Ignorant, uninformed, lazy or ??? Dealers

[Podunkadunk]

Okay I have a question for you as a potential buyer...
This is a big gripe that one of my VERY good employies have about me..
In case you don't know I am a owner and we (my wife and I) don't have sales personal.
Just setting the stage..

The problem is the way I dress.
Do you expect a "tractor salesman" to be in a tie or is it okay if I walk out of the shop in my jeans and t shirt with grease stains a weldin holes in it.

I am very active in my business I attend ALL the schools and I am very hands on.
I have ruined several nice shirts and jackets because a customer came in with their tractor on a trailer and it was broke.
I told wait we can fix it right on the trailer and crawled under and fixed it on the spot (something easy) instead of pulling one of my mechanics off the job I don't mind getting dirty, don't get me wrong I don't look like a bum I just don't wear kakies.

Please give me your honest opinion.

I don't care what you wear, suit, ballerina outfit. I'm not there for a darn social call. I want good, honest service, an honest opinion when I ask for it, and a straight shooting, no B.S. answer to my questions. I also want a fair price that I don't feel raped on and you are making money at the same time. Deviate any from the above and I'll walk.
Podunk

 

[greenedeere]

If the salesman was a mechanic then they would probably have what it took to explain and answer any question you might have from his vantage point as a mechanic.If this is the case and they have on decent work clothes and even if I had to wait on them to wash their hands that would be okay also.However if my questions were simple to me and he could not answer them then more than likely he probably could not make the repairs or perform the work on a tractor as expected.In my area most all dealers have good sales people,parts people and mechanics that are up to the task at hand or they would be replaced pretty soon due to the toughness of having a good job in this area and the fact that return work would soon have a negative effect and mostly word of mouth would travel faster than Superman.Some times things just go wrong regardless of best intentions.If the dealer if on top of most things he will do their best to make it right.This will also get around and most people will pay attention to any thing good especially if it involves money,time,and the most important part is they are treated fair.Sometimes the cheapest price on repairs and parts may not be the best or save you money in the long run.This is why most dealers have to keep up or close shop.

 

[fattyfat1]

so check this out, since i started this whole mess, i might as well give you a laugh. yesterday i called my "wonderful and knowledgeable" dealer, and asked them if they had any bolt on bucket teeth. i know i was talking to the owner cause i recognized his voice. he told me "nope, try Watkin's" (bota dealer). i told him i already did, but they only had the teeth in orange! he laughed, said that would look silly wouldn't it? now the way i see it, a proper response would have been, "we don't have any here but lemme call a larger dealer and get some coming," or "we don't have any in stock but i would be happy to order you some" instead i got "nope try bota dealer, i'm to @#%&$# lazy to pick up the phone to make a call. i'm really starting to hate that freakin' place!

 

[MadReferee]

Do you expect a "tractor salesman" to be in a tie or is it okay if I walk out of the shop in my jeans and t shirt with grease stains a weldin holes in it.

Probably not. I am not particularly fond of slicked up sales people. A tractor solesman should know his product and not be afraind to get dirty showing it. A formal dressed sales person is most likely afraid to get his clean fingers dirty.

Showing the features and demonstrating them in a tractor lot can be a dirty job and wearing a suit, especially with a tie that can get caught in rotating equipment, is bad and stupid. This reflects negatively on the sales person, the dealership and the brand.

Where's Mike Rowe when you need him?

 

[weldingisfun]

so check this out, since i started this whole mess, i might as well give you a laugh. yesterday i called my "wonderful and knowledgeable" dealer, and asked them if they had any bolt on bucket teeth. i know i was talking to the owner cause i recognized his voice. he told me "nope, try Watkin's" (bota dealer). i told him i already did, but they only had the teeth in orange! he laughed, said that would look silly wouldn't it? now the way i see it, a proper response would have been, "we don't have any here but lemme call a larger dealer and get some coming," or "we don't have any in stock but i would be happy to order you some" instead i got "nope try bota dealer, i'm to @#%&$# lazy to pick up the phone to make a call. i'm really starting to hate that freakin' place!

Don't go back!
When I don't receive the service I asked for or get treated like someone they want to come back and spend my hard earned money in their store, shop or whatever, I never go back.
You don't have to put up with crappy service or treatment. Show them that you are not satisfied, don't go back.

 

[N80]

Some good points have come up:

Clothes. I'm all for people being in the proper attire for the proper situation. In that regard I would not expect a tractor salesman to be in a coat and tie. He might need to be _on_ a tractor to demo something for me. Jeans, khakis, decent shirt, maybe with dealer logo.

Change in a dealership. I imagine a relationship with a dealership is just like any other relationship. Things can change. Every dealer has to be rated on how he performs at each interaction. I imagine the same is true in the other direction, I imagine a dealsership would rather not do business with a customer who becomes a big PITA and wastes their time and money.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Expectations....

