Stories from the Sales Frontlines

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Comments

  • mrsuzukimrsuzuki Member Posts: 58
    I would still have her check herself. I have seen people have higher insurance rates than payments on those cars.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    apologies??

    :sick: ha ha!!
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Some will say this is off topic, I will say that if it were not for Veterans we would have no topic.

    But to keep it on topic. Here is big thank you to those of you who have written an OTD check like this.

    "A VETERAN... whether active duty, retired, National Guard or Reserve, is someone who at one point in their life wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount of up to and including his life, and understand that it is an honor to have done so regardless if the check was ever cashed or not.."

    image
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Here, Here....Cheers to that!!!!!

    Next round on Moo since he will be making the big bucks at Porche!!! ;) :shades:
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Next round on Moo since he will be making the big bucks at Porche!!!

    So, how do you pronounce Porche? :)
  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    PORCH AH
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    So, how do you pronounce Porche?

    In Boston we pronounce it Pawsh... As he has a Pawsh 911... Haven't you heard we don't use our R's??

    GP
  • tazerelitazereli Member Posts: 241
    Our Beagles deserved the whoopin they got...that being said...my favorite dallas/philly game was a monday nighter in Oct 2004 that i got to watch in a Franklin, TN bar. I was there on business with a buddy from our Ft worth plant and he couldn't hide his head any further down into his shirt that night. It was hilarious hearing some of the Titan fans rooting for Philadelphia. Good time

    Regards,
    Kyle
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    No, no. It is better the way that you had it. The "+" is an understood quality and the "c" will only confuse them. E==!M2 is a much more subtle way to send the message which indicates that the mouth is at both ends. You're very creative. :D
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    I think we need to get back on topic! It's not even the weekend yet. :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    New format gives me a blank grey block where poster and post number used to be.

    Half of my widescreen is grey and blank.

    No I'm not going to use Internet Explorer as Netscape lets me increase font and avoid using glasses.

    Try again folks, This is not working!

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • exb0exb0 Member Posts: 539
    To increase font in IE go to 'view' menu and then select 'text size'.
  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,233
    "There is such a thing as life after car payments."

    j...tried to explain that concept to her, but...you know....she's a...welll.....a female!!!!! :P

    (duck, cover and run!!!!!)
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    I can't see who responded to my post nor do I have a reply button, but IE doesn't really enlarge anything. Netscape actually does.

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    I bought a new car in 1974 at the age of 24. By the time I got it figured out that car payments don't fit well with an SR-22 (Remember the 55 speed limit nationwide- I never did adhere to that stupid rule). Young and foolish I had money to ditch the payment, but couldn't figure out how to pay it off (they didn't want me to). Banksters are tricky, but not as tricky as car dealerships. Anyhoo, paid it off finally and said "never again with the payments". That rule has worked out very well. No car payments for 30 years has been a blessing as house payments ended 10 years ago because of the savings.

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • exb0exb0 Member Posts: 539
    Which version of Netscape do you have? I just tested this site on Netscape 7.0 and it looks even better than it does on IE.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,804
    LOL! too true, too true.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    I think we need to get back on topic! It's not even the weekend yet

    Which topic would that be? :P :blush:
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    she's a...welll.....a female!!!!!

    Ooooo, what site was that you say you were headed to. You just made your last post here!!! :( You've been around here long enough to know who monitors this joint. \

    (duck, cover and run!!!!!)

    That ain't gonna help and you know it, bye. :sick:

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • psorterpsorter Member Posts: 89
    "No car payments for 30 years has been a blessing as house payments ended 10 years ago because of the savings. "

    House payments.. whats that :confuse: never had car or house payments and moved into my first house at 23 :blush: 25 years ago
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    You are very fortunate. You should thank the Lord every day when you wake up.
    :)
  • gogiboygogiboy Member Posts: 732
    "Is that right? I've always fancied (but never bought) a car with a leather interior, it's probably just as well since I wear blue jeans a lot."

