How to make a dealership excellent?

I work for a large family owned dealership group that has been in business for more than forty years. I am a lifetime car guy with thousands of racetrack miles and survived years on two wheelers. Have owned and tinkered with hundreds of vehicles of every type. Own three vintage SAAB convertibles. Am certified to sell three major brands. This means that I have taken training and tested out on every vehicle line in those brands. I work my ass off, treat my guests with respect and earn their business. Putting aside the stereotypical easy shots, what would make a dealership experience excellent for you?

Salespeople that don't play games.

For me, don't play games. The only car I bought new, I dealt with the internet sales person. I said I wanted car X, at Y price. He said he had the car with the options I want, but in a different color. He also countered on the price. It was a fair price, and I agreed to it.

I get there, and the person filling out the paperwork (not the salesperson I dealt with via email) kept trying to tack on anything and everything he could. Then he kept mentioning a price other than what I had negotiated. After I set him straight, it was smooth sailing. I still didn't appreciate what appeared to be a bait and switch tactic.

let a customer actually test drive the freaking cars. dont blow him off or try to upsell him because hes uncertain.

ive gotten that repeatedly over the years. ive asked to drive a couple of different cars on the lot, and just get blown off. if those salesguys had actually worked with me, i would have boughty from the dealership, financed, and paid every payment. instead i used craigslist.

michael

I understand that in a free market you are free to ask whatever price you want and to make as large a profit as you can, but really how much is enough? Keep it simple, sell the customer what they need, if THEY want more fine sell it to them. The hard upsell just annoys me.

A knowledge of what equipment levels are actually available regionally, rather than just the ones on your lot. An honest, "..we don't have one of those here, but I know where one is.." would go a long way (I'm thinking of tracking manual transmissions here. )

And sticking with the process all the way through. Only half-way decent experience I've ever had buying new was with an enthusiast at the VW dealership when I bought my Golf. I loved the GTI, couldn't afford a 16v. Guy told me about the "new" 8v GTIs being built in Mexico to use up all the leftover A2 stock at the factory. Let me drive the demonstrator, I didn't like the color, he told me there were three more that had just been delivered. He took me to the shop & showed me the black one going through the delivery process. I said yes, and said I'd be back the next day to finalize the deal, but I wanted to take the car out because I'd heard so many things about the Puebla plant. He said it would be cool, but the next day was his day off (which I certainly don't begrudge!), but he neglected to tell the woman he'd handed off my contact that I had already decided to buy the car. I arrived with a check and asked for the keys..and she started her sales spiel only about 2min after we had buckled up.

For a car I had pretty much already decided to buy! Seriously pissed me off, but I really wanted the car. Otherwise, I would have walked.

If the guy had been a little more clear to the person he handed off to ("hey, he just wants to see if it's bolted together" or something), it would have been a great experience. As it was, the only great thing about it was that I was actively racing at the time (VWs in SCCA IT), and went to 7/10ths on the street just to shut her up.

Approach me as if I'm a customer regardless of how I look. I'm a 24 year-old that looks 19, yet I've had steady work for 10 years. Today, I stopped by a Toyota/Scion dealership to see if they had any FR-S's in stock. I walked in front of the main building, through the showroom, and around the negotiation cubes, and not a single person asked me if I needed help. All I had was a simple question. I walked straight back out. In contrast, I caught a salesman at the Subaru dealership just as he was leaving work. He was really bummed that no BRZs were in stock, just before getting into his tastefully modified 350Z. Even though he was off the clock, he was polite and honest. This is someone who I would seek out next time I visited the dealership.

I trust a good parts department. For my Focus, I get all of my parts from an out of state dealer over the phone. Why? They are friendly and they know what they're talking about. I called them a few days ago, telling them that I needed to change the timing belt, and he had a quote for everything I needed within about 2 minutes. Parts are almost always in-stock and shipping rates are reasonable. If I was looking for a special Ford model, I would consult this dealer first, even though they're halfway across the country.

Not everyone wants to be treated like a meat wallet bent on destroying ever car on the lot. Don't tell me I don't want something. Know your berkeleying inventory!! And based on the inventory, KNOW THE berkeleyING PRICE!

Straight forward data driven experience

No doc fees, the price is the price is the price

No haggle competitive pricing for the sale and the trade

Straight forward, multiple option financing no need for a F/I manager

Free autocheck/carfax

A copy of the inspection the dealership did and a list of any refurbishing/repairs done by the dealership.

All this in a binder in the car. Not run back and forth.