I'm thinking a lot has to do with the trauma involved in leaving THOUSANDS of hard earned bucks with the dealer. We expect EVERYTHING for our money. And in todays world, we USUALLY get it. And we ALWAYS pay for it.

When I'm buying a tractor, I don't expect, nor want to pay to have the pleasure of shopping for it at a spa or resort. (Like the recently opened John Deere dealership just up the highway.) Someone is paying for the showroom that is befitting a jewelry store. The sales staff and parts dept. personel are all nattily attired in freshly laundered uniforms, shirt, tie, pants, belts, hats, and jackets all matching. And someone is paying for that. In the parking lot is a fleet of (leased) vehicles. Owner drives an Escalade. Sales staff, 06 and 07 F-250 or 350 Fords. Parts dept "runners" in Dodge Durango's. At any one point, there's usually 10 to 12 vehicles in the lot. No idea how many actually "doing something" and out of the lot. And someone gets to pay for that too.

Any guess as to WHO pays?

So far, the ONLY thing I've been able to buy there at a reasonable price was a $15 grease gun. I tried my best to buy a tractor from them about a year back. Out of a dozen dealers I contacted, this Deere dealer was #1 to be taken OFF the list of contenders. Why on earth would I want to pay more for my tractor so this dealer can afford to put on a dog and pony show?

I deal primarily with 2 dealers. One John Deere, other is a Massey Ferguson dealer. Both are established dealers that were there selling tractors back in the early '50's. Their buildings are both essentially pole barns. Bare concrete floors, even in the owners office's. They all wear uniform.....SHIRTS......and usually jeans. They always show up for work CLEAN. They LOOK LIKE working people, not a model in a uniform catalog. They all drive their own vehicles. The Deere dealer does have a '92 Dodge 3/4 ton white, with Deere emblem on the door. (fancy huh?)

What they offer isn't likely to appear on the cover of GQ. Probably won't find a cappuccino machine in the lobby...... What you WILL FIND is a staff that knows their product, knows their CUSTOMERS, and has the best prices on the SAME EXACT things that the high overhead "tractor buying experience" dealers sell.

I'm not sure why a sharp crease on a pair of uniform pants has one earthly thing to do with buying a tractor.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Quote:I am very active in my business I attend ALL the schools and I am very hands on.
I have ruined several nice shirts and jackets because a customer came in with their tractor on a trailer and it was broke.
I told wait we can fix it right on the trailer and crawled under and fixed it on the spot (something easy) instead of pulling one of my mechanics off the job I don't mind getting dirty, don't get me wrong I don't look like a bum I just don't wear kakies.


Get yourself some red T shirts. "Proprietor, Wallace Tractor Sales -- It helps to know the product"
Wear em slightly stained.
larry

 

[daTeacha]

Mr. Wallace:

I would have to agree completely with Spyderlk on your question. The only way to improve it might be for the wife to have her shirt labeled "Mom" across the back and yours labeled "Pop".

IMO, a lot of the people out looking for a compact or utility tractor are escaped suburbanites trying to get "back to the land" or a different lifestyle. Sure, they're internet users, probably college educated, probably white-collar workers, but they want to live in a world where old time values and small local businesses are part of the daily scheme of things. No, they don't always buy at the "little guy", but they want to do just that for items that seem to reflect their desired lifestyle. Those would be things like tractors and other stuff that is expected to last more than a few years and that will need service from time to time. Let the customers know you own the place and that you both WORK there, not just put in your time in the office. You'll be glad you did.

 

[jinman]

The problem is the way I dress.
Do you expect a "tractor salesman" to be in a tie or is it okay if I walk out of the shop in my jeans and t shirt with grease stains a weldin holes in it.

Who was it who said, "My perception IS my reality."?

You are obviously a small dealership if the primary sales and service people are you and your wife. I would say that noboby expects you to be in a suit and tie nor do they expect you to look like you crawled out of a grease pit. It's not a case of extremes, but rather finding a good middle ground.

Maybe a question of you would demonstrate what I'm suggesting. What if I show up at your dealership in a 10 year-old work truck that has been in a few scrapes, and I come up to you in dirty ragged clothes, unshaven, and stick out my filthy hand to shake yours while telling you I'm here to check out what you have for sale? What will you think of me? If I show up in a clown suit, rubber nose, and multicolored hair, will you take me seriously?

I would say that it would go a long way as a dealer to have a nice clean set of coveralls handy to jump into if somebody comes in to look at tractors. Excuse yourself to wash your hands and let them know you value them and their business enough to present yourself well. If you do two jobs, you have to be two persons. Finding a way to make that possible would be important if I were in your shoes.

Thanks for asking. That means you care enough to be concerned.