Here’s a glaringly obvious statement: People aren’t getting cut out of the new car buying process anytime soon. Regardless of whether you buy from a manufacturer that does direct sales in a state that allows them or buy from a franchise dealership, you’ll probably encounter at least one salesperson, and the experience they provide can be a make-or-break for what you buy. Today on Autopian Asks, we want to know what sort of knowledge you expect to be met with when buying a new car.
If I walked into a showroom to buy a new car, I’d expect a salesperson to have decent product knowledge including which trim level offers which features and which color combinations are permitted, but that’s all stuff that’s easy to glean from an automaker’s website. I reckon it’s more critical that salespeople are knowledgable about the business and ordering side of things. Current subvented rates, special programs, lead times, if a dealer trade is possible, what options are on constraint (meaning not easily available on configured orders), OEM extended warranty options, that sort of stuff.
Let’s use Volvo as an example. Outside of current finance and lease rates, Volvo has special programs for employees of some partner companies, first responders, teachers, members of the military, members of the American Bar Association, American Medical Association, and American Dental Association, as well as people who’ve participated or volunteered in select Volvo-sponsored New York Road Runners events. Assuming a customer’s a New York-based doctor who’s run in a Volvo-sponsored event, there could be serious cash on the hood of a new Volvo that a salesperson not knowledgable about these programs might not know about.
Another example is Porsche’s one-year extended service contract that it sells on top of the existing certified pre-owned warranty. With the same coverage as the two-year unlimited-mileage CPO warranty, it can be a prudent move for someone looking to put serious mileage on a gently used Porsche, but benefits and costs must be properly explained, along with the inspection process to determine eligibility.
Put simply, in the information age, customers know more than ever before about the vehicles they’re buying, but they’re less likely to know about the intricacies of a deal. So that’s what I want to see, though my bar’s not particularly high these days. What about technical things about a car, an understanding of the car in a greater context of the industry, historical context? What level of knowledge do you expect to be met with when you walk into a showroom?
Top graphic credit: Deposit Photos, Entertainment Earth
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There is what I expect them to know and what they actually know. If the latter exceeds the former, the odds of me buying from them, if all others things are kosher, is fairly high. There’s always a chance that the Sales Manager or Finance Manager can swoop in and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
These days I forego being too nice. When I walk into a dealership, I ask for someone that’s been there for a while. In the end it saves time and patience. Dealing with a semi-professional is better than some rookie that cannot read the customer and will do whatever it takes to ruin a deal because they’ve been told “That’s how you sell!”
Yeah, I don’t get this. Someone is walking into your place of business. What is the Probability of their buying a car that day, prior to any interaction? I mean, this is not auto-dialing or door-to-door (0%-10%). Gotta be about 50% (w.a.g, maybe just my own estimate of my own probability — it’s just that I do not walk in to a dealer without at least knowing the model). So, the strategy should be, “don’t piss them off.”
There are multiple levels in the “getting to yes” equation.
* How many people have the desire to purchase just walking in the door? 25-50%, perhaps?
* How many people have the desire to purchase following a quality sales presentation? 40-60%?
Here’s where it gets sticky.
* How many have the resources and motivation to buy right now? 20-25%?
* How many want to buy, but do not have the ability to buy? 40%ish? (These are ones that drive car salespeople up the wall.)
All of this can vary by market, marque, sales experience, and much more. Hell, even the weather comes into play.
Re “ability”: It is a big purchase, and people without the means shouldn’t be moseying around the Porsche dealership eating the donuts then walking off. So, what should the Porsche dealership do? “Appointments only”? Security door, like a diamond shop?
Guessing no salesman wants to be Pretty Woman’ed for merely assuming someone does not have the means. But, yeah, I’d be one of those salespeople asking for a credit report before wasting my time. I’d figure, “I don’t have to sell a car to YOU; I just have to sell a car some someone, and culling the herd is a better use of my time.”
(Disclaimer: I suck at selling things.)
Last few cars I bought, I knew what I wanted and roughly what I wanted to pay before I walked in the door, I knew whatever discounts I was eligible for, and I knew what my trade was worth. The salesperson is just the person standing between me and the end goal of a car, and as long as they’re not too much resistance, I’m content.
I mean, on the last car, I called out that the dealer’s fuel charge was more than the full capacity of the tank at the current gas price, and the sales person at least knew enough to not dispute getting that taken to the manager and talked down.
