salespeople

alpha · 07-03-2007, 08:07 PM

I have been dealing with a salesguys for the last week, however it seems that it's me who is always calling him and I haven't even started haggling the price. Would it be reasonable for me to ask for another salesguy or do these guys have an unwritten law about not stealing customers from work mates.

mitch_lx · 07-03-2007, 08:16 PM

Im in carsales myself (suzuki)

Dont take it personally but sometimes we can be truely flat out and sometimes we lack on our follow up calls.

It really depends where you are upto in your purchasing decision. Most people look at 3-4 different cars when they are in the market for a new motor vehicle.
Obviously you wont be discussing price yet because you might not be that serious about the car just yet or be completely decided on which vehicle you want.

Vehicle choice comes first, price second.

Most sales people wont bother you if they feel you might not be very ready. Although it might be nice to hear from him/her to just drop by and say hello, offer another test drive at another time and thank you for your time when you came into see him etc.

So either he hasnt qualified you and your buying readiness properly or you just arnt all that serious about buying the car.
Give him a few warm buying signals '' i need a car within the next couple weeks '' and he/she might just start working a little harder if they feel your closer to making a decision.

And yes there is an unwritten law about customers and salespeople. Each salesperson has they customer log. So dont ask for another sales person unless you are very unhappy with the service you recieve.

fangq · 07-03-2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha

I have been dealing with a salesguys for the last week, however it seems that it's me who is always calling him and I haven't even started haggling the price. Would it be reasonable for me to ask for another salesguy or do these guys have an unwritten law about not stealing customers from work mates.

I'm too busy to kick tyres etc. Have you considered using a car broker ?

Steve
btw..my XR6 T was purchased using a car broker as the intermediary.
Saved about 5 K, and just had to sign a couple of forms at the dealership.
Still smiling ,,they're a sweet car to drive ( Holden from '88 to 2005 )

alpha · 07-03-2007, 08:45 PM

Thanks Mitch - it's great to hear their side of the story.

bonspeed · 07-03-2007, 08:59 PM

Dont even get me started.

mitch_lx · 07-03-2007, 09:10 PM

Not suggesting you are a tyre kicker.. but when you consider each salesman might talk to 15 people on a weekend. they have to separate people from who they think arnt terribly serious to people who are serious.

AU-MUSTD · 07-03-2007, 09:26 PM

I found the same thing in the last few week's. 2 mitsubishi dealers, no test drive offer, no brochure offer l had to ask for one, supplied without his buisness card and finally didnt take my number they told me to call them when they get a 3lt outlander the following week. Same story at the first holden dealer. Finally the last offered me a test drive , brochures coffee and 1 hour later walked out with a contract of sale in hand and impressed with there service.

pertuan · 07-03-2007, 09:40 PM

It varies from dealer to dealer really.

The last Mitsu dealer I went to didn't want to talk to me. Left me to climb in and out of a Lancer pressing nearly every button in there. It wasn't until I called one of the sales people that I got some attention. Told them I was definitely buying early Feb (was middle of Jan) and he said to come back when I was closer to buying for a test drive. WTF? Similar experience with a Ford dealer.

Went to another Ford dealer, greeted me with a handshake and a pat on the back. Offered me a test drive and said "Don't worry about the price, take it for a spin, then you come back and we'll talk pricing and options. Yeah, take it on your own if you want" Came back, and gave me a good price bought it 2 weeks later.

Golf and Mazda dealers, again, offered a test drive immediately. Followed up with a phonecall a week later. When I said I was getting the Focus, they wanted me to give me the car for a weekend to test drive "so I was sure I wasn't making a mistake" Thats what I call service.

adrianb · 07-03-2007, 09:45 PM

I just bought my (used) car a little while ago - organised to drop in and have a look, didn't make it and let the guy know I wasn't gonna be there. When I turned up he grabbed the keys and let me go for a drive right away. Came back, said I'd take it and signed up right away (knew what I was after and had already had a perve after-hours). Guy was fantastic through all the waiting with finance (novated lease, took time for paperwork to do several trips around the country getting signoffs from everyone).

GlennBA · 07-03-2007, 11:00 PM

I went to go buy a black manual BA XT from a car dealer up here. The guy was an absolute dick, he wanted $20k for the car with 3 dents in it. Wouldn't budge on price even though the diff was shot. I test drove it and he kept saying how it was a series 2 (was definately a series 1), black and manual and very hard to find. I walked away from it, went and bought a different black manual XT with the same km, cruise, tint and xr 17's for $3000 less. I got a call from the salesman today and i told him exactly what i did, and exactly why i didn't buy the one he had.

