| Motoring Discussion > Car sales | Buying / Selling |
| Thread Author: sooty123 | Replies: 24 |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 20:32
Car sales - sooty123
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A family member during the process of buying a new car this month, visited several dealerships, but very few seemed to follow up sales leads with phone calls. After leaving clearly interested in several cars at different dealerships not one tried followed up his interest. I think a couple of them would ring back some didn't mention it one way or the other. This isn't me having a go, I'm just interested if sales techniques have changed and/or is ringing up seen as too pushy? |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 20:34
Car sales - Zero
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| they assume your family member was a tyre kicker. |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 20:47
Car sales - sooty123
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| I wonder why they may have thought that? He was seriously interested, but does like to drive a hard bargin. I went with him on a couple of trips and we didn't act like tyre kickers, but who knows? What are the signs that salesmen look out for? Reason I ask on that is I may well be buying a new car and don't wish to be thought of as one! |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 21:04
Car sales - Zero
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In a salesmans eyes, anyone who is not available to sign on the dotted line there and then, is a tyre kicker, and they wont bother to chase you once you are out of the showroom. You and I know its crap salesmanship, but thats the way they work. |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 21:08
Car sales - sooty123
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| Thanks for that zero, I can only assume that there must be a lot of people who come in with 'Please may I buy that car?' Bit of a jump I know, but there must still be alot of cash around if people can't even be bothered to haggle. |
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 21:12
Car sales - swiss tony
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The motor trade IMHO has lately lost the plot. there are some out there who do try to sell a car (BB for one I think) but there are many others who on the sales side are nothing more than order takers. I have been in the trade for most my working life, and the last 5-10 years (again IMHO) have been the worst Ive seen. salesman who can't be bothered to follow up are common. I know of one sales manager who told a salesman to get rid of a prospective customer because the guy wanted to think on the deal overnight (the comment was in fact 'tell him to **** off and not bother coming back) In the aftersales the current business plan is often to sell as much as you can now - even if the work isn't needed right now... yes pads and disc's do get changed too early. I believe the better way is to be honest, and let the customer decide when he wants to spend his money - with the proviso that IF the work is important it SHOULD be done now. I've even seen auto gearbox services done on a manual car - well not done, but sold! - just how the lease company's don't pick up on that I don't know! To me, honesty and clarity keeps customers coming back, and spending more in the long run, where as deceit and 'rip offs' loose more than you could ever gain. Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 6 Jun 10 at 12:17
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New Sat 5 Jun 10 22:37
Car sales - Woodster
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| I've been to 2/3 dealers lately, I will be buying nearly new, and none has chased me. One gave me a test drive very easily and then got a different model in for a drive as promised 2 days later. I don't think I look like I've got the money, but I have !! I'll just go for best price but I'll give the dealer that gave me the drives a fighting chance. I have to be honest, I'm very prejudiced against car dealers because of past experiences, but they all treated me well, although the same old tricks are very much evident - ''I'll have to speak to my boss'' when talking prices then taking me through to the boss in the back room (at a main dealer) with finance plan already on screen - balloon finance that I wouldn't want and labouring on the monthly figure. Taking you through to a back room with pre- prepped details on screen is something of a psychological fait accompli. When I asked the interest rate they quoted the flat rate not the APR etc... old sales tricks as far as I'm concerned, but they were polite and soon understood my position. |
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New Sun 6 Jun 10 01:22
Car sales - Skoda
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If he drives a hard bargain he wont get any sales person chasing him for the sale. From the sales person's point of view, why chase something that would mean minimal commission. Better to let some other sucker sales guy or the new sales guy handle that one and keep yourself available for the mother and daughter duo who just walked in. They will get sterling service. |
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New Sun 6 Jun 10 06:58
Car sales - movilogo
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>> very few seemed to follow up sales leads with phone calls 100% agree! I'm currently looking to buy a car (as my car written off). Serious to buy on the day if I get the right car at right price. But after test drives, dealer's attitude is "either take it at this price or leave it". They are just not willing to negotiate. One dealer told me due to internet ads, someone from another part of country will buy the car at their advertised price. So, they don't negotiate any more. |
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New Sun 6 Jun 10 07:34
Car sales - -
