Stories from the Sales Frontlines

shermajd

you forgot the ALL CAPS IN YOUR POSTS

jayrider

The turquoise pinky ring was actually worn by my car dealer uncle. He had the volvo-mg-jaguar dealership outside of pittsburgh in the late 50's - 80's. He made a fortune with zero personal skills. He made money because back then you could if you knew where every dollar of profit was in every car -new or used on his lot. All used cars were reconditioned with the odometers rolled back in the early days. The sales staff would bring in the "deals" and if needed he could close the transaction. He was persistant and could read you like a book in seconds. He used to say, he really never had to sell folks on the cars because if they were in the showroom they were already sold on euroimports. They really,really wanted those cars. It was finding the right number. As a WW II vet, he passed on VW,MB,BMW and Japanese brands. Could have made even more money but he drew the line. Survived the Battle of the Bulge by playing dead and hiding out wherever possible. Almost got court marshalled but my dad saved his butt somehow.
Must have been the ring.

driver100

Sometimes people don't like what I have to say but hey the truth is better than lying

I hope you stay with us DB2. You sound like a good descent salesperson who is a little frustrated. Probably, customers are more difficult these days as they expect real bargains.

I don't think I made my question clear. I'll ask again, You talk to a customer, maybe give them a good price, then they use that quote to go somewhere else to get a dealer to beat the price you gave. Do you get customers who got a price from another dealer, come to you, and you can beat that price by $50? If you lose customers that way, you should gain some that way

I hope you stay around DB2, I think you have problems that almost all car sales people face. Not all, because Mercedes you have to buy in your area, and bmw or Audi, dealerships are too far apart for most people to play that game.

driver100

my car dealer uncle. He had the volvo-mg-jaguar dealership outside of pittsburgh in the late 50's - 80's

Nice little sales story JR. Your uncle might not have had personal skills, but he was probably pretty smart in his own way.

driver100

This morning I said there was a driver with 3 passengers in a Camry in Plant City that crashed into 3 other cars and then rolled over. No serious injuries.

The police are certain it has nothing to do with a faulty gas pedal. The car isn't on the list of recalled models...using the serial number.

Also, the owner cut out a floor mat of thick plastic, that went on top of the real mats. The police showed how that doesn't bend easily, and if it catches on the gas pedal it holds it down.

A lot of people thought their Audis had faulty gas pedals - but they didn't. There might not be as many problems as it seems.

dealbreaker2

Oh to answer your question driver100, definitely, I'd never let a deal walk, I get deals from other dealers because they won't budge or the customer ultimately did to them what they did to me. It's a ricochet effect definitely by all means. Problem is on our part, when you're sincerely working your hardest to make the customer like, listen, and believe you and you lose them over $50 it's very draining. I'm talking $50.00 not $50.00 a month, because I could definitely understand shopping another dealer if I was $50.00 a month higher than the other. However, If I'm at $50.00 higher a month a customer will ultimately get upset thinking I'm taking them for a ride, when in principle I'm thinking it's a great deal for them cause it's fits their budget but the other dealer down the street is totally blowing the vehicle out or in other words could be low balling them as well just so they come back.

And I will stick around here. I just wanted to spread my story from other side of the bargaining table, Things have significantly changed since the 80's.

Also let me tell you guys a helpful hint. It is believed that when you deal with older sales people that they are kind nice guys, make ya feel warm inside like ya grandfather did when you were a kid, soft spoken, very knowlegable and everything you feel they say is correct and honest. LIE! lol. Believe it or not the new guys are the best people to buy the car off of because they have the most enthusiasm.

When something seems to good to be true it usually is, and that goes for some salespeople too!

jayrider

When it came to making money in every aspect of the dealership, he was a genius. And there were no spreadsheets and computer generated data in those days.
I do have to add another story. I was there for something in the late sixties and they had a used red Ferrari that he bought being serviced to go on the lot. There he was sitting in the coup reving the engine and smiling like he won the lottery. He may have even redlined the car. The mechanics were standing around shaking their heads telling me he was going to throw a rod and screaming curses at him.. He couldn't hear them of course and the sound of that engine still sings sweetly in my head from time to time.

lrguy44

when you deal with older sales people that they are kind nice guys, make ya feel warm inside like ya grandfather did when you were a kid, soft spoken, very knowlegable and everything you feel they say is correct and honest. LIE! lol. Believe it or not the new guys are the best people to buy the car off of because they have the most enthusiasm.

