Stupid sales people

[raphy]

^to Beyer Subaru we just have to understand that there are in-fact sub par dealers out there. There is no point arguing for the sake of the dealer be cause ultimately the rise and fall of a dealer is dependent on the staff. I know that I as a sales person take pride in providing a proper experience but that very well isn't the case for some other reps. All we can do at a dealer level is take care of the people who do come into our door like I would a friend or a family member. In general perception = reality and because the perception is that dealers are evil that's just what we have to deal with.

[Liquidsnake]

I like watching the youtube videos, when the salesmen don't even know what they are saying. You guys know which ones.

[naikaidriver]

I don't think I have every met a salesman, car, motorcycle, boat or otherwise that knew more about the vehicle than I did by the time I was ready purchase. Sure there have been dramatically varying skills or knowledge between salesman ranging from complete car-moron to moderately competent.

The salesman I bought my car tried to tell me that the reason the FR-S's engine is so awesome is because it has a "special" throttle body.

Truth is, I don't really care how much a car salesman knows about cars. I couldn't care less if he tells me "it runs on methanol injected fairy farts" and as long as they give me a good deal with a smile... I'm good.

Scott

[fistpoint]

Originally Posted by Beyer Subaru

Yes and no.


The internet was supposed to eliminate car salesman. But we're still here and I doubt that we will go anywhere as long as the Mfrs think that selling a car requires customer service.

It didn't eliminate them, but it sure did go a long way in making their job easier because you don't have to ask questions that the internet provided the answers for, namely the manufactures website and any associated car forum. The salesman only has to fill in the paperwork nowadays assuming the customer did their own homework.

Originally Posted by Beyer Subaru

It would be like saying "I hate waiters. I wish I could go to a restaurant and just order my food from a kiosk." Not gonna happen.

Sure it is gonna happen, it currently does. Just about every restaurant offers their food for carry-out. The hostesses often make tips for walking to the kitchen and back to the front door. The cooks should be the ones tipped here IMO, or nobody.
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My salesman knew more than enough about the car to do a really good job had I not known anything, but of course I taught him a few of the more obscure tidbits so he can use them for the next buyers. Stuff I didn't have any expectations that they should or would know. As opposed to the common phrase "I've only been selling Scions for 2 weeks"..."I was at xxx before that". If after 2 weeks he still doesn't know 1% about the hottest selling vehicle on the lot, he most likely will be working somewhere else next month too. Still though, the salesman didn't sell me the car, rather I bought it through him

Just the basic stuff for at least the top sellers should be a no-brainer for any person wanting to sell cars. The ones that don't know basics are the ones we call stupid and useless. The ones that have been there for years, they do the research, just not as deeply as we do because that would take all their personal time. One or two, maybe 3 of the best vehicles sure, but not the whole fleet.

Incidentally, while typing out the last paragraph above I have indirectly found a good excuse for those we call stupid: perhaps they had 99% of the knowledge on the other models we weren't interested in? Nah...that might excuse a handful
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Originally Posted by naikaidriver

"it runs on methanol injected fairy farts"

Scott

I like that, I'm stealing it.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by raphy

^to Beyer Subaru we just have to understand that there are in-fact sub par dealers out there. There is no point arguing for the sake of the dealer be cause ultimately the rise and fall of a dealer is dependent on the staff. I know that I as a sales person take pride in providing a proper experience but that very well isn't the case for some other reps. All we can do at a dealer level is take care of the people who do come into our door like I would a friend or a family member. In general perception = reality and because the perception is that dealers are evil that's just what we have to deal with.

YOU meaning the buying public.MUST know exactly what the dealer "cuts a check" for the car! this IS your starting point.some dealers will allow you to get into "holdback" some won't! ideally, you, (public) want to "catch" the dealer with a ton of inventory,and close to the end of the month ,when "sold inventory" counts towards future "allocation" of product.

[Beyer Subaru]

Originally Posted by jmaryt

YOU meaning the buying public.MUST know exactly what the dealer "cuts a check" for the car! this IS your starting point.some dealers will allow you to get into "holdback" some won't! ideally, you, (public) want to "catch" the dealer with a ton of inventory,and close to the end of the month ,when "sold inventory" counts towards future "allocation" of product.

Yep. You got it. Are you stupid salesman?

Here we treat every day as if it's the end of the month. We bring customers from far and wide because our local market is so competitive with sale pricing structures.

If you look at a dealer that's in their "own" market it would be a different scenario. They would sell less cars and have to make more money on every car. It sucks but it's what they gotta do to stay afloat.

[gily25]

I had a decent experience buying my BRZ...When I have studied the car and it's competitors I don't bother dicsussing it with them, I'm there to test and price.

Wife and I are in the process of upgrading our Harley though and man can those sales guys lie...everything from the height to w hich items are upgraded to the mileage on the used bikes. We actually took one out for a test drive THAT WAS SOLD to someone else, which they informed us when we got back...oh sucks to be that person.

[Meehow86]

I've encountered both.

I had a guy try to sell me a Pontiac G8 V6 with 7,500 miles on it as new (because it was a dealer car that was never sold) with a "Corvette engine" in it. Suffice to say I was kicked out of that place and told to never come back when I started laughing at his ignorance.

When I went to see the BRZ (Grand Subaru in Bensenville, IL) I already new a lot about the car and the sales person seemed to know a bit as well. He was an older gentleman, friendly and respectful so I had a pretty good experience there. He also took me out in the car to show me how to drive it for a bit since I hadn't driven a stick shift in years. Can't really complain about that.

