Just a little FYI, the people at Mazda Credit work for Ford Motor Credit and handle Mazda accounts. As of Oct. 15th 2008, Mazda no longer uses Ford Motor Credit as their financial arm. They now use JP Morgan Chase exclusively for financing and leasing.
I'm sorry to hear that you have been treated like this. Unfortunately, people who do basic work at banks and insurance companies really are not top notch in customer service, although they should be.
I really do not think it's wise to not buy another Mazda product because of this experience. I have always bought a car because of the car it's self, and have not bought the car because of the car it's self. Lets face it, Saturn has the best customer service in the industry, and I could car less how good they treat me, they still build a sub par vehicle.
All future financial transactions will be handled by JP Morgan Chase employees.
I am way north of you in PA, however I wanted to contribute my purchase info to this blog.
I purchased a Black on Black 2008 CX-9 Touring AWD with Bose, Moonroof, Back-up Camera and Roof Rails in DE. The MSRP was $36,320, Discounted $ 7,827 to $28,493 and out the door for $ 30,300 with TTL.
i stand by my post and the numbers i give on how to get up to $10K off. i do make it clear that my numbers are the BEST case scenario. finally, i also have explained in earlier posts that dealers are not making money hand over fist when they make such deals, and that i don't think people ought to try to bleed them dry .
I am in IL, I was quoted $30,814 (including TTL) for an '08 touring including the bose and sunroof package. This was on the internet without any negotiations.
I was quoted $30,814 (including TTL) for an '08 touring including the bose and sunroof package
What is the price without TTL? Since TTL varies by state, it really isn't fair to compare prices including TTL. In Nebraska we pay TTL at the county DMV, not at the dealer.
Hi, I'm in Illinois too. Are you looking at the Grand Touring? We picked up our car on Saturday for a GT with sunroof/bose, Blindspot monitoring, Homelink/compass/autodimming, wheel locks, and something else I can't remember. Anyway. Our out the door price was 31,500. What was the MSRP of the car you are looking at?
This is the breakup that I got for a Touring AWD with only sunroof/bose package. Sell Price: $32,792 IL Doc: $150 Cook County Tax: $15 Sales Tax: $2,635.36 Plates: $143 Rebates: Total: $29,485.36
the rebates were $6250 bringing the total price to $29,485.36
Did you see my post #1291? I bought the same thing (assuming you're looking at a 2008) for $25,950. This was a 2008 CX-9 AWD Touring with Bose/Sunroof only. My car has a build date of 10/2007 and the dealer had more than forty 2008 CX-9s on the lot. I bought on 10/25/2008.
i stand by my post and the numbers i give on how to get up to $10K off. i do make it clear that my numbers are the BEST case scenario
I never questioned the deal you received of $10K off MSRP. I did question your assessment of how much dealers make per CX-9 in which you still have yet to explain how you came to those numbers. To be honest, it really does not matter because it was way off.
I went and drove a CX-9 GT AWD in May and was impressed. Didn't really care about the Nav option but wanted the Moonroof/Bose package and the tow hitch. Well, we decided to wait and drive a few other cars........MDX, Outlook, etc..but still didn't buy.
After seeing the 0.0% for 60 mos. come up, I emailed the dealer today and told him I wanted an 08, GT AWD with Nav, Moonroof, and Tow. I saw that he had a few in his inventory. MSRP is around $40,310 and he quoted me $31267 via email. I thought that was a pretty solid price. Basically $9100 under MSRP. I have no idea what the rebates or bonus cash was since he only gave me the price. Dealer is here in South Puget Sound area....salesman is very helpful and good guy. Not sure I will pull the trigger though. I would seriously consider that price OTD, but not sure I could get another $2000 off.
Double check with your dealer about what they are offering you. I can almost garentee that you will not get the $9,100 off and the 0% financing. That is probably the best price that I have seen.
