Options

Stories from the Sales Frontlines

16026036056076082003

Comments

  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    ow come furniture folks don't negotiate like us?

    Depends....If you shop at Haverty's you would be lucky if they gave you $100 off....
  • verdugoverdugo Member Posts: 2,288
    Nope, it's "you don't ask, you don't get" coined by yours truly.

    Well, at least I got the spirit of it correct. :)
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    CSI does not effect your pay plan. We think it is not fair to penalize a sales person for Fords inability to come up with a fair, sensible survey scoring system.

    Back end pays $30 for a warranty and $20 for any other back end product.

    At 17 units you get a $1000 bonus and 25 pays $2000
  • jkinzeljkinzel Member Posts: 735
    I hate it when I can sing the song (in my head), but can't come up with artist or title.
    Going with "Cripple Creek" or some creek. Rolling Stones.

    I understand that the 2009 Ford Escape my be on the lots the end of July, Joel, you got anything on that?
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Someone asked a good question a few posts ago to the effect that if you can be sued for charging the doc fee as you see fit why couldn't you be sued for just charging one customer more for a car? I haven't seen an answer yet. Anyone?

    Because most states mandate the max DOC Fees you can charge not the price.

    Our DOC fee is easy to explain. It is pure, 100%, nothing else, profit that the sales person is not paid on.. The cost for getting your tags and title is covered in the price you pay for tags.

    Its a junk fee, just like when you buy a house or something as simple as enrolling your kid in day care and they ding you with a $80 registration fee. The average day care worker makes $7 PH are you telling me it takes them 11.4 hours to register your kid? No its just additional profit.

    We charge $75 to plan customers and $375 to non plan/used customers. If you refuse to pay it and the deal allows the we do not remove the DOC from the paper work we just lower the price or raise the trade $375. For every 100 cars I deliver 3 people may question it. In 15 years I have never lost a deal over a DOC fee.

    If you are smart you are negotiating OTD any how. If you are all hung up on a DOC fee then you are really making the process harder then it needs to be.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    understand that the 2009 Ford Escape my be on the lots the end of July, Joel, you got anything on that?

    Ya they are in production now and scheduled mid to late July. That means that we will start getting them in late August :D
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    I was talking about the uninformed buyer. But like I have already said, they will always be taken advantage of and you guys need buyers like this especially during times like this when your biz is struggling.

    Sorry, I have ZERO sympathy for the uninformed buyer.
    There is a wealth of information available, all you have to do is look for it.

    Even being informed doesn't keep you from getting your lips ripped off.
    Some cars just go for all the money.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Where do you live that it is $4500.

    They may be doing that old BS that you have to qualify for owner loyalty, college grad, and american quarter horse assoc to add up to $4500.

    We are selling the crap out of them.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    No Soup for You!!!

    achoo, you are so good looking.

    I love obscure Sienfeld references
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    I want the big salad. :D
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    I make less now as a manager then I did as a GP salesmen in the mid 90's.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    People will throw a KBB trade value in your face in a heart beat feeling there car is worth that because KBB says so. Ask to in return to pay KBB retail for the car they are buying and they look at you like you have two heads.
  • jkinzeljkinzel Member Posts: 735
    Fox island, WA. You must have been asking another poster.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    I am to the point now when people start that crap I ask them to leave. No sale is worth listening to it and 90% of the time if you are a PITA to sell then you are going to be a PITA to service.

    The conversation usually goes something like.
    "Sir there is no reason to resort to name calling and accusations. This is nothing more then a business transaction. If you feel uncomfortable executing the transaction here there are 11 other Ford dealers within 50 miles of here. You are more then welcome to see if you feel they could service your account better then we can"

    9 times out of 10 that speech will lead to an apology or the spouse taking over the transaction.

    it is funny as hell though to watch the reaction on a sales persons face who has never heard me give it before.

    If they are real [non-permissible content removed] holes I just tell them that I am not spending their time or mine wisely.
  • mlitwin7mlitwin7 Member Posts: 20
    I would gladly take KBB retail 90% of the time.
  • mlitwin7mlitwin7 Member Posts: 20
    They tried that once in Detroit. Went to a 9-5 work week. Consumer advocacy groups sued for not havin fair opportunity to shop.
  • mlitwin7mlitwin7 Member Posts: 20
    "Has your manufacture/s been able to keep up with the demand? Of course if/when they do that profits will return to normal. Which leads me to another question. When dealers see this is about to happen do they tell the factory to slow down? Just curious."

