we decided to surprise him that evening. We worked out our deal and worked out a place to do the switcheroo. While I was driving that Cayenne down 85S through downtown Atlanta, I had this giant grin on my face. What a great job I have. Anyhow, I drove the Cayenne to her place in the country and picked up her BMW trade after they had left the house for dinner. I stuck a giant red bow on the front and parked it in a barn stall (per her orders). Then I turned around and drove back.

Another happy customer and salesman! Not much drama in this one, but anywho.... it's the holidays.

-moo

dino001

Man - that's THE STORY OF THE MONTH, if not quarter/year.

greanpea68

I walked her past my back line to show her all the Cayennes that were waiting to get picked up and tried to impress upon her the importance of moving sooner.

Moo,

When you say you walked her past your back line does that mean if people want to see your inventory they have to be escorted with a sales rep?

Great to hear you are having a great day.

Today I sold 2007 murano pre owned . Nice young couple who came in and didn't want to drive in the snow with out AWD. It was S model with conv. pkg. Sold it for $25988 certified. Made on 4 on the front and 2 on the back. I love it when it snows people come in begging for AWD and 4X4's.

Hope everyone else is having a great day!!

GP

madmanmoo

? What qualifies it for the "STORY OF THE MONTH"?

-moo

madmanmoo

When you say you walked her past your back line does that mean if people want to see your inventory they have to be escorted with a sales rep?

No, people can walk around at will and browse at their leisure. These vehicles were parked by detail around the back of our building because they were all sold and had just come off the truck. Very low pressure at our store. Awesome environment.

\-moo

Edit: Good job on that Murano deal!! AWD certainly takes on a need in your area.

greanpea68

Good job on that Murano deal!! AWD certainly takes on a need in your area

Like you read about

Get all of Christmas shopping done yet?

I haven't even started yet. Between snow removal and work I haven't had time. Good thing I have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off. Plus I get come in late on Wednesday because it is my late day

GP

joel0622

Good thing I have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off. Plus I get come in late on Wednesday because it is my late day

Chit, and all this time I thought you were in the car business.

greanpea68

We are closed the 24th and 25th ( which are Monday and Tuesday) This Sunday happens to be my Sunday off. Which i will definately take advantage of. And Wednesday's are my late day 1PM. Couldn't have worked out better for me. Win some Loose some. And trust me I have lost some

Good thing I have late day after Christmas. Not sure what I will be drinking on Christmas yet :confuse:

Martini's or Margerita's.... Maybe both

GP

micosilver

If you had a choice between selling Porsche or Benz - which would you choose and why?

madmanmoo

Funny you should ask! :P

A new Benz store recently opened up near me as I was starting to make the decision to move onto a highline store. 2 of my buddies from the business told me about the opportunity and went to go get interviewed there. I simply passed.

I interviewed at Porsche and waited for them to give me the go ahead.

My decision was based on a couple of things, some concrete and some intangible.

1. I have never liked my dealings with people who drive Mercedes. Maybe they looked down on us lowly salespeople at the local import shop, but the condescension was there.

2. I didn't want to work at another volume store. You may have the best of both worlds at Benz where you can make great gross and hit unit bonuses, but I just wasn't interested in going through the whole sell 20 cars to make good money deal.

3. Hours. The hours are better at this particular Porsche store than the Benz store. Mrs. Moo and Baby Moo need some time from me too.

4. Product. Plain and simple. Porsches have always excited me. I learned my lesson from selling Hondas. Hondas are great vehicles, but for me, boring. I wanted to sell a product that I stood behind 100%. Benzes are nice vehicles as well, but nowhere near the kind of excitement that Porsche offers.

Hope that helped! What about you?