Let me give you a little lesson. I am 65 years old and just as competitive as when I was playing 2 sports in college. Over half my business is repeat or referral and I have been told I have the best phone and internet responses in the dealership. I will put my income and talent up against any young stud who cannot spell car or F&I. Negotiation experience will close more deals than enthusiasm. Do not judge a salesperson by looks, gender or age. Isell and most other sales people who hang out here have the wisdom of age and experience.

deltheking

Boy,you sound a lot like Isellhondas and what`s more you sell Hondas too !!
Maybe you can name yourself Isellhondas2 or IsellhondasJr..
But welcome here--all your posts are very appreciated.And inform us of some sales stories...This thread has 90% buyers and only 10% salesmen ,when infact we want more % of the salesmen here with more stories !! :P

dealbreaker2

sorry i meant to say most. not all.....10% hehehe no offense irguy..im sure you're a great guy and salesperson

deltheking

DB2,,you have reignited this thread with your postings..Thanks. we could do with some sales stories here !!
And since you are a Honda salesman-I must say this-- For me atleast in my experience everywhere,Honda salesmen have been the most courteous,cordial ,no pressure salesmen who know their product well and a very pleasant attitude.Maynot be true for everyone but that has been my experience..Followed by Toyota salesmen..
The worst salesmen I have seen are at Dodge and Nissan.. Infact Dodge and Nissan service advisors are even worse than the salesmen. :P
And in luxury cars-- no bad experiences at any brand dealership but Lexus was the best of the best !!
Just MHO though !!

dealbreaker2

Anytime I can stir some sh*t with the 10 percenters and unfortunately the elder wise salespeople lol. I try. I sold Toyotas for 5 years as well. I been with Honda for about 6 years now. IMO the product is much better than Toyota however unfortunately I enjoyed the Toyota customers alot better than the Honda. But that could be due to the part that Toyota not only kills their customers (literally) lol but with all those rebates kills their resale value. The older Toyotas hold their value much better than the ones of recent years. A New Toyota Camry in 2009 went for about 21,934 and a year later their trade is $16,995 abruptly, why is that you ask?? Because for 3 months out of the 12 month year there was a 1500 rebate. Honda however keeps more value because all they do is give out apr specials and hardly ever keep dealer cash. The Honda customers in my area are very weird people and have very high hopes when it comes to price. Toyota customers were a little easier to deal with because they knew every special before they hit the dealership which would ultimately result in a mini commission but a happy customer. With Honda and I'm sure other brands, it's always the people you hold the most gross on that love you the most and the people that get the best deals hate you. I could never understand that in my ten year career in automotive sales. Very odd! And Lexus dealers are very friendly. You are correct. Nissan dealers around here and Hyundai dealers in my area are the A Holes! excuse my slang. :lemon:

lrguy44

No problem - sometimes my pride gets in the way - also, I have a problem with generalizations. Welcome and we look foward to yor input

mako1a

I have a challenge for you Mr Dealbreaker:

This is what I posted on a BMW website and I don't care who takes me up on the offer. To me a dealer is anyone that can make a car swap happen.

I'm not even leaving the house for this one and I don't care if you make a mini or a maxi. I just want the exchange made with as little effort by me as possible.

Here's the deal. I have a 2010 Avalon Limited with 4200 miles. Pearl White with charcoal leather. Not a scratch anywhere. I want to trade for a 2009 or 2010 5 Series BMW in Red with automatic, I prefer no nav, no sunroof and a good stereo. Avalon ($35k) is paid for. Title is in safe deposit box. Price difference for BMW will be paid in full upon delivery. Ideally I would like delivery of BMW and removal of Avalon in one step.

Surely there is a dealer out there somewhere that would like to get in on this transaction. All I need is the price difference I would have to pay. Check will be written for that amount. I would like to see the Red BMW in an ebay type of format so I can evaluate it correctly and give a yea or nay on the spot. Then arrange delivery and say bye bye to Toyota. Hello BMW.

explorerx4

from the buyer's side, for a lot of potential buyers, a new car has become financially more difficult due to the general economic conditions.

roadburner

Tidester pointed dealbreaker2 to this topic.
I'm plotting my revenge as we speak...
:P

mikefm58

Welcome aboard, you're going to to fit in well here, and sorry about my comment to your initial post, you took it well. I'm not in the biz but consider myself an educated consumer, educated by all the other experts here. Again, welcome aboard.

Got any good sales stories, my favorites are the ones where the customer was too smart for his own good and lost out on a good deal that he didn't see in the first place.

driver100

This is what I posted on a BMW website and I don't care who takes me up on the offer.

Interesting way to trade in a car.

Why not email as many bmw dealers as possible. I am not sure if dealers check the bmw site.

