"...need to be verbally filleted for some of their insights."
I've been verbally filleted in better places than this...as well as this place. My "insights" are intended to be helpful and are the sole property of the poster. Naturally, I'm posting as a consumer. Still, I don't have to be the inventor of the microwave oven to know how to use one.
"I've never been in a business where the customers think that they know more than the sales staff."
Try being a personnel director. My clients used to claim that they knew all about the salary, benefits, hiring processes, etc. When it came time to sign their contracts, they thought gross salary was their take home pay, that hospital insurance had no deductibles, that tenure had no waiting period, etc.
Try teaching young adults with a college degree. They read one book on The Methods of Teaching or Classroom Management Styles and they are now experts in the educational field.
Your profession is not the only one with customers who think that they know more than you do. Still, you have to smile and try to educate the customers. To go on the defensive defeats your purpose. While I don't pretend to know one thing about selling automobiles, I do believe that there are some basic principles in dealing with customers in any field. BTW, your views are interesting and they do generate discussions here.
"...a sales associate was killed by a mob of bargain hunters..."
This is such a tragic example of the entitlement that people feel today. It's the 21st Century philosophy of "Get out of my way. I'm entitled to be first."
That's why I wait until after 4pm on black friday. The crowds have thinned out and I usually find what I'm looking for anyway. I just bought the first three seasons of HBO's "Entourage" for $9.99 per season. Well, season three is a two set DVD set so all total was $40.00 bucks plus tax. That guy Ari now drives a Ferrari. Previous episodes he had a Lexus LS460, and before that a BMW 7 series. It's a great show, lots of comedy, action, and lots of BEAUTIFUL California girls! Schwing!
". . .we already filled the position of Annoying Spelling Corrector."
Nicely put.
Well, on second thought, well put.
Either way, hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I've had the opportunity to do Canadian t'giving in October, then U.S. in Nov in the same year, and it's certainly a good thing.
I can't tell you how much I wanted to drop that guy.
Remind me to stay away from your store. I thought the guy asked a reasonable question and simply opined that the price and mileage were incongruous. It's not like he was insulting your mother or giving you an obscene hand gesture.
I think maybe it WAS the hand gesture. Alejandrom indicated that the customer blew him off with a wave of the hand. I can see that this would be pretty irritating. That body language sends a message that the salesman is less than important. At times, it is the non-verbal language that sends the real message.
do these people have no respent for fellow human beings in the quest for saving the mighty buck?
Last year there was a video played that showed an elderly person being stampeded on, upon a store opening their doors. I blame Wally World. They better than anyone should understand the extent of human greed. The victims family will sue for millions of dollars, and get it.
mmm This is our second trip over. My wife's brother is getting married. We will be staying in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We might make a quick sidetrip to Thailand. I'm not sure what all is on the itinerary as my wife is handling all of it. wrote "
That is very cool M, Please post a short trip report when you get back. Thanks.
Absolutely....my wife hates the car shopping experience. She requires that I research what she would like beforehand and narrow it down to two or three vehicles. She test drives the vehicles, they give me their deal and we decide within 48 hours. BTW, there are tons of forums about real estate agents, etc. What salespeople can't stand is that the information is now out there, no more opaqueness in the process and a lot of disinter mediation occurring and that is good for consumers. I read this forum to learn as a long time lurker. I do exactly what traindriver described, my job is to eliminate the bad dealerships. I will tell you a story soon about buying my daughters truck. I took her to one of those bad dealerships (lose the trade keys, etc) just so she could tell the difference. She was stunned.......
"...It's not like he was insulting your mother or giving you an obscene hand gesture..."
On the contrary, that's exactly what he was doing. By turning and walking away without comment he used his body language to dismiss alejandron and tell him he was nothing. The dismissive hand gesture might just as well been "the finger" for what it conveyed.
