trying to find ZL1 at dealer is amusing

[SEOhioSS]

Originally Posted by Cristoff

The Auto Industry as a whole has changed to help detract from that.

What I have seen in the past 20 years in the business is that most new sales consultants still get into the business because of the love for the cars, but are quickly beaten down by several factors:

1: Poor Management Training and poor managers in the business as a whole. This is the number ONE problem.
2: Customers that are VERY abusive to this profession. You would be amazed at the level of sheer abuse that many customers spit out from the minute that they walk in the door.
3: getting lied to constantly by Clients. if I lie to you, I lose my license and may go to jail - when you lie to me, it's just good business.
4: Commission only sales is a nightmare for your day to day stress level. It generally pays better than an hourly job OVERALL, but try coming to work for a couple of 11-12 hour days, not sell anything, and go home to your wife and kids and tell them you haven't made a penny to support them. Stress and pressure to pay the bills are the main reason salespeople sometimes walk that "grey area" of sincerity and honesty.

These things just wring the soul out of most people. It's not that salespeople don't care or have no knowledge, but there is more on the plate than most people know.

I'm not justifying lying or poor customer service in any way, don't get me wrong. If one of my consultants got caught doing some of the things that I have heard happen here, they would be gone that day.

I LOVE educated clients that walk in and have all their information ready and in hand. If you are honest and accurate with your information, I can get you the car you want and get you back on the road in about an hour.

If you have your information and then lie to me - or want me to discount my car thousands below cost - or pay thousands more than your trade is worth - or throw thousands worth of "freebies" in - or just generally BS me, then it's going to be a grind and no one will walk away satisfied.

This is not a war, it's a partnership between a client and a dealership - but it takes both parties to be on the same page.

This is an excellent post. I am new to the business having sold cars for only a year, but it is amazing to me the attitude that some people have toward car salesman and how they treat us as we are trying to make a living just like everyone else. Yes, we need to make money, and yes you want to save money. It's a matter of finding that equilibrium and coming together on a deal.

You don't see people sticking with the business for very long anymore because it is so stressful and a constant grind as you said. The sad thing is the people who are good at it generally realize they can make more money doing something else. We have had four quality salespeople leave in the last year to go into the oil and gas field.

[Z4me]

Originally Posted by SEOhioSS

This is an excellent post. I am new to the business having sold cars for only a year, but it is amazing to me the attitude that some people have toward car salesman and how they treat us as we are trying to make a living just like everyone else. Yes, we need to make money, and yes you want to save money. It's a matter of finding that equilibrium and coming together on a deal.

You don't see people sticking with the business for very long anymore because it is so stressful and a constant grind as you said. The sad thing is the people who are good at it generally realize they can make more money doing something else. We have had four quality salespeople leave in the last year to go into the oil and gas field.

In this day and age of the internet people tend to abuse the information they have on hand to reem the dealers. I would find it a tough business to be in quite frankly.

[Cristoff]

Originally Posted by Z4me

In this day and age of the internet people tend to abuse the information they have on hand to reem the dealers. I would find it a tough business to be in quite frankly.

Agreed. I would NEVER want to get into Auto Sales in today's environment as a new hire. The only reason that I remain in it at all is that being in upper management now, I actually CAN make a true difference in customer service and the dealership environment as a whole. I can train my crew to be BETTER, not just get by.

[motorhead]

I got tired of getting the run around from GM and my dealer ,and the final straw was getting pushed to 2013 with no idea when I would see the car. I was lucky enough to be able to order a 2013 GT500 and have it accepted by Ford. It's nice to see that someone it still interested in selling cars to people that have the money to buy them.

[Cristoff]

Originally Posted by motorhead

I got tired of getting the run around from GM and my dealer ,and the final straw was getting pushed to 2013 with no idea when I would see the car. I was lucky enough to be able to order a 2013 GT500 and have it accepted by Ford. It's nice to see that someone it still interested in selling cars to people that have the money to buy them.

Yeah, that is one of those scenarios that there is no excuse for.

It almost makes me want to get a General Manager job at a Chevy dealership just so I can turn it into gold --- Not that I'm the best GM in the world, but the bar seems to be set pretty low at the domestic dealerships...I should be able to shine like a beacon in the abyss!

No offense to anyone but it seems like it's a bit worse on the East Coast and Midwest than out here in the West.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by Cristoff

Yeah, that is one of those scenarios that there is no excuse for.

It almost makes me want to get a General Manager job at a Chevy dealership just so I can turn it into gold --- Not that I'm the best GM in the world, but the bar seems to be set pretty low at the domestic dealerships...I should be able to shine like a beacon in the abyss!

I told my dealer that it makes no sense that you can't buy what you want when you have the money to do so. The quality hold and the screwed up allocation system that GM uses is what screwed me in the end. The Problem is I didn't have the right pull ,and I didn't go to one of the dealers that GM caters to. The sad thing is the same thing happen to me when I ordered my SS. I ended up getting it late in the year with very little time left to drive it because of living in the northeast. I don't know how these small dealers are suppose to grow when GM won't let them.

