What is your preference when shopping at a dealership?

[ultrarunner]

Looks like about 1/2 of you guys want to be left alone and the other 1/2 want to be greeted and then left alone. So as a dealer, how do we determine which 1/2 to greet? Ken Sweet

Don't forget items with posted prices... ;-)

 

[sweettractors]

Don't forget items with posted prices... ;-)

We post prices on tractors currently and will consider implements in the future. Of course all our product prices are posted online with free 1000 mile shipping figured in. Ken Sweet

 

[Sysop]

Looks like about 1/2 of you guys want to be left alone and the other 1/2 want to be greeted and then left alone. So as a dealer, how do we determine which 1/2 to greet? Ken Sweet

I personally would say "situation by situation".

If your or your staff happens to be near enough to say "Hello! Come track us down if we can help." and continue on their way, go that route; of course that is simply being friendly. Otherwise, a big sign where folk pull in the lot saying:
WELCOME!
Please visit our sales office for any assistance!

You could also push some advertising that you are a "no pressure" dealer so folk know what to expect.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm thinking this why you and a few others here are market leaders...

Not to belabor... when I was left a voice message two days later on the BX it was almost 3k more than a friend had bought exactly what I wanted 6 weeks prior... this is how I came to San Jose.

So he let me copy is papers and I went back... the Dealer said the BX23 are so popular now that no discounts... even from 6 weeks ago... friend was right at 15k + tax and I was quoted 18k... but, was also told they had better tractor price points on New Holland.... which I was not interested in.

I was in San Jose a couple of months later and stopped in to buy a post hole digger... the owner recognized me from my two previous visits and asked why I needed a post hole digger... told him I had found a BX for 15k... and had some projects... he said go to whomever sold me the BX because his implements were only for his customers...

Not in a million years would that fly in the auto business... at least not here.

 

[darmstrong2319]

The way I see it sweettractor is if you walk out there to greet a potential buyer and he throws a coffee cup at you he is one of the ones that don’t want to be greeted

 

[ultrarunner]

A friendly hello shouldn't ruffle anyone...

Probably why some simply have little aptitude for sales...

Only have one shot at a first impression... make it a good one.

I know what I am going to say will sound crazy to most...

My Grandfather was in the automobile business for 65 years... to the day he died his business card not only had his home phone but also home address...

He explained it to me like this... a car is the second largest purchase most people will ever make... wouldn't you want to buy from someone with a stellar reputation and enough confidence to put their home address and phone on their business card?

One of my parents best family friends was the first African American Salesman to join the union in Oakland California back in the 1950's The Chevrolet Dealership owner was willing to take him on provided he was never on the sales floor...

Harold was a prince of guy with a personality to go with it... soon he was the top Chevrolet Salesman in the region and never spent one minute on the floor... it was a little bit of a shock when he went to the national convention to get his award the first time.

Anyway, I digress... because he was not allowed floor time... he wrote up contracts in peoples homes... brought out the demonstrators and sponsored youth sports out of his pocket... he was the guy driving the new flashy convertible to church on Sunday and soon the man to see if you were in the market for a new Chevrolet...

Harold had a very good run... 22 years and consistently a top performer... then things changed... the dealership was sold... no more demonstrators... ALL sales people were required to put in floor time... etc...

Harold went to management and said his arrangement was a company car and no floor time... he was told take it or leave it... he put the keys down on the desk and walked out

And he walked straight to Cadillac... had a sit down with the owner negotiated the same deal he had at Chevrolet... now he was driving brand new Cadillacs... and his customer based followed.

What Chevrolet didn't realize is his customer based was loyal to Harold and could care less about the Dealership where they had not been welcome...

Harold too always had his personal phone and home address on his business cards... he said it was old school and part of his success.

I remember him driving home cars with huge bows for birthday presents or anniversary gifts etc... helped him deliver a few Christmas mornings just for the fun of it...

 

[Arc weld]

Nothing wrong with being greeted or asked if you need assistance. At least they are acknowledging you. I hate it when you do need help and nobody is around anywhere. The Home Depot here seems to be like that. They see you in the aisle and make a bee line out of there. What I hate the absolute most is when a salesman comes up before you are even parked and is pestering you to buy something right now. I had this happen when I was looking for a truck. Over 3 hours and even on the way home called me twice. The guy even tried to tell me he was good at what he did. Sorry, that's for me to decide and you suck with your extreme high pressure sales. I spent my 20+K at a low pressure dealer that actually listened to what I was looking for.

 

[Wagtail]

I've now read a few posts on this thread specifically saying that their experience with John Deere dealerships has been 'disappointing'. (none have been 'colour bashing' comments, mind you) All this in the home country of JD.

I, on the other hand and half a world away, have had nothing but a positive experience with the (one and only) JD dealership on this island State. (Note: all other colour tractors are single owner dealerships). In Tasmania, reputation is KING. 'Tick off' a few people and the word spreads quicker than a bush fire in a gale.

Sales wise, I showed up at the JD dealership just after opening time. I sat down with the one and only salesman, over a coffee, and we honestly talked about my tractor needs. Because there were no 4105's on the lot, he then drove me out to a worksite that had one (calling the owner to ask if I could have a 'play' on it).

So, yes, I approached the salesman. That salesman devoted his whole time to me and I did buy my CUT tractor from him/JD... a dealership whose primary business comes from big agricultural tractors/implements/equipment. I bought my lawn tractor from the same place.

On one occasion, I required a part during haying season. My JD dealership opened up an hour early so that I could pick up that part. They are that sort of people.

I'm sorry for the rest of you that it isn't the same.

(or, maybe I'm just one heck of a great bloke that good things like this happen naturally to. )

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Sweet,

I would say there's nothing wrong with greeting a customer that shows up on the lot, ask them if they need any help or have any questions. If they say "No", then tell them to give you a wave or a holler if they do, and let them be. But if they walk inside, and stand there in front of you, or your sales people, then it's pretty obvious they want something.

When I was tractor shopping a year ago, I got completely ignored by 3 of the 5 dealers in town. I mean I was standing inside their sales lobby for greater than 15 minutes, being completely ignored. Went back to one of them 2 more times, same treatment. Proved to me that they don't need or want my money. The JD dealer didn't ignore me, but had no models close to what I was looking for on site, and made no offer to bring the EXACT model I had "built" on their website over from another dealership for me to try before I bought. Their entire effort was exhausted at showing me the shiney brochure and expecting me to plunk down 50K on a tractor + implements that I can't even climb on first.

I was ready to buy that weekend.

Guess which "color" I bought? The one that waited on me. I know various people that know the owners/managers of a couple of those dealerships that ignored me. I told them to let them know they missed out on a tractor + implement sale by ignoring their customers.

I don't need lavish and fawning over attention and butt-kissing when I walk in your place of business. But I do expect to be recognized, and treated like my business matters to you. That, good service before and after the sale, with good prices, and you will likely have a permanent customer.

 

[check]

I like to know and research the tractors on the lot I’m going to, so far I knew more about the JD, NH and mahindra’s than the salesmen knew lmao, the kubota Guy was a wash, he had clearly been in the game longer than I have been on the planet. So when you know more than the guy who approaches, they tend to give you space. I ask very detailed questions for comparison, like where the equipment was manufactured and assembled at, who made the rubber on the rims etc etc, most salesman don’t know that kind of stuff.

I am always amazed at how little sales people know about anything at all. I was in a Ford dealership the other day, and two sales people did not know what the engine options were on an F150. And those guys spend most of their time just sitting around! You would think they would bother to look up the specs on the stuff they sell!