Stories from the Sales Frontlines

boomchek

"...How would a salesperson go about stating that the car sells for full sticker?..."

1. Gee Mr. dhamilton, I'd like to help you on the price but the demand on this model is so high that I can't sell it that cheap. Those darn gas prices are hurting all of us.

OR

2. Sorry Bub, but I've been listening to grinders like you complain all day about prices. This baby is a hot ticket and I'm riding it for all it's worth. Heee Hawww!

I always leave price talk until after the presentation, demo drive etc.

When it comes down to it, I don't even talk about a discount until the customer mentions it.

Anywas if somebody does ask, I'd say:

"I'd love to help you out and work on the price a bit but this car has very little margin to begin with, and some dealers are charging over sticker for it. We're happy to sell it to you without any added markup. Would you like me to show you payments, or will you be paying cash for it?"

mackabee

I would do neither. I stay away from the price issue until we are sitting down at the negotiating table. The majority of customers know when a car is hot and there are little or no discounts. If you listen carefully they will even tell you themselves. Back when the previous generation Sienna came out they were selling for full sticker the first couple of months. I had a couple come in and I demo'd an XLE and when we got back from the test drive the customer says: "I know you're not discounting these at all so let's get inside and wrap it up." Kachiiiing!

Mackabee

mackabee

Everybody look what's going down. Buffalo Springfield.
:shades:

mackabee

I misspoke. I have a new 08 Solara convertible SE in red with tan top. The pre-owned is an SLE in Arctic frost pearl white with tan interior and tan top. My bad.
:shades:

graphicguy

mack you beat me to the punch. Take it a step further, the song was written by Steven Stills.

Wives with cars and credit cards in their own names? Sure.....as long as my SS# isn't anywhere on the app, and no co-signing will be done by me.

I remember my (former) spouse telling me that she deserved her own credit cards and cars...and that it was up to her to choose because of all she did in the household. Understand we had a housekeeper that came once/week. My son was already in school. Even before he started school, he was in "accelertated programs" at least 1/2 day.

So, after we tallied up the worth of her "work" in the household, and subtracted her credit card bills, her car bills, her "going out to eat" bills, her pedicure, massage, manicure, hair treatment bills....I figured she owed me money...a bunch of money.

Then again, there's a reason I'm divorced.

zig-zagging, ducking for cover, running away from the bombs about to be hoisted my way

isellhondas

No humidity to speak of. Mid seventies today, clear blue skies.

No bugs to speak of. Very few mosquitos except for last week on a geocache in the mountains.

chikoo

wow...Seattle must be a good place then.....I love rains, but the humidity and mosquitoes ensuing after that bugs me.

I got to figure out a vendor from Seattle ......

oldfarmer50

"...You should see this video then. It will change your mind..."

Yea, but in both those small car crashes the driver would have died. Then again, if you were driving a 15 year old rusty Buick you would probably get killed too.

The moral of this story: Dig a hole and sit in it if you want to live.

greanpea68

Wrong.

LOL...

After I posted it I had second thoughts about it like.... Ahh maybe I am wrong on this one

I figured hey what the heck roll with it... It is good to have ups and downs to everything.

Also I didn't know that Dylan originaly wrote along the watch tower :shades:

GP

greanpea68

But that's for another story another day.

Is that another way of saying "Too be continued" :P

GP

jmonroe

Dig a hole and sit in it if you want to live.

Gee...spoken like a true farmer. :shades:

jmonroe

jmonroe

Is that another way of saying "Too be continued"

Don't start...he finally finished one. :P

jmonroe

sterlingdog

"...he finally finished one."

Actually, he has finished three since we started. He did two short stories last week. I am very proud of him. :shades:

Richard64
President, Scroll Keeper

sterlingdog

"I misspoke."

I knew that you did. I went to your dealership last evening (internet), and saw both cars. Thanks for looking. I'll place myself on hold for a bit. There's no rush.

Richard

sterlingdog

It's that British influence plus your native rearing. What a nice way to verbalize full price. :shades:

Richard

sterlingdog

"I'd love to help you out..."

Canadians have that pleasant touch as well. What a nice way to verbalize full price. :shades:

Richard

sterlingdog

"We drove to the furniture store in my BMW."

Come on Joe. If you have a BMW, it is only fair that she have new bedroom furniture. :P

Richard

suvshopper4

Song title is "For What It's Worth."

Don't know if Buffalo Springfield meant out-the-door pricing, or what.

-ss4

sterlingdog

"...she is courting disaster..."

Unfortunately, she IS courting disaster unless you have nursing home insurance. If something happens to you, heaven forbid, she will need a car in her name, some cards in her name, and a separate checking account and savings account if possible. We've been researching this mess lately. Our attorney and cpa have both been advising us as to how to avoid the loss of everything when one spouse goes into the nursing home. The home wants your pension, social security, and anything else other than your house. They say that the only sure things are death and taxes. Better add nursing homes to that list. The insurance is pricey, but may be worth the premiums. We could take our chances, but-------.