I specifically mentioned the 0.0% for 60 in my inquiry, but yes, I would want to see the numbers. I emailed him back asking if the price is based on 0.0% financing for 60 mos. I am thinking it is too good to be true if I can get it AND the 0%. Was really hoping to wait it out, but tough to argue at that price......although not too happy about what I would get for my trade unless I just sell it outright later on and make a big principal payment with the cash. But payment will still be about $75-100 higher.......hmm.........also need to convince the war dept. (wife).. lol
I highly doubt you are going to get both. Mazda is offering $4000+ in factory incentives OR 0% financing for 60 months. If you are getting the 0%, there is absolutely no way the dealer can give you $9,000 out of their pocket. It's not possible.
Well, I am just waiting for the salesman to contact me. If I can't get both, then I am not going to buy right now. I may look for a used 2008 with under 10k.........I found a loaded GT AWD drive with same options with only 7k miles and the dealer was asking $27k. That might be the better play...but free money is enticing........but the wife wasn't totally excited about it...........so all this might be for not......lol.
Yep. Too good to be true. Said if I go with 0% then he has to take back like $5000 in dealer cash.........lame. That brings it close to invoice price. I will pass. Could probably get some of that dealer cash and 0% if I was sitting down, ready to buy right now, but still not that great. Looks like I will keep waiting.
Well, it never hurts to ask. But I still think 0% and invoice is terrible deal. They should at least be able to sell at least 1k under invoice and still give 0%.........they are a TON of 08's left in the seattle area.......Maybe by Jan. 1st Mazda will just dump the 08's before having to stack the 09's on top of them..
Invoice price (roughly $36k at 0% at 60 mos. is a payment of $600. (just figuring with 0 down for arguments sake and not figuring TTL). If I go with the price of 31K for 60 mos. at 6.5% payment is 616.....so pretty close.
thanks for the info on the memory seat. that is crazy tho. the whole point of a memory seat is that you don't have to fiddle with all of those little adjustments. oh well, i guess the cx9 is not a bmw...
But you can't have higher HP and higher MPG. Physically, it is not possible
It is possible. It is called "direct injection" (in contrast to port injection we have on CX9) => 10% torque increase and 5+% better MPG. DI is available on many high-end vehicles already. Such technology will propagate down to lower end vehicle...
Which pricing source are dealers using these days for trade-ins? I always get wildly different prices from Kelly, NADA and Edmunds. For example, my 2004 Sienna XLE AWD w/ 55K miles and DVD has quotes from 9.5K to 10.5K for Kelly, 12-13K for NADA and 15K for Edmunds. Which is right? I recall used car managers at dealers used to use the Galves book, but I don't know if that source is still around. Thanks.
I recall used car managers at dealers used to use the Galves book, but I don't know if that source is still around
You have a good memory. Galves, in most of the country, is the set standard values. KBB, Edmunds, NADA are all publishing companies that are not in the auto industry. That does not mean that it's not possible to get one of their values for you trade, because there are always exceptions. However, their values are generally considered worthless.
It depends on dealers. The dealer I bought my CX9 from used edmunds.com (trade-in/good condition) for my Odyssey (EX-NAVI, 2001 with 78K). I got it for $8.5K. This was back in Jan, 2008. Good condition trade-ins will be cleaned up and sold at used car department. Others will be sent to auction.
If a dealer can retail a vehicle they take on trade, they will be more willing to give you more to make a deal. If the car you are trading is a wholesale piece, room for negotiation on your trade becomes very slim.
I want you people to realize that it is websites like this that have put the automotive industry on it's knees.
Some people are happy letting the dealers make a bit of profit....from what I have read on these forums, you folks are not.
In fact, if there were prizes on this site, they would go to the members who caused the most loss to their dealer.
It is truly amazing how terrible some people are.
I was reading a post where a guy got almost $10,000 off of one of these CX-9's and walked away from the deal...do you seriously think the dealer can do better???
And if they could, how much better??? 1-200 bucks??? Yeah, screw the local small businesses and shop elsewhere, who cares if we run into these folks around town....you just sold them up the river for a couple hundred bucks.
What is this country coming to with a bunch of people hiding behind their computers and coming up with these "whoever gives me the best deal WINS my business" games? Sending fake phone numbers to dealerships and not responding to emails. Believe me, you're no prize.