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Not all dealerships are like this, we bought the Toyota pick up from the Northampton main dealer (Sims) in 07, the attention and service was exemplary and after sales equally good. I used to deliver many of their new cars and they gave us a very good deal, we were able to buy new cheaper than used which was our original intention. The following may explain why i delivered constantly increasing volumes over the years. Much in our life has changed in the intervening time and one of our options is to replace the pick up with a new or nearly new Prius...not everyones cup of tea but would be ideal for us. SWMBO phoned them last week to see if we could get some sort of ball park figure for a trade in deal for our vehicle, which they couldn't really give without seeing the vehicle and going through things which is fair enough. We pencilled in an appointment for Mon afternoon which we couldn't make, swmbo phoned them to let them know...in the intervening time we've got other irons in the fire and may need to keep the pick up after all....the sales chap she spoke to originally rang her back and offered to bring the Prius demo over to us (15m) and check our vehicle here if that would help. Not wishing to mess them about she has put them off till we know which way we will go which was met with a courteous 'call us when you decide' with no pressure. Oddly enough i always found this dealer to be one of the nicest to deliver too (as are most Toyota dealers) before we bought the pick up from them, the same is not true for all makes and garages. ps...service dept don't take the mickey either...it was supposed to habe brake fluid change at second service, they said because of low mileage etc they'd leave it till next year. By the way i don't work for them and have no interest other than as a satisfied customer who will return. Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 6 Jun 10 at 07:38
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New Sun 6 Jun 10 14:28
Car sales - mikeyb
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I have found this on the last few car purchases. Back in 2004 I bought an A4 Cab. Nearest dealer to me had a pretty poor reputation, but is always busy...... Anyway, gave them the benefit of the doubt. Little / no interest in giving a test drive, and would only give an acompanied one of 20 minutes. Moved on to a smaller more rural dealer who were far keener to do a deal, lot less rushed and got the model I was interested in for me to try for a day. Didnt get quite as good a deal as if I had shopped around, but close enough and would rather have given them my business. Well, 6 years later a colleague is looking at an A5 Cab and has visited the first dealer I refered to - they let him have one for 24 hours, but when he returned it they were completley disinterested in selling to him. He was all prepared to sign the order that morning, and was talking about 30K cash plus balance to be financed, but left due to their attitude. Audi may have even lost his business altogether as he is now looking at alternatives |
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New Sun 6 Jun 10 15:37
Car sales - Stuu
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Our Daihatsu dealer who has sold my family 4 cars now always takes me seriously, even when ive decide not to buy something. maybe because in the past I have done, Im not sure. Test drives on anything there and then, information when you ask for it and bend over backwards to help. Friendly staff who remember your name, the list goes on. Its not a shiny glass palace, but the labour rate is just £65 an hour which for a main dealer is excellent and that includes a courtesy car free of charge. They dont even get pedantic about replacing every drop of petrol either. When we were doing the finance on the Sirion, he was straight up with me, showed me the finance calculator on screen and was more than happy to run the interest as low as the calculator would allow. When I asked about more money off the showroom car which was already discounted by £1700, he didnt look at me like I was mad and kindly found another £250 for me and offered bang on book price for the misses Picanto. There was no attitude, plenty of chit chat and in the end, he gets the sale. Ive always found him very frank about the car market in general and I think he really does try to help the customer as much as he is able to. It all combines to drive us to buy from them again in the future. |
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New Mon 7 Jun 10 09:49
Car sales - Phil F
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Good Morning, Another vote for Toyota dealers.Both the supplying dealer and the more local dealer I had it serviced with have been excellent and by todays standards pretty cheap,IMHO.It seems to me they offer a level of service that you would have expected from say,Mercedes dealers in years gone by.Also we have a Kia main dealer nearby who I have dealt with and they were also excellent. As regards sales techniques,I find them all very similiar and predictable.Some almost insult your intelligence.But to be fair it is a difficult job and there are a lot of timewasters around. Over the last few months I have enquired about cars at several dealers,both new and used, and every one has followed it up with one or more phone calls. Cheers....Phil. |
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New Mon 7 Jun 10 10:50
Car sales - hobby
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I'd rather they didn't chase me... can't stand pointless phone calls! To me the most important thing is for the dealer to have the car with the engine I want as their demo, and give me a decent drive in it... When I bought my first Skoda nearly 10 years ago they just packed myself and the family in it and told me to go for a drive... if only they were all like that! |
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 07:21
Car sales - Londoner
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hobby; "To me the most important thing is for the dealer to have the car with the engine I want as their demo ..." Completely agree, and would add that I need to try out the suspension setup as well (though I don't mind if this is on a different demonstrator car). Most manufacturers these days offer standard or "Sport" suspension. The "Sport" suspension on some cars is perfectyl fine, and is the one to go for - but on others it can be an absolute bone-shaker. (Audi S-line is about the worst in this regard, IMHO) |
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 07:29
