If you were a salesperson in a Ford showroom...

[Poetic Justice]

I'm intrigued by the amount of love that you get for the Ford vehicle around here. Quite obviously we all share a love for Fords but from time to time we often whine about the quality of the marketing, the service received at dealerships and so and so.

My question - What point of difference would you employ if you were working in a Ford dealership in order to sell the Ford product?

And... pick a model from the current Ford line up, and tell me what you think you would say to sell that vehicle versus at least one of it's direct competitors.

Surely as an enthusiast forum we should have a few reasons to share with other prospective buyers of the Ford product as to why it is worth purchasing as opposed to the other brands on offer.

[mik]

don`t all speak up at once .

[janddbone]

I would have very little to say indeed.... Saw the new Focus two nights ago, that thing is shocking. And no wonder people are moving to 'small' cars, that thing is huge!!!

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by SCUD

My question - What point of difference would you employ if you were working in a Ford dealership in order to sell the Ford product?

Easy - know the frigging product!

Far too often do you hear claims from salesmen that are just plain BS and they damn well know it. I work in auto retail on weekends and across the road is a Ford dealer - I've lost count of how many times they send people over for touch up paint and tell them complete wrong info. I had a guy in an AU turn up and insist his Liquid Silver XR8 was in fact 'Ice Mint Silver' (a BA colour) 'cos that's what they said across the road'. It annoys the absolute crap out of me people that do not know their product and make no effort to change that, or worse they BS to get themselves through. Even when I bought my FG i had so many crap claims from the salespeople that I pulled them up on - I knew more about the car than they did and that's not a good thing.

[jpd80]

So much of effective selling is getting the right product for buyers, if you have someone rocking up to look at cars and they
haven't done much research into what they really need/want/like in a vehicle, a salesperson may as well be knitting fog.

Sometimes I think the first meeting should be to establish whether people are genuinely
interested in buying, what they can afford and what it is they really need and want.

It would surprise people to know how many people don't know WTF they are about to buy, they're like stunned chooks
when the sales man gets going on them, sign here, sign here, sign here....wtf, do I really want to buy a car, then panic sets in.....

So many blame sales staff but inept buyers are 90% of the problem, research is essential...

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by jpd80

It would surprise people to know how many people don't know WTF they are about to buy, they're like stunned chooks

Indeed. My mother bought a new car not too long ago and she didn't even know how many cylinders it had FFS...

[SSD-85]

For me personally, I cant make a generalised form of doing this. Because I would feel that the customer is important and should be treated individually & not generically. So all im trying to say is, is that it would be a different approach to each customer for me. After the usual introductory mannerisms.

[Vincenzo]

Originally Posted by Scotty85

For me personally, I cant make a generalised form of doing this. Because I would feel that the customer is important and should be treated individually & not generically. So all im trying to say is, is that it would be a different approach to each customer for me. After the usual introductory mannerisms.

i think you hit it on the head. I have spent the last nine years as a Defensive driving instructor both for learners to those who want to update their skills.

There is absolutely no way you could use the exact same system for two students. they may be close but there is always a difference.

As for comparing two like cars - XR6 and SV6 - parts of the SV are better shaped than the XR from certain angles but overall the XR as a total product outshines the SV hands down

[vztrt]

I wouldn't be stupid enough to say that sport shift is the same as a manual.

This seems to be a tactic by the dealers as many salesmen seemed to try saying it.

Other then that I don't really have that big of an issue with the sales side as they're as bad/good as other marques.

[hy_boi]

A customer who wants to be sold the car, not someone who walks in and goes, "John down the road can do it fir this much, but I'm not gona buy today if you can do it cheaper."

[TheInterceptor]

Part of my job is sales.
Knowing what the customer needs is a first, then budget. After that you go through the options you have, explaining the pros and cons of each.

In this context, if customer wants decent space, good economy and good luggage room but not a large car with the budget of say $30k i would point them towards a Mondeo. Then one can tell them about the diesel and how you would be paying less in fuel a week than you would owning a petrol i6 (if run on premo 95). Then what the standard features are, also features in the upper specs. But if they dont need the bells n whistles, i wont push the expensive model onto them.
If they like the sound of the diesel but the car is too big, show em the Focus.

Something like that i suppose. A sale is better than no sale. A happy satisfied customer is even better as the odds of them returning are much higher, plus the whole word of mouth thing....

[Falc'man]

I think the idea of the OP was more "what are the pros/benefits/advantages of the Ford products compared to their respective competition?", and not really discussing the correct sales approach, which is without a doubt very important (and well said Scotty85).