It sounds like you're an owner of a dealership. I hate to break this news to you that for years the dealerships have prayed on innocent people, overcharging them and putting them in cars that they can't afford in the first place. Again even if they don't make money upfront selling a car, they do make money off of the loan interest. It is time for us (innocent people) to return the favor.. that is all.
Well, I agree with some of what you said, and some I disagree with.
First, there are those here who don't mind dealers making profit. Not every person here is a money sucking leach.
I was reading a post where a guy got almost $10,000 off of one of these CX-9's and walked away from the deal...do you seriously think the dealer can do better???
That is because the dealer did not do it's job and build value in what they were selling. Once the discussion completely revolves around $$ and not the car, the dealership looses any chance they have of making a single penny. Those people who did buy at around $10,000 realize what a uncommon deal that is. The average discount on these CX-9's are around $6,000-$7,000.
sending fake phone numbers to dealerships and not responding to emails. Believe me, you're no prize.
Well, that's part of the Internet Sales business. There are those who don't feel comfortable talking face to face and feel they have the advantage over negotiations when they contact you that way. I agree, they are no prize, and they also tend to give you the worst customer satisfaction surveys. But, they are not the majority.
I do not know how long you have been in the car business, but, not too long ago, dealers were making money hand over fist and chopping everyone's head off on every deal. The tables have turned my friend. The good salesmen still know how to make money.
The business model has changed, one must adapt or close the doors.
This market is about information haves and have nots. As far as I know, no one from this forum held a gun to the head of the dealers on these $10K off transactions.
I have yet to see a dealer make a post wanting to return the huge profit made on an uninformed buyer.
Oh yes, gap insurance, 5-year extended warranties on cars with 5-year factory warranties, $2-7K off on market value for your trade, $500 doc fees for 30 minutes worth of work, $400 "regional advertisement" fees, last minute disclosure of 6000 miles on the odo driven by the "owner's wife"...you got it...some terrible people out there :-)
Last year I used my real phone number and real name to call up a dealer, told him about my trade ($22K on KBB,) and was asked to visit them (a 40 minute drive.) The CX-9 was listed MSRP and my trade quoted at $15K. The salesperson didn't even blink before giving me the two prices, but when I looked at the invoice and the quote on my trade, I believe they were trying to get up to $10K from the transaction :-)
I bought something else, which was totaled last September. I go back and get the same $40K CX-9 for $29K. Should I feel bad?
"Well, that's part of the Internet Sales business. There are those who don't feel comfortable talking face to face and feel they have the advantage over negotiations when they contact you that way. I agree, they are no prize, and they also tend to give you the worst customer satisfaction surveys. But, they are not the majority."
This is a great tool for the buyer! It allows the buyer to efficiently filter a large number of dealers and deals (More/better choices). Before email, I used to do the same with a fax machine. This technique is must easier and faster. Some dealers have good business models to conduct this business this way, while others play the silly dealership games of a bygone era.
Based on your comments, it sound like these customers will be the majority in the future (well the savvy ones anyway). There is no doubt that most dealerships do not like this trend. I do agree that these customers need to be fair on the customer satisfaction surveys.
I do not always agree with your comments concerning prices, but I do appreciate your perspective.
This is a great tool for the buyer! It allows the buyer to efficiently filter a large number of dealers and deals (More/better choices). Before email, I used to do the same with a fax machine. This technique is must easier and faster. Some dealers have good business models to conduct this business this way, while others play the silly dealership games of a bygone era
It's a wonderful tool for the potential buyer, no doubt! It's usually the best way to get the lowest price. The downside to that is there usually lacks a personal relationship to internet deals. The dealer rarely hears back from people that place these inquires also. Why dealers don't like it is because it takes up a lot of time and resources just to get one sale and that sale usually is not very profitable.
Leads are consistently followed up upon with about only 20-30% of all leads actually respond back to the dealer, and about only 12% are actually sold. 12 out of 100. There is a lot of wasted time there. But, you cannot discard any lead because any of them could lead to a sale.
The Internet Sales aspect of the business is very very tough.
Why dealers don't like it is because it takes up a lot of time and resources just to get one sale and that sale usually is not very profitable.