That's why I couldn't be a car salesman. I'd end up in jail. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
From what I've read, some people have the temperament to work in car sales (or any sales), some don't. Wanting to drop a customer for asking the price, or responding the price is too high would seem to be one of those questions/statements that you would hear regularly. Is it really a reason to get mad at a potential customer?
Not filleting anyone, just curious if being disturbed by customers is really that prevalent in car sales.
moo....have a great trip. I've been to Hong Kong. Never to the mainland, though. Indeed, stay safe and let us know how it went when you return.
Wanting to drop a customer for asking the price, or responding the price is too high would seem to be one of those questions/statements that you would hear regularly.
I think his problem is the guy just stated that it was to many miles for that price and just left. Now without any particulars about the car and price we can't say if the customers response was justified or not.
just curious if being disturbed by customers is really that prevalent in car sales.
In any type of sales position you have to let things roll off like water of a ducks back. Otherwise you won't be in sales to long or you will end up with ulcers.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
"...you have to let things roll off like water of a ducks back. Otherwise you won't be in sales to long or you will end up with ulcers..."
I don't think the OP was saying that he was seriously considering knocking out his customer. Only that he FELT like doing it. That's like saying to your kids: "If you don't stop running around I'm going to kill you!" You don't really mean it but you sure do FEEL like doing it.
Having delt with both my kids and customers I have had that same feeling many times. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
snake....I agree. Moreover, "cold calling" (car sales people calling service customers, in this case) are a daily routine in any line of sales. If you don't want to do it, whether it be via phone, email, or face-to-face, sales may not be the right profession.
I know that many of the car sales vets in here rely on referrals. But, that means they've been in the biz for awhile. At some point, they all had to "cold call".
Yesterday, I went to my local Chevy store as they had to replace the windshield washer heater (via recall). Took about 30 minutes. While I was sitting in the customer lounge, my sales person spied me and came in to talk with me.
It was mostly small talk....
"How's the Tahoe?" "How was Thanksgiving?"
Little more than that. He asked me if I knew of anyone who was looking for a car. I took no offense. Told him I didn't.
Then, I quizzed him....
"How's business?"
He relayed that they had a lot of tirekickers, but few buyers. He said what I already knew...."It's a numbers game....the more people I talk to, the more sales I make."
He also mentioned that during a downturn like what's now being experienced, he doubled his efforts to talk to as many people as possible. I was on the list of people he was going to call. But, since we had the chance run in, he said he wouldn't bother.
Still, it was clear he was going to "beat the bushes" looking for business...probably moreso than "normal" times.
He's been there for awhile. So, I'll assume he's been relatively successful. Even he has to do the "grunt work" to make sales.
I don't mind cold calling "orphan" customers who's leases are about to expire, or who drive 10 year old cars that are costing them money in service.
I do mind calling customers who bought 6 months or a year ago, who most likley won't be looking for another car for a few years. I'm sure most do mind as well.
boom....I totally understand what you're saying. Likelihood of success for those folks coming off lease would seem to be a good bet. Those who bought 6 mos ago, not so much, I would imagine.
"...I do mind calling customers who bought 6 months or a year ago..."
That would kind of creep me out if my salesman called me 6 months after a new car purchase to ask if I wanted to trade it in. I would immediately start thinking "Why is he doing this? What's wrong with the car I just bought? What aren't they telling me?". I sure wouldn't be rushing right over to his store.
My salesman offered me a $100 payment for referrals. What's that called, a bird dog? Do any of you guys try that one? Does it work? For me, if I love my car I'll tell everyone without getting paid. If I hate it, it would take more than $100 for me to sell out my friends. I'm just funny that way,
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Bird dogs work wonders. It's $100 cash in your pocket for a referral. You don't even have to do any work, just send your freidn or family member down.
I had a good streak from a customer who DIDN'T buy. He sent me his buddy who bought, who in turn sent his buddy, who in turn sent another friend. That's 3 referral originating from a non buyer. Sometimes even the non buyers can bring in lots of business if you treat them right.
