Stories from the Sales Frontlines

verdugo

Every time I see one of those things the theme song to the Munsters pops into my head.

That never happened to me, but I'm sure it will from now on. Thanks :sick: :P

sterlingdog

I never realized that we had it so good. We live in the resort area of Pinehurst, N.C. and our taxes are only $1,400 on a $300k+ house. I am told that the taxes in this county are low because there is very little Medicaid and welfare to be paid out. Also, there is much political pressure from the senior citizens and golfers who live here. They hold the county commissioners in check when it comes to taxes.

Richard

sterlingdog

Happy Memorial Day on Monday. Let us all remember why we celebrate this day. Thanks to all of the guys and gals here who made it possible for me to sleep in peace at night.

Richard

imidazol97

Did anyone compare sales taxes? IIRC the sales tax is 10% in TN, or at least that's what I remember from paying the bill at Demos' Italian in Murfreesboro Rutherford Cty.). It may have been 10.5%.

joel0622

8.25% at the grocery store, 7% at the car store, and I think like 9.75% on the sin tax stuff.

isellhondas

9.8 % sales tax here!

No state income tax but we pay 4500.00 a year for property tax on our house which is probably worth 550,000.

nortsr1

You should live in Washington Twsp, Southern NJ. My wife's house is worth approx. $350,000.00. Real estate tax is $9,500.00. That does not include water and sewerage fees. Sales tax is 7 % and also NJ has a state Income tax.
AND....The state is still damn near bankrupt. At least gasoline is still lower than most states (if that is any consolation)!!!

mikefm58

6.5% sales tax here in Orlando Florida, no state income tax, and property taxes of about $1300 on my house (worth $300K 3 yrs ago, maybe $150K now ). On the property taxes, Florida has something called a Homestead exemption. If I were to sell my house now, taxes would triple.

snakeweasel

Property tax here on my $325K house runs about $5K and has actually dropped a few hundred a year the last few years, Thats due to a combination of 8% sales tax rate and a lot of retail space opening up in my little burb.

tidester

... what you're all telling us is that automotive sales has been good for you but we would appreciate it if your tales were a little closer to the sales frontlines.

In the meantime, I hope you're all having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

joel0622

My Memoriial Day Weekend consist of working till 9:00 pm tonight, 7:00pm Sunday and 9:00PM Monday, lol. But we have been busy as hell. Delivered 10 yesterday and 11 so far today.

boomchek

Sundays and holidays are my only days off.

I have very flexible hours but usually end up working 10-8. :sick:

Our management is pretty flexible with giving days off and things like that.

One dealership I worked at had a super strict sales manager. He didn't even like when people switched shifts. He issued a memo saying this is not a country club and that shifts switches should be limited to one a month.

I never saw what the big deal was as long as you had the floor covered.

He wasn't very popular and the store has lost a few good guys because of him.

roadburner

Happy Memorial Day on Monday. Let us all remember why we celebrate this day. Thanks to all of the guys and gals here who made it possible for me to sleep in peace at night.

Amen and Amen!!!

lrguy44

Here all dealerships are closed Sunday - we are closed Monday and Tueday is my day off. But we also close at 7 during the week and 9-5 on Saturday. We are a country club.

sterlingdog

What is this? Are you celebrating Memorial Day with a certain kind of liquid refreshment? I have never had to correct you before.

"...that automobile sales has been good for you..."

"...I hope you're all have a wonderful..."

As my Host, I expect you to maintain high standards. :P

Richard

tidester

Really, Richard, I would have thought that you could read typonese as well as the rest of us. :P :P

By the way, the "automobile sales has" expression is perfectly correct grammar since it stands for a singular concept as in a profession. And, again, I hope you are all having a wonderful Memorial weekend. :shades:

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

joel0622

Guy sounds old school. We keep trying to convince the owner that if he wants fresh young blood in the store he needs to change the hours where people are not working 60+ a week. Young people won't work those hours any more. Hell I don't want to work these hours any more. I am really burned out on them. Working 34 hours on Memorial Day weekend is ridiculous.

joel0622

Thats why I have considered going high line in the past, but I just can't bring myself to sell anything but Fords. My passion for the product is one of the things that make me good (imo) at what I do. I could not see myself looking some one in the eye and telling them how great a product is that I do not believe in 110%

jmonroe

By the way, the "automobile sales has" expression is perfectly correct grammar since it stands for a singular concept as in a profession.

