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Salesman ettiquette and protocol
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Went to a car dealer. Salesman #1 greeted me. Showed me the car I was >interested in. (He wasn’t very knowledgeable however.) Gave me a >brochure and his card. He called me that evening to say thanks for coming >in, be sure to ask for me when you come back. >Went back to car dealer for test drive. I ask for Salesman #1…he has >the day off. Salesman #2 comes along on test drive and answers many >questions. I like salesman #2…he’s knowledgeable and has been working >there longer. >I want to buy the car. Is there a protocol that I ought to abide by >here?? Am I scum if I dump Salesman #1?? I’m sure I could work with >either one. >Thanks for your input.
I had this happen to me about 5 yrs ago. I’d been taking my time evaluating cars when suddenly I needed to buy a car that day, and the salesman I’d been working with had the day off. I explained to the sales mgr (after agreeing to a price), and he said he’d take care of it. The next day, I picked up my car from the *original* salesman, and when I tried to apologize to him he told me not to worry, that it was an internal matter and was taken care of. Of course, This may only work at the 1% or so of ethical car dealerships. This was Royal Volvo-Subaru in Sunnyvale, CA, which is by far the most repeat-business-oriented dealership I’ve ever encountered.
Response:
I have sold cars at three different dealerships, at all three the two salespeople would have split the commision in the situation you described. Under some circumstances if you yent back to #1, #2 would lose out entirely. Generally the first person you speak with is always part of the deal provided he has logged you in the book to keep track of such things. Sometimes one salesperson will spend 5 minutes iwth the customer and then the second will spend hours, they still split evenly and since what goes around comes around it usually works out okay. Early on in my career I received my largest commision ever (over $1000) I split it with the first salesperson.She did not like the customer and he did not like her and would not have done business with her. NOw that I know better I wouldn’t split under such circumstances. While it is men who are generally accused of being sexist she did not want to help him because he was old and ugly and she had already decided based on his dirty clothes that he couldn’t afford the car he was asking about. Well he ran a welding shop, thus the dirty clothes and he didn’t blink at the $27k price for the Lincoln. That reinforced for me the idea to never prejudge a customer based on age, clothes etc. Successful salespeople not only don’t prejudge based on looks etc. they also don’t concern themselves with whether or not a customer plans to "buy today" or not. My best commisions since going back to work selling Fords were to two customers who did not plan on buying that day, just looking. I spent the time, gave them several test drives each and before long was writing up a buy proposal. They both said that the way they were treated led them to buy that day rather then keep looking. The fact is that now that I work for a quality Ford dealership I am happy and my customers are very happy. Prospective buyers in the Portland OR area should email me for more information. —
Response:
>Went to a car dealer. Salesman #1 greeted me. Showed me the car I was >interested in. (He wasn’t very knowledgeable however.) Gave me a >brochure and his card. He called me that evening to say thanks for coming >in, be sure to ask for me when you come back. >Went back to car dealer for test drive. I ask for Salesman #1…he has >the day off. Salesman #2 comes along on test drive and answers many >questions. I like salesman #2…he’s knowledgeable and has been working >there longer. >I want to buy the car. Is there a protocol that I ought to abide by >here?? Am I scum if I dump Salesman #1?? I’m sure I could work with >either one. >Thanks for your input.
What a refreshing change 
Normally all one sees is posts slagging car salesmen off. One of the reasons why people sometimes get so badly treated at car dealerships is that many people treat car salesmen like shit, creating a vicious circle of hatred between salesmen and cutomers. You should deal with whichever salesman you feel comfortable with. Perhaps a quiet word with their manager explaining that you feel they should split the commission would help. Good luck with your purchase. I hope the deal is good for both parties. Regards Mail sent via Demon Internet
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Went to a car dealer. Salesman #1 greeted me. Showed me the car I was > interested in. (He wasn’t very knowledgeable however.) Gave me a > brochure and his card. He called me that evening to say thanks for coming > in, be sure to ask for me when you come back. > Went back to car dealer for test drive. I ask for Salesman #1…he has > the day off. Salesman #2 comes along on test drive and answers many > questions. I like salesman #2…he’s knowledgeable and has been working > there longer. > I want to buy the car. Is there a protocol that I ought to abide by > here?? Am I scum if I dump Salesman #1?? I’m sure I could work with > either one. > Thanks for your input.
I actually used to sell cars, so this one is easy for me to answer. Now that you have dealt with two different salesmen, it doesn’t matter which one you actually buy the car from. See, each will claim you as his own customer (lead actually) and will be entitled to half of the commission from the sale. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who you actually buy from at this point because each salesman will be compensated for helping you. I would actually go back and deal with the less experienced salesman when you buy the car. His selling and closing techniques may be less refined than the veteran salesman. Thus, you may get a better deal for the car. In any event, be sure to negotiate hard to get the price down whether leasing or buying. Don’t be afraid to walk out. The beginning of the month isn’t the greatest time to buy a car because there is no pressure to sell yet. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for the other salesman if the one you are dealing with refuses to give you a good deal. GOOD LUCK! I hope you win the price war!
Response:
>Went to a car dealer. Salesman #1 greeted me. Showed me the car I was >interested in. (He wasn’t very knowledgeable however.) Gave me a >brochure and his card. He called me that evening to say thanks for coming >in, be sure to ask for me when you come back. >Went back to car dealer for test drive. I ask for Salesman #1…he has >the day off. Salesman #2 comes along on test drive and answers many >questions. I like salesman #2…he’s knowledgeable and has been working >there longer. >I want to buy the car. Is there a protocol that I ought to abide by >here?? Am I scum if I dump Salesman #1?? I’m sure I could work with >either one. >Thanks for your input.
If I were you, I’d choose the one you felt most comfortable with. In this case, you will probably be sticking with salesman #2. Good luck on your car purchase, and be sure to check out www.edmunds.com and www.autobytel.com for some important auto information. Aaron T. Larson, ATL Computer Services Computer Teacher, East Minico Jr. High (Fax 208-436-3235) Home Page: http://www.cyberhighway.net/~aaronl ((( IN STEREO WHERE AVAILABLE )))
Response:
Went to a car dealer. Salesman #1 greeted me. Showed me the car I was interested in. (He wasn’t very knowledgeable however.) Gave me a brochure and his card. He called me that evening to say thanks for coming in, be sure to ask for me when you come back. Went back to car dealer for test drive. I ask for Salesman #1…he has the day off. Salesman #2 comes along on test drive and answers many questions. I like salesman #2…he’s knowledgeable and has been working there longer. I want to buy the car. Is there a protocol that I ought to abide by here?? Am I scum if I dump Salesman #1?? I’m sure I could work with either one. Thanks for your input.