I am not sure about the 'a lot of time' issue (please explain), emails are generally faster than other follow-up techniques (phone calls, personal visit, letter, etc...) with so much information available, the key is to get the buyer's attention with your first email reply. As for a personal relationship, well, it is important to some. When people move away from the business aspect of the deal to form a ' limited personal relationship' many tend to drift from their objective of saving money on the deal. I know a number of people in this business, but the bottom line is: I make a purchase decision based on price/value. 99% of the time, the car salesperson has no influence after the sale and in most cases add little value to the deal. I am not saying that they are not good people, some are great, but many are just working a temporary job moving cars for a commission. ***The real issue is profitability.***
The time spent on Internet car buying cuts both ways, but not evenly. As a buyer I must sacrifice leisure time, while the car salesman has eight-hour days at his disposal, and it's his JOB. In the old model that same salesman would try to keep me in the store for hours and wear me down to make a ripoff sale, so don't cry about the time spent.
In the end the biggest threat to the automotive industry are buyers who buy what they need rather than what they impulsively want. The business can succeed in such a market, but probably not as it is presently structured. And guess what's happening now...
I am not sure about the 'a lot of time' issue (please explain), emails are generally faster than other follow-up techniques (phone calls, personal visit, letter, etc...)
On average, a dealer will receive about 80-100 Internet leads per month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The proper way is to follow up a lead is an initial email followed up with a phone call. If no response is received, a phone call and email are sent every other day for about a week. Then every three days from weeks 2-3. Then if there is still no response, or little interaction, a follow up once a week for 90 days when the lead legally expires after last contact with customer. That's a lot of time. Trust me.
I make a purchase decision based on price/value. 99% of the time, the car salesperson has no influence after the sale and in most cases add little value to the deal
A lot of people are that way, however, from the sales aspect, if you want to see repeat business or receive referrals, a personal relationship is needed to earn a living. In any business where there are salesmen, a personal / business relationship is needed. Whether it be a paper supply company like W.B Mason or a pharmacuticale company like Pfizer. Or how about small business like the dry cleaners.
There are still a lot of people that buy based on customer service. That is why it is very important to establish a personal relationship. That is the only way not only survive in sales, but you can flourish.
***The real issue is profitability.***
Customer service and personal relationships are all about building sales and increasing profit. An added bonus is knowing you have a satisfied customer. It is really a good feeling when someone leaves in a new car and they are extremely happy, because you know you did your job the right way and they are going to send you people.
Lets face it. We all go to work for one reason. To make money. Whatever company you work for sells something to someone, or provides some sort of service for a profit. The only way your company stays in business is to keep their customers satisfied.
I'm guessing that in a few years most of the business a dealer will do will be generated via the Internet. That is the way the business is going.
Good thing about Mazda is that the company recognized that a few years ago, and they have a great Internet Sales training and program support for dealers to be successful with Internet leads. They are very prepared for it. Why do you think they advertise on sites like Edmunds.com, a site that is used heavily by Internet shoppers? Pure genius on their part.
I would think that although Internet leads may be less effective in terms of sales per lead, you would receive much more leads. There are benefits too, in that dealers will received leads they otherwise wouldn't.
In my case, there are 3 Mazda dealers within reasonable driving range, 9-15-40 miles. I don't think I would consult the one at 40 miles if it were not for the Internet. I eventually bought from the one in the middle, partly because the nearest one didn't have the model I wanted.
I do agree Mazda is much better than average in its Internet presence, from its own website all the way to Internet sales departments. When I was quoting Toyota's, most of the dealers simply hit the 'reply' button dodging the quote request and asking me to show up at the lot.
This CX-9 is the fourth car I bought on the Internet, I always provide an actual email and respond within 24 hours and I always write off any dealer who refuses to provide a quote or dodges the quote with a request for a dealer visit.
It is not about ripping off dealers or "hiding" from them, it is about a less-stressful experience and using everyone's time wisely.
Comments
I'm sorry to hear that you have been treated like this. Unfortunately, people who do basic work at banks and insurance companies really are not top notch in customer service, although they should be.
I really do not think it's wise to not buy another Mazda product because of this experience. I have always bought a car because of the car it's self, and have not bought the car because of the car it's self. Lets face it, Saturn has the best customer service in the industry, and I could car less how good they treat me, they still build a sub par vehicle.