Richard

sterlingdog

"So maybe you're part of that club now!"

I feel better. Thanks!

BTW, I go to work for one day and you guys do 5,000 posts. Are any of you out on the lot selling cars? :P

Richard

fezo

Song title is "For What It's Worth."

Don't know if Buffalo Springfield meant out-the-door pricing, or what.

Just for here we'll call it "For What It's Worth plus $5K ADM."

isellhondas

" I'd love to help you out"

I told a customer that once.

Followed by...

" Which way did you come in?"

sterlingdog

"Definitely not one of those."

Don't be so sure. Did you see the movie "In the Garden of Good and Evil"? She (he) played her (his) own part in the movie. She (he) looked pretty darn good. BTW, it was a true story. Only in the Old South could you get away with murder regardless of the evidence.

BTW, the wife and I went to her night club. She (he) is a real hoot.

To stay on topic: She drives a 1957 red and white Mercury.

sterlingdog

LOL!!! See, you do have a good sense of humor.

Richard

cdnpinhead

"Still drives a 1991 Toyota Camry, but has a house worth $2 million."

Proof positive that many (if not most) people care not a whit for cars, beyond their ability to go from point A to point B, with minimal drama.

This is why appliances exist, as well as their salespeople/order takers.

Cars that people care about (including/especially being seen in) are in the minority, as are those who deliver them properly.

Cars that people actually want to drive (as in long distances & around corners), as well as their salespeople, are even rarer.

It's an interesting mix, as this board attests.

duke23

"Excellent Choice Sir. You have very good taste and an eye for the very best. It would be my pleasure to work with a person of such high standards. This car is top of the line in its class. (while I walk around the car, I would also state:) The OTD price for this car is XXXXX.xx dollars. Will you be paying cash? "

Way to go with the assumptive close chikoo. Would you prefer tan interior or gray? "17 or "18 inch wheels? Manual or automatic? With or without fries? They've already bought the car now just get the paperwork out of the way. So many green salesman sit like a dumb bunny waiting for the customer to close the sale. There is a method of doing that, in fact it's my preferred since every one leaves friends and happy, but it requires mostly keeping your trap shut. The old adage goes don't build a watch when they just want to know what time it is.

Keeping more current, my older sister indeed GG, lmao.
Making sure it mentions transportation, aka automobiles, and isn't too ancient for our gen x'ers.

Here's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

chikoo

Thanks Richard

boomchek

Proof positive that many (if not most) people care not a whit for cars, beyond their ability to go from point A to point B, with minimal drama.

I see it all the time too. The folks who have money and real estate usually drive older cars, and replace them only when they need to. If you drive though the expensive areas in Vancouver, you'll see many mid level vehicles that are 5+ years old parked in the driveways.

Yes you'll see the BMWs and Benzes too, but you'd be surprised that the people in a 99 Camry own a million dollar home.

And the people I see coming in with bad credit are the ones that demand to get approved on a cars they can't afford (300C, something with a Hemi, Ram 3500, BMW, Navigator) etc.

They usually end up buying a Chevy Aveo, Cobalt, or a base Caliber, after they have a "credit chat" from us.

It reminds me of that line from I think the movie "Boiler Room" Someone was saying that the dude driving a Porsche doesn't have money to put gas in his tank.

duke23

Darn those witches, rhymes with ***ches. Does she want for anything ? Yea, we all go along. Just a little wisdom in her friends comments. Need for her to have some credit standing, but mostly I'm thinking they are jealous of her situation. Live long and prosper, ( never could do that hand thing) in retirement Wes.

Going 180 degrees:

Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore

Irony, I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to him in my youth but as I grow older I find him and his compadres very cool.

duke23

Are they still calling it Van Kong? I rather liked Tin Man with Nicholas Cage. Nephew to Francis Ford. Not as good as Wall St,
" I guess you guys aren't here to open an IRA", but not bad. In Texas they have a term for the poseurs, they call then big hat , no cattle.

back south again,

Don't turn your back on me baby
Don't turn your back on me baby
Yes, don't turn your back on me baby
Don't mess around with your tricks
Don't turn your back on me baby
You just might wake up my magic sticks

laurasdada

Duke, that's not a song! Just a little poem you wrote for Mackabee, right! :P

laurasdada

Oye como va, El Duque viente tres. Pienso que es Carlos Santana: El Negro Mujer Magico (Mack, is that even close to "Black Magic Woman" en espanol?).

venture

...it is only fair that she have new bedroom furniture.

