The Car Salesman's Thread

[Butter Face]

Need to look at what PH offer dealers, the only issue is that most of our stock isn't exactly PH-esque.

[LHD]

Butter Face said:

Need to look at what PH offer dealers, the only issue is that most of our stock isn't exactly PH-esque.

Autotrader.

It's expensive but it works.

[Butter Face]

One of our other sites uses AT, don't get huge responses from it but their stock level isn't as high as ours. May look into it this week.

[nagsheadwarrior]

Used the mike brewer close for the first time today,we were at 7 to swap punter was at 6.5, "6750 hold out yer haaaaand" worked a treat,deal done,job jobbed!

Gonna try putting on weight,checked shirts n driving shoguns next!

[HTP99]

LHD said:

Butter Face said:

Need to look at what PH offer dealers, the only issue is that most of our stock isn't exactly PH-esque.

Autotrader.

It's expensive but it works.

We use Autotrader and we get a bit from it however due to the costs there are discussions to drop it.

[Zwolf]

HTP99 said:

We use Autotrader and we get a bit from it however due to the costs there are discussions to drop it.

Then they'll send their prettiest rep around to nosh off the SM and they'll be mysteriously retained...

[CarlT]

Butter Face said:

Need to look at what PH offer dealers, the only issue is that most of our stock isn't exactly PH-esque.

Autotrader seems to work well, but rather than put all stock on - just be selective. No point having 3 x Megane Dynamique dci110 in Black with the same mileage and the price on.

PH for Renaultsport and sportier / unusual stuff. Don't forget www.renault.co.uk/used cars as well.

TBH - a good description, a decent set of photos with a nice background, will attract enquiries whatever site it is on.

Dealers are now setting up turntables in an almost studio environment to get consistency with images etc

[Butter Face]

CarlT said:

Dealers are now setting up turntables in an almost studio environment to get consistency with images etc

Something we're looking at presently. It's hard to eat consistency unless you've only got one person doing it. I used to do all the photos but have refused and tbfh the quality has gone downhill since.

[CarlT]

Butter Face said:

Something we're looking at presently. It's hard to eat consistency unless you've only got one person doing it. I used to do all the photos but have refused and tbfh the quality has gone downhill since.

I know of places employing new graduates / school leavers to do stock listing, photos, progress chasing etc. takes responsibility away from sales people and sales managers - leaving them to focus on selling cars!

[BE57 TOY]

When buying I only ever check auto trader and the manufactureres website.

Quite good when manufacturers have iPhone apps like BMW for all approved stock.

[uncinquesei]

nagsheadwarrior said:

Used the mike brewer close for the first time today,we were at 7 to swap punter was at 6.5, "6750 hold out yer haaaaand" worked a treat,deal done,job jobbed!

Gonna try putting on weight,checked shirts n driving shoguns next!

[MissChief]

When i was looking for my car (now bought) I really only checked AT and PH as I was after 3 or 4 specific cars. I sometimes went from AT to the dealers website but I never checked gumtree, ebay or anything else. I was after something a little different than run of the mill (Leon Cupra/Cupra R, Octavia RS or RS Megane 225) and AT seemed to be the best source. I looked at some owners clubs but all the stuff seemed to be overpriced as if becaudse the member was selling it was automatically worth £500+ more.

Now I don't know what any other people look at but AT was my main source and the first thing I thought of when I was looking for a car.

[HTP99]

Butter Face said:

CarlT said:

Dealers are now setting up turntables in an almost studio environment to get consistency with images etc

Something we're looking at presently. It's hard to eat consistency unless you've only got one person doing it. I used to do all the photos but have refused and tbfh the quality has gone downhill since.

I do the majority of the photos for out site, I do them up at a local posh hotel as they have fantastic grounds, however sometimes my older colleague does them, he gets the correct angles and shots however, as an example, he'll do the interior shot from the drivers side through the open door but only have the lower half of the steering wheel and mostly just the footwell in the photo.

At another site we have, the two salesmen there are old giffers and will take the shots with a bin in the background, or a mechanic in the shot having a crafty fag, they will leave the plastic seat covers on or the car will be dirty, they also have an odd obsession with taking a photo of the interior rear view mirror, like its a fantastic selling point or something.!

We do have set peramiters, is that the word, for what shots need to be taken and the order that they have to be put on the website but some just don't give a toss and have no idea, it's frustrating.

[Butter Face]

HTP99 said:

We do have set peramiters, is that the word, for what shots need to be taken and the order that they have to be put on the website but some just don't give a toss and have no idea, it's frustrating.

Same here. A couple of our guys just don't care. They don't see the difference that good pictures make.

Just all the wrong angles, dirty wheels etc

[HTP99]

Butter Face said:

HTP99 said:

We do have set peramiters, is that the word, for what shots need to be taken and the order that they have to be put on the website but some just don't give a toss and have no idea, it's frustrating.

Same here. A couple of our guys just don't care. They don't see the difference that good pictures make.

Just all the wrong angles, dirty wheels etc

Everyone took the piss as when I took the photos of a Fiat 500 we have, I made sure the "500" on the wheel centre cap was level when taking the close up wheel shot.

[skeeterm5]

Question for the frachise guys. If you are, say, a ford dealer and you happen to have an Aston Martin on the forecourt are you more likely to do a deal because it is non-franchise?

S

[markmullen]

I take all our photos. As a landscape photographer outside of work ( www.markmullenphotography.co.uk ) I'd love to take each and every car out somewhere nice and do a good set of artistic shots with proper location lighting but with the amount of new arrivals we get through I'd get no chance for proper work.

As it is I ensure they are in focus, exposed correctly and uniform, 6 shots, side on, rear badge, interior from drivers door, front 3/4, rear 3/4, wheel.

I'll not be entering them into the Sony World Photo Awards but they do the job.

[80quattro]

skeeterm5 said:

Question for the frachise guys. If you are, say, a ford dealer and you happen to have an Aston Martin on the forecourt are you more likely to do a deal because it is non-franchise?

S

Not 'more likely' if its non-franchise. 'More likely' to sell it, if the price is right.

[Fox-]

markmullen said:

I take all our photos. As a landscape photographer outside of work ( www.markmullenphotography.co.uk ) I'd love to take each and every car out somewhere nice and do a good set of artistic shots with proper location lighting but with the amount of new arrivals we get through I'd get no chance for proper work.

As it is I ensure they are in focus, exposed correctly and uniform, 6 shots, side on, rear badge, interior from drivers door, front 3/4, rear 3/4, wheel.

I'll not be entering them into the Sony World Photo Awards but they do the job.

The more than do the job. Fantastic photos make so much of a difference - they give you far more confidence in the condition of the car as a punter. It always amazes me when people advertise cars as dealers with filthy wheels, paper floormats, parked on pavements or whatever. BMW are the worst with the dull selection of low res pics at a crappy angle..

[Butter Face]

Mark, your stock is mental. I love the 'race cars' section. Brilliant