When I first read your comment I thought, "whoopsy, that ain't right". Then I saw how you were phrasing it. Do you think that guy is a phony? I'd have hated to have been graded by him He whips out the RED pen waaay to fast and you know how teachers hate it when you have to correct them. Yeah, I never would have made it out of 7th grade with that guy. As it was I did it 3 times.

And yes, we must never forget the real reason for Memorial Day. Our keyboards would not look like they do without the ones that laid it on the line for our freedom. Thanks guys, I haven't forgot.

jmonroe

sterlingdog

I've tried using those same excuses myself. They won't fly. :P

Richard

jmonroe

Delivered 10 yesterday and 11 so far today.

There has to be a tale in there some place, right?

jmonroe

joel0622

No not really, a pretty mundane couple of days. Good credit, good deals, just a good day. There was not an idiot in sight. One guy did ask if we could trade him out of his car, when we asked to see it he said it was at a impound yard because it got repo'ed last week.

sterlingdog

The quote was "automotive sales", not "automobile sales". If you're going to throw darts, at least use the correct poisoned pen. :mad: As an English teacher, I viewed "automotive" as an adjective describing the noun "sales".

"As it was I did it three times."

We now know what happened in this country---too many social promotions.

Richard

sterlingdog

"That's why I have considered going high line in the past, but I just can't bring myself to sell anything but Fords."

As you and I both know, Fords ARE high line, right? :P

Richard

explorerx4

explorerx4

hope everyone is flying 'old glory', except maybe 'boom' who can display the 'maple leaf'.

tidester

you know how teachers hate it when you have to correct them

Actually, I love it when students correct me. It shows they are paying attention.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

explorerx4

maybe i have posted this before, probably, but i still remember the day my dad came home with a black '56 4 door fairlane he bought from the owner of the company, and him opening the hood.
when i saw the 'thunderbird' valve covers on the engine, i was hooked.
ford has been my favorite team, ever since.
last month, my wife bought an '09 escape from a dealer which was our 9th ford bought there.
when i bought the first one, a 1989 sho, i got into an extended discussion with the salesman if the engine in the '56 was a 292 or a 312. :surprise:

driver100

you know how teachers hate it when you have to correct them

Or as Rodney Dangerfield said in that movie Back to School;

I love teachers because they make you keep doing it over and over again until you get it right.

driver100

Awhile ago we were talking about home alarms. Well, our went off at 12 midnight on Wednesday night. We were asleep for about an hour when this loud whiring noise started. It is a shock, as you try to figure out what to do while still stunned from being awakened so suddenly.

I was going to open the bedroom door and go down the hall, then I thought what if they have guns. Right then, the phone rang. The alarm company said, the sound is coming from the patio door. So, I made my way through the house to the patio door - phone in hand - and it was open about 3 inches.

I think the noise from the alarm frieghtened them away. I always like the alarm system because if there are strange noises in the house I just look at the alarm all lit up, with no sound, and I can go back to sleep.

I felt very good that the alarm company called and that the alarm probably saved me from losing my computer...cost $10 a month for monitoring...peace of mind, priceless.

I read later patio doors are a real weakness in your homes barrier. We now wedge a piece of wood in there, just short enough so they can open it 3 inches to set off the alarm if they try it. i don't want them to find the door won't open so they'll try something else.

jmonroe

One guy did ask if we could trade him out of his car, when we asked to see it he said it was at a impound yard because it got repo'ed last week.

Wait a minute...'boom' told us about that guy a week ago or so. Don't tell me none of the salesmen in Canada were willing to help him so he made his way to the USA. Those guys up there must be heartless. :confuse:

jmonroe

jmonroe

As an English teacher, I viewed "automotive" as an adjective describing the noun "sales".

I think you're trying to describe "sentence diagraming". That's what made 7th grade English so tough on me.

jmonroe

jmonroe

I felt very good that the alarm company called and that the alarm probably saved me from losing my computer...

Well, that lose for you would have given us a break around here.

Seriously, glad everything worked out for you. That is some scary stuff.

jmonroe

joel0622

sterlingdog

Having been described as a "phony", I guess that I wouldn't know about diagraming sentences. That remark was a little below the belt, even for you.

Richard

sterlingdog

I'm glad that your alarm system is in good working order. It certainly is worth the monthly monitoring fee. With these hard economic times, we may be exposed to more of these events. Desperate people will do desperate things. We all need to be on guard.