All future financial transactions will be handled by JP Morgan Chase employees.
I purchased a Black on Black 2008 CX-9 Touring AWD with Bose, Moonroof, Back-up Camera and Roof Rails in DE. The MSRP was $36,320, Discounted $ 7,827 to $28,493 and out the door for $ 30,300 with TTL.
Thanks to all the contributors for their input.
i do make it clear that my numbers are the BEST case scenario.
finally, i also have explained in earlier posts that dealers are not making money hand over fist when they make such deals, and that i don't think people ought to try to bleed them dry .
What is the price without TTL? Since TTL varies by state, it really isn't fair to compare prices including TTL. In Nebraska we pay TTL at the county DMV, not at the dealer.
John
Sell Price: $32,792
IL Doc: $150
Cook County Tax: $15
Sales Tax: $2,635.36
Plates: $143
Rebates:
Total: $29,485.36
Who was the dealer that you went to dgvet?
the rebates were $6250 bringing the total price to $29,485.36
Did you see my post #1291? I bought the same thing (assuming you're looking at a 2008) for $25,950. This was a 2008 CX-9 AWD Touring with Bose/Sunroof only. My car has a build date of 10/2007 and the dealer had more than forty 2008 CX-9s on the lot. I bought on 10/25/2008.
John
i do make it clear that my numbers are the BEST case scenario
I never questioned the deal you received of $10K off MSRP. I did question your assessment of how much dealers make per CX-9 in which you still have yet to explain how you came to those numbers. To be honest, it really does not matter because it was way off.
After seeing the 0.0% for 60 mos. come up, I emailed the dealer today and told him I wanted an 08, GT AWD with Nav, Moonroof, and Tow. I saw that he had a few in his inventory. MSRP is around $40,310 and he quoted me $31267 via email. I thought that was a pretty solid price. Basically $9100 under MSRP. I have no idea what the rebates or bonus cash was since he only gave me the price. Dealer is here in South Puget Sound area....salesman is very helpful and good guy. Not sure I will pull the trigger though. I would seriously consider that price OTD, but not sure I could get another $2000 off.
Thoughts?
There is no garentee that the incentive will be around come the end of October. Remember, inventory is slimming out.
I am just waiting for the salesman to contact me. If I can't get both, then I am not going to buy right now. I may look for a used 2008 with under 10k.........I found a loaded GT AWD drive with same options with only 7k miles and the dealer was asking $27k. That might be the better play...but free money is enticing........but the wife wasn't totally excited about it...........so all this might be for not......lol.
With 9K and 0% you are expecting around 14K off MSRP, which makes it even cheaper than the used one with 7000 miles.
If a dealer needs to go that deep into selling below cost, they are probably better off filing for bankrupcy protection.
If Mazda cannot push the CX-9s for 8-10K off MSRP, they may be better off discontinuing the CX-9 production altogether.
that is crazy tho.
the whole point of a memory seat is that you don't have to fiddle with all of those little adjustments.
oh well, i guess the cx9 is not a bmw...
The dealer gets no dealer cash if you take 0%. So, no cash to give if you want 0%.
It is possible. It is called "direct injection" (in contrast to port injection we have on CX9) => 10% torque increase and 5+% better MPG.
DI is available on many high-end vehicles already. Such technology will propagate down to lower end vehicle...
You have a good memory. Galves, in most of the country, is the set standard values. KBB, Edmunds, NADA are all publishing companies that are not in the auto industry. That does not mean that it's not possible to get one of their values for you trade, because there are always exceptions. However, their values are generally considered worthless.
As I mentioned, there are always acceptions.
If a dealer can retail a vehicle they take on trade, they will be more willing to give you more to make a deal. If the car you are trading is a wholesale piece, room for negotiation on your trade becomes very slim.
I want you people to realize that it is websites like this that have put the automotive industry on it's knees.
Some people are happy letting the dealers make a bit of profit....from what I have read on these forums, you folks are not.
In fact, if there were prizes on this site, they would go to the members who caused the most loss to their dealer.
