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Comments
The "OMG 100 dollar less a month you must be screwing her over" response.
No, not really. I simply meant it was predictable for her to pull another trick from her hat. I have no idea whether your pricing and rate was good or not - I just thought it was easy to forsee that she'll come up with some stuff like that.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Anyway I just took a drive in a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with only 19,000 miles so I feel much better. Does your job let you do that in the middle of the day?
Sadly, this kind of nonsense is happening all over the market right now.
Happens to us all the time.
Had a customer on an XC70, gave him a really good price, he countered with a price that was really making no money.
I said fine, we would take a very slim deal just to move a car.
He was supposed to be in the next day,never heard from him. Called him up and he said he got a better deal elsewhere.
First of all, he told ME what he would buy the car for and I agreed, then he goes shopping.
Really, you just cannot take anyone at their word anymore.
Customers know the market isn't good right now, so they have no problem cutting your throat for $500
Second he told me what it would take to sell him the car.
Third, I spoke to his credit union about the transaction.99 times out of 100,when that happens you have a car deal.
I'm not upset about losing the car deal, we ended up selling the car later,for a little more money.
What bothers me is being lied to.
Customers get indignant when they percieve a salesperson lying to them,yet they think nothing of lying to salespeople.
If the guy said, "I'm gonna keep shopping" I would have said, fine knock yourself out.
What he said was "If you knock off $XXX I'll buy the car."
I dunno about you, but I would LIKE to be able to take people at their word.
If I say we have a deal, it means literally - short of a tornado/fire wiping my house, losing my job, being denied financing, or a discovery of really gross misrepresentation on sales person's side, there is nothing that should prevent me of signing papers. The deal is the deal.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Let's see - $150x5x52 = $39000. Sorry, a professional sales person's time, expertise, skills and knowledge is worth a whole lot more than that. If you think this job is as easy as you describe - try it. Long hours, tons of paperwork, follow up, handling objections, etc. It is a full time job. I have worked on some deals for 2-6 months before they pull the trigger. Average high end sale takes 8-12 hours - or more. Also, the average high end buyer visits the dealership 3-4 times before buying. And yes, our kind of sales does not result in 30 minis a month - we are low volume.
You probably saved yourself a lot of aggravation. A friend sold his older model Jag to some dude he worked with. The dude was suppose to make monthly payments until the balance of sale price $9,000 was paid off. After 7 months or so paymetns started getting less and less till my friend was not receiving anything. The buyer ended up moving out of state, saying he would pay, then not responding to phone calls. After 2 or 3 years of being given the run around, my friend hired a lawyer, who got him about 4.5k, which was what he wanted, though could have gone after 3k more in interest etc. The buyers first check cleared for about $800. The second check bounced. Friend is still waiting for his second payment. :sick:
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
No more grinding for me.
Wow, you can't mistake that as an offer. If you met my price we would have a deal. I couldn't face my most severe critic in the mirror every morning if I reneged.
Unfortunately, this is what our society has become.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I can't think of one time I took a credit card over the phone that was not a deal. I have done this numerous times too. When you get the credit card over the phone you are getting a commitment from the customer. If they didn't want the deal, why would anyone give their credit card out to someone over the phone?
That deal with BR sounds like the accountants srcewed the whole thing up for her and BR. But something tells me the deal she had for $100 cheaper isn't the same deal.
2,000 Dollar Deposit
Oh and she wants a different color car now... We take a 2,000 dollar deposit to seal everything down.
I am looking at the receipt right in front of me and I am NOT Refunding it. She will just call her CC company and have the charge canceled though.
But hey your word means nothing so 2,000 dollars must mean even less to you.
I hand her over to my boss because she just wants too many different scenarios and it is better for him to do it directly. He spends a good hour on the phone with her but they finally hammer something out. Oh and she wants a different color car now... We take a 2,000 dollar deposit to seal everything down.
I am assuming that this $2000 deposit was down by credit card.
This has happened on occasion to every salesman. I never know what to believe exactly. Some folks just won't tell you the truth. Like my lady the other night. She was playing "hide the weinie" all night until 10pm. She thought that she was supposed to withhold all information from me and she would get the best deal that way.
Her cleverness ended up wasting both of our times because we were 11k apart on pricing. Some customers are just too smart or too stupid. 5% rule.
-Moo
$11k...wow! What vehicle? I'm guessing that must be 1/4 to 1/3 of the MSRP?
The topic is Stories from the Sales Frontlines. If you aren't able to read these stories without attacking the storyteller's ethics, goals, what-have-you, you really need to find the door. There are plenty of other discussions on this board where you can debate some of the things that have come up here, but this is a discussion that was specifically established for the sales folks to talk about what goes on on their side of the desk.