Richard

mikefm58

Get a dog and buy a gun. Security alarms are a waste of money (IMHO), mine charges $34/month. Sure wish I could convince my wife of that

lrguy44

My passion for the product is one of the things that make me good (imo) at what I do

I know what you mean. When I first started in the business, it was at a Dodge store and a car was just a piece of iron to make money with. I have been with LR for 8 years and have a real passion for the car and the heritage of the product. They are so unique and capable. The passion makes it a lot easier to go to work and stay late when necessary etc.

sterlingdog

I forgot about my wonderful dog. You are so right. They make excellent security systems.

Richard

explorerx4

Caddie Shack. "That's the ugliest hat I ever saw. Oh, looks good on you though!".

explorerx4

revolver is less likey to jam. :surprise:

explorerx4

except in places like Hartford and other large cities, many people don't lock their cars or doors to their homes. It is tough to give up the fact that you have consider more than trusting your neighbors. :sick: we all have each other's house keys and keypad access codes.

roadburner

That's why I have considered going high line in the past, but I just can't bring myself to sell anything but Fords.

My Dad switched to Ford products in the early '60s. He started out with a Comet and a Falcon(BORING) and then graduated to Mustangs- a '65, a '67, and a '70, as well as a 1970 Torino GT complete with a shaker hood. After that he bought Caprices for daily drivers but he also bought an '86 LSC to use as his "fun" car- and it was a very nice ride. He also had a '73 Bronco V8, which I inherited(talk about a dreadful handling- it makes my '99 Wrangler seem like a Lotus Elise). As for me, I've had a Merkur Scorpio and a 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. I've always said that I'd buy a Mustang some day, but I doubt I ever will- but that's not the car's fault.

driver100

Get a dog and buy a gun.

Our dog sleeps on the bed, just above my wife's head, between her pillow and the headboard...what we call her trough.

She slept through the whole thing. She is not a watchdog and she almost never barks.

driver100

I forgot about my wonderful dog. You are so right. They make excellent security systems.

Certain breeds are very good as watchdogs. Our current Bichon Frise Gigi just goes up and sniffs people, but basically intruders mean nothing to her. She is a good little dog but not the brightest. She failed Grade 1 at obedience school and they wouldn't let her go to Grade 2 unless she took it over.

I wonder though, lets say you are sleeping and the dog might hear somebody. But, what do you do next? A rifle would be nice, but in my case, I could do more harm than good!
Probably shoot my kitchen to little bits. By the time you call the police and they arrive the low lifes could remove a few possessions. At least the alarm company can get through, and I think the whole experience scares off MOST intruders.

driver100

Caddie Shack. "That's the ugliest hat I ever saw. Oh, looks good on you though!".
Another classic!

houdini1

And yes, we must never forget the real reason for Memorial Day. Our keyboards would not look like they do without the ones that laid it on the line for our freedom. Thanks guys, I haven't forgot.

Amen brother !!

imidazol97

>She slept through the whole thing. She is not a watchdog and she almost never barks.

I hope you are talking about your dog. The antecedant of "she" would be your wife.

sky23213

When I started reading your post I was hoping for some good, funny ending. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I feel bad for what happened. It IS scary! It seems to be an issue that's getting to be on more and more homeowners' mind.
But when we consider such an occasion at home, we actually never think of possessions. Our main concern is us and the our little daughter.
We have been researching home alarms for a while, but the main deterrent is the issue of false alarms. Most cities here would start fining you after the third occurrence. Then the issue of reliability:there was a case a couple of years ago when a former husband/boyfriend managed to get into the house and murder two people. Nor a squeak from the sophisticated big name system.
I strongly support my fellow former paratrooper above. Unfortunately, since you are in Canada, I know it is very difficult to impossible to own a firearm... Too bad. In our case, we settled for a local, in-home alarm. Just like in you case, it would have sounded (we have a basement walkout and a deck-to four season porch french doors). If the intruders had not left, by the time they had made it to the staircase leading to the second floor, they would have become the "victims" of the Minnesota Personal Protection Act of 2005.

P.S. Driver and Richard, thank you for all the very informative issues you bring up on books and education.

sterlingdog

You are a trusting soul. We don't even give our house keys or alarm code to family members, much less neighbors. When our maid comes to work, one of us stays at home until she is finished.

We always lock our cars. We don't want any surprises from the back seat. About ten years ago, one of our neighbors was the victim of an unlocked car. She went to the grocery store in the early afternoon. Having failed to lock her car, a young couple on drugs climbed in the back seat and waited for her. As she drove away, they surprised her. They drove her from North Carolina to Georgia where they tortured her and finally killed her. Upon hearing of his wife's murder, the husband had a massive heart attack and died three days later. Our neighborhood was never quite the same again. We all suffered the loss of two wonderful people.

Richard