-moo

cdnpinhead

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Interesting insight. Thanks.

dino001

For me because it is positive. Basically because it's not about how bad the up was. Don't get me wrong - I like to read how dumb, inconsiderate, arrogant, fill the blank, people are, but just before Christmas a woman buying a Porche and then doing all that switch "conspiracy" - I just love it - even if it's against everything I believe in when it comes to buy big ticket items.
I just hope whe knew her man, they could afford it and the guy did not freak out. I would get a heart attack.

madmanmoo

Cool! I'm glad that those positive stories are well received too. It was, for me, a really cool deal.

You've seen the Lexus ads about a "December to Remember" with the giant [non-permissible content removed] red bow on the hood. That's what we did too. I had a grin from ear to ear driving that down.

Thankfully, he was very happy with the purchase albeit a bit shocked. The wife told me he was speechless at first.

-moo

venture

Great story, but tell us about the trip back in the BMW.

roadburner

Thankfully, he was very happy with the purchase albeit a bit shocked. The wife told me he was speechless at first.

What a weenie; he should have asked for a 911 or Cayman S... :P

madmanmoo

The ride back sucked. It was raining cats/dogs and the BMW's windshield kept fogging over. I couldn't see and I thought I was going to die. Let's not focus on the ride back. Plus, it was a convertible and a manual transmission. Not a lot of joy in that ride.

-moo

venture

Yikes!

Sorry I asked....LOL.

Take it out on a nice sunny day.

mackabee

You must be using ADP CRM. That's what we have in our store an personally I think it's a piece of doodoo. It's web based so on busy Saturdays it locks up and is virtually useless. Don't try to save any information either as it won't. When we first started using it it was taking twice as much time to do deals than with Autobase or Autotrack or E-pencil. Autobase is very basic but it's perfect for the job. E-pencil is nice too since you present the customer with lease or buy options and trade values, vehicle MSRP less discount, down payment and average rates so they can make an informed decision.
Mack

mackabee

Do you work at my store? I'm also off Sunday, monday, and tuesday, however comma, since I have chemo that week I'm also off wednesday, thursday, and half day friday. Kind of ruins my month.
On a brighter note I did sell the first 2008 Sequoia today. It's a beauty, Joel is secretly reading the specs, options, and accessories so he can get himself one. LOL :shades:


Pic is a bit blurry, took it with my cell phone and all my pics today came out that way.

We also have an 05 Ford Taur...err Five Hundred. Has the Hooptie package on it. Joel would be proud to see me in it. Here's a look.


and another look.


Mackabee
:shades:

Enjoy the Margaritas :sick:

mikefm58

If MY wife did this for me, I'd probably freak out unless she had a printout I had provided for her. Spending that kind of money and not consulting your significant other.... wow. Anyhow, maybe their many years of marriage have allowed them that flexibility.

Or maybe she was freakin HOT. Was she?

jmonroe

What a weenie; he should have asked for a 911 or Cayman S...

And had a tantrum until he got it.

jmonroe

deskman

mrs deskman thought the porsche suv looked like a subaru.I am happy she picked the 911 gt3 when we purchased our new porsche last year.

moo

what kinda deal can you get me on a 911 targa automatic with delivery in stuttgart?the mrs may change her mind about the volvo after she drives it.(i think it will be tough for her to go from the gt3 to a swedish taurus)

more testing today,i feel like a pin cushion!!!!!!!!

happy festivous
deskman

sterlingdog

Here is another disturbing theory. You guys are exposed to more chemicals than the average worker. You are constantly in and out of hundreds of automobiles in a year. You have fabric treated seats, plastic dashboards, fabric floor mats, paint and wax treated exterior finishes, rubber tires, gas, oil, etc. You are constantly bombarded with chemical compounds. If you add poor diet, smoking, stress, etc. to the mix, you are not in the best environment. A West Virginia coal miner is not much worse than you guys.

If a consumer buys a new car, the new car smell is gone fairly quickly and they are only living in one car. You guys are living in them every day.

I wish you guys would put a small air purifier near your desk. When you are outside, try to walk to the edge of the property for some fresh air.

Mack knows that he has been on my prayer list, and now I'll add Deskman.

madmanmoo

How about adding the rest of us for preventative maintenance.

-moo