Car sales - L'escargot
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>> A family member during the process of buying a new car this month, visited several >> dealerships, but very few seemed to follow up sales leads with phone calls. That's how I like it. I don't want dealers chasing me. I'm quite capable of conducting the car and dealer choice process on my own and at my own speed, and I would make that quite clear to any dealer who telephoned me. Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 8 Jun 10 at 07:29
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 12:59
Car sales - movilogo
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If a dealer is confident that someone else will pay asking price, they won't chase you. Chasing is often the sign of invitation to negotiate. |
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 13:23
Car sales - RattleandSmoke
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I am a bit of a tyre kicker but when I bought my Panda it went like this:- I phoned up a dealer in Birmingham (I live in Manchester) and say I see on your website you're doing the Panda for £6400 and all the dealers in Manchester are asking £7200. When could I have one and could you drive up to Manchester when its delivered, no probloem sir. I get my debit card and leave a deposit and 8 weeks later I get a brand new car. The entire sale took less than ten minutes. The number one reason I am a tyre kicker is cars not as described. E.g exellent condition = rusty wheel arches and a few scratches. I was very annoyed that the FIAT dealer in Stockport didn't ring me when the prices went down after the scrappage though. They knew I was a serious buyer and knew I had the finance but I missed out on scrappage. If they phoned and said I could have the car for just £1k (as the price now is) they would have had a guarenteed sale. Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 8 Jun 10 at 13:25
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 14:34
Car sales - crocks
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>>If they phoned and said I could have the car for just £1k (as the price now is) they would have had a guarenteed sale. I'll take half a dozen at that price. :-) |
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 15:07
Car sales - RattleandSmoke
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| I meant to say £1k more :). |
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New Tue 8 Jun 10 16:50
Car sales - Iffy
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Some buyers expect far too much. Yes, it can be many thousands of pounds, but it's only a few hundred in clear profit for the dealer. Why should the dealer chase after the buyer? Show the car properly, be accommodating and as helpful as possible, but a 'high maintenance' buyer is more trouble than he or she is worth. So as a salesman, you invest a certain amount of time, energy and resources in the prospective customer and then move on. Hopefully, you move on with a sale under your belt, but you move on anyway. And buyers should remember they are buying the car, not the dealer or the deal. If you want the car, buy it, if you don't, get the bus. |
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New Wed 9 Jun 10 09:31
Car sales - movilogo
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Dealers are in dilemma nowadays. If they keep the price high, their cars won't attract much interest as people will first go for cheapers cars when sorted by price in Auto Trader. If they keep the price low, punters will come but no body wants to pay screen price! So, it's a balance of keeping price low enough to attract buyers yet allowing margin for some small discount on screen price. Car sales is going the way of any other consumer goods (like fridge, washing machine etc.) You shortlist some brands/models, check price on net/phone, go to shop, have a test drive and drive back home. |
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New Wed 9 Jun 10 17:21
Car sales - sooty123
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>> >> Why should the dealer chase after the buyer? >> To make a sale. >> Show the car properly, be accommodating and as helpful as possible, but a 'high maintenance' >> buyer is more trouble than he or she is worth. I suppose it depends on your definition of high maintenance, and if you would take a punt on working hard and getting a sale and missing out on an easy sale or get nothing. >> >> If you want the car, buy it, if you don't, get the bus. >> Could depend on the deal, rather than being so black and white. |
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New Wed 9 Jun 10 18:07
Car sales - Iffy
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...Could depend on the deal, rather than being so black and white... I think many buyers fall into the trap - and it is often a trap set by salesmen - of concentrating too much on the deal. It is easy enough to establish the going rate for a car. A year or so down the line it matters not if you paid a few hundred more or less. What does matter is you have a vehicle that suits your needs. I expect many of us use our cars nearly every day - I do. You have to live with the thing, it has to be right. I can remember what I paid for the CC3 - but only to within a few hundred quid - see 'it matters not' above. |
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New Thu 10 Jun 10 18:39
Car sales - Westpig
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>> Some buyers expect far too much. >> Surely though, with any kind of sales, not just cars, a salesman would need to pitch in at the right level for each individual i.e. tailor the transaction as required...not...just use some hard assed sales technique on everyone and ignore the savvy ones. The savvy ones still have money to spend and if the profit margin is less, so be it, you'll recoup on servicing or put more through the dealership for a manufacturers bonus or get another sale from that customers recommendation or that customer will come back next time. Customers in this country put up with poor service and it self perpetuates. Some outfits can get it right, so why can't the rest. It's laziness. |
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