[fat4D]

i think the biggest problem most ford sales people have (from my limited experience) they are only selling cars to get into sales so they can get into real estate. they have no passion for the cars and very little knowledge.

the other problem is that they count you out as soon as you walk in if your not business dressed, when the fg first came out i was looking at getting into a turbo and had pre approval for the loan. was out one sat morning walked in wearing shorts and a t-shirt (that and the fact i was 20 at the time) sales person wasnt interested overly. went back a few days later after a work meeting in a button up shirt, same guy didn't recognise me (must have made an impression first time) i asked him to tell me what he knew about it and why i should chose it over a ba or bf he had little idea of the difference between them. hence i didnt buy an fg

they need to realise not every person after a performance variant is a business man... MOST are your average aussie

[Madaya]

Agree with all of the above, and as I have shared in previous posts, I'll repeat my experience when I went out shopping for a manual FG ute.
It was terrible. For a start, I wanted a manual = put this dreamer in the 'wonder basket', try and convince him he is better off with the auto and (as vztrt mentioned - exactly..) "you can use the sports shift as a manual".
Err, where is the clutch?
Yes, some other dealers where helpful, and I guess they wished the boss had took the iniative and landed a few manuals into the car lot, because they knew, by the time we talked turkey, I would have driven off in it there and then, regardless of model.
Chris, in Busselton, the lad who straight off the bat, got on the phone and grabbed me the FG XR6 cab chassis, stepped up to the plate straight away, and from the first moment, I was sold. I talked with him later about the difficulty I had getting sales people to notice me, he said, his philosophy is, whenever someone walks through the door, it is an opportunity for a sale. i.e this man is a professional - his job is selling cars, and good luck to him.
Research - Research - Research. It's your job. Know your car. Drive them. Read the manuals. Be enthusiastic about the product. Do your homework.
Hell, I wish I could sell cars, I'd love to drive them all, and I'd treat every customer, shorts and all, as the richest man in Oz.
Gaz

[2011G6E]

For a start, you have to realise that most salespeople in a dealership...("most", not all, there are the occasional gem who are really involved in cars) are there to sell cars to the "average buyer", and sometimes don't know how to handle the odd enthusiast who comes through the dealership doors.
The vast majority of people want to know one of a few limited details...price, manual or auto, features, safety items, reliability, colour, economy, what sort of trade in they'll get...and that's about it. The closest to worrying about what's under the bonnet will be "how many cylinders?"...not power output, not cylinder configuration, not bore and stroke, not torque, just how much it costs to register.

After we bought our G6E, the service manager was honestly surprised that we'd noticed that they now save a couple of bucks by not painting the engine blocks, and leave them bare iron to get an "attractive" coating of rust on the cast iron. He said most people don't even open their bonnet between services...why do you think auto boxes don't have a dipstick anymore? Hell, a mate of mine with a new Land Rover Discovery 4 looked in vain for the oil dipstick on the diesel engine, until the manual informed him they no longer fit them either.

As long as a salesman knows a little about the basic items of a particular model, he'll have it sorted for maybe 95% of the customers.

[fmc351]

One of my sons mates from school has a single mum so she asked me to help her pick a new car she was going to lease, apparently her Kia Carnival is a heap of crap , yeah big shock there. She wants a 7 seater (4 kids and travels from Sunny Coast to Inverell and Moree to see family) so I thought we'll check out a Territory. Rocked up at Maroochydore and approached the Terry and laughed. The 3rd row is less than inspiring, esky lids came to mind. The salesman comes up to us and says we should check out a Mistubishi Challenger or similar as they offer a 10 yr warranty.

Good bloke, not sure he makes much coin that way though. You couldnt pay me enough to sell cars.

As a side, she ended up going with a Captiva, oh dear. She just fell in love and I made the mistake of saying lets check one out along with a few others. But I have to say, its pretty nice inside compared to the alternatives for the price. But yeah I know, Daewoo.

[chevypower]

Selling is not as much about the features of the product as it is about the benefits to the customer.

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle!" - Elmer Wheeler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW6HmQ1QVMw

[csv8]

It was in the Courier Mail a few weeks back..Maccas franchisee, Brisbane. On a day off ,went too the local Porsche dealer. Must have been dressed too casual, but was asked to get out of the Porsche. He did, came back a week later in a BMW M5 and asked to see the dealer principle. Moral of story is. 'don't judge people by appearances" maybe Ford sales people need to do the same.
Sales people need to treat all people as equal not on appearance, assume everyone is a potential customer. I turn up in my BF GHIA and sales people assume I have money, ie a potential customer and approach me. Turn up in my Fez and its a different story....

