Do You Ever Wonder When You Shop For Cars HOW ON EARTH Do Dealers Ever Sell Cars With The People Working There?

SHOCKER ALERT! 001 is in the market for ANOTHER vehicle.

I know, please compose yourselves, take a deep breath and hang in there with me...Kidding!

If you've followed me over the years you know I have a problem. An addiction to autos! In the past 17+ years at Auto Spies I've bought/leased approximately 25-30 personal vehicles for myself and family.

I've been fortunate with our success and the fact that I'm pretty damn good at sniffing out amazing deals. I have friends still talking about the S-Class lease deals we featured in the early 2000's for $599.00 per month! Yes, for a $75,000 car. Like many deals I've uncovered, how could you say no to that?

But no matter how many cars I buy and how many years past I cannot help but wonder with some of the salespeople i come across, HOW ON EARTH THESE DEALERS EVER SELL CARS?!

Case in point this weekend...I just sold my 2017 Ford F-150 Limited to a close friend and was shopping for a crazy deal on a remaining 2018 F-150.

So I started calling around and explained the deal i got on the last one (it was insane...) so I wouldn't waste much time because I knew most dealers wouldn't sell for that price because in order to do that type of a deal, they had to go into their hidden dealer incentive cash and pass that on to me.

First of all if you just cold call into a dealership i cannot believe how little they know about their products and current inventory. And then, even after explaining the deal I was looking for and wasting a few hours waiting for call backs, it was clear that no one I spoke to actually listened to me nor would I ever get a deal done without speaking directly to a GM.

And I'm amazed the system they employ of having you speak to someone who you THINK can help, not waste your time and make something happen quickly is a complete pipe dream. Even in 2018!

But then you realize the first person is only there to get you contact info into their database so they can make you go mad with emails, texts, further worthless calls, etc. THEN, an hour later someone totally different calls and you realize that first call was a COMPLETE waste of time because you need to re-explain everything to the new person.

Then after that wasted session (20-30 min) they say they'll call you back having NO idea what is on the ground and you wait AGAIN.

An hour later you then get a call saying this is the INTERNET MANAGER and he quotes you a price that's 10k more than the deal I was looking for and 10k more than I paid for the EXACT truck a year earlier.

When you say no thank you they sound bewildered and ask why. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T LISTEN, YOU WASTED HOURS OF MY TIME AND YOUR PRICE QUOTE IS $10K HIGHER THAN WHAT I PAID LAST TIME FOR THE SAME VEHICLE! LOL!! They hang up and you think it's over but it's not.

The sales manager calls back two hours later asking why I didn't buy and if he can sweeten deal by $500. Uh, NO, you're still $9500 away!

I then re-explain the deal and he says no way they could ever do that because that deal is less than what the owner will allow. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU JUST HAVE THE FIRST GUY TELL ME NO WAY THIS COULD HAPPEN AND THANKS FOR CALLING THE DEALERSHIP?!

Ok, thank you, see you later.

But it's STILL not over...Two days later, the original guy calls back asking if I going to buy their car after having NO conversation with the other two sales people. And having NO clue what they said or offered.

Which now leads me to the million dollar question again...With people like this and a completely disconnect system HOW ON EARTH DO THEY EVER CLOSE DEALS?

Spies, tell us your experiences and chime into the conversation...

Oh and if there are any Ford Dealers with a 2018 F-150 Supercrew 4x4 King Ranch 157" for the right price ($17k off) email feedback@autospies.com

TheSteve - 10/31/2018 1:53:15 AM

+3 Boost

Salespeople excel at closing the deal. That's why they're there. That's why they're compensated on closed deals, on after-sale upsells, on a commission basis. That's what they do. Their interests are not in pouring over every piece of marketing material, watching YouTube reviews, attending forums and user groups. That's just not their thing.

On the other hand, good tech geeks know their stuff. They know the details of what the thing is and isn't, what it does and doesn't, how it does it, and why. They know work-arounds. They know the difference between field experience and glossy brochures from The Brand. These people are a wealth of knowledge, but their talent is not in closing deals, and makings sales. You might find these people as mechanics at an auto shop.

When a customer says "I heard this car has a problem with rough running in wet weather," the sales guy's response is "yeah, they fixed that." And that's his response, true or not, because it's what gets the customer over the line. It's just business for them.

And that's why it's vitally important to be an informed consumer, to know the facts before you walk into the showroom, to have done your research thoroughly, and to have made all your decisions independently of the sales staff. After all, you have your own best interests at heart. They don't.

Old saying: There is a world of difference between sales and implementation.


You, my friend, are the "implementation" part when you take possession of your vehicle, and drive it for the next several years.

wilfred - 10/31/2018 2:25:56 AM

+2 Boost

Just like any other professions, if you want a good sales consultant, he/she should be compensated well. Unfortunately, today’s market doesn’t allow that. So more dealers are hiring kids selling cars because they only get $100-200 commissions per car.

jeffgall - 10/31/2018 7:16:28 AM

+2 Boost

I have been leasing and buying Audi’s from the same woman since 2005. She is fantastic. She knows the product. She understands my family’s needs, and works with us every time on price. I know I’m not getting scammed. Last time around, I attempted looking at BMWs. The salesman there was just as you explained above, and worse. Not only did he try to tell me that all BMWs have twin turbos, which I called him out on for being not true, but he and the manager made server all attempts to sell the car above MSRP. I walked out, and straight to my Audi dealer.