I’m always happy when the salesperson (or service advisor) is an actual enthusiast for the brand they sell, and it does occasionally happen. Product knowledge usually seems to go along with that enthusiasm.
I drove a Land Cruiser 1958 over the weekend, which I very much enjoyed – and the salesman was definitely a fan. Naturally I got a comparison of the different LC trims, but also opinions on how the same-platform LC compares to the 4Runner, GX, and Tacoma. I learned about which mods make the most difference off-road, and how big of wheels fit without additional modification.
shame more buyers aren’t like you, because i was that sort of sales guy. id give you the break down on what you came in to look at, and knew the specs of every single competitor.
I never expect them to know more than me, but I’ve also researched the heck out of things before setting foot in the showroom. Often I’ve already negotiated a price over email before I set my foot in the door. I’ve always heard that the better salesmen (from a profit and number of sales standpoint) seem to know very little about the car. They spend more time trying to learn how to read people’s emotions, find out how to work the emotional part of buying a car. Most people don’t shop based on stats and performance. It’s about how it looks, what color it is, and is it going to impress the neighbors. The salespeople tolerate me because I go in, know what I want, have good credit, and I can be in and out of there in an hour. I don’t waste their time if they don’t waste mine. But I’m not going to be a huge sale for them because I’ve contacted 3-4 dealerships to get a price, I’ve brought my own financing from my credit union, and I’m not going to buy the Tru-coat.
there are just so many factors, it really is a roll of the dice who you will end up with and if they will have something else on their mind while trying to appease someone who might just walk away.
I would never work in sales, so I don’t bemoan crappy salespeople. they’re there doing a job, hopefully they can help me and make the experience easier
if you get a slimeball, just walk away
Exactly, be prepared to say no if you don’t like anything about how things are going. If you think you NEED the car, they can smell it.
people are just to embarrsed of appearing like they cant afford something in front of a finance person they will never see again rather than saying the price is too high and walking away
I do that shit in any retail setting if something rings up for more than I thought, Im not committed until I hand over payment
Dragged my mom out of a dealership when she had her checkbook out. She didn’t like it, but I explained why.
Sometimes you really need to get to that step to see the real cost, there’s no shame in walking away, even if you lose a deposit its better than living with regret.
“How much f*cking spaghetti can this bad boy fit in it? Hey, take it easy with slapping the roof, that’s post-tariff steel. Much thinner than before.”
I expect a sales person to know well enough not to waste my time.
I come to a dealer ready to order or buy, I know what I want, I know what I don’t want, and ideally I already know what I’m going to pay. Anything that delays me needlessly is an annoyance.
you dont understand how many people come into dealerships for a free cup of coffee and to waste salespeople’s time
they dream of customers who know what they want, know its in stock and have financing ready.
In my (admittedly somewhat limited) experience, most would much rather I take their financing. When I tell them I have financing, they want to run an application and tell me theirs is better without even asking what my credit union offered. I’ve had them confidently tell me their rate is the best around when the best rate they had available was a half percent APR higher than I already had lined up.
(Former F&I guy here) Yes, you should absolutely arrange for your own financing before you darken the door of a dealership, as it gives you verifiable knowledge of a competitive real-world rate. However, make it known that you are willing to consider their financing if it is competitive with what you already have in your pocket.
Here’s the counterintuitive part: dealerships often make more money off of financing than they do on the actual sale of the car. If a potential purchaser walks in proclaiming that they are insistent on a case sale, or using their own financing, the dealership usually will seek to secure more gross profit on the sale of the unit, knowing that they will have no opportunity to make it up with financing revenue.
Yeah, that is true. I am probably not the ideal customer, as I work out all the price stuff before I let them know I will not be financing through them. Could be a factor in why they get so pushy about it.
It absolutely is a factor why they are so aggressive about financing.
I’ve always brought my own financing, then I let the F&I guy what that rate is, and then they always give me a slightly better one. It has worked every single time.
I could just stick to my own financing and say no to everything, but why 1)pay more and 2)piss him off, when I can pay less and have him in a good mood so we can get everything done quickly and with no friction.
When it comes time, I tell them the rate I have. More often than not, my credit union has done better than their best rate, so I don’t need them running my credit and wasting all our time. When I have let them run it, they give me that aforementioned best rate and acted like I was wrong taking the better rate I already had.
