Suggestions Please.

[John Garrow]

I'm new to the car/truck business after working 20 years in real estate.



I'm not a pushy salesman and as a matter of fact don't like working with them myself. What is the most importamt thing I can do to earn a shoppers respect & trust... what would you value the most? Right now I really lack product knowledge however I'm learning as fast as I can by watching product videos, reading sales litature & talking with shoppers.



John Garrow

Placerville Ford

530/622-5260

 

[Todd Z]

Eye contact, good voice projection and body language.



The product knowledge is great and allways try to find out what the customer likes and dislikes, and play off that.....



Good luck in the new profession !!!

Todd Z

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Todd brings up a good point, if the customer knows more than you do, then you need to learn more...



I found if I felt the seller was being up front with me, I was more lenient to the entire sales experience.



If I felt you were blowing smoke or straight out being dishonest to me, I tell them my thoughts and why I feel I am being lied to. If they step up and come clean, were good to go. If not, I simply walk out and go elsewhere.



I went to three Ford dealers when I was trading in my Trac on another Trac. I bought a Lexus RX due to the comfort level I felt from Lexus after leaving the 3 Ford dealers. I caught all three in a lie, told them the exact reason, they dug their hole deeper. I simply gave them the shovel to do so.



Good luck to you...

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Forgot to mention. A salesman once said to me... "If I have to sell it to you chances are you don't need it".



I took that to me, if he had to persuade me to buy it, then it probably wasn't wither the right vehicle or financing or whatever. To me, it meant he was there to compliment the decision I already made for the most part....



Just something to think about.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Todd summed it uppretty well. Listen (most important to me) to people when they tell you what they are looking for. Don't try to sell them something they aren't looking for. They came to you because they have something specific in mind. Know what you are selling and anything you can find out about it. (history of the vehicle if possible.) Understand that this is a major investment to most people. They will try to own this car as long as possible. So they want the best quality for the least amount.



Good luck. Hope it does well you you.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

FYI- Placerville Ford is about a 45 min. drive east of us. Been by there many times, but never stopped. Here's the link to the City of Placerville web site. It is a historic gold rush mining town.



Also, an outstanding, no hassle, no questions asked, just fix it, service dept. will bring in customers by the drove.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Humility. It is OK that you don't know everything. But, be sure to tell them you will find out and get back to them quickly--and then do it.



Honesty. Don't blow smoke up their rears. Tell them what you can do. Tell them what you can't do. Offer to help, even if it means you lose the sale. Don't make promises you can't keep.



Respect. A car is usually the second biggest purchase and decision a person makes. Respect that.



Good Luck.

 

[WXMotorSports DecalsPartsAccs]

Work on these...



Return emails and phone calls within 24 hours. Nothing more pisses me off when I get emails from a sales person then it takes them two days to respond to my reply.



Realize who might be buying the vehicle it's not always the husband.



Know the product and don't BS the customer! The customer most likely has researched the product better than you and nothing makes you look more stupid when you falsely claim it has this or that as an option.



And, typical of Ford, "Get the customer in the door" I've purchased Mercedes & BMWs over the phone. Worked the best price over the phone, walk-in and sign all the papers. With Ford, good luck. I end up wasting my time when a dealer can't give me their best price over the phone. Maybe just dealership or brand policy. I have purchased a M3 faster than my ST that makes NO sense.



You might not be a pushy sales person but I hope you know how to close a sale and ask for the sale. It's all about selling units. You don't sell they find someone that can.



Good luck.

 

[Josh Langel]

Don't act like you know what they want.



Don't ask when they can call back or when they will know their decision.



Don't just throw the card at them at first sight, give them your time, then present the card.



Smell good.



Give breathing room.



If you smoke, don't.



Eye contact.



Be as careful as you can with the cars (I HAVE had many salesmen ding up a car I would have potentially purchased).



Don't joke too much.



When you leave me at the desk to go work "figures" with the manager, don't be gone more than a few minutes, or I will be gone when you get back--- the worst thing is to be "right back" and take forever.



Give me your best price.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Get the best price without any BS by asking someone here to get an X-Plan PIN from them. Most members here will gladly give you one.



SST, just remember, BMW's and Mercedes buyers are different then Ford buyers. It is hard to compare the two. The dealer I deal with sells truck to buyers in Texas. They do it over the fax machine and ship the vehicle there.



