As a former top salesperson, I have seen the sales skills of car dealership salespeople.
Published on: 2021.04.25
Previously, he was a top salesperson.
I was assigned to the sales department at the company I joined as a new graduate and worked in sales for the entire five and a half years until I retired. When I was a student, I was a "Sales seems like a lot of work. I don't want to do it because the quota seems too hard.I thought, "I'm going to be assigned to a company," but at the interview to determine my assignment, my boss at the time told me, "I'm going to be assigned to a company.
You can't do clerical work. You make too many mistakes in clerical work, and you are too bad at even stapling documents. You have no choice but to go into sales.
and I reluctantly became a salesman.LOL
However, thanks to his efforts, he was able to achieve first place for three years, and after retiring and becoming independent, he was asked by a publishing company to publish a book on sales know-how based on his experience at his previous job.
Recently, I have been visiting domestic and import car dealers to purchase a car for the second time in my life. There, I felt that "...The discomfort I feel with dealer sales.I would like to write today about "the
Discomfort with the dealer salesman's response
The other day, I visited a Japanese car dealer. After calling in advance to see if they had a MT test drive of the car we were looking for, we went there with our family of five, including our children.
We were shown to our seats and the sales person said, "Would your husband like to take a test drive today?My husband was asked, "What do you think of theNo, I came here today to look for my wife's car, so she will ride in it.When I say, "Eh! Your wife has a MT car... yes!The person was very surprised (laughs).
Then, after that.
Attn: "Is it your husband who is purchasing?"
Husband: "No, my wife insists, 'I'll buy my own car!' ' so it looks like my wife is buying it herself."
Contact person: "What! I see! Does your wife work?"
Husband: "My wife is a car blogger..."
Contact person: "What! Is that so! I have never met a customer who does that kind of work before!"
I left the dealership after listening to various explanations, while having a conversation with them.
But I was in the car on the way home, and I was in a state of indescribable agony. So I told my husband that
I wonder, in the conversation we had earlier, if there's any way to say, "I don't know.Families interested in cars andI'm sure you got the message that "I'm a good person," so why don't you tell me more about "I'm a good person.Do you like cars?or "What kind of cars have you driven so far?I guess they don't ask me "what's going on?" and all that.
I didn't get through all of them. But he was still talking a lot about discounts...I couldn't tell if he was trying to sell or not. If I were a salesperson, I would ask the customer more questions.
My husband would say.
I guess so. In my experience.The more upscale the car dealer, the more likely they are to ask you about your "car life" or "lifestyle".It seems to me that On the other hand, dealers at the lower end of the price range "seem to beWhat the car will be used for and who will drive it.I feel like you're mainly asking me "What's the best way to do it?
Well, it depends on the person in charge and the store, so it's hard to say, but I think there is a tendency.
Mr. H, who is in charge of our Porsche dealership, doesn't seem to be interested in selling at first glance, but he seems to like cars, knows a lot about them, and can talk about them.
Also, I don't like excessive service or aggressive customer service, so I think Mr. H's aloof stance suits me. But there are times when he does come on strong (laughs).
He said.
I see...but I wonder if it is true that the more dealers deal with imported cars or cars that are more hobbyist, the more they tend to be like that.
Salespeople who want to buy from this person.
I have visited domestic and import car dealerships and talked to sales people.I wonder if he has any interest in selling the car.There were quite a few times when I felt that
Of course, I don't think all people are like that, and it may just be that the person who served my wife and I happened to be like that....
Simply put, the job of a salesperson is to sell the company's products and services. That said, I don't think it's a good idea to come to a store and suddenly start explaining about your products, but I do think it's a good idea to have a sales person who can explain about your products and services to you.We want to convey the excellence of our company's cars.or "Learn more about our customersI often did not feel the spirit of
For example, the
They don't ask a lot of questions of their customers.
They don't go through and dig deep when you give them information.
I don't tell people what the future holds for them when they buy a car.
