Wanna know all about Car Sales?
One of the biggest problems the auto industry (at the retail level) has is a lack of professionalism. Managers that are either idiots or dicators, salespeople that are less than skilled.. But it happens because upper management doesn't want to pay for good people, they expect people to work their assses off, take the blame for everything that goes wrong, and consider sales people, the front line of their dealerships as disposable losers... And then wonder why they have a revolving door and can't attract and retain talent. I don't work in the industry anymore, it just took too much out of me..
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Im never gonna be able to address all the questions but im gonna try and cater to the first handful that commented and then the discussion can go on from there, theres just way to many points, opinions, views, and factors to what goes on in dealerships during the car buying process.
@Rochester: Did i compromsie my ethics during the car sales process and is this why or partly the reason I quit.
To answer this im gonna first tell you a little bit more about me, Im a peoples person always have been for some reason people take a natural liking to me and feel comfortable when I greet them on the lot to buy a new car which is a horrific thought to the majority of people. I used the more laid back subtle approach to selling which worked in my favor alot but also hurt me in some instances. Every person that buys a brand new car gets a new car survey emailed to them with detailed questions about the entire buying process and it goes as far as to inquire about the condition of the dealership the negotiations process the professionality of the sales person EVERYTHING! As one could imagine getting perfect survey scores in a highly volatile car sales enviorment must be near impossible. I was #1 in CSI surveys the entire time at the dealership recieving a perfect score of all 10's from almost every customer out of 120+ with the exception of maybe 2-3 I got 800-900's instead of my routine perfect 1,000's. At Infiniti these surveys are of extreme importance to the dealer his allocation of new cars his ranking in the region and much more. To the salesman it can mean the difference between qualifying for your bonus check getting individual unit spiffs from the factory your standings on the sales floor and more. I always was in the top 3 in units sold but I was always #1 in CSI just because I treated my customers good like I wanted to be treated and I was as honest and transparent as I could possibly be because I cant be any other way. I have a tendancy to go on an on cause theres alot to all this but to try and focus back on your initial question. I did not compromise my ethics to maximise sales I let the big sales come when they did my philosophy always was what goes around come around and that good karma was more important to me than being untrue to myself. Sure the long hours are tough but its the long hours combined with the mental torture of the car sales process the constant cat and mouse game between sales manager and salesman and just all the bull**** that car salesman go through every day with the know it all customers who have a negative attitude of you right off the bat and feel like you and your dealership are so rich that your not entitled to make a fair profit. Its hard to sum it all up or relate unless you have been there. Car sales is a great way to make some fast money but for the long haul its not how I wanted to spend my life. I was lucky enough to be blessed enough to be able to walk away for better opportunities, Car sales can be a great rewarding career, I think it just takes the right person and a abundance of patience and get ready to be mentally abused from all angles and always worry about who your gonna sell a car to next am I gonna hit my bonus this month, this guy skated me this customer is unhappy about this or that its just a endless amount of drama BS blame game and depression. Its not uncommon to work 2 and a half weeks straight at the end of each month, working your days off is encouraged and what you have done is never good enough. Sorry if my posts are sparatic and long but theres just so much to this and im not gonna take the time or effort to proof read or revise but I hope you enjoy some of the info or atleast find it interesting. It just wasnt my thing and I felt like I was gonna either spend my life there and be miserable or I was gonna break out so thats what I did.
@Rochester: Did i compromsie my ethics during the car sales process and is this why or partly the reason I quit.
