Frank Responds Re: <VV> Re: Car Salesmen - You dont have a clue (no Corvair)

[FrankCB at aol.com]

John,
    Yes, there are certainly competent salesmen.  When I visited 6 
dealerships to buy my new GM Minivan, I found 2 dealerships who had quite competent 
salesmen.  No, they didn't know the answers to all my questions, but they knew HOW 
to find out the answers.  And they were willing to go through the complete 
list of options with me to help me decide what was available and at what price.  
So I bought the car from one of them.
    I have also gotten apparently lower prices from salesmen I didn't trust 
and ignored them to make my purchase from one with a bit higher price that I 
could trust.
    I never expect the salesmen to know as much about the car as I do, but I 
do expect them to discuss what options are available, option packages as far 
as what is included in the package and the pricing of those options.  If they 
can't do that then I'm outa there!!!
    Frank "anal retentive type" Burkhard

In a message dated 1/2/06 9:52:16 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
jncmiller at mchsi.com writes:
Frank and others,

    In defense of car salesmen, since I am one, most do have pretty decent 
training.. I know I have trained many salespeople. The turnover rate among 
salespeople is huge because the public beats on them so badly. Every customer that 
a salesperson greets is different and expects different things. Since most 
people's perception is that salespeople are rude, pushy, obnoxious losers they 
feel they can treat a salesperson badly and it's ok. We have a saying in the car 
business- "buyers are liars"- which means a customer can come in and say "I 
can buy that same exact model $2000 less down the street" when in fact they are 
comparing a strip down model to a loaded one. A total fabrication which they 
believe is fair, since they are talking to a salesperson. 
  Cars today have many electronic gadgets, safety systems, and other 
convenience features on them that change model to model. Do you have any idea how many 
types of traction control systems and ABS are available on todays cars? How 
many different types of suspension  and ride systems there are? I worked at a 
dealership that had 19 lines of cars. Not to mention you need to know about the 
competions models too. Manufacturers do not send much more than a brochure 
and a 10 minute tape to train on a new model in most cases...so until the car 
arrives you may not have much info to share.  
    Most people that come in to buy are usually concerned about the color, 
the price, and how many cupholders it has. Occasionally you get that anal 
retentive who has no life other than to study what color bolts hold the seats to the 
floor, and knows everthing there is to know about a particular model but even 
when he is presented with everything he asks for cannot make a decision to 
buy. 
   Most  salespersons are on a commission basis, which means if you dont buy, 
they do not get paid.All this being done while smiling and showing great 
patience. How many hours have you spent shopping for a car and not bought? Did you 
ever pay the salesman for his time? Would you go to your job and expect to 
not be paid? I suggest you hand that helpful salesperson a $50 next time and 
stick with the same one....dont try ten different ones. If you dont trust someone 
why would you buy from them to save $50. And what does that say about your 
character?
  Finally, to pick on salespeople who might not readily answer your 
question....for crying out loud guys....we have been talking about one model car for 40 
years and still don't have every answer, and in most cases even a concensus.

John Miller
Iowa
Thanks!.....I feel much better now.