is car sales one of the most overrated jobs around ?
Discussion
yonex said:
paoloh said:
Salesman can't do it alone, you are right.
But they do the longest hours, earn the least before comms, work Sundays, take 90% of customer s
t etc etc
No, never. The people who take the brunt of the grief are Service Managers not sales people. IME most of them fade into the background once the deal is made. Any oversight, oops financial contribution or go and speak to CS.But they do the longest hours, earn the least before comms, work Sundays, take 90% of customer s
t etc etcAs a Salesman at a Main Dealers, the customer has to leave "completely satisfied".
That means you drill your name into them and make you their first point of call for any issue they have.
Ask any salesman on here the drama of not getting a "completely satisfied" customer.
Roo said:
It's been tried several times.
It doesn't work.
Autoquake lost 10s of millions trying, it was the darling company of PH on how to do the job, except when I asked how many PHers had bought a car from them the answer was none, cant buy a car without seeing it etc etc....It doesn't work.
IIRC the loss equated to over 500 quid for every car they had sold.
Great business model, NOT
DoubleSix said:
Efbe said:
doublesix
lol, nothing constructive to add other than soo much self-importance here.
It's akin to the price-labelling guy in a supermarket saying none of the items will sell without him.
I already told you I don't work in car sales Efbe so not sure why I would be considered "self-important".lol, nothing constructive to add other than soo much self-importance here.
It's akin to the price-labelling guy in a supermarket saying none of the items will sell without him.
I just understand the function sales people play in a business.
I only read the bits I want to, selectively quote and only argue against a point you haven't even being trying to make... duh!
so now you don't work in sales... I presume since ythe start of the thread you must have quit. good. go work on the factory line with the machines, much more productive. that or HR, everyone loves HR.
berlintaxi said:
yonex said:
IME most of them fade into the background once the deal is made. Any oversight, oops financial contribution or go and speak to CS.
Fade? in my experience most of them run for the hills like their arse is on fire as soon as you sign the order, any issues they never seem to be available, return phone calls or answer emails, maybe I have been unlucky but in my opinion that is the difference between a good salesman and an order taker, most car salesmen are order takers.The only exceptions to the rule are the (thankfully very rare) customers who are a complete PITA and who you would rather pay a colleague to deal with than have to deal with them again yourself. Are you one of those perhaps?
POORCARDEALER said:
Autoquake lost 10s of millions trying, it was the darling company of PH on how to do the job, except when I asked how many PHers had bought a car from them the answer was none, cant buy a car without seeing it etc etc....
IIRC the loss equated to over 500 quid for every car they had sold.
Great business model, NOT
That was used though, wasn't it?IIRC the loss equated to over 500 quid for every car they had sold.
Great business model, NOT
Many dealers, presumably forced by the manufactures, aren’t helping themselves by having no interest in off-franchise vehicles so if you've got a fairly ordinary car you can sell it to WBAC for pretty well the same as the dealer offers.
As more and more WBAC type operations get going that should provide a bit of competition to offer higher prices.
My reticence to buying a car on line is that I want someone handy I can jump all over if there's a problem. Too easy to fob someone off if they're 150 miles away.
unrepentant said:
The only exceptions to the rule are the (thankfully very rare) customers who are a complete PITA and who you would rather pay a colleague to deal with than have to deal with them again yourself. Are you one of those perhaps?
Of course, or maybe I expect some service from a salesman when purchasing a car and if they say they will do something I expect them to do it, rather than vanish into thin air when they don't.....terrible expectations I know, but it's only what my customers expect of me.Efbe said:
DoubleSix said:
Efbe said:
doublesix
lol, nothing constructive to add other than soo much self-importance here.
It's akin to the price-labelling guy in a supermarket saying none of the items will sell without him.
I already told you I don't work in car sales Efbe so not sure why I would be considered "self-important".lol, nothing constructive to add other than soo much self-importance here.
It's akin to the price-labelling guy in a supermarket saying none of the items will sell without him.
I just understand the function sales people play in a business.