It is truly amazing how terrible some people are.
I was reading a post where a guy got almost $10,000 off of one of these CX-9's and walked away from the deal...do you seriously think the dealer can do better???
And if they could, how much better??? 1-200 bucks??? Yeah, screw the local small businesses and shop elsewhere, who cares if we run into these folks around town....you just sold them up the river for a couple hundred bucks.
What is this country coming to with a bunch of people hiding behind their computers and coming up with these "whoever gives me the best deal WINS my business" games? Sending fake phone numbers to dealerships and not responding to emails. Believe me, you're no prize.
If you need anything else, let me know.
I hate to break this news to you that for years the dealerships have prayed on innocent people, overcharging them and putting them in cars that they can't afford in the first place. Again even if they don't make money upfront selling a car, they do make money off of the loan interest.
It is time for us (innocent people) to return the favor.. that is all.
First, there are those here who don't mind dealers making profit. Not every person here is a money sucking leach.
I was reading a post where a guy got almost $10,000 off of one of these CX-9's and walked away from the deal...do you seriously think the dealer can do better???
That is because the dealer did not do it's job and build value in what they were selling. Once the discussion completely revolves around $$ and not the car, the dealership looses any chance they have of making a single penny. Those people who did buy at around $10,000 realize what a uncommon deal that is. The average discount on these CX-9's are around $6,000-$7,000.
sending fake phone numbers to dealerships and not responding to emails. Believe me, you're no prize.
Well, that's part of the Internet Sales business. There are those who don't feel comfortable talking face to face and feel they have the advantage over negotiations when they contact you that way. I agree, they are no prize, and they also tend to give you the worst customer satisfaction surveys. But, they are not the majority.
I do not know how long you have been in the car business, but, not too long ago, dealers were making money hand over fist and chopping everyone's head off on every deal. The tables have turned my friend. The good salesmen still know how to make money.
Your post sounds like ' sour grapes' to me.
The business model has changed, one must adapt or close the doors.
This market is about information haves and have nots. As far as I know, no one from this forum held a gun to the head of the dealers on these $10K off transactions.
I have yet to see a dealer make a post wanting to return the huge profit made on an uninformed buyer.
I agree, $10K off or walk!
Oh yes, gap insurance, 5-year extended warranties on cars with 5-year factory warranties, $2-7K off on market value for your trade, $500 doc fees for 30 minutes worth of work, $400 "regional advertisement" fees, last minute disclosure of 6000 miles on the odo driven by the "owner's wife"...you got it...some terrible people out there :-)
Last year I used my real phone number and real name to call up a dealer, told him about my trade ($22K on KBB,) and was asked to visit them (a 40 minute drive.) The CX-9 was listed MSRP and my trade quoted at $15K. The salesperson didn't even blink before giving me the two prices, but when I looked at the invoice and the quote on my trade, I believe they were trying to get up to $10K from the transaction :-)
I bought something else, which was totaled last September. I go back and get the same $40K CX-9 for $29K. Should I feel bad?
A true cost paid by the dealer to the manufacturer.
last minute disclosure of 6000 miles on the odo driven by the "owner's wife"...
Maybe one out of 50,000 transactions at best.
This is an interesting comment:
"Well, that's part of the Internet Sales business. There are those who don't feel comfortable talking face to face and feel they have the advantage over negotiations when they contact you that way. I agree, they are no prize, and they also tend to give you the worst customer satisfaction surveys. But, they are not the majority."
This is a great tool for the buyer! It allows the buyer to efficiently filter a large number of dealers and deals (More/better choices). Before email, I used to do the same with a fax machine. This technique is must easier and faster. Some dealers have good business models to conduct this business this way, while others play the silly dealership games of a bygone era.
Based on your comments, it sound like these customers will be the majority in the future (well the savvy ones anyway). There is no doubt that most dealerships do not like this trend. I do agree that these customers need to be fair on the customer satisfaction surveys.
I do not always agree with your comments concerning prices, but I do appreciate your perspective.