Those would be incorrect numbers... so no I didn't say those number
I thought, especially during these tough times, that you were the type who would give more than 100%. It sounds like you've gone into the 'alejandrom' mode of auto sales.
Want to reconsider?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Regardless of how your percentages add up, I think that you are absolutely correct about that idea of communication. As to seeing each other on an Edmund's web cam, we might not want to go that route. There would probably be too much discrimination against Senior Citizens. :P
BTW, I think that I figured out the Car Space email system. I emailed Joel the other day and it went through fine. Originally, I was clicking the "Send/Trash Original" button. This time I just clicked the "Send" button. That must have been why you never received my response back in October.
I had an interesting letter from the local Ford dealer today. Take delivery of a new in stock car and you get the following: invoice price minus rebates minus employee pricing minus other incentives minus your trade equals your new car price. Does this sound too good to be true?
The letter also included a coupon for $50 worth of gas just to appraise my trade. Don't you think that there would be a fair amount of pressure before they handed over that gas? My wife saw the coupon in my office trash. She wanted to know why I wouldn't go get the free gas. I told her that she could go and get it, but not to dare come home with a new car unless they gave her all of the incentives plus $20,000 for our '03 Explorer. Now that would be what I call "clubbing a baby salesman". :shades:
On the contrary, that's exactly what he was doing.
There was no indication by Alejandro that the gesture was either obscene or dismissive. It sounds to me like the guy was simply disappointed by the price/mileage ratio and was merely shrugging it off and he promptly moved on. A "thank you" would probably have been in order but wanting to "drop" the guy for something so trivial sounds pretty far out.
If the gesture were obscene, Alejandro would surely have mentioned it. Alejandro?
"...There would be too much discrimination against Senior Citizens..."
That's right. And since we all sit in those low-slung "sport" model wheelchairs, all they would see on the web cam would be the top of our bald, wrinkled heads.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
"...There was no indication by Alejandro that the gesture was either obscene or dismissive..."
Well maybe on Vulcan you and Mr. Spock would not have the same emotional response to that interaction, but here on earth the interaction Alejandro described was very dismissive. I'll grant you it was not obscene, I may have been a little emotional when I said that.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
And since we all sit in those low-slung "sport" model wheelchairs, all they would see on the web cam would be the top of our bald, wrinkled heads.
Speak for yourself please. :mad: Mine is all there, while not the original color it’s ALL there and when Edmunds issues that web cam for members who are current in their dues, I’ll gladly prove it.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Me: "Welcome to Toyota of XYZ...my name is Alejandro. How can I assist you today?"
While we are tearing you apart alejandrom a thought occured (spellcheck please Richard) to me. Just joking alej, but I am wondering if the opening line needs some work. First, it isn't too bad because it requires an answer, not just a "yes" or "no" as in "Can I help You?" I guess that is salesmanship 101.
It does sound a little bit rote, rehearsed, not really friendly.
I'd be curious how this would work...and though I've spent 3/4's of my working life in sales it is not with cars - keep that in mind....
Hello sir, and what brings you out to look at our new Camry (Lexus or used Lexus etc) on such a beautiful ( substitute rainy, cloudy) day?
This opening could lead to more conversation, weather, why he has the time to be there, might lead to what his interests are, common ground you can discuss, etc etc. It is friendlier and opens the door to an informal chat. Although "How can I assist you today" means you are wanting to be helpful, to me it is almost like you are going to assist me into purchasing a car. It makes me feel like I am physically or mentally or auto-knowledge challenged and need help- which is starting to scare me - "What does this guy really want?"
I might be way off base, but would welcome your thoughts, good bad or ugly. I am a willing and curious student (senior) here.