Once, when the housing market was hot, my friend wanted to sell his house - he had already bought a new condo. He had 2 agents that called him and each said they we the best agent to sell his house. He said fine, I'll give the listing to both of you, whoever sells it first makes the sale. It sold very fast. That's what you are basically doing.

I think you might have to do some work, but you should be able to email the 5 or 6 closest dealers to see what kind of offers you get.

Hope you keep us up to date on what happens.

gogiboy

Well, we received our insurance settlement for the totaled 02 Rav4. We went to the dealership and told them to cash the second check since it finally wouldn't bounce and they gave us the paperwork to take to our tag agency to pay the tax (3.5% of sales price) and for the title.

I neglected to subtract our deductible so the check was less than I thought, but in talking to our claim adjuster I discovered that the insurance company will pay for the tax and title on the new car (if done within 30 days of the old car being declared totaled). Is this typical? I must admit it was a pleasant surprise and will more than offset the deductible reduction.

Didn't seem to be much panic at the Toyota dealership when we picked up the paperwork. It even appeared that one older couple was buying a car (actually an FJ Cruiser). I could be wrong. It wasn't exactly booming, but it was 5 pm on a Tuesday. I'm guessing they had little foot traffic for the last three to four days, but that had as much to do with the ice storm and poor road conditions as the limited stock available.

The ice storm did deflate the giant inflatable Barry Sanders football figure in front of the Hyundai dealership. No word on if/when he will be pumped up to his former glory.

Gogiboy

maybesubie1

To get the car and options I want, I may end up having to order through a dealership and then waiting while it is built. My question is- how do you negotiate a trade-in under that scenario? I doubt the dealership would want to commit to a price for a trade-in that might not happen for a few months. But without an agreed-to price I would be afraid they wouldn't give you reasonable trade-in value when it was time to pick up the new car. I could sell to a private party, but it would be nice to just deal with a dealership. Any ideas? Thanks.

sterlingdog

"Most stories come from the regular non salesfolk who recently purchased a car. So any story, good or bad, would be wonderful."

Well! Thank you Mr. Jips! I thought that our buyer stories were pretty interesting myself. You'll make dealbreaker2 think that this is a boring place. While we may have some "grits and grammar" at times, this place is anything but boring! Dealbreaker2 is about to join a very exclusive, prestigious group of automobile enthusiasts. BTW, have you turned in your 2010 dues? For members whose names begin with "J", dues will be slightly higher this year. Do I need to get out my paddle?

Richard

mako1a

What I'm trying to avoid is driving all over town (nearest BMW dealers are 60, 70 and 80 miles away) in a car I don't feel safe driving. I am willing to pay for this convenience. BMW dealers will be notified.

Toyota got me in this spot and Toyota should make it right, but if they won't I'll take care of providing my wife and myself a safe vehicle regardless of cost. Whatever happened to "duty bound to do what is right". I guess that only counts in Japan.

They knew about this for over 3 years (probably more) and did nothing until it all became a public embarrassment and the death toll rose to levels they could no longer accept.

sterlingdog

For me, it is the other way around. You KNOW how I feel about Toyota salesmen in my area. The Chrysler/ Dodge salesmen in my area are the best that I have ever experienced. Their professionalism, integrity, and courteousness have really impressed me.

As for 90% buyers and 10% salesmen on this thread, I don't believe that it is that lopsided. I do think that the diversity of our discussions has made this site very popular. If you notice, many "lurkers" have stated that though they don't post much, they always read this thread. I think that it speaks well of all posters here.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...the thread turns to more interesting stuff like what school in NJ has the best lunches."

I have to admit that you, Isell, Joey, and others have been awfully nice about it. As one of the culprits, I thank you.

Richard

sterlingdog

Welcome Dealbreaker2! It's nice to see another salesman on this site. Since I am twice your age, let me give you a piece of introductory advice. I came blasting my way in here two and a half years ago. I soon found out that there were some regular posters here who could clip my wings in a skinny minute. I began to settle in and learn from these guys. After all, I was a buyer, not a salesman. By the same token, you will learn some things from the buyers here.

After your fourth post, I realized that you had the makings of a nice guy. Stay here and learn from these guys who have been around the block more than once. You will be a better person for the experience. Also, you will have fun here. The banter is the best on the net.

As Chief Grammarian for this site, I'll let you settle in for a week or so. You do need some help. :P Your instruction will be limited. Isellhondas has me on a quota system. Enjoy. We're happy to have you.