Plus, you need to remember, there are not that many BMW and Mercedes area's in most areas so the competition is not as fierce. Those that buy those upscale vehicles know what they want and what they are willing to pay for it.



Theresa worked in a dealer and you can not imagine the morons that come in to buy a vehicle. They want it for free and then have the nerve to ask for the dealer to pay them to take it. They are more preoccupied on the monthly payment then they are with the total cost.



That is something you will not get selling BMW's or Mercedes-Benz vehicles.



I can understand your frustration though. As I have said before, the dealer I deal with will deal over the phone and give you a great price. The sad thing is that out of 10 calls they get, 1 might actually come in to purchase that vehicle.





Tom

 

[Tom Schindler]

John Garrow,



There is nothing I hate worse then a pushy salesman. You said you are not a pushy salesman, but many dealers have "closers" that will walk in when you walk away from the desk and push the sale. I usually look at them, tell them to leave me alone or I am walking out the door. If they continue to push, I walk into the owners office, or GM's office, and tell them why I am not buying. Let them choose if it was a wise decision to let the closer talk to me.



If you don't know something, say you don't know and tell them you will find out right now. Don't try to BS your way around the answer. I had one salesman tell me that the new Trac's hitch with the Class III option was also 1 1/4 reciever. I told him he was wrong and then tried to proove me wrong. I looked him and simply said, there is not a person in the dealership that knows more about the Sport Trac then I do, and I am only a customer.



Treat your customer with respect and they will do the same. The best salesman in that dealership acts like he would like the sale, but if it is beyond your means, you are better off not buying. People respect that.





Tom

 

[Gavin Allan]

A big one with my wife: If we both come in to look at a car, and especially if we clearly say that the car will be her's to mostly drive, don't address all questions to the husband and give all eye contact to the husband. That REALLY pisses my wife-- and she will refuse to ever buy anything from that dealer if that happens to her. Don't snub women or their questions, no matter what. (I'm sure GM or Rose or some of the other female 'Trac'ers can jump in and back me up on this!)



Offer to help customers with problems after the sale. If they are having service issues, try to advocate for them and help them get resolution. Don't just walk away from the customer once you get their money. Build rapport with the service manager to get your customers priority for the best service technicians and scheduling.



Think long term: My statement above about being helpful, even if it causes you to lose the sale was talking about building long-term rapport and relationships. I have sought out salespersons and realtors who gave me good service years ago just to do business with them again. I know that some of them didn't recognize me, but they earned my trust. I also make referrals to friends and family members to salespeople who treated me well. Over the long term, this has got to be beneficial for building clientel and repeat customers.



Communicate with customers after the sale. Drop them a quick E-mail and ask them how they like their car, or if they have any concerns. Follow-up if they do have any problems. Send them a card out of the blue a year later, inviting them to drop by and see the new models or the latest factory accessories or mods. Most folks have more than one car, or have friends and family members.



Don't expect to get rich quickly, but rather focus on long-term growth and continuous improvement.



I WONDER IF FORD IS READING THIS THREAD AND TAKING NOTES??? :unsure::unsure::unsure:

 

[Tommy Wright]

The biggest thing for me is the follow up. I know the salesman makes his money off the sale so the negotitation is going to be for me to get a good deal and for the salesman to make some off the sale. No matter how much you make on the sale or what have you, follow up with the customer to make sure all is going well. My salesman always sees me driving in and comes out to talk to me. Even if he is trying to do a sale at the time, he will excuse himself just to say hi and ask how things are going.



Don't ever say, "we are taking a loss or selling at cost" unless you really are. With the internet, people are coming to the dealership having done their homework. We know invoice prices and trade-in value and all beforehand. This does nothing but piss us off.



And lastly, don't walk into the Sales Managers office and talk bad about the people you are dealing with. I was trying to buy my wife a Focus wagon a couple of years ago and we were really going back and forth on the price and trade value and all. The salesman walks into the Managers office and says, "this b$#*& is not backing off one bit." Just happens that my daughter had to go to the restroom and I was walking past the door as it was said. I took my daughter to the restroom and walked straight to the owner's office, informed him what had happened, and walked out. I had bought three vehicles from that dealership in the past and they lost my business forever.



Good luck on the selling. BE HONEST AND UPFRONT ALWAYS.