All of these are good ideas. I like the dealers that dont BS me the whole time. I would rather buy a car from an actual enthusist, than the guy that tells me an 01 Mustang GT will smoke a Vette. I have also been denied test driving a used car because I wasnt serious enough.

My best experience with buying a car was my 350z that I got at a luxury dealership. I thought that being a young guy, I would be ignored, but they all were really helpful and let me take my time driving cars from the Z to an RX-8, Audi TT and a 90's 500sl.

I know I'm rare and this wouldn't work for all customers but striaight up pricing. Let me know what it literally costs you to buy the vehicle, what you will get back, what you overhead and profit are and what my salesman will make. Its a relationship of trust and if you give me truthful information I won't Dick you around your busy too. If I know literally we have $X into this car and selling it to $1.1X keeps the lights on and puts $500 in my salesmans pocket ill say great and gladly pay it and be a happy customer. I just don't like leaving a dealership knowing no matter how good of a deal I think I got that I probably got boned hard. Give me that info and as long as I'm not getting boned you won't either. I get how it works you don't work for nothing so I ain't expect you to.

Having purchased three new vehicles in the last few years, and one used one from dealers...................it'd be cool if the salespeople were car people.

Not just sales.

It's sad when I come onto the lot and know more about the product then the guy making the sale.

Mitchell wrote: Approach me as if I'm a customer regardless of how I look.

Truth. I'm actually missing some teeth. I'm a native Southerner. I have an irrational fear of going to the dentist--my missing teeth are actually because an overzealous dentist ground away at me when I was a teenager to make more money. All that artificial structure fell out when I first got divorced (and paying child support), and couldn't afford to have it repaired. Was thinking about just going to "man up" and get it done (I have actually vomited because of the smell at my daughter's orthodontist), but I got laid off before I could face the fear.

Before I was laid off, I was a professional, making $50K a year. No matter how well I was dressed, nobody took me seriously, once I opened my mouth to speak. (Ed Voyles Honda, I'm looking at you).

Honestly? Shut the berkeley up and listen to what I'm looking for instead of waiting for your turn to speak so you can try and move something you already have on the lot.

Have a parts and service dept with a reputation for excellence or you won't ever get a chance to sell me something. I'll never need to talk to you again after the sale but the service manager and I are going to have a relationship.

Know who your employees are. Do a good background check. Don't hire criminals. Don't be criminals.

I had my identity stolen when I bought a pickup at a dealership. It was not a good time.

In a different note, if you do internet sales, have the people that handle them know what they are selling. When a customer tells you they have to close their shop and drive an hour to your facility to come look at a used vehicle on your lot, have the courtesy to let them know that there are fist sized holes in the floor before they waste 3 hours of their time.

And don't try to tell the customer the dealer ad-on VIN window etching of a 16 year old cargo van (with fist sized holes in the floor) is $200 over the asking price. Seriously, why etch the windows in an old cargo van and tell me I need to pay for that? Why not patch the floor instead? That van is probably still on their lot.

The only positive part of that rusty van experience was the sales guy they gave us was Gill Gunderson from the Simpsons: Seriously, the guy was a living Gill.

I asked three Datsun 510 racers in Chicago who would be a decent Nissan dealer to get parts from. They all suggested a guy in Missouri. All the Nissan dealers in the Chicago area suck? Yes.

Same with Honda parts I go to. I rack up some fast miles and needed some oil filters. Every time I copy the past invoice and hand it to they guy for the part numbers. Price goes up every time.

Give me fair prices at parts. (you know I can get this all on eBay?)

Let people test drive a car if they want. I hope I never actually buy a new car, but I know for sure I would have no interest if I couldnt drive the car first before wasting time talking about it.

I'm a little hard pressed on what value a dealer actually offers. I'd rather be able to order a new car directly from the maker. Outside of recall or warranty work, I won't be hanging out with you in the service area either. And parts, that might be what I'd buy, unless I could get those direct as well.

In about all states dealers are a protected industry and legislated necessary evil that are structured to have an adversarial relationship with the customer. But if I have to deal with you, transparency is the word.

Honesty and respect. That's all. From the technician, to the service writer to the service manager. From the new car porter to the sales manager. People smell B.S. much easier than many folks believe.

I up and left the instant the buffoon pretending to be a salesman said he had to run my offer by the sales manager. If you and your manager don't already know, and agree on the price on all inventory don't waste my time with your games. The other one that drives me out of any dealership is sales people who don't know what they're selling. I KNOW the car is a straight six, yet you keep insisting it's a V6 ! Or worse still, the guys that tell you the car has a V4 ! I won't deal with idiots. If the sales people are idiots I assume the rest of the organization is less than professional and won't go in for service, or parts either.

