These dealerships

I don't even know where to start with this but I will give it a try. First and foremost this sales game was created and design by the dealership to begin with. Making 100 to 200 per car and not having time for configuration I just don't buy that excuse. I would like to think of a salesman as the expert for the product. All it takes is a computer to conduct your research. Furthermore the dealership should require sales people to spend four hours a month on car configurations. As I have said before I know more about this taco and tundra than most sales people just by being on this forum and the Toyota web site. If this is the typical thinking of a sales person then why do I need you. I should just go straight to Toyota if I could

 

Well I'm not saying it's hard to know the product, I'm saying as a salesperson you're actually better off not knowing it too much. You'll steer people the wrong way, towards things they want and can't afford. The "product experts" rarely last because they don't make any money. When you start telling people about things they can buy but you don't have, how are you going to sell that person a car?

You are the exception to the rule, most people really don't care that much about their car purchase. They want a car they like at a price they like and really just want to get in and out. If the salesperson isn't confident "this one" is the right car for them, it turns them off. They see other options, want to go elsewhere, ect.

I'm just telling you how it really is. Most people don't think the way you are about it.

 

Many are under the misguided understanding that a car salesman represents the car. When in fact, he represents the deal.

 

That is my experience as well. My sales guy calls me with questions. He knows I am on top of the Tacoma. He has to be on top of all the models. Not gonna happen. That said I will help him out because they gave me slam dunk deal when they did not have to. I even tipped him $100. He did not try to snow me and when he didn't know something , he followed my lead. I ordered the truck I wanted exactly. That's what came in. No games. Deal was made before the order was filled.

 

Ok you make a point on some of your comments above. However some of your points just do not sit well with me. A salesman job is to make a customer confident in the product and make the customer feel the sales person knows what he/she is talking about. Case in point I went to a dealership and they had a TRD OR and SR5 on the lot. The sales person came to me and ask me if I needed any help. I ask her what is the difference between the TRD and SR5. She stood their for a second with a blank look on her face then told me I think one of them is a two wheel drive and the other is a 4 wheel drive. WRONG. They were both 4 wheel drives. She then says wait here I will be right back. Moral of the story is sales people need to gain the confidence of the customer. I know of course you are going to have some people who are just looking around but so what. Buying a car is a big financial decision for a lot of folks. Sales people need to understand that as well.

 

I generally find myself always knowing more than what a salesman sells me regardless of product. Mostly because I research my purchases first and I have a smidge of common sense.

 

Good to hear that but most people don't follow that strategy You raised an important point in that you research the product first and hopefully this prevents salespeople from blowing smoke up your azz

 

I agree with you. Do you think that salesmen will get their act together after the buying frenzy subsides? That is, when the backlog ends and inventory becomes plentiful on dealers lots. Competition would come back into the equation, and salesmen would be forced to become 'acquainted' with what they sell.
As an aside, I'm not holding my breath that any of this will happen.

 

Let's hope so. When stock becomes plenty full salespeople attuides will change slightly. I plan on waiting for the 2017. In terms of long term salespeople will always seek edge and use deciption tactics to gain sales. Consumers must continue to educate themselves to limit dishonest practices.

 

I've had lots of assholes around socal.

One hipster lady told us, "this isn't the 90s, you can't order a truck. Toyota trucks are special, they require an addendum to the msrp."

I had a sales manager try to sell us a truck that they didn't have on their lot. Once I pressured them to tell me who had the vehicle, they informed us of the dealer, who I had already spoken to who had already sold the truck. They kept saying it could be 500 miles away... But it was (wasn't) 10 miles up the road.

I had a sales manager pressure me to give him msrp numbers that he didn't know to catch me not knowing what I was talking about. I listed each line by price, and gave him the final msrp. He came back snaking his head because the computer guy gave him the exact numbers I did.

I had a nice salesman tell me the truck had 286hp. He wasn't a douche, though.

Around here, salesman only present the vehicle. If you want to speak about prices, they get papers from the sales managers and the sales managers will come out to talk prices. The sales people never talk prices with you

 

Sales people/Sales managers they are all the same to me. They all work in close harmony