I only read the bits I want to, selectively quote and only argue against a point you haven't even being trying to make... duh!
so now you don't work in sales... I presume since ythe start of the thread you must have quit. good. go work on the factory line with the machines, much more productive. that or HR, everyone loves HR.
It is possible to have opinion on a subject without being personally involved. Although, I did state my family are in the motor trade and therefore I feel well placed to comment!
Sheepshanks said:
POORCARDEALER said:
Autoquake lost 10s of millions trying, it was the darling company of PH on how to do the job, except when I asked how many PHers had bought a car from them the answer was none, cant buy a car without seeing it etc etc....
IIRC the loss equated to over 500 quid for every car they had sold.
Great business model, NOT
That was used though, wasn't it?IIRC the loss equated to over 500 quid for every car they had sold.
Great business model, NOT
Many dealers, presumably forced by the manufactures, aren’t helping themselves by having no interest in off-franchise vehicles so if you've got a fairly ordinary car you can sell it to WBAC for pretty well the same as the dealer offers.
As more and more WBAC type operations get going that should provide a bit of competition to offer higher prices.
My reticence to buying a car on line is that I want someone handy I can jump all over if there's a problem. Too easy to fob someone off if they're 150 miles away.
As for WBAC, they sell everything through BCA (their owners) which indicates they are giving less than true trade for cars, or the cars are making huge amounts under the hammer
valiant said:
el stovey said:
I'd much rather have a cheaper car and buy it online by clicking options on my laptop.
How are you going to arrange a test drive or check that the boot will take the pushchair/golfclubs/etc. Looking at brochures and pictures on the internet will only get you so far. Asking questions on forums and reading reviews will only give you part of the picture of how the car will suit YOU.
Or will you go down to the local dealer, talk to a salesman and check these things out and then order over the internet?
In any business or organisation there are people who are fantastic at the job, those that are ok and do just enough and those that are rubbish. I'm sure we have all worked in situations where this is the case. In a lot of organisations these three different characters will remain employed and earn the same.
However in the motor industry it is generally only the sales team who are customer facing and therefore have their performance judged by the public. You will generally remember the good and the bad ones. The good ones stay and make a good living, the ok guys stay and can survive but tend to move on after a few years, the crap guys generally have 3 - 6 months before they are sacked or forced to resign.
Those that are saying anyone could do the job, and it’s just the same as serving behind the counter in PC world / Tesco's etc how do you explain the high turnover of sales staff in most main dealers? There is a huge difference between the good salesman and the poor one, this is easily identified at the end of each month when they open there wage slips. They will both have had the same opportunity to talk to an equal number of customers, answer the same number of calls or reply to the same number of emails. But at the end of the month one will have earned double what the other has, or more.
However in the motor industry it is generally only the sales team who are customer facing and therefore have their performance judged by the public. You will generally remember the good and the bad ones. The good ones stay and make a good living, the ok guys stay and can survive but tend to move on after a few years, the crap guys generally have 3 - 6 months before they are sacked or forced to resign.
Those that are saying anyone could do the job, and it’s just the same as serving behind the counter in PC world / Tesco's etc how do you explain the high turnover of sales staff in most main dealers? There is a huge difference between the good salesman and the poor one, this is easily identified at the end of each month when they open there wage slips. They will both have had the same opportunity to talk to an equal number of customers, answer the same number of calls or reply to the same number of emails. But at the end of the month one will have earned double what the other has, or more.
berlintaxi said:
unrepentant said:
The only exceptions to the rule are the (thankfully very rare) customers who are a complete PITA and who you would rather pay a colleague to deal with than have to deal with them again yourself. Are you one of those perhaps?
Of course, or maybe I expect some service from a salesman when purchasing a car and if they say they will do something I expect them to do it, rather than vanish into thin air when they don't.....terrible expectations I know, but it's only what my customers expect of me.