...There's a lot of silence.
Not actively trying to make friends with customers.
Such as.
In a recent example, a family of five came to the store in a Cayenne and(I wonder if he didn't know about Cayenne)I can't believe your wife is looking for a MT car.We know that you are more of a car enthusiast than the average family.I think, but they did not dig deep into that at all.
Also, when I was test driving the "My husband also likes MT cars, so I think he will like this car.When I tell them that I am a car blogger, they respond, "Well, all of our customers who have purchased MT cars so far love them! When I told him that I was a car blogger, he replied, "I've never met a customer like that before! That's amazing! And so on...
If I were a salesman.
I wonder if he really likes cars that much to buy a manual transmission vehicle when he has a family sports SUV."
I wonder what your husband usually drives? Is it a sports car?"
What kind of cars have I driven in my life?"
What are the most important points to consider when buying a car?"
I'm like, "I can't believe you're blogging about cars, what kind of cars are you writing about, I want to read it!"
I'm sure there will be a lot of questions I would like to ask, such as
At the car dealerships today, theIt's not good to be too close to your customers.Is there some kind of rule that says, "We have to sell at any price we can. Or perhaps the sales quotas are so strict that they are more concerned with "just talking about price and selling" than with building relationships with customers?
However, I think it is important for salespeople to build a relationship of trust with customers before selling, and I think it is important to have a good conversation with customers, get to know them well, and have them tell me many things.I want to buy from this person.I think it's important to go through the process of getting people to think "I'm a good person.
In talking about this matter, my husband
Maybe a lot of dealership salespeople aren't interested in cars.I know more about the car than he does. I usually know more about the car than they do. Well, maybe I do too much research...lol
But, "What, you don't even know that? You don't learn enough, do you?I often think, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.
If it were me, I would research every detail of the cars I sell, not to mention the owner's manuals, so that I would be able to answer any questions from customers completely. I would also ask my boss to let me drive a test-drive car after hours to experience the car for myself.
Well, that may not be possible depending on the store's structure and policies, but moreWhy don't you just greedily try to learn more about cars...I think.
And, again, dealers in the lower price range and dealers of manufacturers competing for sales volume.Many people "rush to sell."I guess there's a quota to meet, but I don't think it's possible to build relationships. I think they have a huge quota, but I don't think it's possible to build relationships with people at all.
Sure, if the car is good enough, I will buy it regardless of the relationship, but if in the future there are no more attractive cars, or if we can no longer offer discounts, I don't think it will sell at all without a relationship.
So.It's a vicious cycle of having to work hard every time to make a sale.I think.
The seemingly roundabout way of building relationships, "investmentI think the people who are able to 'do it right' will win in the end. I know this from watching the very best salespeople in various industries around my own business.
He said. I see...
Cars are not just about cars.The result of the hard work of many people involved in the design, development, design, and other aspects of the project.I believe that it is the job of salespeople to carry these people's thoughts and feelings on their shoulders and ultimately sell them to customers.I want more passion, confidence, and selling.I personally think, "What is the point of this?
I myself was not interested in cars at all before, but when my husband bought a Porsche, I discovered its charm and my world changed. I have been to many places by car, I have learned the joy of driving, I have more memories with my family, and I have met many new people through cars.I love life with a car.I can now think of it as "the best of both worlds.
Perhaps it is because of this experience that I feel even more disappointed every time I come into contact with a dealer's salesman.
On the car ride home, "I would have done this! I would sell more! Maybe I'll go sell them instead!The reason for this is that he was so passionate in his speech, saying things like
If you have so much to say, why don't you blog about it?
My husband told me to write this article.
I wrote this in a somewhat pompous manner, but I hope I can continue to move forward with passion and confidence in my work, rather than just talking about it to others in a pompous manner.
Follow me if you like this blog!
Comment ( 19 )
Trackbacks are closed.
MINA.
Hello.
I have a lot of sympathy for the dealer's response.