If you can't listen to/read their stories without jumping down their throats, please do not post at all.
The removed posts were in a discussion about "when do we have a deal" - quite relevant I would say, precipitated by BR's and Volvo's frustration about peope backing off their deals.
You guys are getting really paranoid - I understand it's for sales stories to be posted. But now it seems no responses are allowed at all - well suit yourselves then... :sick:
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Just had a young couple in the showroom walking around looking at the product. No one helped them because they saw the pager from service. I see them and go up and start making small talk.
Customer: "Do you do trade in?"
Me: "Sure. What do you want to trade?"
Customer "I have a 2006 tC. It's getting the oil changed now."
Me: "Great car! Did you buy it here?"
Customer: "Yes."
Me: "Do you know who the salesperson was?"
Customer: "No, not really?"
Usually when they say this they honestly don't remember the salesperson or they don't want to deal with them again.
Me: "What's your name Sir? I'll look up in our database and see who it was."
Customer: "Chris Donnelly"
Me: "Ok, give me a minute."
I look it up and see the salesperson is no longer here. I also see the purchase transaction and see that it was a used tC and it was sold for $19,990.00 at 19.00% for 72 months so this guys payment is $545.00 a month!
Me: "Your salesperson is no longer here. Why do you want to trade the car? You don't like it?"
Customer: "It gets terrible gas mileage."
Me:"Really. What kind of mileage are you getting?"
Customer: "I don't know. But the gas guage gets to the E very quick."
Me: "My son has a tC and he tells me he gets close to 30 mpg combined. You must have a heavy foot."
He smiles and then tells me the real reason he wants to trade the car.
Customer: "Well, the payments are kind of high. Plus I'm getting out of the navy in two weeks."
Me. "You're getting out of the navy? Do you have a job lined up?"
Customer: "Kind'a. I'll be starting with Allstate in two weeks."
Me. "Sounds like you're not sure." I turn over to the girl and ask if she's working.
She "Not right now but I should get a job in a couple of weeks too."
Me. "So how do you plan to pay for the car?"
Customer. "Well, that's why we want to lower our payments."
Me. "Ok, where's the car now?"
Customer: "It's still getting the oil change."
Me. "Ok, I'm going to do a blind appraisal on it. How many miles? has it been in an accident?"
Customer. "16K miles, I don't think it's been in an accident."
Duh! it's his car and he doesn't know? :confuse:
So I print out the previous deal sheet with the vin, selling price, payment, interest rate, the works!
Me. "Wow, $19,990.00 for a tC. You must have added a lot of accessories to it."
Customer: "No it was a special edition rs 2.0"
Me: "Was it new?"
Customer: "I think so."
Me: "Looking at the stock number it appears to have been a trade in."
Customer: "It was in the back dirt lot."
Me: "It was used. I'll be right back. Let me see the used car manager to do the appraisal"
I go to the used car manager and give him the info on the car. He looks it up in the Black book and gives me $14,500.00 for it. He also looks up the deal and sees the high interest rate and asks me about the payoff. "He told me about 20k." I respond. "If he has a 700 beacon or above maybe someone will pick him up. Let do a credit app."
So I go back and tell the customer.
Me: "Chris, do you remember why you got such a high interest rate?"
Customer: "My credit was bad."
Me: "How bad? you know what your credit score was?"
Customer: "It was close to 500. About 480."
Me: "ok, have you been on time with the car payment?"
Customer: "Yes."
So I write up a credit app have him sign it and the privacy notice and pull his credit. The sales manager doesn't even want to print it out. His score is now a whopping 527!
UCM: "We can't help him unless he has money to cover most of his negative equity or a strong co-signer."
So I walk back to my workstation and start giving them the bad news.
Me: "Ok, here's what I got. Don't get mad at me, I'm only the messenger." "First, your trade in is worth $14,500 to us."
Customer: "That's good! That's more than Carmax was giving us."
Me: "You went to Carmax?"
Customer: "Yes, we were there a couple of days ago."
Me: "And what happened there?"
Customer. "I was looking at a Ford Focus and they told me they could lower my payments, but when we went back the next day they had sold the car."
Me: "I see. Well they could have got another one for you or so they say on their website." "But anyway, here's where we are at right now. We can't help you."
Customer: "Why not?"
Me: "Your credit is not that great. Your score is up to 527 so your interest rate will probably stay the same if we can even get you approved."
His girlfriend "But Carmax told us they could do it.!"
Me: "They probably didn't have all the facts. Did you tell them the payoff on your car?
Silence.....
Customer: "You just don't want to help us."
Me: "Look. You have 6500 negative equity. I don't have a single car on the lot to absorb it. Let me show you something else." I go to Scion.com and show him the rates based on credit scores. He qualified for 19.95% on a new one!
