Car Salesmen even less trusted than Congress...

[ryan.leslie]

Until we're able to make substantial changes to our sales process on the floor, we will be seen as untrustworthy by the public.

Posted at the same time as you did Ed...

This is the key though right? I'd venture a guess that the dealers that read Refresh are ALSO part of the 1% that are going to dominate their market through change. There is a LOT of money to be made by a "sales professional" amongst "salespersons."

As Kevin pointed out, the floor process may not be relevant to the consumer that comes in asking for a team member by name. If I were selling cars, I'd think about sending this GALLUP poll to my prospects along with my digital why buy book and say, "looks like they didn't ask any of my customers "

 

[joe.pistell]

Shoppers never lie, just car sales men...

NOT.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Shoppers never lie, just car sales men...

NOT.

I would never to a customer all the years I was selling and writing service. But boy did I catch a lot of customers in the middle of a lie. Customers believe they need to lie to keep from being lied to. Sorta counterproductive since I worked with enough people to know when they were lying.

 

[joe.pistell]

I would never to a customer all the years I was selling and writing service. But boy did I catch a lot of customers in the middle of a lie. Customers believe they need to lie to keep from being lied to. Sorta counterproductive since I worked with enough people to know when they were lying.

Buyers as victims is rooted in past. Those days are long gone, the internet has changed everything. My popular blog post on this topic 2 years ago.

[h=1]Evil Dealers and the Slaughter of the Innocents[/h]
"...I listen to the calls, the emails, the dialogue on the floor and at the desks. The consumer expects and wants a NEGOTIATED discount to purchase a vehicle. Many (but not all) shoppers are out for blood and will “bend the truth” (aka lie cheat and steal) to improve their position."

 

[Dan Opthof]

Maybe I am a little off here, but, I tend to look at this in a different way....

Just this past weekend I pulled up to Payless Shoe store at about 11:45 on Sunday. I go up to the door, pull the handle, and it was locked. I looked inside and seen associates inside. I then look at the sign on the door stating that the door does not open until noon... so I waited.

While waiting, it got me thinking. I can not count the times that I arrive early to work, and there is a customer out on the lot, and I gladly go out (Well before the store is due to open) and assist the customer. We all know how many times we stay well after closing to assist customers with their purchase.

We offer these customers hours of our time, getting them the vehicle that they want for themselves and their family, and yet, we are the bad guys.

When we go to a restaurant, the waitress spends a grand total of 5 minutes working with us, but, we are obligated to tip the person. 10% to 20% of the bill, but, yet, we are the bad guys for asking above invoice for our $30,000 car, or we like to make $1,000 profit...

I feel that the car industry offers the absolute best customer service on the planet for all the things that we do for our customers, but, yet, we are still considered low life scums by many customers.

I was in a Waffle House a couple of months back. While paying for my bill, I couldn't help but notice that there was a sign posted on the cash register.. it said this: "A 10% Gratuity is added to To-GO orders for the servers who prepare them"
No, 10% is not a huge ordeal when you are buying an $8.00 meal, however, they get 10% just for throwing some food in a box, BUT, yet, we are the bad guys for spending hours with a customer and asking for a little profit.

I still can not understand how car salespeople are considered such bad people, rip off artists, and all the other things that they call us for doing our job.

 

[ed.brooks]

Maybe I am a little off here, but, I tend to look at this in a different way....

Just this past weekend I pulled up to Payless Shoe store at about 11:45 on Sunday. I go up to the door, pull the handle, and it was locked. I looked inside and seen associates inside. I then look at the sign on the door stating that the door does not open until noon... so I waited.

While waiting, it got me thinking. I can not count the times that I arrive early to work, and there is a customer out on the lot, and I gladly go out (Well before the store is due to open) and assist the customer. We all know how many times we stay well after closing to assist customers with their purchase.

We offer these customers hours of our time, getting them the vehicle that they want for themselves and their family, and yet, we are the bad guys.

When we go to a restaurant, the waitress spends a grand total of 5 minutes working with us, but, we are obligated to tip the person. 10% to 20% of the bill, but, yet, we are the bad guys for asking above invoice for our $30,000 car, or we like to make $1,000 profit...

I feel that the car industry offers the absolute best customer service on the planet for all the things that we do for our customers, but, yet, we are still considered low life scums by many customers.

I was in a Waffle House a couple of months back. While paying for my bill, I couldn't help but notice that there was a sign posted on the cash register.. it said this: "A 10% Gratuity is added to To-GO orders for the servers who prepare them"
No, 10% is not a huge ordeal when you are buying an $8.00 meal, however, they get 10% just for throwing some food in a box, BUT, yet, we are the bad guys for spending hours with a customer and asking for a little profit.

I still can not understand how car salespeople are considered such bad people, rip off artists, and all the other things that they call us for doing our job.

Dan,

Respectfully, I think you're confusing Customer Service for Trustworthiness. The two things aren't interchangeable. To top it all off, you shouldn't compare the level of Customer Service at a Payless or Waffle House to what a customer expects when he's making a $30,000 investment.

A customer may expect indifferent customer service from Payless. But they also don't expect to find out they were lied to or cheated. They don't expect to take their shoes home and find that they were swapped for a less expensive pair, or that their bill was padded. Those are issues of trust.

Every time a customer is lied to in an advertisement, or in an F&I office, the entire profession gets a black eye.

 

[Robby Wilson]

I find that there are unscrupulous types in nearly every profession, and I do not find that the automotive industry is any more dissimilar than any other in that regard.

Have I met some pretty shady car guys? Of course, but for every one complete jackal I have come across I have met 20 others that were consummate professionals that genuinely cared about their clients, their role in the local business community, etc.

What Ryan brought up, and what I think is the central issue here is indeed perception. Public perception and empirical reality are rarely even remotely similar. Much like the stereotypes we see displayed for people of different races, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, etc; so too are automotive dealers stigmatized unjustly by this perception.

As far as what can be done to rectify this situation? That answer is likely as complex as trying to read and interpret a piece of congressional legislation. People have the natural tendency to remember bad experiences far more vividly than they do good ones, but the fact of the matter is that nearly everyone is going to need an automobile at some point. This is when opportunity knocks to obliterate those preconceived notions that a prospect may have when they show up on the showroom floor.