Those cheesy lines are right out of the overpaid trainers GP and others discussed before. That line leaves you open for failure. It requires a yes or no answer so where do you go from there? Open ended questions would seem to me to work best. And if the "prospect" responds with a smart answer I would respond with a smart answer too. What have you got to lose? "That's too much for that many miles!" said the customer. "Based on what?" or "What makes you say that?" I would guess would get a better response from the bum.
Customer: "That's to many miles for that price..."(walks away from me and leaves the showroom).
I think a reply to this if you could catch up to him could be; "How many miles should the car have on it for that price" or "What kind of mileage were you looking for in a Lexus"? It kind of gets around his real objection but opens the door to more conversation. There are likely even better replies to get someone talking and get on common ground. To be good at this you really have to get creative.
Thanks Richard about the "r"...I didn't think it looked right :sick: By the way, I think "What kind of mileage were you looking for in a Lexus"? is pretty good if I do say so myself because it is non-confrontational, it opens the door to a good discussion to learn more about the guy, though it is off topic it does require a reply and he would be a real boor if he could come back at you with an impolite reply.
those cheesy lines are right out of the overpaid trainers GP and others discussed before. "That's too much for that many miles!" said the customer. "Based on what?" or "What makes you say that?" I would guess would get a better response from the bum.
Rogey, I don't know how you would reply to; Hello sir, and what brings you out to look at our new Camry (Lexus or used Lexus etc) on such a beautiful ( substitute rainy, cloudy) day? with a yes or no. If he won't open up with a pretty broad line like this he is probably not wanting to talk to any one!
If he says the car is too expensive based on the mileage, and you say "based on what?, you might get into a fistfight - although honest sounds pretty confrontational.
There was no indication by Alejandro that the gesture was either obscene or dismissive. It sounds to me like the guy was simply disappointed by the price/mileage ratio and was merely shrugging it off and he promptly moved on. A "thank you" would probably have been in order but wanting to "drop" the guy for something so trivial sounds pretty far out.
Tidester, we might be in the minority but I tend to agree with you based on the limited information Alejandro gave us. The Lexus guy might could have been a little more civil in his dismissal -- none of us were there, so we will never know. Putting myself in the Lexus guy's shoes, my question is how long and involved to I really want to get if I know that the price/mileage is way too much? Why blow smoke up someones leg if I immediately see that this deal isn't going to happen? Sounds like a waste of both parties time.
This may be an unfair broad generalization but, based on some salesmen's comments over the years, I sometimes get the feeling that a customer can't win in the eyes of the salesman unless they pay sticker price right then, right there on whatever is first out on the lot -- no time to consider other things, no time to price check, to time to fact check --just pick something out for me and fill in the signed check for whatever you want! :mad: :sick:
Maybe Lexus guy has done a little research and has a reasonable guesstimate of what Alejandro's car should be priced at.... unless Alejandro wants to provide us with the model, price and miles there is no way to tell who is off base.
I've been keeping my eyes open for a CPO Lexus RX for my sister and have found what I consider to be a wide range of asking prices from dealer to dealer. Lexus of Greenville seems $3k higher than Nalley Lexus of Smyrna on comparable models. Why send her to Greenville if someone else, right off the bat, is thousands less before negotiations even begin?
Being traded in today with it's original engine and automatic transmission, a 1989 Honda Accord with 436,000 miles!
It came into our shop leaking coolant yesterday. Turned out to be a corroded pile that is part of the engine block. It can be fixed but this would require pulling the engine. The woman who owns it figured it was the end of the line so she's trading it in. It still runs very well!
One time in my life I actually went into a dealership completely ready to come in one car and leave in another. This was when my 80 Accord was pronounced rusted to the point of dangerous. They has stamped "NOT SAFE TO DRIVE" on the invoice for looking at it. I went to the local Chevy dealer and asked what was used on the lot that fit in with what I wanted and they pulled out an 85 Sentra that took me maybe a half hour to buy. We were driving from the Jersey shore to Portland, ME the next day.
