Stories from the Sales Frontlines

laurasdada · October 2007

Big Pats fan here, but 16-0...I don't know. As JMonroe wrote: (Jill Monroe, of "Charlie's Angles fame???

), injuries, bad luck, any given Sunday, broken video cameras. Just win the Super Bowl, baby!

Yeah, since they took Bill's Kodachrome away, the Pats have really taken a nose dive... I mean, without those defensive signals, they've given up so many points!!! :shades:

dino001 · October 2007

To keep the Swedish economy running.

But half of them are made in Germany (don't remember which half) ...

british_rover · October 2007

Volvos have a very distinctive smell too that is similar to Saabs. Must be a Swedish thing.

dino001 · October 2007

Who started it? Hard to say for sure, but I know who can stop it. Do customers behave like jerks at Sears, Best Buy, furniture, jewelery stores? Probably some do, but I bet much, much lower percentage. Even house buying process is a little less dreaded than car in spite of much much higher stakes.

oldfarmer50 · October 2007

"...Why do customers lie to us?..."

Mainly because they are afraid that YOU are lying to them. They are also afraid that if they open up to you and tell you what they really want that you will use your "magic car sales powers" to compel them to pay too much.

It comes down to an issue of trust. As a car shopper I have had sales people lie, exaggerate, renege on promises and behave in other shifty ways. I've also had salespeople behave in a helpful and professional way. But because of the former I always felt the need to keep my guard up with the latter "just in case".

You guys sell to many people every day. We customer buy sometimes once a decade. The bad guys stick in our minds longer.

Anyway, as a fellow upstate New Yorker, welcome. What car line do you sell? What city are you in? May be I'll be your next sale. Look up my posts on these forums, I may be the customer you've been looking for.

snakeweasel · October 2007

But half of them are made in Germany (don't remember which half) ...

Its the right half. The left half is still made in Sweden, when both halfs arrive at the dealership the two halfs are welded together then sold.

isellhondas · October 2007

Yeah, and the electricals HAVE to come from England!

punkr77 · October 2007

Volvos have a very distinctive smell too that is similar to Saabs. Must be a Swedish thing.

Meatballs?

I've always scratched my head about Saabs. I always wondered why people bought them other than because they were "different". Now that they are mostly either rebadged GM's or Subaru's, I really don't get them. I don't think I've ever known anyone that owned more than one. Of those, all had nothing good to say about either Sabb dealers or Saab cars.

To be honest, it's probably the only marque that I've never ridden in (barring those makes you have to be a star athelete or oil barron to own). I don't think I've ever known anyone that owned more than one. Of those, all had nothing good to say about either Sabb dealers or Saab cars.

isellhondas · October 2007

Just my aunt Nancy.

She's in her late eighties. Looks and acts 65 at the most.

She's on her 3rd or 4th Saab.

" And when she's on the freeway, man, is she hard to catch"

OK, trivia contest...sub "he" for "she" in the quote above and tell me what 60's song that came from.

greanpea68 · October 2007

Mackabee: "It's deader than a cememtery around here. I tell you I get no respect! When I was a boy my mama took me to a dog show and I won!"
to be continued...............

BumbleBee: Took a nap in the showroom and slipped off his chair and banged his head off his desk. When he woke up he realized that Their is no more profit in Toyodas. It was all a dream. He than continued his real job writing his second book "Confessions of a car salesman on line" :P

jimbres · October 2007

LOL! Thanks, Mack.

jmonroe · October 2007

I'm going to try to be a little on topic here.

Just win the Super Bowl, baby!

Isn't that the Sunday that is the worst for car sales but that is the one you want to win even though it's a loser for car sales.

I mean, without those defensive signals, they've given up so many points!!!

Signals from a salesman can be hard to pick up for an inexperienced buyer, therefore, this is an advantage for the salesman. Not much competition is it? Kinda like the Pats competition to date is an advantage for them being the competition has a combined record of 4-12.

It's tough not to make a good deal with those numbers.

jmonroe

chikoo · October 2007

If you don't believe me, go ask Belacheat.

Did we win WW-II? ask Roosevelt-cheat?

Did we win ww-I? ask wilson-cheat?

the point I am trying to make is that spying is an integral part of any war.

mackabee · October 2007

You got that right!

BumbleBee

mackabee · October 2007

You're welcome!

Mackabee

mikefm58 · October 2007

OK, trivia contest...sub "he" for "she" in the quote above and tell me what 60's song that came from.

Surfer Joe by the Safaris on their Wipeout album. I'm sure all us old folks here remember Wipeout.

jmonroe · October 2007

the point I am trying to make is that spying is an integral part of any war.

Wars yes, sports NO. No one is going to live or die over the outcome of any sporting event. Although some die hard fans can't understand this.

