-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Car salesmen are idiots
- Thread starter I NEED SCISSORS
- Start date
- Status
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Zenith said:
....are people actually still running into threads with this nonsense?
jecclr2003
Banned
PumpkinPie said:
You're not the norm. I wish were that easy though.
Most people come in and have no clue what they want or what direction they are going in. They like a car based on appearance, and have no clue about how it drives or what features it has.
Our job is to help them make an educated decision.
You'd be amazed how many people come in with no itentions of buying anything, but still end up leaving with a car. The salesperson built the excitment and made the process an exciting experience. Yes, there is a bit of pressure... but sometimes that's what it takes for people to make a decision.
RevenantKioku
PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
Yeah, we definitely should hate on a group of people based on some personal examples. That ends well.Zenith said:
jecclr2003
Banned
I actually do it for a living. I can speak from experience.Zenith said:
OP most likely acted like an idiot and was shocked to find out the world did not revolve around him.
I've stated a few times why he was treated the way he was... but he obviously isn't grasping it.
Diablohead
Member
I own a 1.1 saxo desire and while it has a little trouble going up super steep hills it moves around quickly because it's small and light, good MPG too.Big Ass Ramp said:
I live in the UK so seeing a pickup is 1 in a month. See a lot of beemers though.
:lol :lol :lol
jecclr2003, congratulations on living up to the stereotype of every car salesman in existence. You are on GAF, not at work. You don't need to sell any of us cars. Just stop already. You've said the OP was in there 'a ton of times' yet he's said he goes in once or twice a year. Are you seriously missing that?
The guy just wanted to know a little bit more information about the car that he was going to lay thousands of dollars on and it's your job to make that purchase as smooth as possible. The salesmen there should have done that. It is as simple as that.
You're either a complete idiot or you're tag fishing.
jecclr2003, congratulations on living up to the stereotype of every car salesman in existence. You are on GAF, not at work. You don't need to sell any of us cars. Just stop already. You've said the OP was in there 'a ton of times' yet he's said he goes in once or twice a year. Are you seriously missing that?
The guy just wanted to know a little bit more information about the car that he was going to lay thousands of dollars on and it's your job to make that purchase as smooth as possible. The salesmen there should have done that. It is as simple as that.
You're either a complete idiot or you're tag fishing.
Zenith said:
Have you ever worked a 100% commission job?
Nothing sucks more than having to help someone for 30 minutes and not making a penny off of it.
Back when I worked at a bank people would do whatever we could to not open a checking account. We made like 3 dollars off of opening a checking out. Maybe 10 if we sold them a savings account and other features.
Meanwhile while you are helping out granny getting a checking account open someone walks in wanting to refi their mortgage which could make you a couple of grand but someone else gets that customer because you are still opening a checking account.
I never treated people like shit, but it never fails when you are helping someone balance their checkbook or figure out why they are overdrawn that someone will walk in that would have made you a lot of money and you don't get that customer. I never did it, but most bankers just tried to get those people the fuck out of the bank as quickly as they could. Refund fees, close accounts, whatever it took to get that person the fuck out of there.
Car sales are pretty rough right now, and if this guy has been in several times and not bought anything no one is going to spend 30 minutes helping him out when there is a .01% chance they are going to make any money off of him because someone might walk through the door that will buy while they are helping him out.
In sales, if you don't kill you don't eat.
Unless it was one of the girls that worked at the hooters next door that had overdrawn their account. They could talk to me about whatever they wanted all day
Ages ago my mom went into a car dealership to purchase a new car and almost the second she walked in a salesman approached her, told her he could tell she wasn't serious about purchasing a car, and told her to leave.
It didn't bother her, though, and so she went to another dealership, found an excellent car, bought it, took a picture of it, and along with a long letter sent it to the first car dealership.