I'm fine with a sales person not knowing a particular feature of a certain car, or trim level. For example, Toyota has 16 different vehicles, add that to Scion and that's 21 cars someone needs to have knowledge upon. So if you don't know some specific detail I researched for half an hour I'm not going to get a superiority complex from it. Just don't be a **** and start making things up like that Pontiac/Buick?GMC dealer I dealt with.

[HunterGreene]

I remember the early days of Scion, where every Toyota dealership that carried the marque had a "Scion Champion." I even knew a few personally, and they were good sales people with a passion for cars and would be able to talk accurately and enthusiastically about the Scion product.

Sadly, those days are past. These people were ground into powder by their dealerships who had no damn clue about car enthusiasm and didn't give $0.02 about passion when it came to cars (a problem that it appears Toyota USA has finally started to realize). One of the best salesmen I knew was one of these guys. He was fantastic at his job, and sold more Scions in the Northeast Ohio region than the next few dealerships combined. He took care of his customers, which apparently management didn't agree with. After numerous incidents where he butted heads with two GMs, he was fired/quit. Sales at that dealership plummeted the next few months.

To this day, shopping for a Scion in a Toyota dealership is not the engaging experience it once was. You get whichever salesperson happens to walk up, and you're lucky if they know the difference between an xB and an xD. I was lucky in the purchase of my FR-S, the saleswoman, if a little disconnected, knew enough about cars to recognize the importance and passion surrounding the twins, and I actually had a few conversations with her that were more than me educating her about the car.

I guess my view is overly negative (especially considering how my friend was treated by the dealership he was working at), but I do miss the days of actually being able to talk intelligently about cars without raising my eyebrow at a statement from the salesperson.

[Gen]

It's very long but worth a read. Pretty insightful.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/co...esman-pg2.html

[Beyer Subaru]

Originally Posted by Gen

It's very long but worth a read. Pretty insightful.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/co...esman-pg2.html

Thanks. I stopped reading about here "Everyone knows that the car salesman or woman is the enemy. He or she is the person we have to do battle with if we want a new car."

This is a pretty old article from 2001. The store that he worked at was also way old school. This mentality still exists but isn't as prevolent.

I skipped to the end and appreciate his closing thoughts:

The world of car buying is changing rapidly. Buyers are more informed. Dealers are more sensitive to their customers' satisfaction. But, like in many industries, the old ways die hard. So it is still important to be informed and to make a good decision when shopping for a car for yourself and your family.

Of all the advice I've offered, I'd just like to stress that it's important to remember that buying a car should benefit both you and the dealer. While I have focused on deflecting the sales techniques in the dealership, I don't recommend becoming overly defensive. If you deal fairly with the car salesperson, and you get the same in return, the transaction can be enjoyable — even exciting. It really should be. So, I wish all of you a great shopping experience and many years of driving pleasure in your new car.

[James1990]

I am in automotive sales. I act professional, train myself so I improve each day, have a great attitude about any situation, and know what to do when I do not have the correct answer. I go and find it. Customers can easily tell when your are BS'n them. I told myself when I entered Sales that I would make a career out of it and by doing that you have to be able to have a great attitude, knowledge about the product, sharpen your skills each day like any other profession. Customer service is what brings customers back. I understand that. Now if each Salesperson understood it we would not have these problems!

It's entertaining when you go to other dealers and see what your competition is. It's sad to see some of the people dealers hire to represent their business.

Salesman in the car industry or any industry need to understand you have a consumer who is willing to spend $1-$250,000+ on your product and on you. It's their hard earned money. The last thing they want is a bad experience while buying something they have been saving for years to purchase.

It's just ridiculous. I'm 23 and if I ever get to management which is my ultimate goal the Salespeople on my floor will know how treat customers and know their product and have a good attitude. If not, then they will not be representing my dealership.

[russv]

Originally Posted by James1990

I am in automotive sales. I act professional, train myself so I improve each day, have a great attitude about any situation, and know what to do when I do not have the correct answer. I go and find it. Customers can easily tell when your are BS'n them. I told myself when I entered Sales that I would make a career out of it and by doing that you have to be able to have a great attitude, knowledge about the product, sharpen your skills each day like any other profession. Customer service is what brings customers back. I understand that. Now if each Salesperson understood it we would not have these problems!

It's entertaining when you go to other dealers and see what your competition is. It's sad to see some of the people dealers hire to represent their business.

Salesman in the car industry or any industry need to understand you have a consumer who is willing to spend $1-$250,000+ on your product and on you. It's their hard earned money. The last thing they want is a bad experience while buying something they have been saving for years to purchase.

It's just ridiculous. I'm 23 and if I ever get to management which is my ultimate goal the Salespeople on my floor will know how treat customers and know their product and have a good attitude. If not, then they will not be representing my dealership.

Well said. I have been buying cars for over 40 years and have experienced all the games and tricks, falling victim to some of them. It is quite refreshing to work with a salesperson who is knowledgeable, professional, and truly a car person. My last 2 car purchases(Lexus and FRS) went extremely smoothly and I was very impressed with the Lexus salesman who was very well informed and had been working at the same dealership for many years, which is a rarity. Being a first 86'er I actually knew more about the FRS than the dealership, but on delivery the salesman actually knew more about the intricacies (ie radio) than I did. Unfortunately the service department didn't.

[dennispang103]

I think now....is the car choose the people. The sales make the crazy price for the car. I 'm gonna buy the deal from the owner. Did anyone sale the AT frs or brz