[Cristoff]

We are having supply issues with the new JX35, so I understand the pain by a dealership standpoint. The dealer is limited to what the manufacturer builds out, and the manufacturer is limited by their suppliers. we have issues with the interior on the JX35 because the supplier that makes the wood interiors went out of business. Things happen sometimes that no one can control - Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Meltdowns were what we had to contend with last year.

The real problem here though is communication. Had the Dealership held you and your $60,000.00 in a higher level of esteem and just communicated honestly the delays and problems with you - you may have been disappointed, but not fed up.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by Cristoff

We are having supply issues with the new JX35, so I understand the pain by a dealership standpoint. The dealer is limited to what the manufacturer builds out, and the manufacturer is limited by their suppliers. we have issues with the interior on the JX35 because the supplier that makes the wood interiors went out of business. Things happen sometimes that no one can control - Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Meltdowns were what we had to contend with last year.

The real problem here though is communication. Had the Dealership held you and your $60,000.00 in a higher level of esteem and just communicated honestly the delays and problems with you - you may have been disappointed, but not fed up.

I felt like I was getting the run around the entire time. If they(the dealer) would have been strait from the beginning and told be they were low man on the pole and that even though I ordered early they would still not be getting one as soon as some others, I would have shopped else where.

The problem I have with GM is the fact that this QO issue went on an on without anyone telling us anything other than "we want to make sure the car is right".

[stymie]

My wife & I also purchased a 2012 NISSAN Altima 3.5SR coupe last August. It was offered at $5K under MSRP, nicely equipped & we got a decent trade-in appraisal on our HONDA Civic. I was simply amazed by the QC on such a reasonably priced vehicle, especially considering the earthquake/aftershocks,Tsunami & Nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi. The Japanese are amazing people!

[Z4me]

Ha well let me tell you my area dealer accepted my deposit for a ZL1 way back in Feb 2011. Then my salesman calls me 6 months latter to tell me the upper management wants 10k over invoice on the there 6 Zl1's there getting. Since I did not have the agreement in writing I was screwed, and my salemans further comments were its a great car even at 10k over MSRP!


I had to start all over again and got the next agreement in writing with a differant dealer. Seen at least two ZL1's on there website so far for sale
and I'm suppose to be first. The one thats on there site now has a vin number around 950 so its a new car in transit from the factory. I'm sure the story will be its sold and we bought from another dealer for a customer etc etc.

If I had a crystal ball I would have gone straight to Becky from the beginning. But I wanted to support my area dealer HaHa right! Whats
makes it even harder is friends and family ask when's your car coming
Dave.

If I can get my deposit back, I'm going to place an order with Becky and the wife and I will fly up to meet her and sign my car.

[Cristoff]

Originally Posted by Z4me

Ha well let me tell you my area dealer accepted my deposit for a ZL1 way back in Feb 2011. Then my salesman calls me 6 months latter to tell me the upper management wants 10k over invoice on the there 6 Zl1's there getting. Since I did not have the agreement in writing I was screwed, and my salemans further comments were its a great car even at 10k over MSRP!


I had to start all over again and got the next agreement in writing with a differant dealer. Seen ay least two ZL1's are there website so far for sale
and I'm suppose to be first. The one thats on there site now has a vin number around 950 so its a new car in transit from the factory. I'm sure the story will be its sold and we bought from another dealer for a customer etc etc.

If I had a crystal ball I would have gone straight to Becky from the beginning. But I wanted to support my area dealer HaHa right! Whats
makes it even harder is friends and family ask when's your car coming
Dave.

You SHOULD want to support your local dealer, and thank you for trying your best to do so!

That being said, there is a limit to loyalty. Trust and loyalty are EARNED and they did not earn yours - and it doesn't even sound like they tried to.

As a dealer, I'm sorry for all the bad experiences that you guys are having. It makes my job just that much harder to have to overcome clients past experiences before I can even start to build a new relationship.

[jeepguy_1980]

Originally Posted by pincoin

Truly amazing how uneducated some sales people are

If I were a salesman, I would not wast my efforts studying a car that a) sells itself and b) only shows up on the lot a couple times per year.

[ffrcobra_65]

Originally Posted by jeepguy_1980

If I were a salesman, I would not wast my efforts studying a car that a) sells itself and b) only shows up on the lot a couple times per year.

That line of thinking

You applied for the job, you got the job, now do your best at it. So, if I were to want to be a GREAT salesman and want to move up the ladder, I would make every effort to study every single car my dealer sells and cars that compete with my dealer's line of cars that are made by the competitor.

[mlee]

I used Auto Trader and phoned a dealership 250 miles away to get my car and the salesmen were all out shooting birds off of the powerlines w/ BB guns. The lady finally got one guy to come to the phone and he got the sale. Lucky for him his turn shooting was already over.

He also had no clue about the car and neither did any of the other salesmen who's offices were right next to the car that had been on the showroom floor for a week. He even tried to show me where the buttons were... like the snowflake turns on the A/C but when he got to the trunck button he couldn't find it...