But you missed my point, which was, nobody is going to go 16-0 in the NFL as long as there is competition like there is today.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · October 2007

She's the little old lady from Pasadena?

mackabee · October 2007

Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze?
Mackabee

dino001 · October 2007

Of course I meant by models, but I like yours better...

qbrozen · October 2007

yeah, i meant a used XJ. they do depreciate harsher than many other choices. I mean, what what does a cream puff '05 get at trade-in? $25k? Vs ~$68k new? Am I warm?

Too bad I love them so.

XFs in January? That soon? I didn't see that coming. Hmmm... I hate being a looky-loo, but this one might warranty a visit to the dealer ... on a sunday.

I didn't even realize they had finalized the production model yet? Aren't they still showing off the concept?

isellhondas · October 2007

Good job!

I have to give you a "B" however for slightly missing the name of the group that did Surfer Joe.

They were (and still are) The Surfaries.

The Safaries were a group too, from the early 60's whose number one hit was "Image of a Girl".

I know...I'm old!

british_rover · October 2007

Dude you are old.

Do you remember when the buggy whip manufacturers went out of business? :P

tayl0rd · October 2007

... Even house buying process is a little less dreaded than car in spite of much much higher stakes.

With house buying, the real estate agent and/or seller can get into serious legal trouble for lying. With car buying, there is absolutely no restitution for the buyer when the salesperson lies. No consequences to the salesperson for taking advantage of the customer, and no legal recourse for the customer after he's been raked over the coals.

Basically, there's almost no consumer protection against car dealerships. About the only thing we have is the Monroney sticker and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. In every other aspect, we're like cattle to the slaughter for dealerships. Why do you think they refer to us with livestock terms behind our backs?

mikefm58 · October 2007

I cheated. I googled the lyrics and came up with:

http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/s/surferjoe.shtml

jmonroe · October 2007

Do you remember when the buggy whip manufacturers went out of business?

They did? :surprise:

jmonroe

isellhondas · October 2007

You cheated??

Well, I'm taking away your "B" and sending you to the Vice Principal's office for a swat!

And, yes, I remember swats too!

graphicguy · October 2007

isell....I had a Saab 9-5 turbo back in the late '80s. Actually, it was a fast (for the time) car. Rode and handled great, if you could ignore the terrible torque steer. Took a while for the turbo to spool up, but once it did, you better be holding on tight cause things blurred reall quickly. Built well. I think I actually kept it for 115,000 miles (unusual for me). Never really had an ounce of trouble with it.

Then again, that's when Saab was an independent. Don't know what they represent these days.

joel0622 · October 2007

If the Pats go undefeated I will end every message I post here for a week with the sig of "Imports are superior" if they don't go undefeated you must end every message with "Real men don't drive foreign made trucks"

Ya in ya out?

kiawah · October 2007

love it

it's only a week, go for it!

mikefm58 · October 2007

If the Pats go undefeated

They're going to lose in week #6 to my Cowboys....

tazereli · October 2007

Its called pickled herring...

greanpea68 · October 2007

the Pats go undefeated I will end every message I post here for a week with the sig of "Imports are superior" if they don't go undefeated you must end every message with "Real men don't drive foreign made trucks"

I think I can handle a week of that :shades:

I have to say it does sound like a suckers bet :P

I must admit I do have a 2001 ford F150, It's funny how you need a truck when you own a home. For the record I got it before I was in the busines. It is 2wd, 6cyl, stick, crank windows of course you know that. It only has 130k original clutch, replaced struts, starter, brakes, one caliper, one tune up, a couple cv joints... But i own it. :lemon:

Not everyone is perfect. If you want when you loose you can type " Greanpea68 is superior" instead of imports I really won't mind :shades:

greanpea68 · October 2007

They're going to lose in week #6 to my Cowboys....

LOL..... Cowboys.... LOL....

I have to admit i love evryones optomistic attitude

greanpea68 · October 2007

Just curious what you would think of a ACV on 2001 s60 2wd with a 92500 for miles with a tranny that is slipping in first gear. I walked them at $5000 for trade. She is telling me that Volvo dealers were offering 8000? What do you think?

:confuse:

grandtotal · October 2007

She is telling me that Volvo dealers were offering 8000? What do you think?

I think she should trade it at the Volvo dealer.

carhag2000 · October 2007

I sell Hondas in College town in Ohio. Had a professor and her husband come in this spring and test drive Honda Fits. Didnt buy then but came back in yesterday ready to deal. I wrote them up at MSRP on base model 5 speed that we have in stock. 14,585.00 They were non plussed and wanted to pay 14,000. That number was below invoice by about 87.56 I actually emailed them a copy of the invopice and they checked me against edmunds so they know i was telling the truth. They call back today and tell me that they have a price of 14,300 at another dealer that is 65 miles away. I go to my boss and beg ( I'm blank for the month so far) to match the deal. Boss relents, sell it at 14,300.00 I call Mrs. Customer back and she says no I dont want to pay 14,300.00 I want you to beat dealer B's deal or else there is no reason to buy it there. I declined to do that and she rang off telling em she had to talk to her husband. I have showed her the invoice so shes knows she is getting offered a 213.00 deal.
Am I wrong to let her walk? Am I wrong to be frustrated? Am I wrong to want to tell the service dept that she pays full retail for any service and has to wait for our customers before her car gets in?

jipster · October 2007

Nah, you're not wrong to let her walk. Sounds like she needs to be clubbed like a baby seal though.