It's a wonderful tool for the potential buyer, no doubt! It's usually the best way to get the lowest price. The downside to that is there usually lacks a personal relationship to internet deals. The dealer rarely hears back from people that place these inquires also. Why dealers don't like it is because it takes up a lot of time and resources just to get one sale and that sale usually is not very profitable.
Leads are consistently followed up upon with about only 20-30% of all leads actually respond back to the dealer, and about only 12% are actually sold. 12 out of 100. There is a lot of wasted time there. But, you cannot discard any lead because any of them could lead to a sale.
The Internet Sales aspect of the business is very very tough.
Thanks for your comments.
Why dealers don't like it is because it takes up a lot of time and resources just to get one sale and that sale usually is not very profitable.
I am not sure about the 'a lot of time' issue (please explain), emails are generally faster than other follow-up techniques (phone calls, personal visit, letter, etc...) with so much information available, the key is to get the buyer's attention with your first email reply. As for a personal relationship, well, it is important to some. When people move away from the business aspect of the deal to form a ' limited personal relationship' many tend to drift from their objective of saving money on the deal. I know a number of people in this business, but the bottom line is: I make a purchase decision based on price/value. 99% of the time, the car salesperson has no influence after the sale and in most cases add little value to the deal. I am not saying that they are not good people, some are great, but many are just working a temporary job moving cars for a commission. ***The real issue is profitability.***
In the end the biggest threat to the automotive industry are buyers who buy what they need rather than what they impulsively want. The business can succeed in such a market, but probably not as it is presently structured. And guess what's happening now...
On average, a dealer will receive about 80-100 Internet leads per month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The proper way is to follow up a lead is an initial email followed up with a phone call. If no response is received, a phone call and email are sent every other day for about a week. Then every three days from weeks 2-3. Then if there is still no response, or little interaction, a follow up once a week for 90 days when the lead legally expires after last contact with customer. That's a lot of time. Trust me.
I make a purchase decision based on price/value. 99% of the time, the car salesperson has no influence after the sale and in most cases add little value to the deal
A lot of people are that way, however, from the sales aspect, if you want to see repeat business or receive referrals, a personal relationship is needed to earn a living. In any business where there are salesmen, a personal / business relationship is needed. Whether it be a paper supply company like W.B Mason or a pharmacuticale company like Pfizer. Or how about small business like the dry cleaners.
There are still a lot of people that buy based on customer service. That is why it is very important to establish a personal relationship. That is the only way not only survive in sales, but you can flourish.
***The real issue is profitability.***
Customer service and personal relationships are all about building sales and increasing profit. An added bonus is knowing you have a satisfied customer. It is really a good feeling when someone leaves in a new car and they are extremely happy, because you know you did your job the right way and they are going to send you people.
Lets face it. We all go to work for one reason. To make money. Whatever company you work for sells something to someone, or provides some sort of service for a profit. The only way your company stays in business is to keep their customers satisfied.
Thanks for your feedback.
I wish you the best!
I'm guessing that in a few years most of the business a dealer will do will be generated via the Internet. That is the way the business is going.
Good thing about Mazda is that the company recognized that a few years ago, and they have a great Internet Sales training and program support for dealers to be successful with Internet leads. They are very prepared for it. Why do you think they advertise on sites like Edmunds.com, a site that is used heavily by Internet shoppers? Pure genius on their part.
In my case, there are 3 Mazda dealers within reasonable driving range, 9-15-40 miles. I don't think I would consult the one at 40 miles if it were not for the Internet. I eventually bought from the one in the middle, partly because the nearest one didn't have the model I wanted.
I do agree Mazda is much better than average in its Internet presence, from its own website all the way to Internet sales departments. When I was quoting Toyota's, most of the dealers simply hit the 'reply' button dodging the quote request and asking me to show up at the lot.
This CX-9 is the fourth car I bought on the Internet, I always provide an actual email and respond within 24 hours and I always write off any dealer who refuses to provide a quote or dodges the quote with a request for a dealer visit.
It is not about ripping off dealers or "hiding" from them, it is about a less-stressful experience and using everyone's time wisely.
($1500 OVER MSRP at that time - best deal in town).
Information is power to consumers.
BTW, $10,000 off is still available in SF Bay Area.
Saw that on newspaper over the weekend.