[RAPID_BA]

Ford should only hire their salesman from this forum, people who genuinely beleive in the product.

Otherwise its like going to the gym and listening to a personal trainer who is rotund in appearancw, just doesnt work.

[Poetic Justice]

Okay, so the first thing I've noticed is that clearly the sales staff aren't that well drilled on the product. It probably is a fact that a majority of car sales people in the industry are more interested in the sale than ensuring the customer is 100% satisfied with what the product offers to them personally. This is a bad trait, but unfortunately being a sales industry it is to be expected.

Unfortunately, the fine line is that, for me for instance, being a sales person in a car dealership I can strive to have the best product knowledge and treat the customers to a high level of customer service but in doing this alone I simply wont pay my bills. This is the part where a salesman needs to be a touch more ruthless about getting the actual deal done... and hence, why a lot of sales guys will skip somewhat important parts of the road to a sale in order to get to the negotiation phase. Let's not forget, the a big majority of the modern customers are too quick to get to that "Give me a good deal" phase without actually exploring the vehicles properly also.

Originally Posted by Scotty85

For me personally, I cant make a generalised form of doing this. Because I would feel that the customer is important and should be treated individually & not generically. So all im trying to say is, is that it would be a different approach to each customer for me. After the usual introductory mannerisms.

This is very true. But as I said, you can possess the ability to do this but if you can't also get tough when it gets tough, you're not going to succeed.

Originally Posted by jpd80

So many blame sales staff but inept buyers are 90% of the problem, research is essential...

Very good point. As I said above, the media has helped prospective purchasers by telling them the do's and don'ts with regards to purchasing a new vehicle. This has lead them to ask questions like "Is this the best deal?" and so forth. The media, and colectively ******** salesmen of the past, have driven people to think that most of us in the industry are scum and not worth treating with a bit of decency. Therefore, they do not allow us to really show you why the product we are selling may be a good choice.

Originally Posted by hy boi

A customer who wants to be sold the car, not someone who walks in and goes, "John down the road can do it fir this much, but I'm not gona buy today if you can do it cheaper."

You have no idea how monumentally wrong that statement is in this day and age.

Originally Posted by fat4D

i think the biggest problem most ford sales people have (from my limited experience) they are only selling cars to get into sales so they can get into real estate. they have no passion for the cars and very little knowledge.

Sure, there are a lot of people in the industry that don't have a real passion for the cars. However, they need to learn to have a passion. I have people that work with me that couldn't give a toss about cars but have developed a good passion for the brand that we are selling because it is a prerequisite to success in the industry.

To say that we are only interested in being this job to get into real estate is yet again monumentally wrong. In the 5-6 years I've been in this industry I've never witnessed someone leave to work in real estate, not to mention anyone who had ever said they were only in the industry to move on to real estate.

It really is not hard at all to get into the real estate industry these days, and take it from me, to work in the auto industry in sales beforehand would be a silly move as whatever progress you make in terms of income in the auto industry would be effectively halved by stepping from the auto industry into real estate.

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

For a start, you have to realise that most salespeople in a dealership...("most", not all, there are the occasional gem who are really involved in cars) are there to sell cars to the "average buyer", and sometimes don't know how to handle the odd enthusiast who comes through the dealership doors.

So what you're saying is that in certain Ford dealerships where they also sell FPV, there should be a person who is the FPV specialist instead of letting every sales person have a crack at it?

Originally Posted by fmc351

The salesman comes up to us and says we should check out a Mistubishi Challenger or similar as they offer a 10 yr warranty.

Great that he would suggest something like that in a way, but unless his dealership also had a Mitsubishi dealer it's pretty stupid business sense. As I asked in this thread, I was looking for suggestions to convince potential customers as to why the Ford product would be the better choice than its competitors. In this instance, I was looking for a suggestion as to how a sales person might handle the situation in order to convince the purchaser that the Ford Territory had far better benefits in other areas that may allow the purchaser to overlook the negative aspect of the rear seating.

Originally Posted by chevypower

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle!" - Elmer Wheeler

You wouldn't believe how often my boss uses this phrase. Though replace 'steak' with 'sausage'.

Originally Posted by HULK BA

Ford should only hire their salesman from this forum, people who genuinely beleive in the product.