I recently visited several dealers to buy a new family car, and I had the same impression.
She was the only one among the dealers I visited who really understood the car well, and when I asked her questions, she gave me a clear explanation of the advantages and disadvantages, and gave me sufficient answers such as what the manufacturer thought about it.
I thought that if they responded so well, it would build a sense of trust that I could trust the person to take care of any problems that might arise.
(I was salty at another branch of that dealership before, so I still have a very different impression depending on the sales person.)
I hope you find a nice MT car soon!
Looking forward to it!
K3
Hello, thank you for your comment!
I'm not sure how you feel about that after visiting so many different dealers.
After all, there are many such salespeople...
But for that, like that lady sales person who was in charge of Mr. K.
I'm very happy when I meet someone who responds well and
I thought to myself, "I want to leave this to him!" I thought to myself, "I want to leave it to him!
Thank you for the MT car!
I hope to be able to report on the delivery of the car on my blog soon!
Hello Mina.
You are already making the test drive tour, you are so fast!
Regarding the differences between import car dealers and domestic car dealers in this article, if we dig deeper, it seems that there are differences between German car dealers and Latin or British car dealers.
With the exception of Porsche, German car dealers tend to have a sales style that is relatively similar to that of domestic car dealers, especially BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, and this is especially true of BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, where you immediately start talking about quotes and discounts.
The Audi has been relatively less so in recent years, and discounts have been low, which may be reflected in sales volume and used car market prices.
Latin and British cars are customers of perverts (lol) who go out of their way to visit off the high street, so in many cases, the salespeople have a wealth of product knowledge (maybe even a few car models) and can offer suggestions that are in line with their lifestyles.
The only exception is Renault, especially the dealers whose parent company is Nissan, where many salesmen have moved from Nissan, and they have a gruff domestic car sales style.
Many salesmen of Latin and British cars love their products and sell them, and after listening to them, I often become a fan of the brand, including the salesman. I'm not interested in buying a German car anymore.
I feel that this is often the case.
This may have nothing to do with specifications or body shape, but rather with the image of Germany as a practical car and the others as hobby cars.
Sorry for the long and meandering comment.
Can't wait to see what you choose!
ds1243
Thank you for everything!
>There seems to be a difference between a German car dealer and a Latin or British car.
I see!
When I think of imported cars, the ones I've been to are almost exclusively German.
I would like to visit dealers of other manufacturers.
But sure, I've been to a Bentley dealership before.
The amount of knowledge, the elegance, the communication skills of that sales person, all of those things are on a different level.
'That's my Bentley salesman! You're like a concierge!" I thought and learned a lot.
And I want to experience the Latin atmosphere (laughs).
Right now, semiconductors are in short supply, and it's taking quite a while to deliver them.
I hope to be able to report on the delivery of the car on my blog soon!
Thank you for your continued support!
Mina.
I had a similar experience when I test drove a Honda Clarity PHEV. I was grateful that the dealership allowed me, a first-time customer, to leave my car keys with them and test drive the car as much as I wanted, but when I test-drove alone, I could not ask any questions I wanted to ask while driving. I thought that the dealerships were also cutting back on staff and could not afford to do so, but I felt that they were losing out on a great sales opportunity. It is a positive sign of trust to be given a key and be able to test drive whatever you want at a dealer you are familiar with, though.
Visiting a domestic dealership in a Cayenne, the sales person might have felt like a "strong enemy has appeared! I think the sales person might have felt like a "tough enemy". Depending on the destination, it might have been easier to go with a LEAF so that the sales person would be less nervous and the conversation would go more smoothly.
Mr. Ishi.
Thank you for everything!
>At first glance, he left the car keys with me and let me test drive as much as I wanted.
Wow, that's amazing...! That's amazing in so many ways...!
Sure, it's nice to be able to ride as you please, but during the test ride, you're going to want to ask a lot of questions.
Not being able to hear anything at that time is a bit...
