Car salesmen that don't sell...?
Discussion
With 5 mins to kill in the BMW main dealer showroom collecting my car, I was drawn to a lovely looking Bright Blue M3.
Snooping around, then inside, with a salesman sat right next to the car.
He begrudgingly gave eye contact, but then went back to staring at his screen. I asked how much of the spec on that car was optional - I guess a lot, LEDs, Cameras, full leather etc...."Not sure" was all he could muster before returning to his screen, then made no other effort to engage? Ditto the other salesmen that were nearby?
The last time I killed 5 minutes looking at a car that attracted me was almost exactly 2 years ago..., I'd ordered one before I'd left the dealership.
Do salesmen no longer even try to sell you a car nowadays, merely there to process orders? 2 minutes of his time and he could have weened enough information about me, my car and thus my BMW history and put forward an offer to tempt?
If one of my sales guys had been so uninterested in a potential big sale, he'd have been on a disciplinary if he'd been lucky enough to keep his job.
Snooping around, then inside, with a salesman sat right next to the car.
He begrudgingly gave eye contact, but then went back to staring at his screen. I asked how much of the spec on that car was optional - I guess a lot, LEDs, Cameras, full leather etc...."Not sure" was all he could muster before returning to his screen, then made no other effort to engage? Ditto the other salesmen that were nearby?
The last time I killed 5 minutes looking at a car that attracted me was almost exactly 2 years ago..., I'd ordered one before I'd left the dealership.
Do salesmen no longer even try to sell you a car nowadays, merely there to process orders? 2 minutes of his time and he could have weened enough information about me, my car and thus my BMW history and put forward an offer to tempt?
If one of my sales guys had been so uninterested in a potential big sale, he'd have been on a disciplinary if he'd been lucky enough to keep his job.
Gary29 said:
Probably already hit their targets for February and no extra incentive, try walking back in the first week in March and see if their attitude is any different.
Dealers are usually the opposite IME. Later in the month, the eagerness heightens. Last time it was the last day of the month.
k means they're in the wrong job. Better suited to the Public Sector 
Ares said:
With 5 mins to kill in the BMW main dealer showroom collecting my car, I was drawn to a lovely looking Bright Blue M3.
Snooping around, then inside, with a salesman sat right next to the car.
He begrudgingly gave eye contact, but then went back to staring at his screen. I asked how much of the spec on that car was optional - I guess a lot, LEDs, Cameras, full leather etc...."Not sure" was all he could muster before returning to his screen, then made no other effort to engage? Ditto the other salesmen that were nearby?
The last time I killed 5 minutes looking at a car that attracted me was almost exactly 2 years ago..., I'd ordered one before I'd left the dealership.
Do salesmen no longer even try to sell you a car nowadays, merely there to process orders? 2 minutes of his time and he could have weened enough information about me, my car and thus my BMW history and put forward an offer to tempt?
If one of my sales guys had been so uninterested in a potential big sale, he'd have been on a disciplinary if he'd been lucky enough to keep his job.
Had this with 2 different BMW dealers in the midlands. Bought a Merc instead. I'd had BMWs as my daily drives for the last 13 years, but no more simply because their sales guys can't be bothered to serve customers.Snooping around, then inside, with a salesman sat right next to the car.
He begrudgingly gave eye contact, but then went back to staring at his screen. I asked how much of the spec on that car was optional - I guess a lot, LEDs, Cameras, full leather etc...."Not sure" was all he could muster before returning to his screen, then made no other effort to engage? Ditto the other salesmen that were nearby?
The last time I killed 5 minutes looking at a car that attracted me was almost exactly 2 years ago..., I'd ordered one before I'd left the dealership.
Do salesmen no longer even try to sell you a car nowadays, merely there to process orders? 2 minutes of his time and he could have weened enough information about me, my car and thus my BMW history and put forward an offer to tempt?
If one of my sales guys had been so uninterested in a potential big sale, he'd have been on a disciplinary if he'd been lucky enough to keep his job.
There was a long thread on here that I started a couple of years ago where I got a lot of stick, called "being ignored in the dealers" or something similar where I had a very similar experience where a salesman was much more interested in cold calling previous customers than he was in talking to the customer stood in front of him.
And at the time I was most definitely not a tyre kicker, I was changing jobs and losing my company car but gaining a car allowance.