MDarringer - 10/31/2018 8:22:33 AM

0 Boost

Poorly run dealers with poorly trained sales people are horrific for customers, but those poorly trained sales people can actually cost the dealer money because they take too long with customers or worse they piss of customers and you have to give the customer something to make them happy.

What takes the longest is not negotiating the price, but rather the credit application. On the price, we know the range on every given car, so when the sales person brings the offer, it either works or it doesn't. If what the customer offers is within our range we immediately say yes. If it is not, we tell the customer that we cannot do the deal.

Sometimes you get the dweeb customer that thinks he's an expert negotiator and you just have to keep repeating "I'm sorry, but we cannot make a deal with those numbers."

If they say "Well, I can get it at XYZ dealer for $X" we offer to call that dealer and reserve the vehicle. We do not waste time trying to make a deal with an idiot.

Well trained sales people is paramount. I've fired sales people on the spot. One was playing with his phone by flipping it in the air in plain view of the customers. Another was perpetually adjusting his man junk. But we expect our people to have the cars' features memorized and to be conversant on the competition. They are to NEVER disparage the competition. Moreover, they know they can look in their phones and check inventory.

Dealers that have idiot sales people often are poorly managed and the turn over of sales people is high. Dealers that have a stable sales force often have far better professionalism.

It's also NOT true that sales people always work on commission. There are better ways to incentivize sales people.

If a customer is just looking and the sales person asks "So, what kind of numbers would make a deal today", I don't want that person working for me. I want then to say "Let me open a couple examples of the Wombat QSi for you to look at so that you get a better feel for the options."

I have zero patience for stupid sales people and the newbies quickly learn that I am their best coach or worst enemy, but they make that choice.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 10/31/2018 7:49:22 PM

+3 Boost

@MD- Amen to that!

Truthy - 10/31/2018 9:15:21 AM

+3 Boost

My best experience so far has been with Lexus. They have great product knowledge and seem genuinely enthusiastic about the cars.
The worst was Toyota. A sales guy argued with me that the Avalon is on the same platform as the Lexus LS.

JRobUSC - 10/31/2018 10:40:42 AM

+2 Boost

Just curious, but did you try going back to the same dealer that gave you the impossible deal last time? Presumably you did, and they said “no thanks” to a second go round. Markets change. When no sellers are willing to sell a commodity for what one consumer wants to pay, including the seller who did once before, that’s usually a good indicator that particular consumers goal is unrealistic.

MDarringer - 10/31/2018 11:24:06 PM

0 Boost

Agreed. Dealers are not in the habit of saying no to deals. If they do, the numbers don't work. What they could do once they may or may not be able to do again.

Agent001 - 11/1/2018 12:06:22 AM

0 Boost

Yes, he didn't have anything in inventory that would would. One phone call, 5 minutes. He was my first call.

And I explained that to the next dealers I called so no time would be wasted.

001

stampfer - 11/1/2018 9:10:30 AM

+3 Boost

Bought/leased new vehicle yesterday. Audi Q5. Loved the sales guy- late 40's, car knowledgeable,- has law degree and currently in MBA program. Had a great day last Saturday when we were in for test drive. All numbers were supposedly finalized with sales manager Monday and Tuesday. Made appointment for pickup Wednesday 6:45. Spoke with both salesman and his manager about this, yet....THIS WAS THE WORST CAR PICKUP EXPERIENCE WE'VE EVER HAD. Why? because we had to wait until after 10pm to finally sign the papers with the finance guy. yes is was the last day of the month and it was busy, but come on... why isn't the paperwork put together in advance of the appointment? Out the door at 11pm-- my wife was nearly in tears!

2ndbimmer - 11/2/2018 7:33:39 PM

+1 Boost

The challenge is with some dealerships, everything is electronic. So you can't just have everything ready because you have to sign on an electronic pad to get to the next screen. Then, you have to wait for the states system to accept the title and plates (transfer or new). Pain in the butt!
Not like the good ol days of, "sign here, here and here." done.

Never easy either on the last day of the month either, should have picked it up at a different day.

MDarringer - 11/2/2018 8:21:17 PM

+1 Boost

@2ndbimmer You nailed it.

2ndbimmer - 11/2/2018 7:30:45 PM

+1 Boost

So you call a Ford dealership and expect them to know their whole inventory? The Ford dealer close to my house must have 400 cars! How can anyone memorize that many cars and then the quick turnover?
You sound super annoying to deal with. They must tell you're a big stroke and don't care to answer your questions. Sure, you buy cars, but you're the annoying guy they don't care to deal with.

MDarringer - 11/2/2018 8:19:51 PM

+1 Boost

Amen to that. Indeed, a major Ford dealer is bound to have as many cars as you note. The sales staff can look up stock but to have the whole inventory memorized would be something only a fool would expect. As noted, we are not afraid to walk away from a customer like that.

2ndbimmer - 11/2/2018 7:36:10 PM

+1 Boost

My BMW dealer I go to, I have gotten 7 cars from them, is great. I already know a fair deal and I can make a quick decision. It's simple. I do annoy them because I do have them run 4-5 different cars to see how the leases are, but they know I am simple. Always treat me with respect and I respect them right back.