Pedro · 08-03-2007, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AU-MUSTD

I found the same thing in the last few week's. 2 mitsubishi dealers, no test drive offer, no brochure offer l had to ask for one, supplied without his buisness card and finally didnt take my number they told me to call them when they get a 3lt outlander the following week. Same story at the first holden dealer. Finally the last offered me a test drive , brochures coffee and 1 hour later walked out with a contract of sale in hand and impressed with there service.

Having been a car salesman myself I can assure you that you only met one salesman. The others were jerks posing as salesmen.

cooltint · 08-03-2007, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

Having been a car salesman myself I can assure you that you only met one salesman. The others were jerks posing as salesmen.

Well said Pedro

Big AL

Powdered Toast Man · 08-03-2007, 10:20 AM

Firstly I wasnt looking for a new car and if I did get one it wasn't going to be another Falcon, I was going to downsize after owning nothing but Falcons for my driving life.

I spotted a nice V8 BA XT on carsales and because I was curious as to where it was (location) so I could have a look just for the sake of it I had to fill in the contact field on the website.
Coincidently it was just around the corner from work at the local Ford dealer and the next day I get a phone call from the salesman asking me if I'm interested. I tell him why I enquired about it and that I wasnt seriously looking but he offered to bring the car around to my work and leave it with me for the day while he took my car to be apprasied. In the end I decided it was too expensive although it was a very nice car, and gave it back later that afternoon after giving it a bit of a fang through the streets around work; and that was that.

About 2 weeks later I decided to throw caution to the wind and buy it so I went to the car yard asked for the salesman and signed on the dotted line. I dont regret it apart from the finacial standpoint (gee cars are expensive) and I love my 3V.

But anyway, my point is that he was bending over backwards to sell me a car even after I told him I wasn't really interested. So I guess I actually got a "salesman" rather than a guy who sells cars.

Chippar · 08-03-2007, 12:46 PM

Back in 2001, my wife and I were looking to buy a new car. We had done some homework and whittled the choices down to either a magna or a falcon. The choice was limited because of a disability I have and basically it boiled down to the the seating positions, if all other considerations were equal. We actually favoured the magna as it seemed to have a few more creature comforts than the falcon.

So living on the Gold Coast, we set off to Miami, where there is was a Mitsubishi dealer and a Ford dealer side by side. We went to the Mitsubishi bloke first and were hopping in and out of different New Magnas with the excitement one has when purchasing a new car. Well we were in the yard, in full view of the glass fronted sales office, for at least 10 minutes but were totally ignored. So, cracking the sh!ts, with the lack of assistance, we walked over to the Ford dealership and starterd looking at the new Futuras.

Wow!! less than 30 secs later, a old grey haired salesman sauntered up, bid us good morning and said that if we needed a test drive or any information, just give him a hoy, and he'd come over. He hovered around, not too close to crowd us, but close enough to be on hand if we needed him. Well sure enough, we called him over and ended up taking the futura for a test drive.

This old salesman was more than helpful all the way and when he heard that it was the seating comfort that I was chasing more than anything else, he had a whisper in my ear that a new SR model was set to be released, with exactly the same seating as the furura but heaps cheaper. He showed me the brochure for the SR and after a very short discussion between me and my wife, we put a deposit down on the new SR there and then.

We still have the SR and are totally happy with it and we really are glad, that the so called salespersons at Mitsubishi, decided not to grace us with their presence that day.

Poetic Justice · 08-03-2007, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitch_lx

Not suggesting you are a tyre kicker.. but when you consider each salesman might talk to 15 people on a weekend. they have to separate people from who they think arnt terribly serious to people who are serious.

What a load of crap.

You wouldn't last long working where I work if you didn't follow up everyone you got a number from, and you should be doing your best to get contact details from everyone you speak to.

FPVTurboTaxi · 08-03-2007, 06:43 PM

all i can say is pfffffffffffffft
it took 15 dealerships and 3 months to buy a typhoon

only 1/4 of them ever followed up so ure not on ure pat malone

Jason[98.EL] · 08-03-2007, 07:04 PM

being a sales person in the past ( not car related )

if i got a lead for a sale i was always told "follow them up"

if i was given a contact phone # i followed it up and done the best i could to get the sale

Cruise · 08-03-2007, 08:52 PM

I dont know what you guys problems are i go into a car yard and they dont leave me alone with follow up calls and i end up telling them were to go and loose interest in the product all together (ive been looking at buying a new house lately).