Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant

   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #31  
Two things a salesperson shouldn't be without:

A pen to take notes on what your customer wants and the ability to rattle off a price range. If you're unable to rattle off a price range, then ask your customer what he or she is expecting to pay. Most people are pretty straightforward on that.

At any-rate, I think your sales manager is simple for not allowing you to price things. Think it through: why were you hired? to sell and service customers and their accounts. But if you cannot sell without checking with the manager, the manager is the one selling, not you. That sort of thing is management arrogance. Underlying it all is that management has forgotten that the customer's time, like their own time, is precious, and they are messing around wasting the customer's time with needless middlemen.

The same thing happens in auto dealerships and you know what happens? The manager ends up face to face negotiating the price for the car and when that happens to me, I ask manager why he or she even hires sales people if the manager is not equipping his or her sales people with the skills and knowledge to sell and close on their own. Mr. Manager are you still trying to be the shop's number one salesperson? Really?

Anyway, you're at where you are at, but the day may come when you're the manager and you'll have the power to empower your people. Don't waste that position by having a Monday morning sales meeting and asking everybody how much they think they will sell that week.

Very very good points!. Nothing pixxes me off more than trying to make a deal with a salesman and winding up having to go over the whole thing with the sales manager anyway.. Just trying to wear you out is all they are doing. Not all sales experiences are like this, but so many are.
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #32  
About seven years ago I was working as a commercial construction superintendent, a national equipment rental salesman had stopped by two or three different times to ask for our business.

I needed to get a scissor left that would reach the peak of a roof; so I call him at about 11:15 in the morning and get a voicemail.

I immediately call a guy I know who was second down on the list and tell him what I need. His response was let me check and make sure that goes up to 26 feet. Calls back in about 2 minutes and set says yes it'll work and I can have it to you in about 2 hours. I tell him yes.

About 1:30 p.m. rolls around and I get a call from the first guy asking what he can help me with. My response was not a darn thing if you wanted to help you woulda answered the phone or call back. In this particular situation money really wasn't the issue it was just getting it by the next day.
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #33  
Coming from an automotive sales family I found tractors much different.

It could just be the consumer end of the market is only a small percentage of the overall market... at least this is how a felt when buying my first new tractor.

I do have to say it varies having owned Ford, CAT, Deere and Kubota.

By far the best service I ever receive is from CAT... I'm a nobody with a 25 year old Dozer and they treat me like I'm their most important customer.

The guys in the parts department at Deere commercial are also very good.

My local Ford and Kubota Dealers pulled up stakes and almost everything would need to be ordered even with Kubota distribution an hour away.

As always, know what you want and then the only questions are price and availability...

I do have to say Kubota Corp has treated me very well... and I now have a Dealer a couple of counties over that is very business oriented...

It would seem to an outsider there is always opportunity for a people person that loves the business.

One year Kubota had a display at the country fair that was outstanding and the guys were busy everyday... the owner told me he had sold several tractors to first time buyers... looked for them next year and learned they got out of the homeowner segment all together...
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #34  
Two things a salesperson shouldn't be without:

If you're unable to rattle off a price range, then ask your customer what he or she is expecting to pay. Most people are pretty straightforward on that.

That is the oldest, lamest, sales trick in the book. If I go into any purchase and the salesman asks me what I can afford I simply smile and walk out the door. Sometimes I might even tell them if I have to price their equiptment Ill have to charge them.
You seem like a nice guy Eric and Im not trying to start an argument.
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #35  
Can I get a huge Amen for Eric on this one? :thumbsup:

The comment he quoted above is entirely different from what I'm going to relay now, but they both fit into the same mold....sales people at dealers that just don't get it.

On the morning of Monday 5/5 (this year) I called the dealer that I bought my LS from, and spoke to the head salesman (who handled my LS purchase). I told him that I had a buyer for my LS, and wanted a quote on a new Kioti NX5010 cab, but I needed it fairly quickly because I had to decide if the math was going to work based on the selling price of my LS. He seemed to understand that, and mentioned that there was an almost new DK50SE HSTC in the shop (50hrs or so) getting set up for a front plow, but the seller was considering moving up to something larger. I told him to get a number from the owner along with the number for the NX, and he assured me he'd call back in a day or so.