Admittedly, those dealings have been with Kia, Honda, and Toyota. Perhaps there are dealers who would have done better. I did lease my Toyota and turn around and pay it off (to get the $7500 lease cash on the PHEV). I was really annoyed when they told me that the lease had a better rate than I was going to find for financing, which was absolutely untrue.
If you just tell them your credit score and the rate you have, they should be able to tell you if they can beat it or not. They usually have some leeway with their banks if you have good credit and they’ll tell you right away.
As I said, it has worked for me every time, for both cars and motorcycles. And even if for some reason they’d have to run your credit, you don’t take a score hit if it’s done a bunch of times in a handful of days (they’ll all count as one credit pull).
That is exactly what I do. I’m not a dick, but I am very clear that I qualify for the best available financing, and tell them what I have already qualified for. Kia was the worst about it, but they are kind of the worst overall. I’ve just been really annoyed when they’ve tried to push me into their financing that they already know is worse than I have.
I guess I haven’t had the Hyundai/Kia dealer experience, but I’ve only heard terrible things.
Regardless of dealer networks, as a rule, I tend to avoid buying cars from companies that have had to recall every single engine family they’ve made in the past 3 decades 🙂
That is reasonable. And one of the reasons I got rid of my Kia.
Do their “financing deals” allow the buyer to pay off early? Because, I’m happy to “pay” 9.9% interest in order to drop the bottom-line price by several thousand dollars only to pay it off completely before the month is over.
That said, their costs increase with a lack of inventory turnover. Their business strategy should be more about selling as quickly as possible (and getting business for their maintenance shop).
The “financial reserve” sometimes requires the loan to be open for a period of time. Something like you had to keep the loan for 2 months before the dealer got their dealer/financial reserve payment. Pay off early and the dealer get nothing. Some dealers may impose their own finance processing fee as a buffer to too many customers paying off in the first month. I’ve been told the financial reserve may only be 1% to 2% of the loan amount, so the amount a dealer might reduce the price can be low. There might be more potential profit for the dealer if the interest is higher or they get a lot of people to finance.
Holding on to a loan as a gentleman’s agreement is all good and everything but that is only if the loan calculates the interest using a simple interest method, as opposed to a precomputed interest (like a home mortgage), called the “Rule of 78s” loan.
The majority of the auto loans for good credit customers allow for early payoffs without penalties. The ‘buy here, pay here’ places are another story. In addition to Rule of 78s loan method, they may also require you to pay a portion or all of the interest for the loan regardless of when you pay it off.
Always, always read the Truth in Lending statement AND any other finance documents. The FM may get miffed at you taking your time, but they aren’t they one stuck with paying off the loan.
“Can I pay off the loan early?” With a legitimate lender, yes, absolutely. (If the dealer sloughs you off to Santander you might want to check the fine print.)
If you do pay the loan off early, perhaps within the first 30-60 days, the dealer will have their finance reserve payment pulled back by the lender, and they will be pissed. That is why F&I managers go out of their way to have you wait at least that long before a payoff. Some even put it in writing, but I am skeptical of the legal soundness of that document (I am not a lawyer).
“I’ve been told the financial reserve may only be 1% to 2% of the loan amount, so the amount a dealer might reduce the price can be low.” Let’s be clear about the language. The dealer sells you a loan for, say, 8.5% (the ‘sell rate’), but they may be purchasing that loan for 6.5% (‘buy rate’), pocketing the 2% difference. A 2% finance reserve on a hypothetical 60 month loan for $45K is about $2,500, so we are not talking about an insignificant amount of money for the dealer. Extend the loan term to 72 or 84 months and the finance reserve skyrockets.
A dealer can look a customer in the eye and say “we’re selling the car below our cost” and potentially mean it because of finance reserves. A more accurate admission by the dealer might be “we’re selling the car below our cost, but ripping your head off in the F&I office.”
Financing a car has the potential to be far more lucrative than simply selling a car. This is why dealers hate cash sales.
I guess I was more referring to the kind of people who can wire a payment who basically just need visual confirmation of what they’re buying before they sign the papers
those are the ideal customers
For real? Am I a jerk if I’m trying to get test drives of the current van models on the market with no intention to buy immediately?
Or is that more of a “depends if they’re paid on commission” thing?
(I’ve recently driven an E-Transit and a GMC Savana, but still want to try a BrightDrop and one of the Chevy cabover models.)
I like to be upfront about that. I’ll tell them I am comparison shopping and not ready to buy. If they’re willing to let me test drive (they always are), then we’re good. If they try the hard sell after that, I do not feel bad about walking away, since I was upfront about my plans.
Oh yeah, I’m definitely up front about it. Was hoping I wasn’t violating an unwritten rule.
I’ve been to a Ford dealer once and asked to test-drive a Focus ST to see if I want it to replace my GTI, was told I could only test-drive after they pull my credit and we discuss financing.
For the record, I was dressed business-casual coming from work, not in a tank top & flip-flops, and got out of a 3-year old GTI, not a broken shitbox.
I left and never went back there, they closed a couple of years later.
thats pretty common for any performance model. they know people who buy them wont buy it if someone else redlined it on a test drive
I don’t think a Focus ST counts as much “performance”, it’s a luke-warm hatchback, not an RS.
For the record, I’ve been to other dealerships to test-drive actual fast cars, and some have just tossed me the keys after taking a copy of my driver’s license and tell me to be back in about half an hour, not even bothering to come with.
Its just as easy to assume its their company policy as it is to assume they’re being a dick because you weren’t wearing the right shoes
there are endless possibilities why they wanted to make sure you could afford a car before letting you drive it, it was their car and they were allowed to set the requirements for a test drive
Not disputing their right to do whatever they want in their building, or even tell anyone walking in to fuck off, it just doesn’t seem a great way to sell anything, especially somewhere like Chicago where you could drive 10mins in any direction and find another Ford dealer.
I can’t be sure their customer tactics were what did them in, but I’m certain it didn’t help.
if you treat them like people and leave the prevonceived notions and bad experiences in the past, they might also treat you like a person who is about to spend $50k+ on a vehicle
they have seen enough to know when you’re just dicking them around
You can assume I’m a dick to them, but I’m not. I come in, we try to hash out the numbers, I tell them my credit score and ask what they’ll offer as the best rate, then tell them the rate I have and that I’ll stick with it. The reason I know how it has worked for me at multiple dealerships is because I always give them the chance to beat the credit union.
you dont think anyone has ever lied to a salesperson before?
They literally deal with jerks like you all day long 40+ hours a week
If they want to assume I’m lying to them, that’s on them. I have the paperwork available for my credit union loan on me.
And waiting to tell them how I’m financing? That’s not lying to them. It’s absolutely a less scummy tactic than their 4 square, even.
No, they dream of customers who have no idea what they want and can con them into the turd-brown base model that’s been clogging the lot for 7 months
It would be nice if they knew the basics, et al, but I am not holding my breath.
The car business is an excellent place for idiots to make a lot of money
if you can show up in a clean suit and not smell like booze, you can probably get a job selling cars
If I know more than you do about every car in your showroom (which has always been the case in my experience so far) then what the hell are they paying you for and why are you making this transaction exponentially more painful than it needs to be?
because many people who walk in to buy a car know even less than the salesperson who you want to make assumptions about
Oh I’m not making assumptions. They’ve all proven it by talking out of their asses and feeding me bullshit I knew was false. I’m not saying that’s how it is across the board, I’m just saying it’s true in my experience.
All that tells me is that you haven’t dealt with salespeople in literally every other industry
go on LinkedIn, you’ll see em
Why would I willingly subject myself to LinkedIn?!?!
Great username BTW.
I’ve dealt with salespeople. I’ve managed salespeople. Blowhards who are willing to bullshit customers love to get into sales, regardless of industry.
I have worked in the retail car sales industry, and I have worked in sales roles outside of the retail car sales industry. While no industry is perfect, I can state that the people outside of retail automotive sales were far more professional than the people within that industry. That is the primary reason I was so eager to escape from dealership hell.