To answer this im gonna first tell you a little bit more about me, Im a peoples person always have been for some reason people take a natural liking to me and feel comfortable when I greet them on the lot to buy a new car which is a horrific thought to the majority of people. I used the more laid back subtle approach to selling which worked in my favor alot but also hurt me in some instances. Every person that buys a brand new car gets a new car survey emailed to them with detailed questions about the entire buying process and it goes as far as to inquire about the condition of the dealership the negotiations process the professionality of the sales person EVERYTHING! As one could imagine getting perfect survey scores in a highly volatile car sales enviorment must be near impossible. I was #1 in CSI surveys the entire time at the dealership recieving a perfect score of all 10's from almost every customer out of 120+ with the exception of maybe 2-3 I got 800-900's instead of my routine perfect 1,000's. At Infiniti these surveys are of extreme importance to the dealer his allocation of new cars his ranking in the region and much more. To the salesman it can mean the difference between qualifying for your bonus check getting individual unit spiffs from the factory your standings on the sales floor and more. I always was in the top 3 in units sold but I was always #1 in CSI just because I treated my customers good like I wanted to be treated and I was as honest and transparent as I could possibly be because I cant be any other way. I have a tendancy to go on an on cause theres alot to all this but to try and focus back on your initial question. I did not compromise my ethics to maximise sales I let the big sales come when they did my philosophy always was what goes around come around and that good karma was more important to me than being untrue to myself. Sure the long hours are tough but its the long hours combined with the mental torture of the car sales process the constant cat and mouse game between sales manager and salesman and just all the bull**** that car salesman go through every day with the know it all customers who have a negative attitude of you right off the bat and feel like you and your dealership are so rich that your not entitled to make a fair profit. Its hard to sum it all up or relate unless you have been there. Car sales is a great way to make some fast money but for the long haul its not how I wanted to spend my life. I was lucky enough to be blessed enough to be able to walk away for better opportunities, Car sales can be a great rewarding career, I think it just takes the right person and a abundance of patience and get ready to be mentally abused from all angles and always worry about who your gonna sell a car to next am I gonna hit my bonus this month, this guy skated me this customer is unhappy about this or that its just a endless amount of drama BS blame game and depression. Its not uncommon to work 2 and a half weeks straight at the end of each month, working your days off is encouraged and what you have done is never good enough. Sorry if my posts are sparatic and long but theres just so much to this and im not gonna take the time or effort to proof read or revise but I hope you enjoy some of the info or atleast find it interesting. It just wasnt my thing and I felt like I was gonna either spend my life there and be miserable or I was gonna break out so thats what I did.
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From: Melbourne Florida
^^Its refreshing to hear that, and I can feel for the folks that work at Nissan and Chevy wasting there time with 85% credit challenged folks. Atleast at Inf I had some quality customers but the highline has its own challenges such as the fact that alot of our customers dont really need a car they just are thinking about maybe getting a 2nd or 3rd or maybe there dream g37 convertible. The thing is they dont always need the car and they can relate to you that well if you dont give me all the discount I wont buy it and sometimes even if they do buy it and you make your mini commission like you do on most new cars luckily at Inf my minis were $200 we had a decent pay plan. You can do everything right and still get burnt on a survey or badgered by the managers for everything you could have done better and what you maybe didnt do. 
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From: Melbourne Florida
I have sold cars and I have bought cars at dealers, I wish all of you could go work as a car salesman at a Dealership for a year and then come back and post lol! Alot of people dont even have any business going to a dealership with the mindset that they are going in expecting to pay no more than wholesale or private party #'s or that they are gonna trade in there 100,000 mile camry with bald tires and paint swirls and expect top book for there car and a $5,000 discount on a new car. Its called "Retail"
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nice read - thanks for sharing your experience.
reminds me of an article I read awhile back called, "True Confessions of a Car Saleman".
I can only share my experience as a buyer:
when buying my current G37, I walked into the dealership and test drove the car (trading in my 2005 G35 for a used 2009 G37). After the test drive, the salesman left me alone in his office (for what seemed like forever) and returned with his offer. he offered me $1,500 for my car and said my payments would be about $490/month. I asked him what interest rate that was, and he said that he did not know.
I find it very hard to believe that he did NOT know what the terms of the deal. He later came back and said he could lower the rate so that my payment would be $475 a month and stuck out his hand expecting me to shake on the deal.
I said "no dice", as the offer on my car was too low. I indicated to him that another dealership/person offered me $9k for the car. We went back and forth for awhile until his got his manager.
The manager sat down with me, did some typing and kept lowering the interest rate and raising the offer price for my car.
long story shortened, I got him to give me the equivalent of $9k for my car (in my state, you only taxed on the net cost of the car - so if you buy a $20k car and traded in a car worth $5, you only taxed on $15k).... and he also lowered the interest rate to something like 1.9%.
the only thing that I am kicking myself about, is that I failed to better negotiate the purchase price of the newer car (they did offer to lower the price by $500 since I had my other car from them earlier).
so, my question is:
1.) which aspect is most profitable to a dealership: selling a car, the interest rate, add-ons such as warranties, etc.?