Late in the afternoon on Friday 5/9 I called the dealer back to see if they had any numbers for me. "Oh, he's left on vacation, what was he working on for you?" <sigh> I explained I was waiting on new tractor pricing. The receptionist said she would try to get a hold of the salesman on his cell. A couple of hours later the owner (his last name is on the sign out front) called to ask what I was interested in. I explained the possible used DK option, but clearly stated I wanted a number on a new NX. He promised to sort it out, invited me to stop by the next day (Sat), and said he'd have numbers for me by Monday morning (5/12).

I'm still waiting on that call 55 days later.

I bought a tractor from these clowns 16mos prior, had all sorts of discussions about things outside of tractors (like bringing in a custom ankle holster for the sales guy to check out), seemed to really hit it off, and they still can't find the time to give me a number? How does anybody stay in business like that?

I should have gotten a clue when I was comparing an LS to a Kioti, and I mentioned how the Kioti had 10"+ more FEL lift height, and they didn't believe me until they looked at the brochures in the rack....seriously, like I'm an idiot and can't read?

On the Saturday I was invited to stop by the clown show, I drove right past their place, and kept going for another hour until I got to Michigan Iron and Equipment. Bob was just as helpful in person as he was on the phone, let me run their new NX around the yard for a few minutes, answered all my questions, and made sure I understood the pricing, as well as option prices before I left.

I still haven't decided what I'm doing, but if I buy a new Kioti, I'm really tempted to drive through the parking lot of the clown show with it on the trailer on my way home from MI&E, and hope I get the chance to point out how they dropped the ball in a big way. I won't ever recommend them to anybody else....ever. If they can't return a call, they can't be trusted to do anything more complicated properly....period.
I am pretty sure I know what Kioti dealership you are talking about.I called them about meeting early on a Saturday morning at 7:30 am since I was on call that day for work starting at 9:00 am.My salesman agreed to meet me there that morning.Now keep in mind I drove 60 min.one way to purchase a tractor with cash in hand.Guess what my salesman never showed up.I waited until 8:00 am for him and left.The good part is when he called our house at 10:00 am that morning and asked where I was.LOL.I told him I was headed to MIE that following Monday to buy my Kioti tractor.
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #36  
Two things a salesperson shouldn't be without:

If you're unable to rattle off a price range, then ask your customer what he or she is expecting to pay. Most people are pretty straightforward on that.

That is the oldest, lamest, sales trick in the book. If I go into any purchase and the salesman asks me what I can afford I simply smile and walk out the door. Sometimes I might even tell them if I have to price their equiptment Ill have to charge them.
You seem like a nice guy Eric and Im not trying to start an argument.

No argument but what is the trick? Devulging what the price you'd be willing to pay? That to me is the old cat and mouse game parrying to see how far the dealer will go as opposed to how much the customer will pay. Everything is so transparent on what things cost now that a customer should have a pretty good idea of what they want to pay as the dealer knows how far they can dip. "What can you sell me this $25,000 item for" the customer asks "$20,000 the dealer replies". "Can you do better than that?" the customer states. "Yes but I don't want to as my profit margin and commission are pretty slim already" If I went to my lowest price of say $19799, the customer will ask the same question. If the dealer said "no I can't", what would you do then? Dealers want to seem accommodating so "no" is a bad word. Either way the customer in this case has been treated fairly. Perception however seems to rule the day so that is where all the trickery comes from on both sides. When I sold trucks, I was as open as i could be however because of the "perception" of car salesman being sleaze balls (and in some cases it is the dealer commanding the sleaze ball tactic) I was still not believed. I almost quit after 6 months because of this because after the truth, I had no where else to go. Let me put this straight, the sales person worked from invoice, the dealer works from what they know is profit. If the factory is giving the dealer additional monies as profit, that is almost never divulged to the sales staff as if it is an unspoken word. It's where the old adage comes from "no one knows what the dealer pays for a car". Dealers hate to get into that money but if it means a quota bonus or they want to steal a deal from a smaller dealership and they have to let go a car a $1000 below invoice, they will. They just won't do it all the time and it might be rarely. Car buying and selling is never an exact science as every situation and timing is different. What a dealership might be willing to do one day, he may not the next for a myriad of reasons as they pertain to "overhead exceptions" Saturn went under even if they stated, "the price you 'll pay is on the window". It seems like a never ending situation and one cannot please everyone. "Mans virtue is written in water, his faults are written in stone".
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #37  
I am pretty sure I know what Kioti dealership you are talking about.I called them about meeting early on a Saturday morning at 7:30 am since I was on call that day for work starting at 9:00 am.My salesman agreed to meet me there that morning.Now keep in mind I drove 60 min.one way to purchase a tractor with cash in hand.Guess what my salesman never showed up.I waited until 8:00 am for him and left.The good part is when he called our house at 10:00 am that morning and asked where I was.LOL.I told him I was headed to MIE that following Monday to buy my Kioti tractor.