>Visiting a Japanese dealership in a Cayenne, the sales person might have felt like a "strong enemy has appeared! I think the sales person might have felt like a "strong enemy".
Oh, I see...!
You may be right! I'll try that next time ^^^!
I guess you can't understand everything unless you visit and experience it for yourself.
I'm learning a lot from you ^^;
I certainly feel that dealership salespeople don't want to get close to new customers.
So I did some research and found out that the dealership sales force has a tough job.
Sales volume quotas (an air of deservedness)
Processing a huge amount of documents (huge and tedious because they are documents related to government offices)
Trouble with customers (delay in delivery, scratches or noise on delivered vehicles, etc.)
Pre-delivery preparations including delivery ceremony
・ Quotas for non-car products such as life insurance, loans, car insurance, smartphones, credit cards, etc.
(Self-financing in the name of service)
Quota of registered units
There seems to be such things as.
Some of these burdens seem to become more pronounced as we get closer to our customers.
"Fill up the tank when you take delivery!" or "Get the license plate number you want! and so on.
They say that the procedure for changing the contract after the contract is signed is very difficult, so the person in charge tends to be self-funded or self-serviced.
The change on the part of the customer may also be the cause.
It has been a long time since the youth have left cars, and that middle-aged and older people (who can generally say what they want to say) are likely to be the main customers.
That automobiles are a means of transportation, and that fewer and fewer people are looking for a hobby.
In other words, we can imagine that many customers are more interested in "price" than in "detailed car specifications" and are more aggressive in their claims.
In addition, the relationship between the seller and the buyer in a sales contract should be even, but in Japan, the buyer has long had the upper hand.
Furthermore, "insanity" is becoming a "legitimate demand" these days, perverting the trend toward embracing diversity.
These changes in the social environment may also be casting a shadow over salespeople's sales styles.
In such an environment, salespeople would become defensive and attack would become secondary.
In any case, it may be a difficult time for salespeople who sell "automobiles," the second most expensive asset after "houses.
Because it's an expensive purchase, and because it's not a product that you buy and that's it.
I really want the relationship to be rooted in a good personal relationship between the sales person and the customer, as Mina said.
athlete
I see...!
Thank you for looking into this!
Times are really tough for dealership salespeople too...
Sure, the clientele is changing rapidly, the customers are getting stronger and
I thought that there must be many difficult situations for salespeople.
I think this trend is likely to accelerate in the future...
Hello Mina and sir.
I have nothing but sympathy for this article~!
It is a gap in the level of enthusiasm for cars.
When I buy a car, I am the type of person who probably knows more about the car than the salesman.
Of course, they pay a lot of money, whether it is 1 million or 10 million, so of course they are serious, and above all, they have a different level of enthusiasm for their cars!
My wife says you don't have to look that far 。。。。
I have been told many times that I don't think everyone will look into it like you did.
I also understand Mina's agony painfully.
When the BMW M5 was introduced a long time ago, I was attracted to the F1 direct engine and went to the dealership with the GT3 I was driving at the time, because this is a maintenance shop.
I recall being told curtly that the showroom would be in a different location.
If I were a mechanic there, I'd be drooling over the appearance of the duck onion! I thought it would be a situation that would make me drool.
I would have contacted the showroom staff immediately to have them come and pick me up, or I would have gone straight to the showroom.
I wanted them to have the guts to kidnap me.
This is also ultimately a difference in the amount of heat.
I happened to meet someone with the same passion and we have been driving an Audi for his wife, which is neither possible nor impossible.
I hope Mr. and Mrs. Mina have a chance to meet a salesman like that besides Porsche!
nave acid
Thank you for everything!
>When the BMW M5 was introduced a long time ago, I was attracted to the F1 direct engine and went to the dealership with the GT3 I was driving at the time, because this is a maintenance shop.
I recall being told curtly that the showroom would be in a different location.
What a...！！！！！
On the day GT3 arrives, we'll be like, "I'll never leave! I'll never leave!" (laughs)
And if it were a maintenance shop, I would think that more people would like cars and get into that line of work than sales people.
I wonder if there are vertical divisions within the organization, or if there are various problems...
I guess there really aren't many sales people who have the passion >.<
Mina.
I always read with great interest.
I am an active salesman at a dealership that handles German cars (not Porsche), which is the subject of this article. I am an active salesman at a dealership that handles German cars (not Porsche).
What you have written is an ideal relationship between a salesperson and a customer, in a good way.
The manufacturer I sell to has many affluent customers.
This group of customers is not so concerned about the price. (Of course, they will not go without a discount...).
In many cases, it seems that the ability to form good relationships with people over a long period of time is very important.
However, it is also true that people don't like relationships that are too close, and they don't like aggressive (pushy?) salespeople. It is also true that they do not like aggressive (forceful?) sales, so it is difficult to find the right balance between the two.
There is no doubt that the number of salespeople who love cars is decreasing every year, but this trend is not going away.
It applies to customers, too.
Recently, there are many customers who get annoyed when I talk about my love for cars too passionately....
I, for one, still look forward to the 1st and 26th of every month when car magazines go on sale.
Young salespeople rarely read car magazines or car-related websites.
If a customer is not interested in cars and a salesman is not interested in cars, the price (discount) is inevitable.
It's the center of business negotiations.
I don't know the reason, but I think it's because the customers don't have the same sense of humanity as they did a long time ago, or they think that money is everything.
I feel that the number is increasing.
Is it a MT car....
It's really coming down to a limited number of car models.
The manufacturers that come to mind are Porsche, BMW, Renault, Abarth, MINI, and GR Yaris for domestic cars....
I look forward to seeing what you choose.
I apologize for the length of this message.
Mr. Takabo.
Thank you!
I am learning a lot from the comments of a person who is an active dealer salesman.
I see...
Certainly for salespeople, too.
These are difficult times, aren't they?
I have fewer customers to talk to than I used to.
I wondered if the number of stressful responses was increasing.
It's kind of sad, isn't it><... MT車、有難うございます！ 今までになく、幅広く検討したので、注文は先日やっとしたのですが、満足しています＾＾！ また、ブログでご報告いたします！
I always enjoy reading your articles.
Those in charge of sales of luxury goods tend to be more knowledgeable than those in charge of sales of the same goods for mass consumption.
One of the common impressions I get from them is
Do they have little shopping experience as users themselves? I sometimes wonder.
If you don't have much experience from the user's point of view.
Do we fall into a cycle where making numerical achievements is the goal? I think so.
I think it's unfortunate that salespeople are so concerned about their own numbers and reputation.
yi3
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Certainly, if I were a user and had the opportunity to buy, I would feel comfortable with how I would be treated, etc.
It's a great learning experience, isn't it?
You're dealing with a great product.
I wish they would sell with more confidence.
I always enjoy reading your articles, I may have commented on your golf article about 2 years ago.
I bought my car from an authorized VW dealer, and the reason I decided to go with them was because of their salesmanship and confidence in their products (they also told me about the lot they had in stock and told me about the annual improvements, so I felt confident in my purchase). I think they are very good at that....
My goal was to buy a Porsche, but I recently went to an Audi dealership because of my living situation and because my parents are Audi users and I was a candidate for a replacement. I was given a test drive of the SQ2 to get a taste of the brand's technical capabilities, and I was very pleased that the sales person offered me a test drive of the S model.
For me, the best part of driving an imported car in Japan is not only the driving experience but also the self-expression, so I am happier when the sales staff talks about the appeal of the brand.
So, I sympathized with the content of the article, and I also reaffirmed my desire to have more confidence in my work by gathering knowledge, information, and experience. I am also thinking of getting a promotion and buying a Porsche... lol.
sea turtle
Thank you for visiting my blog!
Yes, I had received your comment before, thank you.
I envy you, you have a wonderful sales person!