2.) a month later, I got a rebate check from them saying that I was over-charged. how did/does this happen? I was certain I looked over the numbers carefully enough
by the way, I always do my homework/research when buying a car as to NOT make an impulse buy. i know that sales men hate me, b/c I refuse to give in to terms that I am not comfortable with, and I actually enjoy battling with them. at the end of the day, its my money, and if I'm going to buy a car, I'm going to have some fun doing it.
reminds me of an article I read awhile back called, "True Confessions of a Car Saleman".
I can only share my experience as a buyer:
when buying my current G37, I walked into the dealership and test drove the car (trading in my 2005 G35 for a used 2009 G37). After the test drive, the salesman left me alone in his office (for what seemed like forever) and returned with his offer. he offered me $1,500 for my car and said my payments would be about $490/month. I asked him what interest rate that was, and he said that he did not know.
I find it very hard to believe that he did NOT know what the terms of the deal. He later came back and said he could lower the rate so that my payment would be $475 a month and stuck out his hand expecting me to shake on the deal.
I said "no dice", as the offer on my car was too low. I indicated to him that another dealership/person offered me $9k for the car. We went back and forth for awhile until his got his manager.
The manager sat down with me, did some typing and kept lowering the interest rate and raising the offer price for my car.
long story shortened, I got him to give me the equivalent of $9k for my car (in my state, you only taxed on the net cost of the car - so if you buy a $20k car and traded in a car worth $5, you only taxed on $15k).... and he also lowered the interest rate to something like 1.9%.
the only thing that I am kicking myself about, is that I failed to better negotiate the purchase price of the newer car (they did offer to lower the price by $500 since I had my other car from them earlier).
so, my question is:
1.) which aspect is most profitable to a dealership: selling a car, the interest rate, add-ons such as warranties, etc.?
2.) a month later, I got a rebate check from them saying that I was over-charged. how did/does this happen? I was certain I looked over the numbers carefully enough
by the way, I always do my homework/research when buying a car as to NOT make an impulse buy. i know that sales men hate me, b/c I refuse to give in to terms that I am not comfortable with, and I actually enjoy battling with them. at the end of the day, its my money, and if I'm going to buy a car, I'm going to have some fun doing it.
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I have been reading this forum for a few months now, and finally have a thread I wanted to post on. A few questions/statements:
1) I have great (or what I would consider great) credit history: Exp & Eq > 750 and Trans > 930. What can I expect from an Infiniti dealer when it comes to financing? I am one of those people that dealers hate b/c I have done my research and will have a bank loan available should IFM not be reasonable. But I have to weigh in the $1000 for using IFM.
2) My local Inf dealership's salesperson kept telling me I didn't know a thing when I pulled out all my paperwork and said that his 20 years of selling cars is all I need to know. Seriously? After he told me my trade-in would only be sold at an auction by them and really low-balled the value, I asked to speak to his manager...it was a 2007 totally loaded (engine and amenities) sedan with 60k miles on it. So for any of you salespersons out there, you should come up with a better game when people are prepared. Oh, and please stop asking "what can I do to get you to drive outta here today in a new car?". Totally insulting.
3) What is seriously a way to gauge your trade in value. I know a few of the salespeople said consumers lie about their cars, but if Edmunds says there are a few cosmetic and/or engine problems, what does that really mean. My v6 engine is perfect (and I mean perfect...never wrecked, oil changes every $3k, regular maintenance, change air filters regularly, etc) but i have scratches and bumps on the front and back bumpers from city living. I even took it to a few body shops to get comparitives on what it would cost a consumer to get it fixed. But every time a dealership looks at it, they wayyyy undervalue it (i mean, not even in the ballpark). I have done my homework at edmunds and kbb and such, yet salespersons always put it at a value where major damage is to both the engine and body. So why does kbb and edmunds and the such say it is worth one thing when dealerships say "well...its based on supply and demand and if we could get that car cheaper at an auction" and such. So it has kinda backfired, since it made me not want to buy the really expensive G Convertible and wait for the 2014's to come out. It also made me realize I qualify for the VPP program. Instead of just being fair, this salesperson went out of the way to use the 4 square and start hitting me up on how much I want my monthly payments instead of talking to me like I am a businessman also...So, how do I find out how much my vehicle is worth so I know where I am being fair in negotiations?
Thanks for listening to me rant...
JB
1) I have great (or what I would consider great) credit history: Exp & Eq > 750 and Trans > 930. What can I expect from an Infiniti dealer when it comes to financing? I am one of those people that dealers hate b/c I have done my research and will have a bank loan available should IFM not be reasonable. But I have to weigh in the $1000 for using IFM.
2) My local Inf dealership's salesperson kept telling me I didn't know a thing when I pulled out all my paperwork and said that his 20 years of selling cars is all I need to know. Seriously? After he told me my trade-in would only be sold at an auction by them and really low-balled the value, I asked to speak to his manager...it was a 2007 totally loaded (engine and amenities) sedan with 60k miles on it. So for any of you salespersons out there, you should come up with a better game when people are prepared. Oh, and please stop asking "what can I do to get you to drive outta here today in a new car?". Totally insulting.
3) What is seriously a way to gauge your trade in value. I know a few of the salespeople said consumers lie about their cars, but if Edmunds says there are a few cosmetic and/or engine problems, what does that really mean. My v6 engine is perfect (and I mean perfect...never wrecked, oil changes every $3k, regular maintenance, change air filters regularly, etc) but i have scratches and bumps on the front and back bumpers from city living. I even took it to a few body shops to get comparitives on what it would cost a consumer to get it fixed. But every time a dealership looks at it, they wayyyy undervalue it (i mean, not even in the ballpark). I have done my homework at edmunds and kbb and such, yet salespersons always put it at a value where major damage is to both the engine and body. So why does kbb and edmunds and the such say it is worth one thing when dealerships say "well...its based on supply and demand and if we could get that car cheaper at an auction" and such. So it has kinda backfired, since it made me not want to buy the really expensive G Convertible and wait for the 2014's to come out. It also made me realize I qualify for the VPP program. Instead of just being fair, this salesperson went out of the way to use the 4 square and start hitting me up on how much I want my monthly payments instead of talking to me like I am a businessman also...So, how do I find out how much my vehicle is worth so I know where I am being fair in negotiations?
Thanks for listening to me rant...
JB
At the end of the day selling cars is a job for some people. It's been a passion for me as well. Not every region in the country has the same vibe, as I did enjoy my years being at Infiniti and being recognized over 50x as top sales consultant, top 5 sales volume consultant, Award of Excellence Finance Manager, and best of all representing the dealers in part of a corporate InfinitiEV insider.
One thing if you ever go into auto sales is learn to love what you sell and one huge thing is be patient.
One thing if you ever go into auto sales is learn to love what you sell and one huge thing is be patient.
How do you get the true money factor the manufacture is offering on leases? When is the best time to buy a new car? Any times of the year/month dealerships are willing to offer better deals?
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Joined: Aug 2011
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From: Blairsville or McDonough, GA
I have been reading this forum for a few months now, and finally have a thread I wanted to post on. A few questions/statements:
1) I have great (or what I would consider great) credit history: Exp & Eq > 750 and Trans > 930. What can I expect from an Infiniti dealer when it comes to financing? I am one of those people that dealers hate b/c I have done my research and will have a bank loan available should IFM not be reasonable. But I have to weigh in the $1000 for using IFM.
2) My local Inf dealership's salesperson kept telling me I didn't know a thing when I pulled out all my paperwork and said that his 20 years of selling cars is all I need to know. Seriously? After he told me my trade-in would only be sold at an auction by them and really low-balled the value, I asked to speak to his manager...it was a 2007 totally loaded (engine and amenities) sedan with 60k miles on it. So for any of you salespersons out there, you should come up with a better game when people are prepared. Oh, and please stop asking "what can I do to get you to drive outta here today in a new car?". Totally insulting.
3) What is seriously a way to gauge your trade in value. I know a few of the salespeople said consumers lie about their cars, but if Edmunds says there are a few cosmetic and/or engine problems, what does that really mean. My v6 engine is perfect (and I mean perfect...never wrecked, oil changes every $3k, regular maintenance, change air filters regularly, etc) but i have scratches and bumps on the front and back bumpers from city living. I even took it to a few body shops to get comparitives on what it would cost a consumer to get it fixed. But every time a dealership looks at it, they wayyyy undervalue it (i mean, not even in the ballpark). I have done my homework at edmunds and kbb and such, yet salespersons always put it at a value where major damage is to both the engine and body. So why does kbb and edmunds and the such say it is worth one thing when dealerships say "well...its based on supply and demand and if we could get that car cheaper at an auction" and such. So it has kinda backfired, since it made me not want to buy the really expensive G Convertible and wait for the 2014's to come out. It also made me realize I qualify for the VPP program. Instead of just being fair, this salesperson went out of the way to use the 4 square and start hitting me up on how much I want my monthly payments instead of talking to me like I am a businessman also...So, how do I find out how much my vehicle is worth so I know where I am being fair in negotiations?