Customer girlfriend : '"We are going to Sanford and Son's lot. They help anybody."
Me: "That's the last place I would recommend to anybody. They do their own financing. It's a BHPH lot."
They stand up and the customer says in a loud tone and upset: "I'm going back to Carmax. You don't want to help us"
Me: "Hey, don't get mad at me dude. I'm not the one that sold you the car, I'm not the one that ruined your credit."
Customer: "You guys suck!"
Me: Whatever."
THE END
mackabee
Customer:
I saw it coming quarter way in. Some people can't be helped, no matter how much you try.
I just wonder - what one needs to do to get 480 credit. I think I had better when I just arrived here 9 years ago :sick: .
2018 430i Gran Coupe
WOW!! you sold Delorean's
Is the flux capacitator standard or optional equipment?
Where I come from that has nothing to do with car buying.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
If you think we are being paid too much - why don't you so it? Easy money! I can make as much as $2,500 commission on a single car!
What, you want to pass on that? You make more than that in a day?
Or maybe you don't have the talent, the patience, the guts to do it?
Our commission is not your business, and dealer profit is not your business, you are just an insecure, scared, pissed-off for being ripped-off one too many times.
The hosts are becoming agitated:
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I told him I didn't send them there. He said, "their credit was awful, we couldn't sell them anything."
I said somebody approved them, cause there's a late model Eddie Bauer Explorer in their driveway. We'll see how long they hold on to that one.
Her Toyota was clean and was only a little less than KBB. The F-150 was about 2k below and they were 8k hooked in that vehicle. She demanded KBB pricing on her trades, but she wanted $3,300 off of the 2.5 SL Altima. I'm just scratching my head trying to figure out where she came up with those numbers.
Logically speaking, if you are going to use KBB numbers for your trade, then you should be using KBB numbers for our vehicle. But I just drew blank looks when I brought that up.
I even brought up blank looks when it was 9:45pm and I told them my 4 month old baby had not seen his Daddy since 8:15 am today. We need to reach an agreement or go home. Just blank stares.
Whatever, her 2 boys delivered one of the funniest one liners I've ever heard on a test drive.
Mom and Dad were commenting on how smooth the drive on the vehicle was. Boy 1 asked how they got it so smooth. Boy 2, without hesitation, tells his brother that they put lotion on it.
That had me laughing for awhile. Until Mom started negotiating with feelings. Then the kids weren't cute anymore.
-Moo
The hosts are becoming agitated:
I know those little wigglies aren't Emotorcons. Where did you get them and when are us posters going to have access to them?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
That little squiggley red dude throwing a temper tantrum was pretty cool. The MPV club that I belong to have about 100 of those little suckers to choose from. Edmunds should try to do the same.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Or....you could just point to the original posters img
Just do a right mouse button, properties, and grab the URL, and then paste that in with a "Img" function.
"Cheers"
Like this!
Mackabee
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Since people willfully pay those prices (fees) for the work they do they must do enough to justify it. Its not the amount of work you do that justifies your wages (if it were ditch diggers would be rich) but market forces that determine that.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
One bought, the other was a "ghost", and the third one came back on Saturday with a laundry list of what needed to be fixed before buying.
Well, tonight I was going to deliver the "ghost". I got the deal back from finance and the director told me she had received a "conditional" approval meaning it had to be on a less expensive vehicle.
I don't have a less expensive vehicle like this one. I called the customer and told him and he asked if putting more money down would help.
"Heck yeah it will help.!" I said all excited. "I can come up with another $1500.00 by Saturday because I get paid on Friday." he responds. "That's great! Let me talk to my boss and see what I can do."
So this time I go to the GM who is a financial whiz. He looks at the deal and tells me to get the customer in and put him in the truck. "What are we looking at for his payment?" I ask. "He'll be in the low $380's" he says.
So I call the "ghost" back and he lets the voice mail pick up. I leave a message and tell him the good news.
He calls me about five minutes later and says he can't come in until tonight. We set it up for 7:30 pm.
Now I found out this guy happens to work where my wife works and she called me at around 4:30 and said he was all happy and said to her "Your husband is getting me a deal!" So I'm all pumped ready for the delivery, the truck is clean, tank full of gas and just sitting pretty waiting for its new owner.
At exactly 7:30 pm he calls me.
So I get off the phone and call Mrs. Mack. "Hon, you won't believe this.." and before I finish she says "He didn't buy the truck." God that woman must have ESPN
Mackabee
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I think Mack is doing one of those favorite guys in the biz juggling acts. Telling two tales at the same time. Kinda like having one guy out on a test drive another finishing up at the negotiating table, another in the F&I office and yet another due to show up for an appointment in about 15 minutes.
Gee, these guys get pretty good after a while.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl