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Prospecting or Trolling: Where is your vendor line?

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Kelly Wilson

Kelly Wilson

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Oct 23, 2011
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#1
We all like to tell stories about how social media, when properly executed, shows a business is listening. Such as responding to a tweet to offer more information, or being an active member on a forum becoming a well regarded source of information. But let's flip this idea on its head. How do you feel when you get a call from a vendor saying they saw your post on the forum and they'd like to show you their solutions to fix your problem?
Yes this isn't the recommended way for a dealer to respond to a customer, so why would vendors, some of which offer social media solutions, choose to contact obviously active members of the automotive community in such an invasive way?
Here on DealerRefresh, openly selling without being asked to is a violation of the rules.:rules: However, if a vendor was to reach out through your attached Twitter handle or PM you with answers to the questions you have posed would you be offended? I know there's a difference between openly selling a product versus offering help and building a relationship; where do you draw the line?
Today I found my line. :cursin: I received a phone call from a minion after my post and contact information at the dealership was passed along from someone who I won't name. The call wasn't to address an issue with their company, nor was it to offer a suggestion to help in my situation. It was purely a sales call offering to show me a lot of tools in which I have no interest. A true member of the forum would have known I have no interest in the tools they were proposing. I concede this company had someone that was actually looking; but they weren't willing to appropriately engage. They could have posted on the forum a suggestion for a workaround to my problem, or they could have sent me a tweet to say they saw I was having an issue and would I like to discuss it. Sure I've gotten calls about posts before, people wanting to discuss what I had said, to ask questions or to offer insight - that's awesome - but a person, not active on the forum nor familiar with me (I was called Kelly, Emile & Emma during the 3 minute call) calling directly to sell me a product with no prior knowledge of the situation is unacceptable.
:rocket:
I guess this is to say my line was crossed when a public digital comment was taken as an invitation to move personally analog and to go straight for the sale.
:ltbulb: So come on! I want to hear your story...
Where is your line? Am I too sensitive or do you also really dislike people trolling our community? Is it a great way to prospect too commonly overlooked? Do you think if someone does prospect they should do it with a little more social and a little less sell right out of the gate or are they completely founded with their just short of cold calling method?
 
#3
Kelly I feel your pain! Some of these overly aggressive vendor sales people are way beyond the pale. I just don't take it well. When a salesperson calls me from something I've said online I tend to be as rude to them as they are to me. I tell them to never call again and hang up.

Related pet peeves that cause sales people to lose sales with me... they tell one of my BDC staff that they have a phone appointment scheduled with me for 1:30. BDC rep puts call through to me and tells me what they said. Salesman begins yapping 120 words a minute as soon as I answer... I stop him, tell him to take a breath... then I ask "did we have an appointment for 1:30 as you told my BDC?" - he fesses up that it was a ploy. BYE BYE!!

I email another rep who barrages me with emails and calls.... I tell him I won't have an answer til end of the week. I also tell him that email is my preferred mode of communication. Do you think he really cares what my preferred mode of communication is? Apparently not. On Wednesday he calls 4 or 5 times and the receptionist kept telling him I was in meetings, she would give me his message. He kept calling. When I sent him an email telling expressing my utter contempt for his rudeness he said I should be commending him on his persistence as a salesman. There is a line between persistence an being outright rude and inconsiderate. He crossed that line.

I'm with ya Kelly... if they call you from a post you made, just tell them they lost all credibility and respect you may have otherwise had and hang.... nay, SLAM the phone on them. lol - hey it feels good what can I say?
 
#5
I am fairly new here and had to learn the ropes of what was allowed and not. I am a vendor but I am also a car guy, I try to engage in any topics I feel I can add something positive not just about my related field. I feel if someone is interested in the product I rep then they will contact me. I am also not one of those vendors that calls a client 5 times a day, I also have a rule for myself, unless the client tells me to I do not call on Monday mornings before noon and not on last day/first day of month. I feel that is just showing them respect as I know how busy these times usually are for someone in a dealership.

I hate vendors that give some of us a bad name.
 
#9
JessicaRuth said:
That action by the vendor certainly does not speak highly of what would come if you were to ever do business with them. Desperate for sales. Disrespectful. Doesn't sound like someone I would do business with.
Click to expand...

How many Car Dealer Sales Managers drive their reps to behave in this manner? (attack your leads until they tell you to drop dead)
 
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