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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
28867 messages, Last post on May 15, 2008 at 9:28 PM
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Replying to: sc00bs (Jul 22, 2006 5:57 pm) I would certainly follow up and complain about this salesperson. He needs to GO! The Five Star thing is actually a measurement of the service abilities of the dealership. Reporting that horrible experience would affect the dealership in several ways. I would find it hard to believe any legitimate dealership, Dodge or other marque, would want to have that sort of employee around. Sound like a lawsuit timebomb waiting to happen. Here in Wichita there are three Dodge dealerships. All three were Five Star until last month when one dropped off the map. From stories I have heard, the one that lost it does not surprise. Complaints should always be made. BTW. The Five Star concept was supposedly based on the dealership where I work. |
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Replying to: louiswei (Jul 31, 2006 8:29 am) The interior however is really where the vehicles kick it up a notch. Then when you get to the driving experience since no other vehicle drives like a Range rover it is just in a class by itself. I have a short sales story for you. This is why sales people hate negotiating over the phone. Saturday morning this woman calls up from way out of our market looking for a Range Rover Sport. I tell her what we have in stock, all three of them, and that typically we do not discount them as they are in such limited supply. Land Rover did nearly triple our allocation of Sports for the end of the model year so we are going to be discounting these vehicles as the summer winds down. Whenever people call us from way out of our market area they are looking for two things. They either want an odd ball color/optioned vehicle and can't find it or they are trying to find a deal. This woman wanted a White on Alpaca Sport which we have coming in about two weeks. I told her I would check on its exact date of arrival and see what kind of discount we could offer up. She gives me her phone number and I talk to your centre manager. We looked around on the Rover intranet to see if their were any White/alpaca sports in her area and there were several so she is shopping for a deal not avaliblity. We talk it over and decide that is we currently only have the three vehicles we are not going to discount to heavily but will offer something up after I feel her out some more. I explain the situation to her and ask her what kind of discount she was looking for. She refuses to tell me. I explain to her that if she is looking for 4,000 dollar or so discount that is never going to happen as she is well out of our market area and the sale will not count towards various objectives and bonuses. In addition she would never service the vehicle here either so there is a loss of that revenue too. She tells me it would be a cash deal no trade, "a very simple transaction for you to roll one more unit out the door." I offer up the only discount I am willing to give up without confering with anyone else. I give her 1,500 dollars off. She scoffs and says she can get that where she is. ME: Well again ma'am please tell me where you want to be and if I can do it then I will. Her: I want 3,000 dollars off. ME: Can I put you on hold for a couple of minutes? Her: Sure. I go back and talk to the boss again. He mulls it over for a few minutes then says ok do it but I bet she calls back wanting more off by the end of the day. ME: Ma'am we can do the 3,000 dollars off. I can take a deposit right now over the phone and I will lock that car up for you right away. Her: Well my husband is not going to be home til monday so I need to talk to him first. Me: Ok well then call me back monday then. Her: Says ok and hangs up. About an hour later she calls back asking if there are any other fees with that price. I tell her well there would be your local tax and reg fees whatever those are and our $239 doc fee. Her: Well what is that for? Me: Well to cover the cost of generating the documents for the sale and in your case it won't even do that. We will have to overnight your registration paperwork to a tag agency who will do the registration for us. They will overnight us your plates and then we will overnight the plates to you. Included in that envelope will be a pre-paid overnight envelope for you to use to send our dealer plate back. All of that over nighting of paperwork alone is going to cost nearly 200 dollar then there is the fee that tag agency charges us. (Just a side note no one ever cares about our doc fee. It is less then one half of one percent of the purchase price of our least expensive vehicle.) Her:(grumbling a little)OK and does that include floor mats. Me: Yes it does.(again no one asks if our prices include floor mats either) She hangs up. Calls back another hour or so later. Her:Ok well you were the first one I called and I found someone else who has a 100 dollar less doc fee and will discount the car 3,500 dollars. Will you match that? ME: NO. Her: Why not? It is noly 600 dollars less in total. ME: Well there has to be a line drawn some where and this is the line. If I match that I am sure you can find someone who will be willing to go another 250 dollars or so below that. Then you might find someone who will go another 100 dollars below that. I am sorry we will not sell the vehicle for less then the previously quoted price. Her:Well fine I will just have to talk to my husband and see what he says then call you Monday. ME: OK She hangs up Oh and she has not called me yet or responded to my voice mail.
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Replying to: british_rover (Jul 31, 2006 9:09 am)  . If I can afford a Range Rover with cash I wouldn't worry about the discounts neverthless the doc fees. If there are discounts, fine. If not, I don't care as long as I got the money and I like the car. I am pretty sure a pro sales like you working for a prestigous dealer like Rover can smell a deal/no-deal from the get-go huh? Anyway, like I said before, Rover does have some kick a$$ interiors.
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Replying to: louiswei (Jul 31, 2006 9:20 am) Range Rover owners have an average income of over 250,000 dollars a year. Onf our customers is in the middle of buying a major league sports franchise for somewhere around 175 million dollars. |
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Replying to: capitano (Jul 25, 2006 4:14 pm) Sartorial Prejudices. Would make a nice name for an underground death metal prog band. In Los Angeles, whether selling cars or shopping at the grocery (or even out having a drink), celebrities and the more wealthy tend to dress undercover. Holes in the knee of their jeans? Let's qualify the customer. Either they sleep in their car or they bought those jeans for $1500 at Fred Segal's on Melrose. Ripped t-shirt? Same $1500 on Rodeo Drive. Lesbian couples? Large numbers of lesbians buy automobiles. Especially in California. Dirty and/or tangled damaged hair usually looked like a sale to me. And of course, everyone owns a car and buys it from somewhere. Sonetimes two or more of them. Sometimes, people walk in who do not own a car, and have never owned a car in the past and....buy a car. And everyone has a story. Sometimes selling cars is like being a bartender or taxi cab driver. |
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Replying to: british_rover (Jul 31, 2006 9:31 am) I know you can't say who this is nor should you. I think you are in CT, or at least that area, and since I'm in western PA, I'm pretty sure who this is and what he wants to buy. No need to respond. jmonroe
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Replying to: jmonroe (Jul 31, 2006 10:21 am) 
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Replying to: louiswei (Jul 31, 2006 10:29 am) im pretty sure we wont be seeing the whale back in good ol' CT anytime soon though...too bad! |
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Replying to: british_rover (Jul 31, 2006 9:09 am) That story is hilarious! The fact that she is concerned about doc fees and floor mat costs on a 70K vehicle is amazing (especially since she is planning on paying cash). But I do not doubt it for one second. My father builds very expensive custom homes, and you would be amazed when somebody puts a $500 refrigerator in a 3 million dollar house, and complains about the cost of the refrigerator.. Some rich people are just very funny when it comes to money.. Like they are always on the defensive, or looking for a great deal... |
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Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 31, 2006 11:09 am)  Yes I know I am getting off-topic. |
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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