    My hyundai store is almost completely out of inventory.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Our new store is fantastic. It has really put some pep back in my step and has me excited to come to work. Here is a pic of the front show room. I finaly have a corner office LOL, mine is the one on the left. (Not one of the cubes)

    image

    I thought I had a better pic of the exterior, it must be on my PC at home I will show you it later

    image
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Nice, is that a white Ford Flex I see in the background with the rear doors opened?

    Hate to brag but my showroom is bigger than yours: :P We can hold up to 80 rides inside, which is nice especially with all the rain we get in Vancouver.

    imageSee more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

    imageSee more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

    imageSee more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Ya that is a Flex, we have got about 6 of them so far and have two left.

    image

    We basically bought asphalt. We sit on 10 acres now which allows us to have all of our inventory at one lot and not spread out over 3.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Well, this is a switch---a car salesman getting ripped off while playing the role of customer. :P While you're a nice young man, you must learn how to negotiate for furniture. You have two options:

    1. Take your $1,899 price and style number, go on-line with the brand name, find six stores that sell that exact sofa, call them and ask if they can beat $1,899. While calling, if store #1 says $1,799, then quote that price to store #2. If store #2 quotes $1,699, then quote that price to store #3. You get my drift?

    2. Do as I do and go in person to six stores. I go to High Point, NC, the furniture capital of the world. Three years ago I wanted a leather sofa that retailed on average for $3,000. After using the same plot as in #1 above, store #3 sold it to me for $1,999 plus tax and $150 to ship it.

    I've furnished 13 houses over the years. I always negotiate the furniture.

    Another tip: If you ever want to sell furniture in your house, don't have a yard sale or advertise in the paper. Just call a local real estate office and invite all of the agents over. They will buy it all and pay your price. While they may know how to sell houses, they don't know beans about buying furniture.

    To stay on topic: The leather sofa arrived in a big truck. ;)

    Richard
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Two furniture stores that I know of here in Nashville are doing what they call integrity pricing. They both let me walk right out the door when I was buying new living room furniture. $5K plus purchase and they said they would not help me a nickel.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Your new digs are really nice. I've never seen so many cars in a showroom. That Flex is beautiful. If I decide to trade in the Explorer next year, I'll pay you a visit for a new Flex. We're planning a trip to Memphis to see old friends. It would be on the way. Also, I didn't realize that you sold Chrysler products. You have both of my brands.

    Richard
  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    I wonder if that has anything to do with the stores selling though. I searched online and couldn't find any other retailers selling the exact couch we were looking to purchase. My guess is that it is a Haverty's exclusive.

    At any rate, I've bought a number of items from them and been able to negotiate about the same amount each time. $100.....

    Ahh well, I do remember purchasing from Rooms to Go many years ago and I got something like 40% off a piece of furniture. I'm not a huge fan of their quality though. You get what you pay for!
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Only the first two pics are our new store. The rest of them are boomchecks store.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    I agree with you. Rooms to Go is fine for the beach house, but maybe not for the permanent home. You are also right about Haverty's. They do their own thing with a manufacturer who builds just for them. Also, they are not big on discounts. Still, their quality isn't bad. Their salespersons have a rough time. They put tons of pressure on them to meet weekly quotas. If you don't meet the quota, you're out the door in no time.

    That's the nice thing about High Point and Hickory. All of the manufacturers are pushing their brands in one location. It gets you a better price---like six car dealerships in one square mile. :P

    There used to be a nice furniture place in your town. I had a cousin that lived there. I can't remember the name of it. It may be out of business by now.

    Richard
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Sorry about the pictures. My nephew just arrived and I wasn't paying enough attention to the post.

    Richard
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    That FLex looks like an overgrown Scion xB!
    Mack :P
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Sure, blame it on your nephew! :P
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Try telling that to our management "team". ;)
    Mack
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    As soon as I typed it, I knew that you would get me! :blush:

    Richard
  • carhag2000carhag2000 Member Posts: 207
    People will throw a KBB trade value in your face in a heart beat feeling there car is worth that because KBB says so. Ask to in return to pay KBB retail for the car they are buying and they look at you like you have two heads

    I love this method! I close more people on more gross using this than any other close I have. Or if KBB is clearly whacked, then I just tell them to go back to their computer and hit the button. They always ask " What button?" The one that will print the check from KBB to buy your trade. I even offer them free shipping to KBB.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Did you guys receive any Challengers yet? We're still waiting for ours.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    The Rolling Stones, Honky Tonk women.

    here's an easy one;
    "I want to run, I want to hide. I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside."

