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Stories from the Sales Frontlines

91721 messages,  Last post on May 19, 2013 at 5:33 PM

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#91712 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [driver100] by isellhondas

May 19, 2013 (8:59 am)

Replying to: driver100 (May 18, 2013 7:30 pm)
I don't think you did anything "wrong". You were just being a typical customer. Before I was in the business, I probably would have done the same thing.
 
It was the dealer's fault for "letting you out" wrong. Before a customer leaves, saying the right words means everything. If a salesperson fails to do this there is probably a 90% chance he will never see that person again.
 
I would have said..." Mr. Driver, I don't know if I can get my boss to shave another 10.00 off those payments, do we have a deal?"
 
If you waffled or wouldn't commit to that I would have said.." I'm on your side here (and I would be)..heck, I'll even ask for another 30.00 less a month"
 
If you agreed to the 30.00 I would write that up..." Will buy and drive home NOW with that amount and have you sign it.
 
When it was rejected I would cme back and say.." I think we both knew that wouldn't work but I tried...is there a number you would agree to and I'll try again"
 
If I had a solid commitment at SOME number I could usually make a deal work.
 
A lot of Sales Managers will agree to a skinny deal if they know they have a committed buyer and a salesperson who is trying to make a deal happen.
 
That store simply let you out wrong.
 
" You don't count the BE-BACKS you count the GREENBACKS"

#91713 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [isellhondas] by tjc78

May 19, 2013 (10:10 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 19, 2013 8:59 am)
I've said this before and I'll say it again. If you are a savvy buyer there is little to no need to go to multiple dealers. Know the market for both the new car and the trade and simply "play ball". Heck you could do most of it over the phone if you've already test drove it.
 
Am I correct in saying that for all except maybe the "hottest" models, as long as there is a little profit the dealer will jump on the sale?
 
I know when I got the Lacrosse the selling price was under invoice, the MF and residual were using the published numbers, and no "extras" so somewhere that dealer made a buck or he wouldn't have sold it to me. It also was mid month so I doubt he was chasing a bonus.

#91714 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [verdugo] by driver100

May 19, 2013 (12:27 pm)

Replying to: verdugo (May 19, 2013 8:48 am)
In a lot (most?) modern cars that is a customizable setting.
 
My 2000 Jeep Cherokee had a loud beep from the horn I think...it actually scared people who were walking by it.
 
I eventually had it taken out. I didn't think it was programmable because in their words, "They thought they could remove it". That made it sound like it was something they had to look into.
 
There's no need for a loud noise...people should have enough energy that they can turn their heads and watch the lights to flash.

#91715 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [isellhondas] by driver100

May 19, 2013 (12:36 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 19, 2013 8:59 am)
If I had a solid commitment at SOME number I could usually make a deal work
 
In sales, and especially car sales your chances of selling a car must go down a huge amount once a potential customer leaves without buying. Like you said, I gave them a chance to come down, but they said that was a firm price.
 
When I got the AAA price and it was considerably less I would have been a moron to take the higher price just to be loyal or a nice guy. I don't think I would have bought from the second dealer if the price was $10 more, but if it is significantly more I can justify it pretty easily - they weren't acting in my best interest, so I will have to act in my own best interest.
 
There was a $1500 difference, so I think some dealers just accept they can make more profit from the cars they do sell, and if they only sell 1/2 the cars they still come out ahead. Just a different business model - you can make a profit on high margin, or you can do it based on volume. I much prefer the 2nd method, as a business owner and as a customer.

#91716 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [driver100] by isellhondas

May 19, 2013 (12:49 pm)

Replying to: driver100 (May 19, 2013 12:36 pm)
So, I'm curious now....suppose they HAD been willing to come down 10.00/mo.?
 
Would you have bought that day or still shopped that number?

#91717 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [isellhondas] by ohenryx

May 19, 2013 (2:39 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 19, 2013 12:49 pm)
suppose they HAD been willing to come down 10.00/mo.?
  
Would you have bought that day or still shopped that number?
 
I would doubt that he can accurately answer that question at this late date. If he’s anything like me, then emotions do play a part. You can be as logical as you want, you can crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet, you can read online reviews and compare the specs until your head spins, but a lot of it will still come down to how you feel at that moment.
 
The biggest problem I have with the dealers is how crooked most of them are. (Please note that I said “most”, not “all”). In years past, I tended to buy based on newspaper ads. Walk into the dealership with their full page ad in hand, and tell the salesman, “I want to see THAT car (or truck), and if I like it, I’ll take it home.” I purchase a 1989 Ford F150, a 1990 Ford Mustang, a 1993 Chevy custom van, a 1995 Dodge Lancer (turbo), a 1998 Ford F250, a 2000 Ford F150, a 2000 Ford F250 (diesel), a 2005 Mazda Tribute, a 2008 Volkswagen Passat, and a 2011 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab. Every single one was purchased from a large dealership ad in the Houston Chronicle.
 
But those days are gone, or so it would seem. So now you have to negotiate, and the dealers seem to be every bit as crooked as ever. My latest round, I had been to the dealership, looked, driven, talked, argued, and left ($500 apart). Two days later, the salesman calls and emails, saying he will accept my offer for $500 less. But when I show up to sign the papers, it’s “Oh, we made a mistake, and it’s $750 more.” Then, “Okay, we’ll split the difference.” And then finally, as I’m leaving, “Okay, we will honor the deal we made earlier.” And then, when I go to the finance office to sign the papers, they have slipped an additional $270 in the bottom line. “Oh, I’m sorry, an error in my math. Let me correct that and reprint the forms.”
 
