Car Salesman Dropped Me Like A Hot Potato

[Gandahar]

No more posts from original poster so I guess he is out on a test drive around to his pad.

The things Smart dealers have to put up with in London.

[daemon]

Mr2Mike said:

WJNB said:

You try working in sales before giving such people a hard time. If you had to earn your next meal by selling you would quickly learn how best & with whom to spend your time.

I'm sure that fleet cars salesmen are literally surviving from one meal to the next, using only their finely honed bullst skills to survive and an emergency can of beans for that fateful day a fussy customer walks through the door.

The real shame of it is how these poor people are press ganged at gun point into selling cars, through no choice of their own.

I'm suspecting WJNB wasnt being literal?

The reality is though that they have usually quite demanding targets to meet, which if he meets them, i am sure he will be rewarded handsomely. Its a ruthless, cutthroat industry and you're only as good as your current months sales so the pressure is always on.

Likewise, i'm sure the sales guys version could sound very different to what we're hearing.

[sealtt]

Full story? What plot twists are you expecting? He just wants to test the car and see if it fits comfortably in his parking space.

[sealtt]

Sounds more plausible than this chap getting a test drive I suppose.

[daemon]

sealtt said:

Full story? What plot twists are you expecting? He just wants to test the car and see if it fits comfortably in his parking space.

That the salesman concluded he was overall being led a merry dance with little chance of a sale at the end of it?

I'd be surprised if he hadnt asked something like "if it fits in your garage, will you buy the car?" and i'd say the exact response to that would have been very telling....

[daemon]

Leptons said:

I don't really see what the fking problem is. If it's only a mile away ask for a test drive, drive towards your house "oh look here's my house I'll just check it fits in the garage".

So maybe theres more to this, than the O/P is letting on? No?

Leptons said:

PH mode on;

It's all your fault OP.

Yes, because salesmen dont actually want to sell cars?

[GoneAnon]

Driving a mile across/through a city centre.
Good chance the car will be sourced via a leasing company and from a different dealer.
Attitude is everything.

[nobrakes]

GoneAnon said:

Driving a mile across/through a city centre.
Good chance the car will be sourced via a leasing company and from a different dealer.
Attitude is everything.

I scraped the edge of the door when I opened it inside the garage - it doesn't fit - I don't want it.

[Rick101]

However he is there to do a job. Sell cars. All he heed to do is let the guy have a 30 min test drive.

If I was his employer, I would not be impressed.
As with any job, some parts are difficult.

[corozin]

With this April heralding massive changes in new car taxes and a fair tidal wave of people trying to do deals before the rises kick in, I'm hardly surprised if the sales guy is particularly bothered to fight over a fairly low value hatchback where they are probably going to make bugger all margin on the PCP anyway.

Just sayin...

[Rick101]

corozin said:

I'm hardly surprised if the sales guy is particularly bothered

Exactly the problem. Disgraceful.

Customer wants to buy car, 'Salesman' can't be bothered.

[truck71]

swerni said:

His job is to maximise the return to the company, part of that includes qualifying out tyre kickers.
I would suggest you aren't qualified to be his employer, so your comment is irrelevant.

Just saying

As a previous DP I agree with him, trying to get sales execs to understand the benefits of test drives was a real pain!

[HTP99]

truck71 said:

swerni said:

His job is to maximise the return to the company, part of that includes qualifying out tyre kickers.
I would suggest you aren't qualified to be his employer, so your comment is irrelevant.

Just saying

As a previous DP I agree with him, trying to get sales execs to understand the benefits of test drives was a real pain!

But no one knows the exact circumstances:

• where is the OP going to source his new car
• what is the time scale
• what is the OP's budget, have

None of the above are known and until they are known then people can't really comment on how he has been dealt with thus far.

[hutchst]

Try the traditional PH way.

Get onto match.com. Get a girlie that drives that model. First date get her wined and dined, then drive back to yours and see if its a nice tight fit, or if there's bags of room all round.