Actually the only thing wrong in the whole transaction was that there was this nasty vibration on the Sentra at something like 53 mph. You could go slower or faster and it would be fine. Turned out the wheels needing balancing which did wonders.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
"...he would be a real boor if he could come back at you with an impolite reply..."
I think by his behavior the customer identified himself as a boor. What would make you think that he would respond differently to anything the OP said? I think the sales folks figure such a customer would be nothing but a PIA during the whole transaction and give them a bad CSI to boot. Not worth the trouble.
But, in these tough times it might be necessary to try for a sale anyway. I would have responded "...I can see you are a person who has a definite idea about what he wants. Lets sit down and go through our inventory and see if we can come up with something more suitable".
If he still acted like a dope, then I'd drop him. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I hate to even bring this up but the Edmunds home page has an article questioning the reliability of newer Hondas vs. older ones. Maybe the woman should fix up her '89.
EDIT: I actually went back and read the article and it was just the last page from their long-term test of the Accord. Despite the come-on article title, they had no issue with reliability. They said it was reliable but boring...big surprise.
Talk about bait and switch. Shame Edmunds, shame.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I would have responded "...I can see you are a person who has a definite idea about what he wants. Lets sit down and go through our inventory and see if we can come up with something more suitable".
That's a good reply INMO, it is courteous and should lead to a discussion. You might get into some common ground and he might even open up a bit.
I don't right boors off completely too soon. I just think of them as a challenge and I feel great when I win them over. Quite often they are just insecure people or don't know how to communicate, so if you show them you are willing to actually talk to them you might win them over. I do agree though, there is a time to cut your losses. But all of retail has them, I don't know if it worse selling them cars or clothes!
The easy walk ins almost any sales person can sell, they know what they want, you can communicate, you negotiate, but, these difficult boors separate the salesmen from the super-salesmen.
Comments
I've been verbally filleted in better places than this...as well as this place. My "insights" are intended to be helpful and are the sole property of the poster. Naturally, I'm posting as a consumer. Still, I don't have to be the inventor of the microwave oven to know how to use one.
"I've never been in a business where the customers think that they know more than the sales staff."
Try being a personnel director. My clients used to claim that they knew all about the salary, benefits, hiring processes, etc. When it came time to sign their contracts, they thought gross salary was their take home pay, that hospital insurance had no deductibles, that tenure had no waiting period, etc.
Try teaching young adults with a college degree. They read one book on The Methods of Teaching or Classroom Management Styles and they are now experts in the educational field.
Your profession is not the only one with customers who think that they know more than you do. Still, you have to smile and try to educate the customers. To go on the defensive defeats your purpose. While I don't pretend to know one thing about selling automobiles, I do believe that there are some basic principles in dealing with customers in any field. BTW, your views are interesting and they do generate discussions here.
Richard
This is such a tragic example of the entitlement that people feel today. It's the 21st Century philosophy of "Get out of my way. I'm entitled to be first."
Richard
I'm sorry but we already filled the position of Annoying Spelling Corrector. Nice try though. :P
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Nicely put.
Well, on second thought, well put.
Either way, hope you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I've had the opportunity to do Canadian t'giving in October, then U.S. in Nov in the same year, and it's certainly a good thing.
"If it's not Folger's, it's just not coffee." :P
Richard
Remind me to stay away from your store. I thought the guy asked a reasonable question and simply opined that the price and mileage were incongruous. It's not like he was insulting your mother or giving you an obscene hand gesture.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.
Richard, ASC for Edmunds
Last year there was a video played that showed an elderly person being stampeded on, upon a store opening their doors. I blame Wally World. They better than anyone should understand the extent of human greed. The victims family will sue for millions of dollars, and get it.
Something tells me this "Won't be like Germany"....
GP
On a bumper sticker-
People that think they know it all really annoy those of us that do.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
That is very cool M, Please post a short trip report when you get back. Thanks.
that are sorta-maybe ready for production hopefully sometime soon.