After all, when a sales person speaks confidently about his/her car
I am happy and feel good too, and even though it is the same ride, I think the elation will be different.
I, too, want to be proud and confident in my own work and blog.
And I will try my best to buy myself a Porsche in the future (laughs).
Hello Mina. I understand your agony as there are many different kinds of dealership salespeople.
I think that for a car enthusiast, a sales person who is not a car enthusiast is not a good match to begin with. The sales person in charge of my Porsche also talks to me about lifestyle and car talk, so I would like to have a long and friendly relationship with such a sales person. He never talks about discounts until right before I press the seal on the contract at the end (laughs).
This was two years ago. I visited XMW dealer for the first time to ask about X2. The quote they immediately gave me included a 500 yen trade-in value for an AUDI that I had not asked for, in addition to the discount (I thought it would have been better if they had offered to take it back for free, since it was a piece of junk). When I asked about the performance of the engine and its performance on snowy roads, they only gave me a reasonable answer about such things.
I told the salesman, whom I had never met before, that I wanted to buy a new car, and he suddenly set the E-PACE on display in front of me and gave me an endless solo presentation on the design, the appeal of driving performance, and Xagar's efforts as a manufacturer (he went around the display in circles, using tremendous body language and hand gestures...). ). He was so passionate about his products that I immediately purchased one. The AUDI died on a trip without waiting for the delivery of the E-PACE six months later (tears).
Buying a car is not only about the appeal of the car, but also about whether or not you are captivated by the sales person's charm. I believe that salespeople who know their customers and can dive into their hearts are strong.
P.S. MT cars are lovely! I am also waiting for delivery of my Boxster GTS 4.0 and Elise MT, but my wife is not interested in MT cars even though we have the same name "Mina".
Hello Mina. I understand your agony as there are many different kinds of dealership salespeople.
I think that for a car enthusiast, a sales person who is not a car enthusiast is not a good match to begin with. The sales person in charge of my Porsche also talks to me about lifestyle and car talk, so I would like to have a long and friendly relationship with such a sales person. He never talks about discounts until right before I press the seal on the contract at the end (laughs).
This was two years ago. I visited XMW dealer for the first time to ask about X2. The quote they immediately gave me included a 500 yen trade-in value for an AUDI that I had not asked for, in addition to the discount (I thought it would have been better if they had offered to take it back for free, since it was a piece of junk). When I asked about the performance of the engine and its performance on snowy roads, they only gave me a reasonable answer about such things.
I told the salesman, whom I had never met before, that I wanted to buy a new car, and he suddenly set the E-PACE on display in front of me and gave me an endless solo presentation on the design, the appeal of driving performance, and Xagar's efforts as a manufacturer (he went around the display in circles, using tremendous body language and hand gestures...). ). The audience was so impressed by his love for his products that they immediately bought one. The explanation of the myriad of not-so-expensive options and the request to wait six months for delivery of the car are the same as at Porsche. AUDI did not wait for the delivery of the E-PACE and died on a trip (tears).
Buying a car is not only about the appeal of the car, but also about whether or not you are captivated by the sales person's charm. I believe that salespeople who know their customers and can dive into their hearts are strong.
P.S. MT cars are lovely! I am also waiting for delivery of my Boxster GTS 4.0 and Elise MT, but my wife is not interested in MT cars even though we have the same name "Mina".
zabuton (flat floor cushion used when sitting or kneeling; usu. rectangular)
Hello. Thank you for your comment!
As you say, it's not just about the car itself.
It is very important to be attracted to a sales person and to think, "I want to buy from him or her.
I thought you were an enthusiastic salesman.
I think it will create a good cycle, as more car lovers and good customers will be introduced to the company.
Mrs., you have the same name!
I feel a sense of closeness ^^^.
Also, I was not interested in MT for a long time and could not drive either, so I think I understand your wife's feelings (laughs).
But you have such a nice car at home.
Hopefully in the future your wife will drive a manual transmission!