Great idea in theory, but like a lot of posts in this thread thus far it doesn't really answer my question. I can be extremely well versed in the features, advantages and benefits of the vehicles that I sell but if someone comes in and I explain all that, they will no doubt be impressed. But when they ask the question "Okay, so why should I buy this instead of a Mazda?" and I have no answer.. well... perhaps they may let me go so they can go see the Mazda for themselves. Believe me, its well known in the industry, if you don't somehow make a sale while the customer is there on the first visit, your chances of making that sale decrease incredibly after they have left.

Originally Posted by Falc'man

I think the idea of the OP was more "what are the pros/benefits/advantages of the Ford products compared to their respective competition?", and not really discussing the correct sales approach, which is without a doubt very important

Bingo. Carry on!

[The Mighty Red]

Having only ever purchased one new car and the aftersales or lack of it is something I would look at if I were a salesman , the Ford salesman didnt want to know me atall once i had signed on the dotted line and the deal was done , he was shocking! typical salesman playing his own little game , with the current economic climate there attitude may have change a little but I doubt it.
So yes I would make an effort to treat the customer the same after I've sold them a vehicle as I did before they purchased one

[atec77]

Originally Posted by The Mighty Red

Having only ever purchased one new car and the aftersales or lack of it is something I would look at if I were a salesman , the Ford salesman didnt want to know me atall once i had signed on the dotted line and the deal was done , he was shocking! typical salesman playing his own little game , with the current economic climate there attitude may have change a little but I doubt it.
So yes I would make an effort to treat the customer the same after I've sold them a vehicle as I did before they purchased one

All very true comment , recently went with the brother inlaw to find him a new car or a good used , we had been working on his back fence so jumped in "OleBlue" my 64 pickup and visited the local Ford dealer in the Western Suburbs (Brisbane)
After waiting about almost 10 minutes someone came and lied to us in response to a couple of questions , looking down to the side is not good body language and we all knew it was lies ( Bil said bullshite make ) we left , moved onto the local Bimmer dealer and was met with some pleasant comment about the old truck . He ignored us being wiffy , displayed sound product knowledge and explained why the estate he suggested used was a better choice along with having excellent finance available , nuff said and the tea and timtams were good
It's obvious some sales people are there under sufferance and should starve

[2011G6E]

I've been to all sorts of dealerships large and small over the years since I started driving,a and you get good and bad experiences at all of them, large and small.

[CODSASR]

I have just finished selling at a Kia dealership (moving towns) it was hard to convince people on how good the new kia's are.

If i was working at a ford dealer and say some one was looking for a large sedan i would be telling them that the xr6 has more visibility as the sv6 pillars are too large and make it hard to see at round a bouts and intersections also the sv6 rear spoiler restricts vision out of the rear window where as the xr spoiler is not as intrusive, the xr headlights are much brighter at night so offer better night driving. Ford also offers capped price services so unlike Holden you know what you will be spending for each service.

When in the car I would be telling them that the ford interior has been designed for the driver everything is at your finger tips and a lot more erganomic the seats are a lot more comfortable and don't feel as hard as the sv6.

There would be slot more too but that will do for now haha

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by CODSASR

I have just finished selling at a Kia dealership (moving towns) it was hard to convince people on how good the new kia's are.

If i was working at a ford dealer and say some one was looking for a large sedan i would be telling them that the xr6 has more visibility as the sv6 pillars are too large and make it hard to see at round a bouts and intersections also the sv6 rear spoiler restricts vision out of the rear window where as the xr spoiler is not as intrusive, the xr headlights are much brighter at night so offer better night driving. Ford also offers capped price services so unlike Holden you know what you will be spending for each service.

When in the car I would be telling them that the ford interior has been designed for the driver everything is at your finger tips and a lot more erganomic the seats are a lot more comfortable and don't feel as hard as the sv6.

There would be slot more too but that will do for now haha

Bagging out the other product won't win you friends...

You have to point out the features and benefits of your vehicle without actually putting down another product.

I have been selling vehicles for plenty of years now, and have always worked on knowing my product to as much as I possibly can & believing in the product I am selling, treating everyone I deal with the same, and being courteous, proactive and follow up... More to the point, I don't stuff around when it comes to pricing the damn things up either

[CODSASR]

Repost

[Grunter]

Give tyre kickers the same attention that you would someone coming in to actually purchase. I went to a dealer a while back to look at a 335 GT-P and said up front that I'm not looking to buy right now, but within the next 6 months. He walked away. Needless to say, that dealer will not be getting a call from me, not to mention any more look in for our future fleet purchases.

I understand if they are busy wanting to focus on people looking to buy now, but the dealership was empty. Given his attitude, can guess why it was. Todays tyre kickers could be tomorrows sale.