There has to be a happy medium somewhere between being harassed the second you walk through the door and being completely ignored.
And at the time I was most definitely not a tyre kicker, I was changing jobs and losing my company car but gaining a car allowance.
There has to be a happy medium somewhere between being harassed the second you walk through the door and being completely ignored.
Does a salesman really 'Sell' it to you these days, get you to have the bigger engine, different trim or whatever? They only want to 'Sell' the add ons.
One thing I have noticed is that one of our local dealers always puts a good loaner to our senior partner when his car goes for service & it did work once.
I tend to know what I want in terms of make & model & what I want to pay, within reason, so it's pretty unlikely il be swayed into anything else.
Last time we bought a car (Mrs Jim AK's Polo) that's exactly what happened. No finance, paint protection or other Snake oil required just a price on the part ex, got slightly more than expected too, & the job was jobbed.
Only slight issue was them wanting to deliver it in less than a week, probably to hit a target. That wasn't going to happen because we were going to be away.
Having said that I suppose a 2nd hand dealer in all sorts might get you to buy a Ford instead of a Vauxhall if you're weak willed!!
One thing I have noticed is that one of our local dealers always puts a good loaner to our senior partner when his car goes for service & it did work once.
I tend to know what I want in terms of make & model & what I want to pay, within reason, so it's pretty unlikely il be swayed into anything else.
Last time we bought a car (Mrs Jim AK's Polo) that's exactly what happened. No finance, paint protection or other Snake oil required just a price on the part ex, got slightly more than expected too, & the job was jobbed.
Only slight issue was them wanting to deliver it in less than a week, probably to hit a target. That wasn't going to happen because we were going to be away.
Having said that I suppose a 2nd hand dealer in all sorts might get you to buy a Ford instead of a Vauxhall if you're weak willed!!
Theophany said:
If you're interested in buying the car surely you'd make that clear? I don't want to be convinced to buy a car and would be annoyed if I can't browse without being slobbered over. Does sound like he could've been a bit more personable in his response to your question, mind!
Not sure how i'd have made it clear, aside from a Dom Joly style announcement "I'd like to buy a car..."But the good salesman would surely sell, not just process an order/respond to an enquiry.
GOG440 said:
There was a long thread on here that I started a couple of years ago where I got a lot of stick, called "being ignored in the dealers" or something similar where I had a very similar experience where a salesman was much more interested in cold calling previous customers than he was in talking to the customer stood in front of him.
And at the time I was most definitely not a tyre kicker, I was changing jobs and losing my company car but gaining a car allowance.
There has to be a happy medium somewhere between being harassed the second you walk through the door and being completely ignored.
Exactly. If he spent 2 minutes getting my name he would have realised that I've bought 7 cars from that dealership in the last 12 years and find out that my current car (supplied by them) was a) very nearly 2 yrs old, and b) had a list price more expensive that even that well-optioned M3, he would have seen I was a good target.And at the time I was most definitely not a tyre kicker, I was changing jobs and losing my company car but gaining a car allowance.
There has to be a happy medium somewhere between being harassed the second you walk through the door and being completely ignored.
Much as I'd love to say "It's down to the individual dealership" my experience of BMW has always been that I've been completely utterly ignored as in zero acknowledgement or anything.
It doesn't bother me in so much as I tend to prefer being left to it, but it does make me wonder what their business model is - always treated very well at Porsche (except one time when they thought I'd pocketed some keys
) and they tend to sell themselves so I don't think it's as simple as them not having to try.
It doesn't bother me in so much as I tend to prefer being left to it, but it does make me wonder what their business model is - always treated very well at Porsche (except one time when they thought I'd pocketed some keys
) and they tend to sell themselves so I don't think it's as simple as them not having to try.Happened a mate of mine - he went in to look at a top end BMW and the snooty salesman said he couldnt afford it, so he went down the road, bought a brand new top end merc with cash from the tescos bag he'd with him then went back past the other dealers while waving his willy out the window whilst the salesman was being given his marching orders by his sales manager.
True story.
True story.
I do find it difficult to understand how someone who has bought 7 cars from a dealer manages to be ignored by the sales staff when he wants to buy an M3 from them?
I have a sales guy at my local dealer and I just call/email or arrange to see him and he sorts it all out, these threads do come up often (or seem to) but buying a car is pretty easy, isn't it?
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