Most people get great service. You claim that you never do. The common denominator is you.
unrepentant said:
berlintaxi said:
unrepentant said:
The only exceptions to the rule are the (thankfully very rare) customers who are a complete PITA and who you would rather pay a colleague to deal with than have to deal with them again yourself. Are you one of those perhaps?
Of course, or maybe I expect some service from a salesman when purchasing a car and if they say they will do something I expect them to do it, rather than vanish into thin air when they don't.....terrible expectations I know, but it's only what my customers expect of me.Most people get great service. You claim that you never do. The common denominator is you.
Never a truer word said, if you're always the one getting the crap customer service, maybe it's you just being a crap customer all the time.
unrepentant said:
berlintaxi said:
unrepentant said:
The only exceptions to the rule are the (thankfully very rare) customers who are a complete PITA and who you would rather pay a colleague to deal with than have to deal with them again yourself. Are you one of those perhaps?
Of course, or maybe I expect some service from a salesman when purchasing a car and if they say they will do something I expect them to do it, rather than vanish into thin air when they don't.....terrible expectations I know, but it's only what my customers expect of me.Most people get great service. You claim that you never do. The common denominator is you.
Care to point out where I said I never get good service, the phrase I used was most, still feel free to carry on making ridiculous assumptions whilst trying to big up a simple sales job into something it isn't, if you are the big I am you claim how about stating what you earned last years as the number 1 car salesman extraordinaire, or are you not brave enough?As an aside, drove past 3 dealers today all with banners out advertising for sales staff, one claiming earnings of £30-35,000, another OTE £40,000 hardly sounds like that are aiming for the oxbridge graduates, funnily enough no banners advertising for mechanics.
Edited by berlintaxi on Tuesday 22 July 14:23
Efbe said:
DoubleSix said:
Christ! What is your problem pal??
It is possible to have opinion on a subject without being personally involved. Although, I did state my family are in the motor trade and therefore I feel well placed to comment!
calm down, was taking the piss out of myself there!It is possible to have opinion on a subject without being personally involved. Although, I did state my family are in the motor trade and therefore I feel well placed to comment!
ok, a little lost in translation is all....
berlintaxi said:
if you are the big I am you claim how about stating what you earned last years as the number 1 car salesman extraordinaire, or are you not brave enough?
As an aside, drove past 3 dealers today all with banners out advertising for sales staff, one claiming earnings of £30-35,000, another OTE £40,000 hardly sounds like that are aiming for the oxbridge graduates, funnily enough no banners advertising for mechanics.
Show me where I said I was No 1? As an aside, drove past 3 dealers today all with banners out advertising for sales staff, one claiming earnings of £30-35,000, another OTE £40,000 hardly sounds like that are aiming for the oxbridge graduates, funnily enough no banners advertising for mechanics.
My income is my business and none of yours plus I'm in North America so it's hardly relevant. Suffice to say that it's pretty comfortable and doesn't bear any relation to any figures you quote. FYI most of my colleagues here are graduates and many have had successful careers in other industries.
The UK main fanchise dealers have been down-skilling over the last few yrs.
It used to be that you were given a desk & phone & target and had to "get on with it" not a lot of support. The good guys quickly earned well the others fell by the wayside.
Now it's a much more controlled team approach. Layers of management (too often hiding behind the scenes) talking about process and procedure, while controlling the margins/deals and shuffling two many pieces of paper.
They have lost any entrepreneurial spirit & personal approach the fun has gone and the salesmen now a lower calibre are also lower paid.
The good guys have either, been promoted, set up on their own, left the industry or gone to work for specialist/indis.
It used to be that you were given a desk & phone & target and had to "get on with it" not a lot of support. The good guys quickly earned well the others fell by the wayside.
Now it's a much more controlled team approach. Layers of management (too often hiding behind the scenes) talking about process and procedure, while controlling the margins/deals and shuffling two many pieces of paper.
They have lost any entrepreneurial spirit & personal approach the fun has gone and the salesmen now a lower calibre are also lower paid.
The good guys have either, been promoted, set up on their own, left the industry or gone to work for specialist/indis.
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