Recently, I worked really hard to get a new car.
I visited five showrooms, handled various makes and models, and argued with various salespeople and their managers.
Deciding on a very good lease, provided by the manufacturer through a special incentive over the Internet, I contacted two dealers I had bought from before to take advantage of the flash offer.
In one case, they didn’t call me until it was too late. In the other, I had to suffer through an unpleasant personality to sign the deal I came for.
At each dealership, operating without pressure, I interacted with inept salespeople, which begs the question:
Why are today’s car dealers so flawed? Also, do lazy, unmotivated, unpressured distributors provide a service to someone based on their ineffectiveness?
The answer to the first question has to be twofold: (1) Inadequate training; and (2) poor management.
But let’s focus on the second question. Are ineffective salespeople providing a valuable service?
Despite what you’ve heard about how much consumers like the no-haggle policies instituted by Saturn dealers, that way of doing business doesn’t make the car-buying process any easier or more enjoyable.
Auto dealers are still mostly commission shops that thrive by racking up profits on deals. And sellers are motivated to sell the most expensive, device-laden rides they can find on the lot, along with high-profit financing.
Still, and this is my point, CUSTOMERS ARE BETTER SERVICED BY CAR SALESMEN WHO EARN COMMISSIONS.
Why? Five reasons come to mind:
(1) Commission salespeople are hungry and pay more attention to shoppers than to people who are guaranteed their next meal and the one after that.
(2) In presenting every accessory and feature under the sun, commission salespeople are thorough. Very few car buyers walk away happy with a disassembled vehicle. Even if they do, they punish themselves for not splurging on automatic climate control, heated seats, cruise control, and other creature comforts. Add another fifty or seventy-five dollars a month to one payment, and they could be driving in style. What does that mean these days, a dinner out?
(3) Commission salespeople tend to be fun, energetic people. Why not award your business to someone who can relate to you and put a smile on your face? People who get paid on the job tend to be stern employees who don’t care if you leave them on a new set of wheels or stick with the old ones.
(4) Commission sellers will have a hard time finding a way to say YES, even if it means giving you more for that trade dog or lowering your commissions. Salaried employees will not invest in giving you a cup of coffee.
(5) Commission sellers are empowered to bargain, which means they can offer you a better deal, if they win it. If you’re willing to spend a little time with them and use a few tricks of the bartering game, you can have a great time, save some money, and drive something you’ll want to rev up for the next 48 or 60 months.
Good customer service is provided by MOTIVATED people. Employed mothers are not.
That’s why commission salespeople deserve our business. After all, they earn it!