    Rover--

    Save the money and buy leather pants and a mid-70s Gremlin with the Levis denim interior. You will a hit with your customers, a style trend-setter and a true contrarian. :)

    Gogiboy
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    I have to wonder how he did this at age 23---parental help, lottery, Publishers Clearing House, clever investments, or a job that paid that well? Enough cash to buy a house and never a car payment? Also, we have to consider square footage of the house, location, etc.---as well as the makes of the cars. I really do have a question if the house is 5,000 square feet and the car is a Land Rover. What a fortunate young man.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    [Praise the Lord] in Southpark comedy accent
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    it is a bad week to be one of my customers. Just had another Land Rover get hit and most likely totaled. Guy I sold a Disco to about two years ago was hit head on by a F150 earlier this week. His whole family was in the car along with is one month old daughter. Everyone is OK but the insurance company is trying to say the Disco can be fixed. Total BS you have to do a frame swap to repair that kind of damage on a Disco and that alone will cost more then the vehicle is worth.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Wonder if maybe the dye didn't come from blue jeans. Could have been a blue jacket wrapped around someone's waist or a ladies blue dress? The reason I wonder is because our Explorer has cream colored leather seats and we wear jeans alot since we are retired. True though that we always wash new jeans before we wear them. We haven't had a problem with the blue jeans and leather during the last two years.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 270,465
    In Seattle?

    The jeans were probably wet!! ;)

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  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
  • stubborn1stubborn1 Member Posts: 85
    I don't think you can ever get away from making car payments completely. Yes, you can pay off a loan and not make loan payments, but you are always making some sort of car payment. Savings for the next car, maintenance, insurance, etc.

    I haven't had a car loan for three years, but our "car payment" is still around $500/month.
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    I've been reading and posting on this forum for a couple of years now and if there was one thing I was told that took hold was they (salesfolks) didn't want lookie louie types on their lot. If you weren't ready to buy today then don't bother them as they had real buyers ready and waiting.

    This has saved me big bucks. I haven't bought a car in almost 2 years. You see, looking is what put me into "buy it now" mode. If I was cruising by and a vehicle caught my eye I used to go on the lot and take a closer look. Sometimes I bought that vehicle and sometimes I didn't. The sales persons talk/attitude/demeanor were irrelevant. I connect to a vehicle or I don't.

    Now that I took the advice given here and don't just pull on to a dealers lot for a look see I have lost the buy it now feeling. All the TV ads and mail brochures don't do a thing for me. I have to get right up and close to a vehicle to see if it jumps out and grabs me. I need to open the door and see if the combination of new car smell, shiny stuff and the right sized steering wheel make me want to own that car. It doesn't take much to make me blow off a car, but it does take a lot to get me interested. From 40 feet away a Ferrari is just another car. Up close I may have some interest.

    Thanks guys for keeping me (and others I'm sure) off the lots with that advice.

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 270,465
    I love looking at cars.. I try not to take up a salesperson's time, unnecessarily, but that won't deter me from looking. If they don't like it, then they shouldn't build those big buildings and parking lots, and put 12 pages of ads in the Saturday paper. ;)

    Of course, if I get treated poorly, because I'm not buying that day, then that probably isn't the place I'll be buying my next car. :surprise:

    I think most dealerships have no idea how many potential buyers that they run off, due to poor customer service skills.

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  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    Another difference between high end and low end. The average LR buyer makes 3-4 visits before purchase. Also, there is a BIG difference between just looking and a Lookey-Lou. Just looking is in the market to buy in the next few months and is actually doing research and is worth all the time. On the other hand a lookey-lou does not have the ability nor interest to ever buy. It is amazing how quickly as a sales person one can tell the difference. In a nutshell, most "just looking" are worth taking time with.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    I never minded the guy who wanted to to stop buy and check out a model and maybe go for a spin because he was contemplating a new car. I turned allot of lookers into buyers.

    The ones that aggravated me were the ones who have no intention of buying a new car, they are just killing time while there wife is at the hair dresser and thought they would drive a Taurus because there son in Florida just got one.