Thanks for listening to me rant...
JB
1) I have great (or what I would consider great) credit history: Exp & Eq > 750 and Trans > 930. What can I expect from an Infiniti dealer when it comes to financing? I am one of those people that dealers hate b/c I have done my research and will have a bank loan available should IFM not be reasonable. But I have to weigh in the $1000 for using IFM.
2) My local Inf dealership's salesperson kept telling me I didn't know a thing when I pulled out all my paperwork and said that his 20 years of selling cars is all I need to know. Seriously? After he told me my trade-in would only be sold at an auction by them and really low-balled the value, I asked to speak to his manager...it was a 2007 totally loaded (engine and amenities) sedan with 60k miles on it. So for any of you salespersons out there, you should come up with a better game when people are prepared. Oh, and please stop asking "what can I do to get you to drive outta here today in a new car?". Totally insulting.
3) What is seriously a way to gauge your trade in value. I know a few of the salespeople said consumers lie about their cars, but if Edmunds says there are a few cosmetic and/or engine problems, what does that really mean. My v6 engine is perfect (and I mean perfect...never wrecked, oil changes every $3k, regular maintenance, change air filters regularly, etc) but i have scratches and bumps on the front and back bumpers from city living. I even took it to a few body shops to get comparitives on what it would cost a consumer to get it fixed. But every time a dealership looks at it, they wayyyy undervalue it (i mean, not even in the ballpark). I have done my homework at edmunds and kbb and such, yet salespersons always put it at a value where major damage is to both the engine and body. So why does kbb and edmunds and the such say it is worth one thing when dealerships say "well...its based on supply and demand and if we could get that car cheaper at an auction" and such. So it has kinda backfired, since it made me not want to buy the really expensive G Convertible and wait for the 2014's to come out. It also made me realize I qualify for the VPP program. Instead of just being fair, this salesperson went out of the way to use the 4 square and start hitting me up on how much I want my monthly payments instead of talking to me like I am a businessman also...So, how do I find out how much my vehicle is worth so I know where I am being fair in negotiations?
Thanks for listening to me rant...
JB
Lets say you have painted wheels like the typical Infiniti and you have curb rash. They will literally sand that curb rash down until its smooth (though it won't be level as they aren't going to use filler, they know you'll never see it on the walk around) and spray that section of the wheel and blend the clear into the existing clear of the area that was still original. All for $75 on average. They do this with the tire on the wheel and a common trick is you mask the tire off by sticking playing cards in between the tire and the wheel.
As far as values, dealers always quote on the lower side of KBB because its the lowest book value available. Other times they will use Black Book which is what the cars are going through the auction at. Assuming your car isn't a pos that needs to be wholesaled, never accept the wholesale Black Book value as this is a retail transaction not a wholesale transaction. If they want to play the wholesale trade value game, tell them you will buy their car for wholesale, which is thousands below the BS invoice in addition to the current months possible factory to dealer cash.
Dealers receive thousands of dollars in incentives on each vehicle for being a single line dealer in addition to reaching certain sales goals. Sure the salesman live off of what they make selling the car over the invoice price but simple economics and accounting tells you a millionaire isn't going to invest in a multimillion dollar property and several million dollars of new car inventory to live off hold back and BS doc fees regardless of how bad the service department gouges you on labor and parts. The math doesn't work out if you put a pen to it especially after you take everyone's commission into consideration. Plus, what millionaire in his right mind would sell many millions of dollars of something over the course of year knowing the public knew what his 'cost' was and demanded that said inventory be sold at cost? It doesn't happen in any other industry in this country yet new car dealers are a dime a dozen.
Something you need to consider as well, sure that service department is full of cars but most is warranty work and manufacturers don't pay $120/hr for dealers to do their warranty work nor do they pay a full 8 book hours on say a head gasket job like you would pay off the street.
Get to know a long time car salesman or better yet a new car sales manager in real life, there's a lot to learn about the industry.