Not to toot my own horn but I am probably never going to find a car salesman that knows more than I do about cars in general. I believe most people that frequent this sight probably feel the same way. Having said that, I do expect them to at least be knowledgeable about their new cars. The vast majority of car sales people are just not car people. The successful ones though are good talkers. They can carry on a conversation about anything and can put you at ease about the thousands of dollars your about to spend. This is what I’m looking for when I go to a dealership, someone who knows a little about the car I’m looking at and I can just shoot the shit with for a little while. If I can find someone like that I will more than likely buy a car from them. It’s when the jack wagon comes out asking me what my monthly payment needs to be and “can we put you in this today” and can’t just let me walk around and look at the cars that make me want to punch someone in the face.
you have just had your horn tooting privileges revoked
some sales people start out with a passion, and then years of selling cars to people who think they can outsmart a salesperson wear them down
I guess I must have just been really unlucky when it comes to salesmen then. If you notice I also said cars in general. When it come to the specific model they are selling I fully EXPECT them to know more. I am usually let down fairly quickly though. Or maybe you just haven’t met a lot of salesmen. Or maybe you are a salesman and take offence to this whole article.
theyre just people working a job so they can survive
it isn’t a passion project to get you into your dream car. they have incentives to get you into one of the 30 crossovers they have to sell that month
I’d prefer to deal with no one. Every time I walk into a car dealership, I feel like I need a shower after I leave.
One time the dealership owner – a retired NFL player – physically blocked the doorway and I had to threaten to call the police to get out.
Single exception was a Toyota dealership in Cedar Rapids, IA, that had a ZJ Grand Cherokee parked out front. A salesman came out – with the keys in hand – and didn’t pressure me at all. Let me take all the time I wanted and told me everything they knew about a car that isn’t their make. And I bought it. Only car I’ve ever bought from a dealer.
its weird that you preface that as if you have bought more than one car from a dealership.
it seems like half the people here are just parroting some bullshit their dad told them about dealerships and haven’t ever actually gone to one to purchase a new car off the lot.
My experience has the same feel as Angry Bob’s. I’m not sure if the big guy blocking the cube exit was ex-NFL, college or high school, but he wasn’t moving till I signed a piece of paper with a lot of numbers scribbled on it. I got right up on him, staring right at his 3rd button from the top and announced I was leaving in a loud voice. In a lower voice, that I would go through him or around him. His choice.
Years ago and several new and used car purchases, but not one at that dealership. Haven’t had the same experience since then. There are dealerships that try strong arm tactics. They usually have the same reputation as those that “lose your keys” for a couple hours. I think those dealerships are becoming more rare in this age of cell phone camera and internet reviews.
Im not trying to argue that there arent still sleazy dealers out there, but they don’t really represent the entire automotive industry because one retired NFL player bought a used car lot.
I want to know how many of the comments here have exclusively bought used, because that is where they will try to slip things past you since they already know you’re poor
I call bullshit and nonsense here.
Buying used does not mean one is poor.
Critical thinking is lacking in your post, not surprised though…
if you are trying to haggle on a new car, they will be happy to walk you over to the used lot
they’re not running a charity, and someone else will be willing to finance that new car for over MSRP
Not sure exactly what your point is here.
Who said anything about a damn charity?
WTF?
I’m going to answer from the flip side. The last couple vevicles I bought, the salesperson wanted to show me how everthing worked, including setting my home address in the nav. Now I know I’m a little odd in that I actually RTFM when I get a new car, and my preference is that I figure all of that stuff out on my own so that I am more likely to remember how it’s done when it needs to be changed or done again after the battery is replaced.
I know when I walk into a dealership, I’ve educated myself to the point where I know more about pretty much everything than the sales person. I’m used to it.
now, flip this senario for literally any other retail scenario and you just sound like a douche.
Of corse the kid who just started doesn’t know everything about the history of cars.
Everything mentioned in the article, as well as how to operate everything in a given vehicle and most especially how to turn off data tracking.
That topshot is hilarious! (and ironic)
I didn’t think car sales”scammers” at stealerships actually HAD brains!
GEORGE: Look at these salesmen. The only thing these guys fear is the walk-out. No matter what they say, you say, “I’ll walk out of here right now!”
(A salesman approaches)
SALESMAN: Can I help you with something?
GEORGE: (Threatening) Hold it! One more step and we’re walkin’!
——————————————–
SALESMAN: Sir, are you gonna buy a car?
GEORGE: No! (The salesman walks away. He addresses the mechanic through the door’s window) Hey! Hey! I can see you! That is my Twix! (The mechanic eats
the last of the Twix, obviously to make George even more angered. It works) Oh, ha, ha! Ho, ho!
——————————————-
Irate Customer: We sat right here, in this room, and went over this and over this.
Jerry Lundegaard: Yeah, but that TruCoat…
Irate Customer: I sat right here and said I didn’t want any TruCoat.