    Winner gets free dinner at my cousing Gabriel's Mexican Grill and Bar and a free test drive on a brand new Toyota Avalon Limited!
    Mack :shades:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,678
    Richard overpaid for the sofa. The couch probably cost the store $1079 + a shipping charge from the factory. Long ago I was picking out some furniture won in a contest and the price had to be at retail. The store was having me look through the catalogues. The instructions on arriving at retail for an item were to double the price in the catalogue and add 40% of that to get the retail, supposed list, price for the items. That means divide the suggested retail by a factor of 2.8 to obtain the starting price for the store (unless the furniture folks have increased their markup in the last couple of decades).

    As for exclusives, I figure it's like mattresses: to confuse the customer the same mattress is available with different covers and different names to make it Impossible for the customer to go compare prices. That would be like Toyota having different names for their Camry for larger stores. They'd just stick on different plastic names with the double-sided tape. I'm sorry sir, your price is for a Camry WD40 model. We don't have that model; our model is DDxi and we won't meet their price from the other Toyota store because it's not for the same model.

    We bought our last mattress not from the stores selling Sealy with the various names. We bought from the factory store that shows what's inside by cutting open the corners of the name brands and theirs made in Fairfield, Oh, in this case.

    With the huge markup on furniture, I understand the comments by salesmen about how people don't question the profit in the furniture even after negotiating a small discount. Most people don't realize how much proft there is in furniture or jewelry compared to the profit in a car.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • carhag2000carhag2000 Member Posts: 207
    "I want to run, I want to hide. I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside."
    U2 Where the streets have no names.

    I love this game.
    How about this one "Shes living on reds Vitamin c and cocaine"
  • deskmandeskman Member Posts: 485
    I have had 3 of the 6 i am getting. I drove one like Kowalski up and down collins ave,did a 300 ft sideways burnout with the black one :shades:
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    :cry::cry:

    We're still waiting. We're hoping to get 2-3 this summer.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • deskmandeskman Member Posts: 485
    Sounds socialist to me :confuse:

    If car salespeople worked for the factory i could see it but we work for independent franchises. :surprise:

    I will be a dealer soon so i think it is time to raise the pack and cut the % :shades:
  • deskmandeskman Member Posts: 485
    I am a top ten store for north america in a major exposure market. I would think that only Southern California would be a larger and more important market.

    Thank god we are not over dealered like so cal :shades:

    I understand that Bob Dance will get over 20 2008 challenger srt for sale :surprise:
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,226
    "...I met a gin soaked bar room queen in Memphis,
    She tries to take me upstairs for a ride..."

    I don't think joel would like you talking like that about his F&I girl.

    By the way, did she try to upsell you when you went upstairs? ;)

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,226
    "...Did you guys receive any Challengers yet?..."

    It' a shame that Chrysler brought out a gas-guzzling muscle car in the middle of a fuel panic. Two years earlier or later and it would have been a hit. I hope there are enough die-hard fans to keep it from being a bust. :cry:

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    moo....you are right. Haverty's has very good quality. Their leather is leather and the sofas are very sound. You get what you pay for applies to a store like that.
  • deskmandeskman Member Posts: 485
    it is low volume halo car built on the lx platform and with exisiting lx tooling in the lx factory.

    Chrysler will sell 20k to 30k of them a year
  • deskmandeskman Member Posts: 485
    go to rob and stuckey . they will club you :shades:
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    Sorry, I have ZERO sympathy for the uninformed buyer.

    We all know there are sales people who think like that. Which explains why sales people run into grinders that will spend hours to get the last lousy $100.

    There is a wealth of information available, all you have to do is look for it.

    You are so right. That's where the grinders go to get their info.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    I don't think we'll have trouble finding buyers for the Challenger. It's a 2 door niche type vehicle, and most people will be buying them as spare toys anyways.

    You won't see a family of 4, environmentalists, or your typical suburb to downtown commuters even asking about them.

    If you have $40k to blow on a 2 door personal coupe, I don't think gas is an issue for you.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,188
    Plus, I believe, that there will be down-level versions of the Challenger. Less power, more mpg. Not a Prius, but life is short!

    And, livin' on reds, etc. Truckin', got my chips cashed in...

    Seinfeld: I'm out!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    Ah, the dead.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    We all know there are sales people who think like that. Which explains why sales people run into grinders that will spend hours to get the last lousy $100.

    Never had much patience w/ grinders.
    I generally give em a price and send them on their way.
This discussion has been closed.