Bottom line, treat everyone as you would want to be treated and don't provide guessess to questions you don't know. Just tell them that you will find out and get back to them, and then actually do it.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Grunter

Give tyre kickers the same attention that you would someone coming in to actually purchase. I went to a dealer a while back to look at a 335 GT-P and said up front that I'm not looking to buy right now, but within the next 6 months. He walked away. Needless to say, that dealer will not be getting a call from me, not to mention any more look in for our future fleet purchases.

I understand if they are busy wanting to focus on people looking to buy now, but the dealership was empty. Given his attitude, can guess why it was. Todays tyre kickers could be tomorrows sale.

Bottom line, treat everyone as you would want to be treated and don't provide guessess to questions you don't know. Just tell them that you will find out and get back to them, and then actually do it.

Same thing happened to me when I bought my XR5 I went to a dealer ands they wouldn't even let me sit in a car. But wanted to sell it to me ( and the salesman was raving about XR5 mondeo) needless to say I went back a few weeks later to 'have a look' after purchasing elsewhere and they had the nerve to ask where I bought it' I said have a look at the number plate surrounds, he walked off

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by Grunter

Give tyre kickers the same attention that you would someone coming in to actually purchase. I went to a dealer a while back to look at a 335 GT-P and said up front that I'm not looking to buy right now, but within the next 6 months. He walked away. Needless to say, that dealer will not be getting a call from me, not to mention any more look in for our future fleet purchases.

I understand if they are busy wanting to focus on people looking to buy now, but the dealership was empty. Given his attitude, can guess why it was. Todays tyre kickers could be tomorrows sale.

Bottom line, treat everyone as you would want to be treated and don't provide guessess to questions you don't know. Just tell them that you will find out and get back to them, and then actually do it.

It is your own fault - why say you are not ready to buy - if all you want is a test drive just say i ll buy it if i like it. Then after the drive you could say - i need to think about it. Too easy...
We bought a new car recently and i sold my old car privatly yesterday. If the buyer said i am not Ready to buy he would NOT get a test drive.
Our new car experience was exercise in patience on my side - we ended up buying a car off a sales person who did not say much - in fact he hardly said anything at all - i knew all about the car and my better half has driven 5 cars on the lot and the one we bought twice.
Only discussion we had was price haggle .

[a-total-tool]

Originally Posted by Grunter

Give tyre kickers the same attention that you would someone coming in to actually purchase. I went to a dealer a while back to look at a 335 GT-P and said up front that I'm not looking to buy right now, but within the next 6 months. He walked away. Needless to say, that dealer will not be getting a call from me, not to mention any more look in for our future fleet purchases.

I understand if they are busy wanting to focus on people looking to buy now, but the dealership was empty. Given his attitude, can guess why it was. Todays tyre kickers could be tomorrows sale.

Bottom line, treat everyone as you would want to be treated and don't provide guessess to questions you don't know. Just tell them that you will find out and get back to them, and then actually do it.

I think that part of the attitude is the way that we look/enter the dealership.

I have had a similar experience at a particular local Ford dealer. I just tend to get ignored. I have gone to this dealer 3 times. The first time (about 2 years ago), I walked in there on my own, wearing a hoodie and cargo pants. I was able to look at cars for over half an hour, without a salesman coming near me. When one finally approached me, I had a go at him as nobody came up to assist me and there were NO other customers on the lot at the time (the 3 salesmen were chatting among themselves on the balcony to the used car sales office). He got one sentence from me. "I was interested in this car and willing to pay cash but your attitude and lack of assistance made me not want to deal with you" I showed him the $18k cash that I had in my pocket and left. I spent half the $$$ on a cheaper car (pulsar), and used the rest to kill debts.

The other time, I rocked up with my EL Fairmont (5L, kit and had just been painted). The salesmen seemed more interested in looking at my car then trying to sell me a new one... but I was only there to tyre kick this time.

I also went to this same dealer last weekend...just to sticky beak at the new Focus. I will be looking at a leasing a new car in the next few months and went to a few dealers in my local area. I looked at several LW's for about 20 mins before someone approached me. He wasn't helpful and when I asked for a brochure he told me to download the brochure off the net if I were interested.

Let's put this in comparison. Before arriving at that dealer, I went to 2 other (non-ford) showrooms. The VW dealer approached me as I was walking onto the lot (before I even got to the cars), and the Mazda salesman approached me after about 30 seconds, holding an umbrella for me as it was starting to rain at the time. Why can't Ford dealers show any courtesy to customers?