Richard

deltheking

Richard,
Ever thought of opening an all American car dealership where only correct English is spoken?
That would be a real odd marriage,I guess-an English only speaking store selling cars from Mexico/Japan/Korea/Germany/USA of course !! :P

tidester

Tidester pointed dealbreaker2 to this topic.
I'm plotting my revenge as we speak...

I just knew DB2 would be in good hands here. :P

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

cdnpinhead

. . .I remember hearing that there was a correlation between the # of cars a person had owned over their lifetime and the number of, ahem, girlfriends they had had. . .

Wow -- think of the stories isell could tell.

karhill1

cdnpinhead - Democrat? What about your Foley, Vidder, Gingrich, etc, etc. Should leave your political ga-ga out of a forum about cars. Oh, what instructions did Mr. Beck issue last night?

imidazol97

>Hey, one's private life has no effect on professional performance, right?
>Isn't that the mantra?

Depends on the party: republican, run them out on a rail; democrat, there's an explanation and it isn't all bad.

imidazol97

>Should leave your political ga-ga out of a forum about cars. Oh, what instructions did Mr. Beck issue last night?

Best to follow one's own advice. But Alinsky's basis is to immediately label your opponent such as the Beck comment does.

Political discussion: Over here

joel0622

I discovered that the insurance company will pay for the tax and title on the new car (if done within 30 days of the old car being declared totaled). Is this typical?

Gogiboy, that is common practice, it is usually one of those little tidbits some insurance "forget" about until it is brought to there attention.

driver100

What I'm trying to avoid is driving all over town (nearest BMW dealers are 60, 70 and 80 miles away) in a car I don't feel safe driving. I am willing to pay for this convenience.

I understand completely. I have this RAV4 rental and I do think about it at times. Yesterday there were 3 Toyotas in a row at a stoplight. I thought what if they all take off into each other at once. And, I am also thinking of poor pedestrians that could be crossing the street in front of a rampaging Toyota.

One thing you might consider mako, would be a car broker. I am not sure how you find one, but they negotiate the buying of the new car (might even do better than you would do), and find a buyer for your trade in. I did this once and the price was good, but the idiot broker forgot to check off air conditioner on the contract. When I went to look for the A/C one hot day I realized I didn't have it. He paid for an after market unit to be installed....it was not like factory though.

I hope you get a response from the dealers you have written to. But, if you don't, keep a broker in mind. It seems to me that anyone who leases all makes of cars should be able to buy a new one, and buy or resell your trade in. The car guy salespeople might know more about that.

isellhondas

Not many stories from me.

Three long term girlfriends including my wife of 40 years.

exb0

With Honda and I'm sure other brands, it's always the people you hold the most gross on that love you the most and the people that get the best deals hate you. I could never understand that in my ten year career in automotive sales.

I have seen this comment before from other salespeople on this forum. Let me explain you the reason for this “phenomena”.

First of all let me declare myself as a ten percenter, and proud of it. When I go to a store for a test drive, I am usually greeted by a polite and smiling salesman. It’s all nice and smiles until after the first round of negotiations. After the first round, I make a few comments to let them know that I have done my research and that I know what I am doing, and make a skinny down to the bone offer. Now that the salesman realizes that he is making a mini, if any, the smile comes off and the attitude and rude comments come out. Even if the salesman controls himself, the SM comes out blasting. Also, the practice of turning customers over to squeeze an extra $100 is very irritating.

I know, you are professional and you don’t have an attitude, but trust me you are only human, and when you get frustrated it shows; no matter how hard you try to control it.

Good gross transactions and fast and easy, and everybody is happy. Most customers who pay gross are oblivious to the fact that they could have paid less.

As a wise man once said: “Fools are always happy.” :P

qbrozen

I doubt the dealership would want to commit to a price for a trade-in that might not happen for a few months.

Actually, I have done this. Of course, it depends on how long the order will take. In my case, it was 8 weeks. The salesperson showed me the trade value and just said as long as nothing drastic happens to the market or I get into an accident, that will be the value. Certainly a reasonable conclusion.

jayrider

Picking a brand ,BMW, that is a bit of a ride from home will mean long drives for service issues as well. Is there another new car dealership closer that might have a car you would find appealing ? I'm thinking Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Infinity. There are nice rides in all those That for the most part will be priced below the BMW and offer every bit as nice a ride as the Avalon. If proximity to home isn't an issue then ignore my post.

lrguy44

the practice of turning customers over to squeeze an extra $100 is very irritating.

Don't you think that works both ways? Think about it.

driver100

To get the car and options I want, I may end up having to order through a dealership and then waiting while it is built. My question is- how do you negotiate a trade-in under that scenario?

