It has been exactly 1 month since my last post.....and those were copy and paste jokes. So what has been going on? Well to tell the truth, I have been consumed with the car buying process!....I wish I could say that I have been busier than ever, but, I would be lying. (side note...sales are happening now that I'm focused on real estate)
So how many of you enjoy the process of purchasing a car? Me, I love it! That is probably why it took me a month to actually buy a car. I enjoy the hunt! I enjoy the meeting of car enthusiasts, I love too negotiate, I like talking cars! in fact it is kind of a let down when I buy. BUT I have to tell 'ya the car salespeople of the world have got to be hurting more so than any other industry!!! You think Realtors have it bad..... car salespeople have'nt a chance!!! I met over 50 salespeople, in more than 30 dealerships, during my hunt. (they all are probably glad to see me finally quit bugging them)
You all probably understand how all those car salesmen jokes, reputation analogies and least admired professions.... how they came too be, believe it!!...ALL TRUE! As a professional salesperson (which I consider myself to be) I was amazed at the level of desperation, unethical behavior, and all around poor quality of salesmanship exhibited by this unruly group. If there was ever a advocate group, or a consumer protection commission, they surely are not watching the car selling industry.
I enjoy this process, I guess it is a "guy" thing, and I could probably write volumes about my treatment and the process of buying a car. ( ALL BAD!!!) I did meet a couple of nice ladies and gentlemen.... nice personalities, good looking, somewhat sincere, and DESPERATE. Boy did it ever show how desperate they were and are!!
I know selling cars is a tough living....and there are good and bad salespeople in any profession, including REALTORS, and selling cars defiantly has to be a tough career choice....IMHO. So what is the moral or the analogy here? I like watching other people do their jobs....whether they are good or not so good at it. I like observing how they look at a prospective customer, or client, it is always a learning process about selling. I know what works and what doesn't work, and my little piece of advice for salespeople is this..... go to Ebay.com and watch how they sell "stuff"
I learned!!..... and I bought a car from California, with free shipping, no test drive, no "lets see if I can get the sales manager to accept this offer" , no haggling, no BS, and no personality conflicts. Credit card down payment, as is, a manufacturers warranty, and LESS than any dealer's price within 500 miles of Wilmington, NC. Did I make a smart decision? Part 2....I receive the car in about a week, I will let you know.
The dealer I purchased my car from sells hundreds a month....from the confines of his house! Ebay.com sells thousands of cars every month....big ticket item! Are homes next? Think about it.
Dick Beals
Hi Dick,
Firstly it's not only a guy thing. My wife just spent 6 months hunting for a new Honda Odyssey Touring with non run flat tires (see she knew what see wanted). We still had to go into every dealership in the area, even the non Honda ones.
We test drove Hyundai Vera Cruz & Santa Fe and a BMW Mini convertible and a Toyota Solara convertible and VW Beetle convertible and 2 Ford Mustang convertibles (because I liked them), a Saturn Vue 2 Honda Odyssey's and Mazda Cx7 and CX9, just in case.
It then came down to the payments, having no car payments we didn't want to have a large one again. So after a lot of financing haggling we manage to get a payment we wanted.
And the car the exact vehicle we wanted had been delivered that morning, 2 hours later we drove home in it.
Three weeks later it's in the dealership having a rather large deer removed from the front of it.
LIFE'S Great!!
The other thing that struck me (and I have blogged about it) was that at least 50% of the car sales people either held a current real estate license or had held one recently.
As for ebay, I have not worked out what they would charge in fees and money transfers but I bet it would not be pretty.
Too funny Dick! When I first met my husband he was a F & I guy at a huge dealership outside of Chicago. After we got married, I had this *brilliant* idea that I wanted to sell cars! Dear Hubby told me to give it a try; I'd always wonder if I didn't. I sold Nissan's for six months - boy, what a learning experience that was! I still love a new car, but do most of my research online and looking on Sunday's before heading into the dealership.
BTW, welcome back! You've been missed!
Dick and Sandy, thanks for sharing your experience. Car is my serious hobby. I even consider selling cars as a serious hobby. Now I should change my mind. I do not want to ruin my reputation.
I am looking to change jobs for being a police officer for many years to selling cars. Any advice for me??? Thanks.