I love your number 9. I think that says it all.
"As a matter of fact I do know it all, I just can't remember it all at once."
On the contrary, that's exactly what he was doing. By turning and walking away without comment he used his body language to dismiss alejandron and tell him he was nothing. The dismissive hand gesture might just as well been "the finger" for what it conveyed.
That's why I couldn't be a car salesman. I'd end up in jail. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Not filleting anyone, just curious if being disturbed by customers is really that prevalent in car sales.
moo....have a great trip. I've been to Hong Kong. Never to the mainland, though. Indeed, stay safe and let us know how it went when you return.
I think his problem is the guy just stated that it was to many miles for that price and just left. Now without any particulars about the car and price we can't say if the customers response was justified or not.
just curious if being disturbed by customers is really that prevalent in car sales.
In any type of sales position you have to let things roll off like water of a ducks back. Otherwise you won't be in sales to long or you will end up with ulcers.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
COMUNICATION is 55% body language..... 38% tone of voice... 7% the words we use.....
With that being said, imagine how well we would all get along if we were all face to face.... or at least on video cam on Edmunds :P
GP
I don't think the OP was saying that he was seriously considering knocking out his customer. Only that he FELT like doing it. That's like saying to your kids: "If you don't stop running around I'm going to kill you!" You don't really mean it but you sure do FEEL like doing it.
Having delt with both my kids and customers I have had that same feeling many times. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I'm just thinking how long it would take before someone got shot...LOL
BTW greanpea, I've been reading about the 370-Z. My offer still stands to let your dealership park a few in my driveway while you do snow removal.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I know that many of the car sales vets in here rely on referrals. But, that means they've been in the biz for awhile. At some point, they all had to "cold call".
Yesterday, I went to my local Chevy store as they had to replace the windshield washer heater (via recall). Took about 30 minutes. While I was sitting in the customer lounge, my sales person spied me and came in to talk with me.
It was mostly small talk....
"How's the Tahoe?"
"How was Thanksgiving?"
Little more than that. He asked me if I knew of anyone who was looking for a car. I took no offense. Told him I didn't.
Then, I quizzed him....
"How's business?"
He relayed that they had a lot of tirekickers, but few buyers. He said what I already knew...."It's a numbers game....the more people I talk to, the more sales I make."
He also mentioned that during a downturn like what's now being experienced, he doubled his efforts to talk to as many people as possible. I was on the list of people he was going to call. But, since we had the chance run in, he said he wouldn't bother.
Still, it was clear he was going to "beat the bushes" looking for business...probably moreso than "normal" times.
He's been there for awhile. So, I'll assume he's been relatively successful. Even he has to do the "grunt work" to make sales.
I do mind calling customers who bought 6 months or a year ago, who most likley won't be looking for another car for a few years. I'm sure most do mind as well.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Thanks Oldfarmer.... I needed a laugh today
gP
GP....have you driven the 370X yet. Impressions?
That would kind of creep me out if my salesman called me 6 months after a new car purchase to ask if I wanted to trade it in. I would immediately start thinking "Why is he doing this? What's wrong with the car I just bought? What aren't they telling me?". I sure wouldn't be rushing right over to his store.
My salesman offered me a $100 payment for referrals. What's that called, a bird dog? Do any of you guys try that one? Does it work? For me, if I love my car I'll tell everyone without getting paid. If I hate it, it would take more than $100 for me to sell out my friends. I'm just funny that way,
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I had a good streak from a customer who DIDN'T buy. He sent me his buddy who bought, who in turn sent his buddy, who in turn sent another friend. That's 3 referral originating from a non buyer. Sometimes even the non buyers can bring in lots of business if you treat them right.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Yes I have said it before... :shades:
it was 55% body language, 43% tone of voice, and 10% the words we use?