Sounds like the same guy for sure!
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #38  
Sounds like the same guy for sure!
Yep,speaking from experience you can,t go wrong with MIE.I bought my 2012 Kioti tractor from them and numerous 3 pt.implements.Every purchase experience was very professional and courteous.
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #39  
No argument but what is the trick? Devulging what the price you'd be willing to pay? That to me is the old cat and mouse game parrying to see how far the dealer will go as opposed to how much the customer will pay. Everything is so transparent on what things cost now that a customer should have a pretty good idea of what they want to pay as the dealer knows how far they can dip. "What can you sell me this $25,000 item for" the customer asks "$20,000 the dealer replies". "Can you do better than that?" the customer states. "Yes but I don't want to as my profit margin and commission are pretty slim already" If I went to my lowest price of say $19799, the customer will ask the same question. If the dealer said "no I can't", what would you do then? Dealers want to seem accommodating so "no" is a bad word. Either way the customer in this case has been treated fairly. Perception however seems to rule the day so that is where all the trickery comes from on both sides. When I sold trucks, I was as open as i could be however because of the "perception" of car salesman being sleaze balls (and in some cases it is the dealer commanding the sleaze ball tactic) I was still not believed. I almost quit after 6 months because of this because after the truth, I had no where else to go. Let me put this straight, the sales person worked from invoice, the dealer works from what they know is profit. If the factory is giving the dealer additional monies as profit, that is almost never divulged to the sales staff as if it is an unspoken word. It's where the old adage comes from "no one knows what the dealer pays for a car". Dealers hate to get into that money but if it means a quota bonus or they want to steal a deal from a smaller dealership and they have to let go a car a $1000 below invoice, they will. They just won't do it all the time and it might be rarely. Car buying and selling is never an exact science as every situation and timing is different. What a dealership might be willing to do one day, he may not the next for a myriad of reasons as they pertain to "overhead exceptions" Saturn went under even if they stated, "the price you 'll pay is on the window". It seems like a never ending situation and one cannot please everyone. "Mans virtue is written in water, his faults are written in stone".

The trick is you tell the salesman your willing to pay say $20,000.00 for a vehicle. The salesmans eyes light up as he proceeds to sell you a vehicle worth $15,000.00 but he says he can put you in the car for $20,000.00 That is one of the oldest tricks salesman use on unsuspecting customers. Never tell a salesman what you as the customer are willing to pay. Its his vehicle he trying to sell. Dosent he know the price?
 
   / Lack of professionalism in Sales: a rant #40  
The trick is you tell the salesman your willing to pay say $20,000.00 for a vehicle. The salesmans eyes light up as he proceeds to sell you a vehicle worth $15,000.00 but he says he can put you in the car for $20,000.00 That is one of the oldest tricks salesman use on unsuspecting customers. Never tell a salesman what you as the customer are willing to pay. Its his vehicle he trying to sell. Dosent he know the price?

For me Hiltz it was the opposite. If a person could spend say the 20K, I'd find them the 23K truck and try to get the price down to where they could be. The other factor is if the customer is going beyond their means after you discover their credit is in the 5 hundreds. I felt an obligation to relate to them not to sell their life for a vehicle. I'm not saying don't keep suspecting as you're suspecting because you may be more correct than not, I do hope however you can "hone in" or "sense" the guy or gal you feel is treating you straight up and be able to enjoy the entire process.
 
 
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