Easy. Just go in and make your deal the way you normally would. The dealer will deduct the depreciation on your car, 2 or 3 months down the road.
We did this on our last 2 cars. Special ordered from bmw, cars took just over 2 months to come in. Drove our current cars until they came in. The price of the trade in and the final amount was all done up front in the beginning. 2 or 3 months depreciation won't make too much difference.

driver100

Picking a brand ,BMW, that is a bit of a ride from home will mean long drives for service issues as well.

Probably less time at the dealer than for most cars. 15000 miles between oil changes. 4 year bumper to bumper warranty. Nothing drives or handles like a bmw, especially not a Buick. Nothing wrong with a Buick, but it depends on what you are looking for.

I would drive a 100 miles to a dealer , if I had to, to have a bmw over any of the makes you mentioned. Probably up to 200 miles. Maybe 500 miles.

exb0

DB2, you made another comment that I find very interesting:

If I'm at $50.00 higher a month a customer will ultimately get upset thinking I'm taking them for a ride, when in principle I'm thinking it's a great deal for them cause it's fits their budget but the other dealer down the street is totally blowing the vehicle out

Do you really think that you are doing your customer a favor by charging him more?

When I hear: “What is your budget?” from a salesman it makes me cringe. It reminds me of the Chevy Chase movie Vacation. When his Family Truckser was repaired by a sleazy mechanic, Chevy Chase asks him: “How much do I owe you?” Mechanic replies: “How much do you got?”

exb0

the practice of turning customers over to squeeze an extra $100 is very irritating.

Don't you think that works both ways? Think about it.

Actually, I don't get it. If it is irritating to you, then don't do it. If the offer is doable, just accept it and move on to the next customer.

lrguy44

I did not say that being rude was right. However, many grinders are the rude ones that generate a rude response. Personally, in 16 years I have done my share of minis and 99% of those have been friendly. Some grinders have an attitude but fail to realize why a dealer is in business. When I am all in I say so. I have had people come back later to buy at my price when they find they have made ridiculous offers.

mako1a

Driver, Everything is far from here. We have a dodge dealer-no way no how never buying a dodge. We have a GMC/Chevy dealer that is closing in Oct-no way. We have a Ford dealer-The best car on his lot is no match for the Avalon-out of the race. And we have a Nissan dealer-those clowns should be wearing lime green ties, plaid pants and white belts they are so far back in the dark ages. Those are within 20 miles of me.

Fortunately I have an indy mechanic that will go the extra mile and get a BMW book if I get a BMW. He's very good and sharp on the electronics. I trust him more than any dealer installed parts changer.

deltheking

LR,a little surprising to hear that there are grinders when buying LandRovers.. These sell for 60k plus and surely they are not grind over a grand or even 1.5k?? :confuse:

lrguy44

Some people will grind their mother for a nickel. Most of our customers are informed, intelligent and realistic. But all price points up to specialty cars will attract grinders. By letting my customers know that I will work with them all I can but I am not a non profit organization helps to make a friendly negotiation. Also,a large percentage of our sales are CPO LR3s in the high $20s to low $30s and RR Sports in the high $30s to low $40s .that attract different buyers than a Supercharged Range Rover.

lrguy44

Also, nwLR2s are high 30s (and most sales are discounted retired service loaners). LR4s are in the $50s.

exb0

Never mind, I thought that you were specifically commenting about turning customers over from one closer to another.

Yes, you are right, it takes two to tango. Attitude is contagious. When one person displays bad attitude, the other person responds in kind, regardless on which side of the table you are.

roadburner

I would drive a 100 miles to a dealer, if I had to, to have a BMW over any of the makes you mentioned.

That's one more reason I kick myself for buying that #@#$% Mazda instead of another BMW; the nearest competent Mazda dealer is @120 miles away, while I have a great BMW service department -as well as an excellent indie BMW tech- and either one is less than a 30 minute drive from my house... :mad: :mad: :mad:

michaellno

That's one more reason I kick myself for buying that ##$% Mazda instead of another BMW; the nearest competent Mazda dealer is 120 miles away, while I have a great BMW service department -as well as an excellent indie BMW tech- and either one is less than a 30 minute drive from my house...

So, how much does convenience play in your decision to buy a car?

I live about halfway between Denver and Co. Springs, and the only makes sold in my town are GM (Chevy, Buick, GMC), Ford (Ford, L/M) and Suzuki. Anything else is, at minimum, a 20-30 minute drive for me.

Closest Saturn dealer is now 30-40 minutes, regardless of whether I go north into Denver or south to the Springs.

I might move up to a premium brand with my next purchase, if only to qualify for loaner cars whenever I get service done!