Those would be incorrect numbers... so no I didn't say those number
Gp
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I thought, especially during these tough times, that you were the type who would give more than 100%. It sounds like you've gone into the 'alejandrom' mode of auto sales.
Want to reconsider?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
BTW, I think that I figured out the Car Space email system. I emailed Joel the other day and it went through fine. Originally, I was clicking the "Send/Trash Original" button. This time I just clicked the "Send" button. That must have been why you never received my response back in October.
Richard
The letter also included a coupon for $50 worth of gas just to appraise my trade. Don't you think that there would be a fair amount of pressure before they handed over that gas? My wife saw the coupon in my office trash. She wanted to know why I wouldn't go get the free gas. I told her that she could go and get it, but not to dare come home with a new car unless they gave her all of the incentives plus $20,000 for our '03 Explorer. Now that would be what I call "clubbing a baby salesman". :shades:
Richard
There was no indication by Alejandro that the gesture was either obscene or dismissive. It sounds to me like the guy was simply disappointed by the price/mileage ratio and was merely shrugging it off and he promptly moved on. A "thank you" would probably have been in order but wanting to "drop" the guy for something so trivial sounds pretty far out.
If the gesture were obscene, Alejandro would surely have mentioned it. Alejandro?
-tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
That's right. And since we all sit in those low-slung "sport" model wheelchairs, all they would see on the web cam would be the top of our bald, wrinkled heads.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Well maybe on Vulcan you and Mr. Spock would not have the same emotional response to that interaction, but here on earth the interaction Alejandro described was very dismissive. I'll grant you it was not obscene, I may have been a little emotional when I said that.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Speak for yourself please. :mad: Mine is all there, while not the original color it’s ALL there and when Edmunds issues that web cam for members who are current in their dues, I’ll gladly prove it.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
While we are tearing you apart alejandrom a thought occured (spellcheck please Richard) to me. Just joking alej, but I am wondering if the opening line needs some work. First, it isn't too bad because it requires an answer, not just a "yes" or "no" as in "Can I help You?" I guess that is salesmanship 101.
It does sound a little bit rote, rehearsed, not really friendly.
I'd be curious how this would work...and though I've spent 3/4's of my working life in sales it is not with cars - keep that in mind....
Hello sir, and what brings you out to look at our new Camry (Lexus or used Lexus etc) on such a beautiful ( substitute rainy, cloudy) day?
This opening could lead to more conversation, weather, why he has the time to be there, might lead to what his interests are, common ground you can discuss, etc etc. It is friendlier and opens the door to an informal chat.
Although "How can I assist you today" means you are wanting to be helpful, to me it is almost like you are going to assist me into purchasing a car. It makes me feel like I am physically or mentally or auto-knowledge challenged and need help- which is starting to scare me - "What does this guy really want?"
I might be way off base, but would welcome your thoughts, good bad or ugly. I am a willing and curious student (senior) here.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I like that better as well. It invites more conversation in a friendly environment.
BTW, you did need an extra "r" in that word.
Richard
"That's too much for that many miles!" said the customer. "Based on what?" or "What makes you say that?" I would guess would get a better response from the bum.
I think a reply to this if you could catch up to him could be;
"How many miles should the car have on it for that price" or "What kind of mileage were you looking for in a Lexus"? It kind of gets around his real objection but opens the door to more conversation. There are likely even better replies to get someone talking and get on common ground. To be good at this you really have to get creative.
Thanks Richard about the "r"...I didn't think it looked right :sick:
By the way, I think
"What kind of mileage were you looking for in a Lexus"? is pretty good if I do say so myself because it is non-confrontational, it opens the door to a good discussion to learn more about the guy, though it is off topic it does require a reply and he would be a real boor if he could come back at you with an impolite reply.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
"That's too much for that many miles!" said the customer. "Based on what?" or "What makes you say that?" I would guess would get a better response from the bum.