I would tell her you will beat the other dealerships price and sell her the car for $14,299.99... and save her a 2 hour trip.

carhag2000 · October 2007

In a weak moment I called her and told her I would do 14,287.56 EXACTLY 200 dollars over invoice on one of our hottest selling products.

And my family wonders why I drink to excess.....

epiney · October 2007

I walked them at $5000 for trade. She is telling me that Volvo dealers were offering 8000? What do you think?

I think you should have given them $8000 for the trade ... and then add $3000 to the price of the new car

epiney · October 2007

I think they are silly for not taking your offer, but I bet they call the dealer 65 miles away and ask them to beat your offer.

Don't worry, there will be lots of 08 Accord buyers...

greanpea68 · October 2007

Am I wrong to let her walk? Am I wrong to be frustrated? Am I wrong to want to tell the service dept that she pays full retail for any service and has to wait for our customers before her car gets in?

You must be new to the business. You are not wrong at all. I simply tell customers that they can do business anywhere they want but when I have a customer who bought a car here and on who didn't guess which one gets bump. I have told customers that they will have to do their service at the other dealer but only ones that played the game hard like the one you are talking about. I wouldn't discount it any further than that. Besides you don't know what games the dealer 65 miles away is playing. It might be that price but financing with all the reserve. i know Honda dealers here are getting sticker if not more. That is the problem with low priced cars, no mark up.

You shouldn't feel frustrated at all. Remember buyers are lyers. This last sentence isn't directed to the generous consumers that frequent this board.

dino001 · October 2007

Am I wrong to let her walk?

No. There is no rule customer has to buy a car at any price.

Am I wrong to be frustrated?

Yes and no. Yes, if frustration comes from taking it personally. If you think you deserve (fill the blank) premium, she has a right to think she deserves (blank) discount. You could be both right (sale) or either one could be wrong (no sale). No, if frustration comes from simply having a dry spell/bad luck.

Am I wrong to want to tell the service dept that she pays full retail for any service and has to wait for our customers before her car gets in?

Yes, you are wrong. For long time we are being told here that good salesperson is able of absorb all types of deals, as long as they come in right proportions. So, going out of your way to hurt a customer just because they did not play with your rules and agendas is just petty.

By the way - here more and more dealeships have complete firewall between departments, so all those "special treatment" spells are increasingly smoke screen. "Relationships", if such a thing even exists, are created pretty much regardless of point of sale by long-term consistent service. My dealer has very few discounts (but their rates aren't outrageus) and after four years I have received a few tokiens of good faith. Outside of my transmission repair (which I'm not sure who is more to thank - dealer or manufacturer), there was not much special treatment, really. And they got some of it back, by charging me twice for "electrical system check" when my battery was replaced - service that is in most other locations free of charge, even if you don't buy a battery. It made my battery twice as expensive as everywhere else. Since then I lost faith in any "special relationship" with your service department.

lrguy44 · October 2007

If she wants to drive 65 miles for the same deal after you did the educating, let her go. She is most likely working you. Sounds like she would be a bad CSI and definitely not worth a mini. Just say next. Here (and at many dealers) our sale customers have first shot at our loaners, others get Enterprise cars. There are (and should be) perks for our sales customers. They also get first shot at our events.

lrguy44 · October 2007

Why shouldn't sales customers get some perks?

graphicguy · October 2007

Are you wrong to let them walk? I don't think there's a right or wrong. I think you've got to make up your mind what the minimum (and the dealership's minimum) floor your willing to go. Once you hit that point? Hasta la vista if the customer doesn't buy.

Many times it's just as important to lose a sale as it is to gain one.

This one sounds like it's netting next to nothing. Let'em walk!

jmonroe · October 2007

Again, Im going to try and tie this into some car talk to avoid getting cut at the negotiating table.

I have to say it does sound like a suckers bet

First off that will have to be changed to a suckers deal.

It sure does and I think I know who the sucker is. The other dealer guy only has to make one deal out of the next 12, whereas you have to run the table making all 12. Have you ever heard of running into a tough customer? All it takes is just one to lose your end of year bonus.

Still want to make that deal? Remember, the other guy aint no greenpea?

jmonroe

joel0622 · October 2007

But I am not the one who put the deal on the table to start with. I simply stepped up to the sales desk and took a house deal when I saw it.

jmonroe · October 2007

I simply stepped up to the sales desk and took a house deal when I saw it.

I noticed that and I'm beginning to think with all the sales talk going on around here, some guys just ain't learnable.

jmonroe

jlawrence01 · October 2007

With those types, you are better off quoting a "take it or leave it" price and gong from there. More often than not, they have not gone to the other dealer but want to club you over the head with an offer.

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