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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
48046 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 10:40 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: driver100 (Dec 12, 2008 12:11 pm) While I miss many things about my former job, that isn't one of them. No matter how nicely I was treated by the company, there were some purchasing agents who felt they wielded the ultimate "big stick" over us......issuing a purchase order. Then, like you, I'd go over their head, because the REAL buyer was waiting for our products, and couldn't get it, because purchasing was holding it up. Not all were like that. But, always ran into a couple of those types every quarter. I used to tell the sales folks to let me be the "bad guy" and feign ignorance to get involved. I'm really good at that.....being ignorant! |
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Replying to: kirstie_h (Dec 12, 2008 9:49 am) Kirstie-- Don't you mean you admire their ability to put up with the abuse. Otherwise it sounds like you think the amount of abuse they receive is admirable. Then again. I guess we've had a few salesman on this board in the past that deserved above treatment--more than a few consumers, too!  Gogiboy
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Replying to: driver100 (Dec 12, 2008 8:44 am) Hopefully, Toyota learns from GM's mistakes of growing so big. I say, look at Honda. It is content with what it makes. And it makes some wonderful vehicles.
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Replying to: chikoo (Dec 12, 2008 1:31 pm) I wonder about that sometimes. Isn't it better in many cases just to have a good share of the market and make a profit.....why is it so necessary to be #1? I wonder if Honda is content not being #1. Maybe great companies won't be great if they are not striving to be #1. What about Suburu - they make good cars that people like, but really sell to a small niche market. Would they want to be #1? Sometimes being #1 is worse, have to keep expanding, have to stay ahead of the competition, you have to pay out big bucks to expand, and someone might come along and knock you off. One thing for sure, it is better to be more profitable, than to be #1 in sales....I think.
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Replying to: driver100 (Dec 12, 2008 1:43 pm) There was a time when I had that drive. Then I realized that no matter how high you go, it is still crowded. >I wonder if Honda is content not being #1 This is my position right now. I excel in what I do. I am happy that my customers like what I do for them. And I try to make it better, on my own time. I stopped drawing comparisons with competition long ago. |
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Today some folks rolled on to the lot and said they wanted to look at a used Explorer. They gave a good description of what they wanted as luck would have it we had exactly what they were looking for. They agreed to first pencil and have great credit. This was going way to easy. They got into the Business Office (The other F&I guy was handling not me but I can hear everything that goes on in his office) and they told him they had to hurry. So he told them the rate and the payment and sold them a VSC. The lady said again, we have to hurry. When my co-worker asked why they told him that XYZ Ford was closing at 4:30 for there Christmas Party. What had happened was that they had been at one of our competitors and told them they wanted to think about it. Our competitor told them to drive there car for the afternoon while they thought about it. Well wanted to think about it was code for wanted to shop. At first pencil we were $2000 cheaper and still made good money. So today there is one real happy sales guy and one real pissed off one. |
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Got a mailer from my Sam Swope Buick dealership today. They write the Buick Motor Car Division has authorized them to sell every new 2008 Buick Lucerene for $7,000 under invoice. That's a pretty good deal... about the most I've ever seen off on a non-SUV or truck vehicle. They also throw in lifetime oil and filter changes and a 100 gallon gas card. Very tempting... maybe they'll be offering $10k off invoice when GM gets closer to bankrupcy. 
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Replying to: driver100 (Dec 12, 2008 1:43 pm) I think what is the problem is market's growth paradigm - companies that don't grow have to die, at least according to stock markets (and of course some empirical anectotal evidence). Just compare valuations on growth vs. stable income companies and you get the idea what is the biggest fear of every CEO. So in order not to be left by the investors (which of course creates self-feeding loop of corporate destruction), companies feel like they have to show growth, even if there isn't any. If they can't grow organically, they start acquiring, or switch metrics they measure their growth. Big/Intermediate/Small Three saw their profits eroding first, so they clung to defending marketshare (which they coudn't anyway, but it was their primary strategy until six months ago). Even now, with two weeks left on the bankrupcy clock, people still seriously boast some of GM cars as "best selling". I remeber Joel not so long ago had (say eight months) "we outsell them thus we are the best" attitude. It had to fail of course. Now we have 60-80% overcapacity in production, large losses per unit, company going bust in two weeks and UAW saying "we will concede our wages in two years".  Sometimes the hardest decision may just be to say "we are happy to be No.3". |
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Dec 12, 2008 11:58 am) nobody ever died over fifty bucks.
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Replying to: dino001 (Dec 12, 2008 6:22 pm) Good point dino. I guess it is like you said, the stock holders and buyers won't buy your stock unless you show them growth figures, and the bigger the better. Then, when things go bad, or your competition comes out ahead, you have a longer way to fall. I am beginning to think the whole system is corupt.....it is based on a tremendous theory that worked for many decades, now we need watchdogs to watch over these guys. The Enrons, Wall St.,, AIG, Fanny May and Freddie Mac, now GM.....they keep growing and massaging the numbers until they implode. I guess to be as good as you can be you have to try to be #1, and to please the stockholders you have to be #1, but it would be better if more companies could be content with being #3. |
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