    Or the guy that comes in telling you he is getting new Taurus and wants to drive one. Then when you are done he says thanks, my company is getting me the car and are drop shipping it to your competitor across town.
  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,233
    ky...I'm with you. That's exactly what I'm doing today. Big ads in the paper this a.m. I'll head over to the megaplex to help my friend look for a Nissan or Mitsu. While I'm there, I'll wander over to the Lexus dealer & the Infiniti dealer, maybe even check out the Toyota dealer's new showroom in the same area. I'll wander on my own....peak in the windows. If someone approaches me, I'll tell them I'm just looking. If they hover, that's up to them.

    If they get rude, I'll just cross that dealership off my list whenever I'm in the market.
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    If someone approaches me, I'll tell them I'm just looking

    Very good. A good SP can figure out if you are truly looking or just using the standard defense method. If the guy can't figure out that you are truly just looking and he burns an hour with you then that is his fault. ;)
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    I turned allot of lookers into buyers Try that again. It was the vehicle/price/need that turned them into buyers. Not to take away from you professionals here, but the best salesman in the world is not going to "help" me buy a Chevette for $3 even if I needed a car. Your product is your best sales tool. All the sales pitches do, for me at least, is slow me down as I see if the product has what turns me on. If I connect with what I see on your lot and reason that it is what I need/want/can afford you could be standing there in a clown suit with a monkey on a string and either you or the monkey is going to get the sale.

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    I disagree. A good salesperson can turn lookers into buyers. It is the ability to match a customers wants and needs to a vehicle. Some people are like lost sheep that are overwhelmed with buying a car. I do not think he was referring to a consumer who had researched and knew what they were after.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    most "just looking" are worth taking time with.

    Just looking to me means they are looking for a sales person. ;)

    I agree with Joel that you can definately read a person when they come on the lot or showroom. A Person That is a tire kicker will have a demeanor of no interesy and seem to be looking at everything. They seem to wonder around like they are lost.

    When you have a buyer that comes they ussualy look like they have a mission. But when they are approached they will go into defense mode " just looking"

    That being said it is told to us all the time that communcation is 7% the words we use... 38% tone of voice and 55% body language.

    I think that is why we can read someone when they say they are just looking.

    GP
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    It was the vehicle/price/need that turned them into buyers. Not to take away from you professionals here, but the best salesman in the world is not going to "help" me buy a Chevette for $3 even if I needed a car.

    You have just never run into a salesmen :D

    If I was to take there first "I was just looking" as the truth then they would have left the lot to go else where. Instead I took a customer who was "just looking" and sold them a car. hence the term, I turned a looker into a buyer.

    Every one here who sells has had this comment made to them before.

    SP: Do you have your title to your trade with you?
    Customer: No, I had no plans of trading today.

    They came out to look and ended up buying. That is 50% product/promotion and 50% salesmanship.
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    7% the words we use... 38% tone of voice and 55% body language.


    With those requirements Paris Hilton should get into car sales.

    "That's Hot" "I'll take it"

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    It was the vehicle/price/need that turned them into buyers.

    And without a good SP to uncover the customer's needs and budget and find and demonstrate how a vehicle fills those needs the buyer would still be a looker.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Ughh please don't sully this board with that name.
  • mako1amako1a Member Posts: 1,855
    You have just never run into a salesmen

    Joel, there is no doubt that you are a super nice guy that likes to joke with customers and make them feel at ease and all the things that get them pliable. But you never will convince me that you have the ability to change my mind about a car purchase. I like it or I don't and all the "feel good" just evaporates if I don't connect with what you're selling. Too bad you're on the other side of that long state of Tennessee or I'd drive over there and give you a shot.

    Face it, some people are secure in what they like and don't like and can reason for themselves if what they want is worth what they have to trade to get it. Before you guys go on a diatribe about trade-ins I mean money/car/whatever. It's all give and take. To me money is just another thing to trade-in.

    They're not all sheep. Please remember that.