It didn't bother her, though, and so she went to another dealership, found an excellent car, bought it, took a picture of it, and along with a long letter sent it to the first car dealership.
luckyarcher
Member
Why is every car salesman prioritizing the big fish and not giving two hoots about the small fish? If this were the case with everything in life, you'd have to go two ways for everything - the Kmart lite and the Kmart elite. Lets stop being pretentious and roll the red carpet for the privileged customer who might buy one big car in a decade to the small guy who might buy three in the same duration. Sales is sales, you fight for the big one, you fight for the small one. I agree with the OP here, it doesn't matter if he bought the car or not, they've lost his business and in the long run it will ruin them. The salesmen who only lust after big sales start losing touch with every sale as soon as they make the kill (because, hey, that sale didn't fit the mood, you know?) Sorry to put it that way but you really talk like the guys from Glengarry Glen Ross.
The customer is king, no matter how long he scouts, strokes or shafts your establishment. You'd better learn to respect him before he makes your competitor king just because they were willing to lend an ear and spend 15 minutes of their time. And oh, be a salesman to being with.
The customer is king, no matter how long he scouts, strokes or shafts your establishment. You'd better learn to respect him before he makes your competitor king just because they were willing to lend an ear and spend 15 minutes of their time. And oh, be a salesman to being with.
jecclr2003
Banned
bluebird said:
Don't be an ass. It was an explanation as to why he was treated the way he was. In case you weren't paying attention. Not saying I follow that behavior, but I understand why it happened.
Psst... I am at work. It's a Saturday.
He was being told the CORRECT information about the car, and then he incited an argument with the salesperson.
Newsflash, the customer isn't always right.
Stooge has it right. When you work on 100% COMISSION, making a sale is crucial. You really don't have time to be wasted by people who have no agenda other than wasting your time. That takes you off the sales floor, off the internet leads and off the phones.
When you come in every few months and waste people's time... you're going to get ignored. That's the simple fact. You've wasted people's time more than once. And no one got a cent of pay for that wasted time.... are you seeing the bigger picture yet? The end result is a $100 commission and a normally pain in the ass after the sale.
Is it blunt? A little offensive? Yep. But it's accurate.
I work in a dealership where most of my sales do NOT occur that same day, but weeks down the line. Luxury buyers take their time, and I understand and respect that. Hell, I just got wrapped with a customer on a BMW X3 that is probably 2 weeks away from making a decision.
emomoonbase
I'm free 2night after my LARPing guild meets.
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
Big Ass Ramp said:
Honestly, it pretty much applies to any salesman on commission. The profession tends to attract pathological liars since it's a plus. I'm not saying it's a requirement (so don't any honest gaffers get offended), but it certainly helps.
The salesmen I know in real are pathological about everything. Occasionally they'll tell a funny story, but you just have to remember 95 percent is b.s.
jecclr2003
Banned
1-D_FTW said:
Oh bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
People PERCEIVE them to be liars. If you lie to you customer, it makes things a LOT harder. People are a lot smarter than you'd give them credit for.
My job is simple really.
Do you like the car and it's features? Yes? Hop on in.
Do you like the way it rides? Yes? Awesome, let's see what we can do.
Here's my price. You're going to ask for my "best price". We'll meet in the middle. You'll say yes, or no.
Yes? You take it home. No? You leave or pick something else.
emomoonbase
I'm free 2night after my LARPing guild meets.
jecclr2003 said:
^ Lies! ALso, tell someone at Acura to make more than a dozen 6-speed manual TL's.
jecclr2003
Banned
emomoonbase said:
Preaching to the choir on the manual shifts. They are a pain to find.
Such a smooth shifting manual, such a pain to locate.... and no the paddle shifters are NOT the same.
I don't know who or how it is people in this thread are having to deal with lazy or disinterested salesmen. Those people are usually up my ass the moment I set foot on the lot.
Funny, because the thing I tend to hate about car salesmen is that they seem hellbent on wasting a lot of your time. Half your visit is sitting around waiting them to return from the magical finance manager's office to see if you actually qualify for the deal they've advertised. I've been on visits and declined a test drive only to have them insist that I should, so +20-30 minutes on that one. It seems to me that half their strategy is making you spend so much time at their dealership that you'll just give up and buy the car, rather than leaving and having to face the same ordeal somewhere else.
jecclr2003 said:
Funny, because the thing I tend to hate about car salesmen is that they seem hellbent on wasting a lot of your time. Half your visit is sitting around waiting them to return from the magical finance manager's office to see if you actually qualify for the deal they've advertised. I've been on visits and declined a test drive only to have them insist that I should, so +20-30 minutes on that one. It seems to me that half their strategy is making you spend so much time at their dealership that you'll just give up and buy the car, rather than leaving and having to face the same ordeal somewhere else.