Jerry Lundegaard: Yeah, but I’m saying that TruCoat. You don’t get it, you get oxidation problems. It’ll cost you a heck of a lot more than $500.
Irate Customer: You’re sitting there. You’re talking in circles. You’re talking like we didn’t go over this already.
Jerry Lundegaard: Yeah, but this TruCoat…
Irate Customer: We had a deal here for nineteen-five. You sat there and darned if you didn’t tell me you’d get me this car, these options, without the sealant for nineteen-five.
Jerry Lundegaard: All right, I’m not saying I didn’t…
Irate Customer: You called me 20 minutes ago and said you had it ready to make delivery! You says, “Come on down and get it.” And, and, and here you are and you’re wasting my time and my wife’s time, and I’m paying nineteen-five for this vehicle here!
Jerry Lundegaard: All right. I’ll talk to my boss.
[gets up and turns before leaving]
Jerry Lundegaard: See, they install that TruCoat at the factory. There’s nothing we can do about that.
[Customer ready to shout]
Jerry Lundegaard: but I’ll talk to my boss.
Irate Customer: These guys here. These guys. It’s always the same! It’s always more!
Thanks. Almost posted the same…
Here’s a perhaps more relevant question. Are salespeople even needed? If the Tesla experience has shown us anything it is that the entire sales process can be facilitated by a well engineered web interface. The same can be said of the F&I experience.
Just let me drive the car, make my own ownership decision, then get the hell out of the way.
I could have bought my last car in under two hours if I hadn’t had to deal with the sales staff. As it was, with my financing arranged through my CU before I even walked in the door, it took the better part of five.
The US automotive retail sales paradigm relies on the salesperson to do two things:
1) The salesperson serves as a way to make the process less transparent and more confusing, which allows the retailer to make more money.
2) The salesperson is a disposable layer of deniability in the event that something goes wrong. (“At Joe Fuckwit Toyota we would never endorse such unpleasant sales tactics, which is why the salesperson in question is no longer employed here.”)
Hey now, I was definitely treated better at Joe Fuckwit Toyota than at Big Bill Hell’s Cars.
the kind of people who spend their Monday afternoon on obscure car blogs arent the reason dealers have salespeople
Good thing we’re all here, and not on Jalopnik.
its safe to say that this is an even more obscure offshoot of old jalopnik before they became the corporate shell of an auto blog they are now
The problem is, without an actual face, most customer service tends to slip.
I’ve been trying to buy more and more stuff online as box stores stop carrying the things I want. It gets really dicey trying to figure out the details on their poorly updated web site.
And when there is an unmentioned restocking charge when they don’t tell you that their shoes run large (in both length and width!!!), then I get really cranky.
Per the article, I expect the salesperson to know 1) how to obtain the car I want properly and efficiently, and 2) proper application of any cash or captive finance incentives. And generally not play too many games with me.
If I come to a salesperson and tell them the vehicle and configuration I want, they should tell me how they are going to get it: is it on the lot? If not, are they smart enough to search regional and national inventory? Are they smart enough, willing to trade another dealer for what I want, AND have enough pull to do it? If that fails, do they know how to special order?
Can the dealer tell me ALL incentives that apply to the matrixed intersection of vehicle and buyer? Some salespeople don’t bother to study the weekly changes in offers and it drives me nuts.
I could really care less if the salesperson actually knows anything about the car itself outside of options configurations, etc (see item 1 above). I (and I suspect most of you) heavily research this stuff before stepping foot in a dealer. I generally go to the dealer for two things: 1) test drive, and 2) when I’m ready to buy the exact car.
Your username is perfect for this article, ha ha
The more expensive the brand, the more I expect from a salesperson. I’ve had a lot of positive experience at Audi dealers because they generally own (lease) one of their brand’s products and have some level of understanding of their entire lineup. Some are actually genuine audi enthusiasts. I had one guy at an Audi dealer try to bullshit me about something in one of the cars and I basically was like nope, I’m not working with him anymore.
If I come across a salesperson that either knows nothing about the car they are trying to sell me or tells me absolutely incorrect information, I bail. They are either too dumb or too lazy to worry about doing their job. I’ve come across this type of salesperson at places like Ford, Kia, Nissan, etc.