You are probably right Richard. I'm still blaming this one on jmonroe though.

mackabee

"Also I didn't know that Dylan originaly wrote along the watch tower"

From what I've read he also wrote along the river!

mackabee

I wouldn't wait too long since the car is being discontinued after this year and it will be a collector's car. You watch, a couple of years later people will be looking for it. Customer: "Do you have any Solaras?" me: "No, it was discontinued two years ago. It looked too much like a Lexus and priced that way too."
Mack

mackabee

That one is a piece of cake. It's by my cousin Carlos Santana Roseanne Roseannadana and the Santana blues band with the one and only Gregg Rollie playing the B-3 Hammond organ and doing the lead vocals. My cousin Jose "Chepito" Areas getting down on the timbales in the Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen medley and Mike Carabello and Michael Shrieve doing the congas and the Ludwig drumming! and let's not forget David Brown on bass! Black Magic Woman, written by Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mack (no relation to yours truly) The cut is from the Abraxas LP.

mackabee

Not even close! You have the artist right but the translation no muy bien. It's actually "Mujer magia negra/Reyna Gitana"
:shades:

Now try this one:

I stepped upon the platform,
the man gave me the news,
He said "You must be joking son, where did you get those shoes."

:shades:

wesleyg

thanks for your comments, duke and Richard, you have valuable advice, will consider it.

oldfarmer50

"...Which way did you come in?..."

LOL I love it. I'll have to try that one out somrtime.

percussionist

this will not be the summer for me to get into selling cars, after all. I was thinking about it as a summer job, but then we had a scooter accident and I broke my knee, so I cannot drive. It's a bummer, but we're okay, and I'll be walking hopefully before school starts. Anyway, that's why I've been quiet for a while.

Mack, hope you're doing well with your treatments. Richard, good job so far with the story chasing! I'm still curious about Mr. Gridell, but I know we'll get the conclusion soon :P

Take care, all!

jipster

Finally, after 4 years of warming up in the bullpen, I finally got the nod to re-enter the game of car buying. My niece wants me to go with her today to buy a Kia Sportage.

Currently Kia has a rebate of $2,500, or 0% financing for 5 years, or 2.9% for 6 years. Looks like she will be going with the 2.9% financing for the lower payment.

Gee, sure hope I don't choke and she ends up paying over MSRP. Kia Sportage's are soft right now (obviously), nothing in the prices paid discussion to help. The Edmunds TMV price is $200 over invoice. So, I'll take a stab at around $500 under. Any thoughts? Game time is 1p.m eastern time.

madmanmoo

Old Blue Eyes. Fly me to the moon?

jmonroe

You are probably right Richard. I'm still blaming this one on jmonroe though.

OK if that makes you feel better.

I can handle it but then I'm not the one paying. :P

jmonroe

isellhondas

A Kia?

If you must have one of those, look for a slightly used one. Resale on those is worse than horrible.

jmonroe

...then we had a scooter accident and I broke my knee, so I cannot drive.

Look at it like this...what better way to take a load off your bad knee than to sit down and rest here at Edmunds. Of course when your head starts to ache don't come in here for any sympathy.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

jmonroe

jipster

Thanks. I tried to talk her out of the Kia... but not on the point of resale. Originally my niece was wanting a Hyundai Tucson, which has almost equally bad resale. But, she plans on keeping it 6 or 7 years... so resale not as important. Would be looking at a sale price on the vehicle of around $16,500 if taking the rebate.

The Kia Sportage has improved in reliability and is recommended by CR, so hope it works out for her... otherwise she'll blame me.

dino001

I would try to talk your niece to 5-year/zero interest plan - really hard. Zero interest is zero interest. Three percent over six years ends up still in thousands paid over time and when going from zero/60 to 2.9/72 the payment difference cannot be as great. It will also pay off if she decides to trade sooner - BTW, how do you know she'll keep it for 6-7 years? Any record to back that up?

Also - personally, I'd rather have Tucson, but that's just me.

jipster

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing about going with 0%. She is a college student and trying to get her montly payment as low as possible. I'll have her look at the numbers again.

BTW, how do you know she'll keep it for 6-7 years? Any record to back that up?

LOL... I was thinking the same thing. She is a smart young lady... but you know kids these days. She may have it 6 or 7 years... she may have it 3 or 4. Her mother had a Sedona she only kept for a year or two (didn't like it)... had a cow when she tried to resell it. So she knows first hand about Kia's poor resale value.

oldfarmer50

"...My niece wants me to go with her..."

Do you sales folks have any special techniques for closing a deal when some old guy comes in with his "niece". I would think these types would be real laydowns as they don't want to look cheap in front of their "niece".

dino001

College student buying a new car and taking a five or six year loan. So what was the news today, yesterday, three months, six months ago? Credit crunch? Banking in turmoil? Crunch schmanch.... As long as people with no income on their own are getting approved for preferencial loans on new cars, there is not credit crunch in my book Or worse - a guy next cubicle got a 250K house with zero down (they even paid back his deposit... :sick: )

Anybody remembering times when a 20yo was happy to get a Chevy half their age?