Rogey, I don't know how you would reply to;
Hello sir, and what brings you out to look at our new Camry (Lexus or used Lexus etc) on such a beautiful ( substitute rainy, cloudy) day? with a yes or no. If he won't open up with a pretty broad line like this he is probably not wanting to talk to any one!
If he says the car is too expensive based on the mileage, and you say "based on what?, you might get into a fistfight - although honest sounds pretty confrontational.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Tidester, we might be in the minority but I tend to agree with you based on the limited information Alejandro gave us. The Lexus guy might could have been a little more civil in his dismissal -- none of us were there, so we will never know. Putting myself in the Lexus guy's shoes, my question is how long and involved to I really want to get if I know that the price/mileage is way too much? Why blow smoke up someones leg if I immediately see that this deal isn't going to happen? Sounds like a waste of both parties time.
This may be an unfair broad generalization but, based on some salesmen's comments over the years, I sometimes get the feeling that a customer can't win in the eyes of the salesman unless they pay sticker price right then, right there on whatever is first out on the lot -- no time to consider other things, no time to price check, to time to fact check --just pick something out for me and fill in the signed check for whatever you want! :mad: :sick:
Maybe Lexus guy has done a little research and has a reasonable guesstimate of what Alejandro's car should be priced at.... unless Alejandro wants to provide us with the model, price and miles there is no way to tell who is off base.
I've been keeping my eyes open for a CPO Lexus RX for my sister and have found what I consider to be a wide range of asking prices from dealer to dealer. Lexus of Greenville seems $3k higher than Nalley Lexus of Smyrna on comparable models. Why send her to Greenville if someone else, right off the bat, is thousands less before negotiations even begin?
It came into our shop leaking coolant yesterday. Turned out to be a corroded pile that is part of the engine block. It can be fixed but this would require pulling the engine. The woman who owns it figured it was the end of the line so she's trading it in. It still runs very well!
One time in my life I actually went into a dealership completely ready to come in one car and leave in another. This was when my 80 Accord was pronounced rusted to the point of dangerous. They has stamped "NOT SAFE TO DRIVE" on the invoice for looking at it. I went to the local Chevy dealer and asked what was used on the lot that fit in with what I wanted and they pulled out an 85 Sentra that took me maybe a half hour to buy. We were driving from the Jersey shore to Portland, ME the next day.
Actually the only thing wrong in the whole transaction was that there was this nasty vibration on the Sentra at something like 53 mph. You could go slower or faster and it would be fine. Turned out the wheels needing balancing which did wonders.
I think by his behavior the customer identified himself as a boor. What would make you think that he would respond differently to anything the OP said? I think the sales folks figure such a customer would be nothing but a PIA during the whole transaction and give them a bad CSI to boot. Not worth the trouble.
But, in these tough times it might be necessary to try for a sale anyway. I would have responded "...I can see you are a person who has a definite idea about what he wants. Lets sit down and go through our inventory and see if we can come up with something more suitable".
If he still acted like a dope, then I'd drop him. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I hate to even bring this up but the Edmunds home page has an article questioning the reliability of newer Hondas vs. older ones. Maybe the woman should fix up her '89.
EDIT: I actually went back and read the article and it was just the last page from their long-term test of the Accord. Despite the come-on article title, they had no issue with reliability. They said it was reliable but boring...big surprise.
Talk about bait and switch. Shame Edmunds, shame.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That's a good reply INMO, it is courteous and should lead to a discussion. You might get into some common ground and he might even open up a bit.
I don't right boors off completely too soon. I just think of them as a challenge and I feel great when I win them over. Quite often they are just insecure people or don't know how to communicate, so if you show them you are willing to actually talk to them you might win them over. I do agree though, there is a time to cut your losses. But all of retail has them, I don't know if it worse selling them cars or clothes!
The easy walk ins almost any sales person can sell, they know what they want, you can communicate, you negotiate, but, these difficult boors separate the salesmen from the super-salesmen.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250