Of the mainstream brands, VW tends to have the more knowledgeable sales people that care about the brand more than the current crop of cars for sale. At least based on the couple of people I’ve worked with over the years.
I get that I’m a weirdo that practically memorizes all the facts I can about a car before setting foot into a dealership. I have enough experience these days to do most of my shopping before I leave the house.
I expect to be greeted by a total dumbass who knows absolutely nothing about the product he’s trying to shift and spends most of our interaction trying to either upsell me or bullshit me. That way I’m pleasantly surprised on the rare occasion when that isn’t actually the case.
As an enjoyer of PHEVs and EVs I fully expect to know more than the salesperson. There seems to be a deep ignorance of anything electrified whether intentional or not.
blame the brands trainig standards
High-end brands wont even let you on the salesfloor without hours of training
its the same experience buying pants at Walmart vs Neiman Marcus
Lets put it this way:
When I was selling cars – I knew all the specs and comparable cars and their specs.
I was also kind, accommodating and respectful.
Yet people who knew little to nothing about cars and were not as nice as me made a lot more money than I did.
People may say they want someone who knows their stuff, and is nice to them, and treats them with respect.
But they’ll drive 50 miles and deal with an asshole to save $50 on their Camry.
preach it brother! same experience when i did auto sales.
never worked in sales, but this rings true.
you deal with assholes saying to lower the price or they’ll walk and they sit at your desk until close thinking they’ll get anything they ask for
sometimes it works because the manager is already missing their kids sports game so they just want to do whatever to get the sale
that shit takes the enthusiasm for cars right out of you
I worked in sales 30 years ago and sucked at it. I just could not deal with the boss telling me to ignore the first 5 “no”s and that “people want to be sold stuff”
I was too kind to work in sales.
it takes a special kind of personality to take that much rejection and still be able to put on a smile when some gearhead gives you the Ron Swanson ” I know more than you” meme
just be nice to people ffs
“it takes a special kind of personality to take that much rejection and still be able to put on a smile…”
It’s called “Sociopathy”
I fully expect sales staff to know more about sales than they do the thing they’re selling (if they even know the most basic things, I’m surprised). I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a lot and dealt with someone who knew anything I didn’t about the vehicle I was looking at, with the exception of them “knowing” complete lies.
If I find one that’s at least willing to be honest about not knowing things and willing to look things up if needed, that’s the salesperson I want to deal with. The one that confidently lies to me is far more common, though.
I have zero expectations. They know about *selling* cars, but they don’t know about cars.
Based on my experience?
I expect nothing.
Do I wish for some knowledge? Yeah. It’d be even cooler of the salesperson was almost as excited about the product (the product, not the prospect of screwing me) as I am. But I don’t expect it.
Our Subaru dealer is the only place we’ve dealt with truly Autopian-esque brand/product knowledge freaks. But everyone at that dealer has worked there for 10+ years.
I expect salespeople to know how to make the dealership money. As for cars, they have no clue. When i test drove my 2019 toyota yaris/mazda 2, I made the comment the reason I was looking at a Yaris was cause I was a Mazda guy. Got a confused look from the salesman.
I would expect them to understand basic terms, what they mean, and the equipment on a car. And preferably honest enough not to tell us our new EV is twin-turbocharged.
I hate car sales people that know nothing about the cars. I do not want to know more about option packages, engine and transmission choices etc than the sales person. I have always known more than the sales person. They just seem to know about color choices. I have had ONE sales guy that talked us through all the tech in the car and set up our phones before leaving the dealership. I get that car sales is actually about sales and sales people sell whatever and the product does not actually matter. That is why I sucked at every sales job I had in my teens and twenties.
I hear you. They are clueless hucksters.
To be good at sales you need to know the product and you need to be a people-person. To be great at sales, you need to do both. That said- when faced with someone who also knows the product, and “I don’t know” is better than a guess.
I honestly don’t expect any car salesmen is going to know more than me about a given car I’m interested in buying (though I’m sure there’s plenty that know more about all of the cars on the lot, collectively).
So basically, I expect them not to say shit that’s incorrect and be well versed in the the shit the dealer is responsible for (are there any with this package combination, can you transfer one from a different store, what’s up with this promo lease rate on your website, etc)
I should expand on that by saying “I don’t expect them to know more about the car than I do, but I’m not the typical car buyer so they should have some basic understand of the things that differentiate from other models/competitors as a minimum”