I like how playing the "IT'S A COMISSION BASED JOB! YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS!" card is acceptable when the dealer in the OP was watching a fucking horse race. :lol
Basically, the dealer lost the opportunity to make a sale. He failed. The OP had the intention of buying the car, but the attitude of the dealer turned the customer away.
Dealers have a job thanks to customers having doubts or needing assistance. If not, people would buy their cars through Amazon, skipping the middleman.
Basically, the dealer lost the opportunity to make a sale. He failed. The OP had the intention of buying the car, but the attitude of the dealer turned the customer away.
Dealers have a job thanks to customers having doubts or needing assistance. If not, people would buy their cars through Amazon, skipping the middleman.
BlackGoku03
Member
I sell phones on commission. I can identify with how those car salesmen were feeling even though I probably wouldn't have been as obtuse.Zenith said:
When the same person comes by over and over and doesn't buy anything, I recognize them as a waste of time. The same customers come by, look at the phones, ask about the plans and phones and then never get the phone.
I'm a pretty good salesman. I can sell pretty much anything with enough charm. But there are customers who come off as asshats and think they know more than you or customers who just waste your time. You can't be doing research that long. Either buy the phone or not. I have 4 to 6 people come to my kiosk or store and ask the same questions. Over and over. I don't want to help them anymore. They waste my time when other people walk up and are waiting for me to finish with the strokers.
One example is when I worked at Wal-Mart electronics. I was the only one who knew anything there so of course I was always the most busy. This customer asked me if the Sony CDs we carried could burn music. I said yes. You could put music or anything else that'd fit on there. He then says I'm incorrect! They can't burn CDs, he's tried it. It doesn't work and he wants his money back.
He never got his money back.
Anyway, if there is no money to be made from you then most salesmen won't be the most helpful after the first two or three times.
WickedAngel
Banned
jecclr2003 said:
You left out some of the most important parts of the job (You know, the parts that make you the most money):
1. Giving them the lowest possible amount for their trade-in.
2. Inflating the final cost of the vehicle for maximum commission.
3. Inflating the monthly payment for maximum commission.
All of this is achieved through slight-of-hand and subtle manipulations that are designed to make it look as if the salesman is fighting for the customer when, in reality, you're playing them into paying far more than the car is actually worth.
jecclr2003
Banned
Crateman said:
You missed the part where the OP had been in numerous times before and wasted their time... then decided to start an argument... which he was wrong about.
The staff recognized him, and knew he was a waste of their time. He may have been there THAT TIME to potentially buy a car... but he was a pain in their ass before.
I AM NOT SAYING I ADVOCATE IT, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT.
Unless you have been in a 100% commission environment, I really doubt you'll understand.
WickedAngel said:
1.) OF course we're going to offer you less than you'd like for a trade. In some cases, it's the only place we have to negotiate. It's a trade.. it's a negotiation. Go ahead and try to sell a car yourself. It's a nightmare. We also have to do shit to YOUR car when you trade it in to make it sellable.
2.) Bullshit. The price is the price. You can get in SERIOUS legal trouble for that.
3.) Bullshit. The price is the price, and the payment is dependant on YOUR credit. We'd prefer you finance as we get a kickback from the bank... NOT...FROM... YOU.
I get really sick of people who have zero clue of the way this business works thinking they have a clue what they are talking about.
I really DO have to fight for the customer. Despite what you may think. My job is to get you to as close as possible to your offer.
You also need to realize at least in the preowned market that cars usually sell for LESS than you "god", kbb.
