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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
47811 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 8:49 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: jordanrobinson (Sep 19, 2006 7:16 am)  Took a "test drive" in a new Pathfinder today. It is a very nice vehicle. I went through some of the sales procedures with one of the salespeople. Am trying to wrap my head around the specs of the product line. "To sleep, perchance to dream..." |
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Replying to: jordanrobinson (Sep 19, 2006 7:16 am)
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One local dealership allows sales staff to wear sunglasses. I seen staff with them perched on top of their head or dandling on a sports cord in the showroom. IMO, that's a major turn off. I would not want to be greeted by anyone with such a casual attitude. IMO, it's not a cardinal sin but a sloppy approach. It's almost as bad as Marlboro breath.
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Replying to: atlvibe (Sep 20, 2006 2:40 pm) I don't react well to the "stuffed shirt" approach of selling, so wearing sunglasses or not wouldn't matter to me. If the salesman isn't comfortable, I'm not going to be comfortable. And if I feel like he's trying to gain some kind of position of authority, I'm going to react poorly to it. That, and there's no sin as great as smelling of cigarette smoke, whether it's your clothes or your breath or what. |
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Replying to: atlvibe (Sep 20, 2006 2:40 pm)
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Replying to: mac24 (Sep 20, 2006 5:44 pm) Yes, but as a customer I'd want to look directly into the salesperson's eyes at some point! And, as a salesperson I'd want to see the customer's eyes as well.  tidester, host |
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At a mile high, wear shades or watch the cataracts form as you look. For every thousand feet of altitude, there is 4% less UV protection. 20% less UV protection here than in Florida. Match that to our 300 days of sunshine a year, and sunglasses are just a way of life. I certainly believe that I will doff them when dealing with a guest at the dealership. Though when I jump in the car for the test drive, on they go again.
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Replying to: theking (Sep 20, 2006 6:18 am) Test drove an '06 Altima 2.5, Xterra with the 6 speed manual, a totally decked out Quest, and an '07 Maxima SL today. The Maxima is fantastic. I loved the power telescoping and tilt wheel (I am ergonomically challenged in most cars, short legs and arms, really long torso). The seating position was great. The car has so much smooth power. The CVT is great, as is the engine. The car handles great and strikes a great balance at being tight enough through the curves, without being punishing on every pebble and expansion joint. Am looking forward to the new Altima with the same engine/tranny combo, as well as a 6 spd manual. The Quest had a very ez to use Nav system, and a great rear view camera that makes backing child's play. The seating/cargo space is flexible, with the third row of seats disappearing as well as the 2nd row ducking out pretty completely as well. The dual sliding doors are totally automatic (as is the rear hatch). The Quest has the same great V6 as the Maxima, and displays great road manners. It really feels very capable in hard corners. The sticker on this was just North of $40k. Some very lucky, well-heeled soccer mom will have some serious bragging rights. All the creature features were very posh in the Quest as well, with adjustable pedals, tele/tilt wheel, memory seating positions. Very sweet. The Xterra drives very nicely on the road, with great visibility. I've been reading alot of Car & Driver reviews, as well as the comparison here on Edmunds, pitting the Xterra against it's most likely competitors. If it doesn't rank first, it is a very strong second every time. For it's strong capacity off-road, it really drives nice around town. It's quick, steers great, nice brakes. I am glad I will be selling such great cars. The Altima's 2.5 liter engine sounded like it was working alot harder than any of the other vehicles I was driving. Here at altitude, horsepower suffers. I drove a '92 Accord for 12 years here. It made 140 ponies. My '97 Avalon, with 210 hp and 218 torque was such an amazing upgrade, even with the automatic tranny. It will be hard ever going back below 200 hp again. The altima had a telescoping wheel (manually adjusted) as well. I will drive the trucks tomorrow, the Titan, the Frontier, and the Armada tomorrow. I understand the Titan is very unique in its class for its great handling. I will see. I haven't driven a large, modern, PU truck in ?? (ever?) The lot techs had the keys to all the Muranos today. I will try them tomorrow too. We have two Z's. One in the showroom, one displayed in the front in a hard to access area. I will see if I can try that out as well. I guess the demand for the Z will be pretty soft until next spring. Is there a new one coming out? Can't way to take a Z around the block. That will leave only the Versa (not even sure if we have one). It is a pretty extensive product line. The only real gaps I see is a small, car-based ute, and an inexpensive roadster. The small ute may be coming before long I've heard rumored. They have one now in the Europe market I think. I finished the open-book state sales licensing test. Got one wrong, had to go back and change an A to a D on the MC test.
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Replying to: denver_nissan (Sep 20, 2006 10:06 pm) Doesn't nissan have the Murano as their car-based sport-ute? Also, the 350Z convertible might not be "inexpensive" but it's definitely a worthy roadster. |
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I've noticed over the years that sales staffs have become more casual. No ties, but collared shirts and dress pants. That doesn't bother me at all. Sunglasses really don't matter to me, but I do want to look the salesperson in the eye. Stare at them long enough, right in the eye, and they will indeed remove the sunglasses. I don't even need to be addressed as "MR". Just be polite and respectful and we'll get along fine. What does turn me off is sloppily dressed, sometimes bad breath and "smelly" sales people. Trying to take me through all the "sales steps" will also cause me to walk. That said, I usually know what all the features the car possesses before I walk in the door (why else would I be in the dealership if I wasn't interested in the model to begine with?). I don't think many cars today are built poorly, regardless of brand or model. I expect that they'll be more reliable than anything I've owned in the past 10 years, so I don't need to see those statistics, either. Don't make me wait while you get a dealer tag, approval from your boss, etc. Act enthused that I'm your customer and we'll be fine. I may or may not buy a car from any particular salesperson or dealership, but you've got a chance since I walked in the door to begin with. Don't blow it before you even start. |
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