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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
48090 messages, Last post on Dec 05, 2009 at 5:45 PM
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Nov 01, 2006 12:49 pm) It's 100% ok for people to NOT buy cars after a test drive you know? We may still ask you to buy anyway (again, our JOB), but for Pete's sake, have a little self control  , and you'll be fine! T |
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Replying to: bigdveedubgirl (Nov 01, 2006 12:05 pm) |
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I guess I just don't see this whole control issue. Customer controls where they spend their money. So, why is this control thing so important to the sales person? Customer can walk at any time, for any reason. Control is always in the customer's hands (I don't care what all the fancy sales training says). I've related before, I'm not a salesperson. My career started out as a "techie" in a tech firm. I got thrown into sales, against my will. Did very well in a very short period of time. Then, found myself in a namagement role for sales, marketing and support. It's a "bone of contention" with my sales people and my managers that I only have enough sales experience to fill a thimble. Not once have any of my sales people or managers tried to "push" their customers into something they didn't want to do. I insist that the sales people and their managers disclose everything to the best of their knowledge. That's just the right way to do business. Do my people think they control the sale? They say they do. I always remind them, until I see money changing hands (or a P.O.) the only control they have is to make sure they've done everything they can to make their customer delighted to do business with us. Granted, there are some things that are none of the customer's business (having a car with hail damage is something I'd definitely disclose, though). Some of those things include intellectual property, cost structure of how we do business, processes of how we do business (among many others). I don't expect any dealership to share their cost structure with me...how much they have to make on every car to open the doors....what their commission structure is. That's none of my business. However, if you're competing with every other dealer within a reasonable distance, you're going to have to expect your customers control the sale....since they can drive away from your store, to another store, and make a deal you won't. The customer has the checkbook. They decide when the deal is right for them. In the end, the customer always controls the sale.
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Replying to: tjw1308 (Nov 01, 2006 12:47 pm) "Informed" as you may or may not be, that makes about as much sense as... well... Well I have never in the past 15 years have had a salesperson tell me something about a car I was seriously interested in that I already didn't know. As a matter of fact I have caught many with erroneous "facts". FWIW I have taught a few salesmen some things about cars I was just stopping by to take a quick look at. |
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Would you two knock this off? I agree with snake. If I have a customer who refuses to drive a car, I will drive it around the block with him in it! This has probably happened twice in almost 12 years!
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Replying to: graphicguy (Nov 01, 2006 12:54 pm) the only control they have is to make sure they've done everything they can to make their customer delighted to do business with us This is a large part of the control we're talking about. It's definitely a spin you can put on your words. You can keep people in your office, not have them running around the dealership and looking at all kinds of different things. By keeping them focused on the task at hand, we 'control' them. By keeping them on a road to a sale, we 'control' them. A test drive is part of that 'road', but as we've seen mentioned countless times here, all customers are different. Salespeople adapt to different folks. I see control as a way of showing the customer that we know what we doing and that their experience is going to be an excellent one. Part of that for me is doing my job as a professional. If I must adapt, I must adapt. I don't think you'll find a bunch of sales guys on this board who don't take their job seriously. What greenpea would be posting here? In the end, graphicguy is right. We ain't got crap until the customer hands us some moolah.
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Replying to: isellhondas (Nov 01, 2006 1:02 pm) 
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Replying to: tjw1308 (Nov 01, 2006 12:13 pm) We helped them committ a little insur... I mean... file a claim the next time it hailed, and all was well for the world. It's because you are all such honest people.
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Replying to: grandtotal (Nov 01, 2006 1:05 pm) i know, i know...we started this mess...but two wrongs don't make a right do they... for pete's sake this forum is for SALES STORIES!!!! can we PLEASE stop with the criticisms of salespeople and let them tell their stories? why does everything a salesperson says always get followed by 15 snide backhanded remarks...gee whiz! -thene 
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Replying to: grandtotal (Nov 01, 2006 1:05 pm) I just lose all interest and respect for people when they post stuff like that.
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