You frankly, don't know what the fuck you are talking about.
luckyarcher
Member
jecclr2003 said:
Sounds like you should be wrapping up business everyday in an hour or so. Do you tell your customers to 'cut the bullshit' when they are hesitant on closing the deal?
BlackGoku03
Member
So is it illegal or bad to make more money? That's just like me selling a data package and navigation with a cell phone activation. It's more commission for me. If the customer says no, then that's alright too.
I'd rather watch sports than waste my time with a customer who thinks he knows everything. I'd still help him anyway but it'd be half ass and I would do everything I could to get him out of there.
I'd rather watch sports than waste my time with a customer who thinks he knows everything. I'd still help him anyway but it'd be half ass and I would do everything I could to get him out of there.
jecclr2003
Banned
In a lot of cases yes.luckyarcher said:
My customer base is uaully pretty well educated and know what they want. I dont have a ton of bullshit to deal with.
The average sale takes about an hour and a half, then an hour or so for delivery of the car.
I don't work in a pressure dealer. If they aren't ready, they aren't ready. I'll keep in contact with them until they tell me which direction they decided on.
WickedAngel
Banned
BlackGoku03 said:
I'm sorry but your comparison is absurd.
No, it isn't like you selling a data package and navigation with the cell phone activation; those products add utility. You, as a phone salesman, have limited control over the packages you're selling and the price of the phone you're selling.
If you had the power of a car salesman, you'd be selling $200 phones for $400 and charging $100 a month for a $75-per-month plan instead of having to upsell services that actually provide something to the customer. Manipulating people into paying more for no reason other than your own greed is wrong.
jecclr2003
Banned
WickedAngel said:
Your post is absurd beyond belief.
Where the fuck are you getting your information? I don't know where you're shopping for cars, but it isn't anywhere with a legal system.
Cars have a thing called a PRICE. It's right on the fucking window sticker. In most cases, there's a sale price. Most likely on the internet as well. You can't just jack it up at will. The only way to go is down.
Just like ANY OTHER FUCKING BUSINESS we need to make a profit to continue to provide a service. You may think we make all these thousands of profit per sale, and that's NOT the case.
Like I said before, you don't have a clue what the fuck you are talking about
WickedAngel
Banned
jecclr2003 said:
Thank you for confirming that you are, in fact, a lying scumbag.
jecclr2003
Banned
What the hell man?WickedAngel said:
you obviously have no clue what you are talking about.
Do I have to show you my sales log to prove it? My avergae profit per deal is roughly $1000. That's it.
It's not some mystery as to what cars are worth. Hell, I have no issues pulling up KBB at my desk and showing customers the worth, or showing what we paid in total for them.
Here's an example...
THIS IS AN ACTUAL CAR IN MY INVENTORY.
2007 Acura TL w/ nav package. Black w/ black interior and wing. 29k miles CERTIFIED by Acura. Price: $23659
LINK: http://www.parkusedcars.com/certified/Acura/2007-Acura-TL-12f72fb80a0a000200f61156b53ece27.htm
KBB LISITNG FOR THE SAME CAR (certified preowned listing): http://www.kbb.com/kbb/UsedCars/Pri...ionHistory=83430|34162|44312|0|0|1739712|true
Choke on it.
Sorry you let yourself get fucked by a dealer before.
PumpkinPie
Banned
jecclr2003 said:
I see, I never thought that anyone would visit a showroom with no intention of buying a car, that just doesn't make sense to me. I think every time I've visited a showroom I've known exactly what I wanted and usually signed the deal by the next day after sleeping on it and checking the figures.
I guess some people don't find buying a new car a big deal financially, but personally if I'm paying a shit load of money I want to make sure I know every single detail about it :lol
WickedAngel
Banned
Oh, of course. I certainly haven't had the benefit of learning the process from a 30-year veteran of the industry who essentially told me every single trick in the book throughout adolescence (Only to be verified many years later by Confessions of a Car Salesman). No, I haven't had that; we should all take the word of an active agent within the suspect industry as gospel.
Your word is worthless here. Do you honestly think I would talk about this if I wasn't aware of the manipulation via the closer, the bumping, the first pencil, and the 4-square method? This shit has been an industry standard for decades and you're honestly trying to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about? It's rhetorical; don't bother responding.