[truck71]

HTP99 said:

truck71 said:

swerni said:

His job is to maximise the return to the company, part of that includes qualifying out tyre kickers.
I would suggest you aren't qualified to be his employer, so your comment is irrelevant.

Just saying

As a previous DP I agree with him, trying to get sales execs to understand the benefits of test drives was a real pain!

But no one knows the exact circumstances:

• where is the OP going to source his new car
• what is the time scale
• what is the OP's budget, have

None of the above are known and until they are known then people can't really comment on how he has been dealt with thus far.

If you read the first post the OP says that "the commission will be his" suggesting he will order from the dealer. A lot of sales execs (and retail managers) get personally afronted if a test drive doesn't convert into a sale and end up unilaterally deciding who gets a test drive - there is a bit of effort required from them.. When you look at conversion stats overall test drives have the highest return of all (caveat to all my comments being I'm from light and heavy commercial).

[FN2TypeR]

hutchst said:

Try the traditional PH way.

Get onto match.com. Get a girlie that drives that model. First date get her wined and dined, then drive back to yours and see if its a nice tight fit, or if there's bags of room all round.

[HTP99]

truck71 said:

HTP99 said:

truck71 said:

swerni said:

His job is to maximise the return to the company, part of that includes qualifying out tyre kickers.
I would suggest you aren't qualified to be his employer, so your comment is irrelevant.

Just saying

As a previous DP I agree with him, trying to get sales execs to understand the benefits of test drives was a real pain!

But no one knows the exact circumstances:

• where is the OP going to source his new car
• what is the time scale
• what is the OP's budget, have

None of the above are known and until they are known then people an't really comment on how he has been dealt with thus far.

If you read the first post the OP says that "the commission will be his" suggesting he will order from the dealer. A lot of sales execs (and retail managers) get personally afronted if a test drive doesn't convert into a sale and end up unilaterally deciding who gets a test drive - there is a bit of effort required from them.. When you look at conversion stats overall test drives have the highest return of all (caveat to all my comments being I'm from light and heavy commercial).

If I had a £1 for every time a customer said to me something along the lines of "the commission will be yours" I'd be a very rich man, yep it'll be mine as long as I match the internet quote he has in his hand or if I can get the car for next week, because he's left it till the last minute to get something or I do it for a loss, or they don't understand their company's fleet policy and there is a prefered supplier etc etc.

We have only heard half of one side.

Edited by HTP99 on Saturday 25th March 08:29

[truck71]

HTP99 said:

If I had a £1 for every time a customer said to me something along the lines of "the commission will be yours" I'd be a very rich man, yep it'll be mine as long as I match the internet quote he has in his hand or if I can get the car for next week, because he's left it till the last minute to get something or I do it for a loss etc etc.

We have only heard half of one side.

You do realise that's your job?

[HTP99]

truck71 said:

HTP99 said:

If I had a £1 for every time a customer said to me something along the lines of "the commission will be yours" I'd be a very rich man, yep it'll be mine as long as I match the internet quote he has in his hand or if I can get the car for next week, because he's left it till the last minute to get something or I do it for a loss etc etc.

We have only heard half of one side.

You do realise that's your job?

Yes it is my job but if I know that I can't match an Internet quote, or I can't get a car for them; whether we aren't the prefered supplier or there just isn't the stock, then I'm not going to waste time on something that isn't going anywhere.

[truck71]

HTP99 said:

truck71 said:

HTP99 said:

If I had a £1 for every time a customer said to me something along the lines of "the commission will be yours" I'd be a very rich man, yep it'll be mine as long as I match the internet quote he has in his hand or if I can get the car for next week, because he's left it till the last minute to get something or I do it for a loss etc etc.

We have only heard half of one side.

You do realise that's your job?

Yes it is my job but if I know that I can't match an Internet quote, or I can't get a car for them; whether we aren't the prefered supplier or there just isn't the stock, then I'm not going to waste time on something that isn't going anywhere.

So are you a sales person or an order taker..