This is why most people HATE, absolutely HATE, buying new cars. If the factory took over the dealerships, and sold cars to everyone at the same price, clearly listed on each unit, the same way Walmart sells, I expect they would move a lot more cars.

#91718 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [isellhondas] by driver100

May 19, 2013 (4:14 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 19, 2013 12:49 pm)
So, I'm curious now....suppose they HAD been willing to come down 10.00/mo.?
 
This is hard to explain, but I had trouble making a large purchase on the spur of the moment. Especially at that time, when money was pretty tight. I wasn't holding out to try to get $10 off, I just wanted to think it over. It was a big step for me at the time, I was collecting unemployment insurance, starting a new business, and the payments were about $325 a month.
 
They already said they wouldn't lower the price. I didn't even plan on shopping around. I just remembered the AAA ad and thought I would give it a shot, expecting there to be a slight difference in price, probably not enough to actually switch dealers at that point.
 
But, when I went in, and the price was significantly lower, and it only took 15 minutes to give me that price, it confirmed for me that this must be a good price....and I just wanted the Jeep for that price, I was pretty certain I wouldn't do better.
 
But, if I hadn't called and got an AAA dealer, I wouldn't have shopped around, I would have bought the car from the first salesman - I liked him and trusted him.
 
When I bought my 2nd Jeep 5 years later, I went in with an ad from another dealer offering new Jeeps for what I thought was a really low price.
I asked the salesman if he could match the clearance price...thinking if I can get a new Jeep for that price I would buy it for sure...by then I could easily afford it.
 
He said, not only can I match it, I can do quite a bit better! So, I think it really ended up as well as it could for me.
 
Someone once told me the easiest person to sell to is a salesperson (which I was and have mostly ever been), because they can't play games with other salespeople - they know what it is like. I really try to be as fair as I can to salespeople, because I like to be treated fairly.
 
Next post I'll remind you about buying my wife's Audi......

#91719 of 91721 Buying the Audi by driver100

May 19, 2013 (4:27 pm)

I explained before how we set out to buy a 328 in the morning, and I didn't like what they were offering for the trade, so decided to stop at an Audi dealer on the way home.
 
The salesman was a young guy, but they were so busy that day he was selling new cars even though he was the used car salesman.
 
He was the best salesman. Easy going, understood what we wanted. He was enthusiastic about Audis and liked the dealership. We tried out the cars and liked it better than the 328. He told us he would give us to another salesman because he was leaving the dealership the next morning because he wanted to look after his aging parents.
 
He gave us exactly what I wanted for our trade in....he gave me the number, I didn't tell him. Then he matched the 4% discount bmw would have given us. He said we could think about it the following week and he would give us another salesperson to work with. We said we wanted to buy the car from him, we'll buy it on the spot. We bought the car at 5 p.m. on a Saturday just at closing time.
 
I value a good honest salesman and will go out of my way to work with them. I think the Jeep was just a fluke that I remembered the AAA pricing and I checked out the 2nd dealer...and it was much less. I did apologize to the first salesman, called him and told him what I paid for my new Jeep.
 
My question to you is...should I have called him back or just have left it? I think I owed him the courtesy of calling back, but it isn't nice having to do that.

#91720 of 91721 Re: Sales Story - Part 2 [ohenryx] by driver100

May 19, 2013 (4:39 pm)

Replying to: ohenryx (May 19, 2013 2:39 pm)
but a lot of it will still come down to how you feel at that moment.
 
That is basically true. I know though, the big difference was I did remember the AAA ad that said, find the best price you can, call us, we will give you a dealer who will give you the lowest price possible. I don't think AAA does that anymore.
 
The other factor like I explained was I did want to think it over, it was a big purchase and decision for me at the time. But, I think I would have bought from the first dealer at the time....I thought their price seemed in the range and was actually lower than I expected......those were the glory days for leasing a vehicle.
 
I think you are correct that there is a fair bit of dishonesty in the car selling business. Occasionally, you get a a good salesperson like our Audi guy. Even then you have to be careful, because the 2nd time they might take advantage, so you have to be prepared before going. I have more bad experiences than good basically...just have to keep one step ahead.

#91721 of 91721 sales, and post-sale by stickguy

May 19, 2013 (5:33 pm)

my BIL recently bought a slightly used Cobra (don't call it a kit car!). From a dealer in LA that specializes in these (he lives in NY). Met the guy at B-J auction in AZ back in January, and bought the car from pictures, etc. Eventually arrived by truck from CA. Funny part of the story is the original buy was in Maine. He sold it to the dealer in CA, so it was shipped all the way out there then sent back to NY. And the same driver remembered picking it up, so some dude drove it cross country, twice.
 
anyway, the sale worked out, but then the state of NY and their DMV got involved. It took him about 3 months before he could finally drive it, and he had to haul it 2 times to different facilities to look at. then multiple trips to the DMV office. by the end, he had the direct line # for the guy in Albany that managed custom car registrations. Seemed to be really Kafkaesque by the end. But, worked out, because it finally has a NY approved VIN, stickers, and plates.

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