Your word is worthless here. Do you honestly think I would talk about this if I wasn't aware of the manipulation via the closer, the bumping, the first pencil, and the 4-square method? This shit has been an industry standard for decades and you're honestly trying to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about? It's rhetorical; don't bother responding.
BlackGoku03
Member
I worked at a Auto-Sales place as well selling their cars on Autotrader.com and Ebay as well as putting ads in our local paper. I serviced their computers as well and I know, form experience, they never did any of the shit you're spewing.WickedAngel said:
Car salesmen do try to upsell customers with added features. You get more money that way. The customer says no, then roll right along.
All commission jobs are similar. One needs to maximize their commission, that's how it works.
jecclr2003
Banned
WickedAngel said:
lol... those tactics are dead and reserved for dealers who thrived on predatory sales to people with bad credit. (I sold at a place like that years ago, and quit.) This little thing called THE INTERNET changed the way things are done, for the better.
So thank you for proving you dont know what you're talking about.
I'm only going to speak for my dealer.
We don't have closers.
We don't use the 4 square method
We have no problem showing what we paid for a car
We're competitive within 250 miles and generate 25% of our business out of state.
We do NOT advertise
We rely strictly on repeat and referral business and it accounts for 75% of our business. Has since 1957.
The way you think things go is a lot more common in shitholes living 10 years in the past.
WickedAngel
Banned
BlackGoku03 said:
Again, I don't need to take the word of a part-timer who listed cars for e-sales (Which salesman hate, by the way) as I've seen the practices firsthand.
BlackGoku03
Member
Then what the hell are you in this thread for? Not willing to accept they way you think things are done isn't the norm anymore?WickedAngel said:
Please.
WickedAngel
Banned
BlackGoku03 said:
I'm not willing to take the word of a car salesman that the way things still work is not the norm. The internet hasn't changed the game that much as most people don't know how to utilize it effectively (Yet another subject I'm able to confidently speak on, given my profession).
There are ways to cushion your commission at every haggle-based dealership (And even a few at no-haggle dealerships, such as drastically undervaluing the trade-in).
jecclr2003
Banned
WickedAngel said:
How much can you be wrong in one thread?
We'll focus on one post actually.
E-sales are AWESOME. We love them.
WHY? Because most of the work is already done. The customer has already gotten to the point of selecting the car and in most cases making an offer.
The come in, drive the car and if it checks out.... SOLD.
Just that easy.
HELLO!!!!! I'm right here telling you that's not the case. It's not the norm, nor has it been for some time.WickedAngel said:
It might still exist in shitholes that prey on people with shitty credit. Is that you that has the shitty credit?
You have a really false perception of this business. Like WAY out in left field perception.
I do this for a LIVING. I'm good at the job, I like what I sell and who I sell to. It's nowhere CLOSE to what you're describing. So I'm not sure what third world country you're in, I'm sorry for that.
As far as buying and selling cars is concerned, the internet has altered the business drastically. It's slashed dealer profit, but increased volume as it's farmed out to a broader market.
I'm in the fucking business, I can tell you how it ACTUALLY is. Not your hell-based fantasy land from 10-15 years ago.
jecclr2003
Banned
JesseZao said:
He has to be. Frankly, he's annoying me.
jecclr2003 said:
Yeah that's not what I read in the dude's statement. That a used "bomb" is better than a new car because at least you saved money. Ignoring the fact it's a bomb.
I personally buy new cause I want new and can afford new. I'm sure there are things you do I find equally stupid.
WickedAngel
Banned
JesseZao said:
I am an expert when it comes to Systems Administration and IT Services in general. I've spent the last couple of years interfacing with customers (Both internal and external) directly as one of the functions of my job.
The vast majority of the population that owns computers doesn't have a clue as to how to use them in any way other than signing into Facebook, checking email, and buying something from Amazon. Even fewer people understand how to research effectively and contextualize search information to make intelligent purchasing decisions with information technology.
- Status