    2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali

  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    Whoever said that whoever values a SPs experience, knowledge and methods were sheep? Obviously you a special person who looks down on all things not you.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    You left off the :D on my quote. Your quote makes me look arrogant :D

    The worlds is full of people with different personalities. If we were all the same life would suck. You may not be able to be sold anything, but for every one of you there are 10 people who can be sold. Thats the reason the job of "Sales" exists, not just cars but every thing.
  • mrsuzukimrsuzuki Member Posts: 58
    Okay, so maybe no salesperson is going to turn you from looking to buying, but dont make generalizations about something you know a small % about.

    A good salesperson will find out what he/she needs to hit on in order to sell you a car. It sales 101. Find the customer hot button and work it. Just the other day I took a lady who was looking to buy a car in a few months, into a buyer today. She never even talked price til after she said she wanted the car today. So price couldn't have made her buy today. She has a few cars to drive, so her need wasn't her reason to buy, and she was planning to buy the same vehicle the whole time, so what was her motivation??

    Direct Quote from Ms Customer: "I have had many bad experiences at car dealerships because I am a woman. I did not plan on buying this car til after the holiday season, but you treated me so well, I just went ahead and did it."

    There are many times that sales people turn lookers into buyers. I don't see how someone who is not in the business can even remotely feel qualified to make such a comment.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,617
    In a nutshell, most "just looking" are worth taking time with.

    I said something like that a year or so ago and all the salesmen here jumped all over me for that. :sick:

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    You may not be able to be sold anything, but for every one of you there are 10 people who can be sold. Thats the reason the job of "Sales" exists, not just cars but every thing.

    My Father was a kitchen designer (way before they became fashionable) and salesman of up-scale kitchen cabinets for about 10 years. He dealt mostly with builders who built more expensive homes because the people who bought those homes wanted the better stuff. I remember him telling me about the time he did the “take-away” (he didn’t call it this but it fits the way you guys in the biz do it).

    If, when he was returning from a custom built home going back to the office he noticed a custom home being built he would stop and see if the builder/owners were around, trying for more business. This one time he saw what appeared to be the owners so he stopped. It turns out the guy was himself a new builder and was building his own home. When my father said he designed kitchens and provided better than the run of the mill cabinets the guy was pretty arrogant and said, “I already have cabinets in mind” and he mentioned the name of the cabinets and my Father thought why would he put those poor quality cabinets in a house like this. Then the guy adds insult to injury and said, “if I wanted another cabinet peddler I’d find one myself “. So, my father said, “sorry to bother you but I thought you were building a quality house but with your choice of cabinets I can see you’re trying to cut corners, thanks for your time.”

    Of course the guy and his wife were now curious after hearing that comment and the guy said, Ok, I have a couple minutes, let me see what you have.” My Farther shows him a couple samples and the guys wife says, “when can we come to your showroom, these samples look pretty good but I want to see an entire kitchen display”. To make a long story short, they come in a couple days later and the woman falls in love with the cabinets and says to her husband, “these are really nice, why don’t you know about these”? Yep, they bought them and they bought them for the other houses the guy built and the two of them became pretty good business friends.

    It never hurts to listen for a couple minutes, you might just learn something.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • lls57lls57 Member Posts: 57
    The wife and I stopped at a car dealer on Wednesday night (6:00). It wasn't real busy, and a salesman greeted us as we started to walk from our car to the cars on the lot. I told him we're just gathering info at the moment, we're a couple of months away from buying anything. He told me that's fine, what did I want to see? I asked where the RAV4's were, and could we get a brochure? He chitchatted with us, all nice and friendly, as we walked over to one. He got one unlocked for us to check out, and before we could get the door open, he was gone!

    What happened? I was hoping to get him to stick around for at least two-three minutes to answer any basic questions I had. Brochure? I had to track that down from the receptionist. What'd I do wrong? I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, but a couple minutes time would be nice. I didn't want to waste his time on a test drive, negotiations, etc., but I didn't want to be totally ignored. Again, it wasn't busy.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 54,016
    Let's see, 6:00? My guess is the pizza delivery guy showed up.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

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