As most people here have already said:

1.) DON'T LIE!!!! If you haven't got something in stock, don't lie and say "...you can't get that from the factory", in an attempt to get me take what you have (too much of?) in stock.

2.)Know your inventory. I once bought a car at a smallish Ford/Mercury/Lincoln dealer. The owner/saleman was BLIND, but he knew EVERY car and truck in stock and pretty much knew where every vehicle was in relation to his office (example: out the back door and to your right).

3.)Know something about your competition. The newest Honda commercials pretty much spell that out.

4.)MOST importantly, LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER. I bought my last new car in 1989. I was paying cash. YET, the salesperson made me visit the F & I guy, even tho I had already told her I was paying cash. (Maybe she did listen, but was made to run ALL her customers through F & I regardless?)

DrBoost wrote: Honesty and respect. That's all. From the technician, to the service writer to the service manager. From the new car porter to the sales manager. People smell B.S. much easier than many folks believe.

QFT. (longtime dealership employee)

There was a saying: 'the sales dept sells the first car, the service dept sells the rest'. I say 'was' because that has become laughable to some GMs and dealer principals, they will sign up with all those companies (Wynn's, KREX etc I am looking at YOU!) that sell the ridiculous engine flushes etc and then demand that the service advisors sell them if they want to keep their jobs.

To those I say: you need to hear a customer say 'Do you realize how much I have paid over the years to keep up with the dealer recommended service schedule? There is no way I will ever buy another (insert car brand here).' News flash, dumbass: you just lost a customer.

'You can shear a sheep many times, you can only kill him once.'

How to make a dealership excellent? The whole business stinks from the top to the bottom. Only one way I can think of.

1s1fiero:

There seems to be enough in your initial post to indicate you want to do (and are doing) many of the right things, and want to get better.

What would make the dealership experience excellent for me would to avoid the "bait and switch." It has been more than a decade since I personally purchased a vehicle from a dealership, and had already known the salesperson in advance of the purchase. This is just one of many advantages of small town life.

My younger son lives in the Phoenix area, is a college graduate, and has been with his present employer more than a year. Recently, he decided to look into the lease or purchase of a new, performance model of a specific european badge. He did a lot of his inquiring on the internet, and finally made a deal that involved a 3-year lease, with his used vehicle as the down payment. On the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend, he went to the dealership, signed the paperwork including limited power of attorney forms, left his used vehicle, was told by the salesperson that he "was good to go", and drove away in the new vehicle.

The following Tuesday, the dealership's finance manager left him a telephone message stating that he had to come back to the dealership, as the lender did not approve the lease transaction. The purpose of him returning to the dealership was to "get him in a less expensive vehicle" or to obtain a co-singer (e.g., me) for this transaction. Before he returned the finance guy's call, my son telephoned me. I told him to call the finance manager back, and know exactly where you stand before you (and the new car) go back to the lot. He left a message for the finance manager to call him back. To my son's credit, once this transaction appeared to be unraveling, he parked the new car and car-pooled with his fiancee until this was worked out.

That following Saturday, the finance manager, my son, and I had a 3-way telephone conversation. What it essentially boiled down to was that even though he was able to drive off with the new car, and leave his used one, the finance manager said that this was all subject to lender approval, which was withheld. To resolve this, he had to either get a less expensive car, or obtain a suitable co-signer. There was absolutely nothing else in the dealer's inventory that was suitable to him, and I really didn't want to co-sign with people that weren't up front with my son. The conversation concluded with us resolving to return the new car and have his used car returned to him. After washing the car and topping off the gas tank, that same day, my son returned the new car to the dealership, and had his old car returned to him. All the paperwork was voided.

In retrospect, I think the salesman and finance manager knew exactly where this transaction was going when my son took delivery of the new car.

I spoke with the CEO of a local credit union (I serve as a volunteer board member) about this, and he said that this is widespread. He also related that sometimes, the dealer will quickly dispose of the trade-in to further limit the customer's options.

To my antiquated way of thinking, delivery of the vehicle should occur only after all the "i's" are dotted, and the "t's" are crossed.

Jerry

Remove the "dealer" from the name and re brand it as a car broker or reseller. Put forth the image that you (the dealer) are working for me the purchaser.

Most "dealers" where I come from sell things that will get you arrested.