Cost cutting WILL make a customer walk.

[coaster.n3rd]

I had a customer come in today that bought an 07 Aura off of me a little over two years ago. his was one of the first on the lot when the Aura came out. He loved the car and still loves it. His 27 month lease is up and he came to see me for another one. he said he "wanted an 09 no matter 'what the lease cost was'. I ran a payment for him and it was less then he was paying for his old one. He drove the car and said it was too loud and wanted to know why it was louder than his previous 07' model year. When I explained about the deletion of the front windshield triple laminate, he walked away from it.

He had no issue with the deleted chrome strip on the side or the cheap blinker sound. He is going to look at a buick, hopefully they can keep him, but he really liked his Aura. I have a feeling he won't be the last.

[MCGARRETT]

When I explained about the deletion of the front windshield triple laminate, he walked away from it.

The problem was the salesman, he talked himself and the customer out of the sale.


Why did'nt you also tell him it gets bad gas MPG and tell him that he might not be able to get parts or service after GM goes bankrupt?


thats the problem right there, perhaps you are not cut out for car sales?


The right answer would have been to tell him that the 2009 is actually quieter because the added more insulation.

I am sure that with a meter, the difference if any may be 1 or 2 Db.

Customers are stupid and crazy at the same time, they look to the salesman for re-assurance that they are doing the right thing, no matter what.

Are they hiring at the Toyota dealership?

[montrealvue]

He has a point though. Models should NOT be losing features, they should be gaining them at no extra cost. All manufacturers have to add features later in the life cycle to keep sales up. I learned the '09 Saturn Outlook will have a tire inflator instead of a spare tire today. I would never buy a car that doesn't have a spare! Maybe salesmanship could have saved the day but a superior product needs to remain that way if the manufacturer expects it to stay successful.

[davidlane]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

The problem was the salesman, he talked himself and the customer out of the sale.


Why did'nt you also tell him it gets bad gas MPG and tell him that he might not be able to get parts or service after GM goes bankrupt?


thats the problem right there, perhaps you are not cut out for car sales?


The right answer would have been to tell him that the 2009 is actually quieter because the added more insulation.

I am sure that with a meter, the difference if any may be 1 or 2 Db.

Customers are stupid and crazy at the same time, they look to the salesman for re-assurance that they are doing the right thing, no matter what.

Are they hiring at the Toyota dealership?

So the salesman is the "bad guy" for answering a question honestly?

If you're in sales, and I suspect you think you are, you're approach is why most customers/clients and true sales professionals believe people like you are pond scum!!!

You're approach is why most people prefer root canal to buying a car!

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by coaster.n3rd

I had a customer come in today that bought an 07 Aura off of me a little over two years ago. his was one of the first on the lot when the Aura came out. He loved the car and still loves it. His 27 month lease is up and he came to see me for another one. he said he "wanted an 09 no matter 'what the lease cost was'. I ran a payment for him and it was less then he was paying for his old one. He drove the car and said it was too loud and wanted to know why it was louder than his previous 07' model year. When I explained about the deletion of the front windshield triple laminate, he walked away from it.

He had no issue with the deleted chrome strip on the side or the cheap blinker sound. He is going to look at a buick, hopefully they can keep him, but he really liked his Aura. I have a feeling he won't be the last.

Such stupid, stupid decisions on GM's part. The reason they changed the slogan from "A Different Kind of Car Company" is because the HAD to change it. They're not different. They're Pontiac with better sales people.

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

The problem was the salesman, he talked himself and the customer out of the sale.


Why did'nt you also tell him it gets bad gas MPG and tell him that he might not be able to get parts or service after GM goes bankrupt?


thats the problem right there, perhaps you are not cut out for car sales?


The right answer would have been to tell him that the 2009 is actually quieter because the added more insulation.

I am sure that with a meter, the difference if any may be 1 or 2 Db.

Customers are stupid and crazy at the same time, they look to the salesman for re-assurance that they are doing the right thing, no matter what.

Are they hiring at the Toyota dealership?

Originally Posted by montrealvue

He has a point though. Models should NOT be losing features, they should be gaining them at no extra cost. All manufacturers have to add features later in the life cycle to keep sales up. I learned the '09 Saturn Outlook will have a tire inflator instead of a spare tire today. I would never buy a car that doesn't have a spare! Maybe salesmanship could have saved the day but a superior product needs to remain that way if the manufacturer expects it to stay successful.

I agree with montrealvue. It's the manufacturer that's the problem.

Could coaster have saved the sale? Maybe, maybe not. But, I'd buy a car from coaster.n3rd any day of the week. Honesty is always the best policy.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by Buick61

Could coaster have saved the sale? Maybe, maybe not. But, I'd buy a car from coaster.n3rd any day of the week. Honesty is always the best policy.

Agreed. It would mean more to me that a salesman told the truth. I would remember that salesman for future purchases. Hell, it means a lot when I get a salesman that knows the product to that detail!!

[2648562]

Damn, one minute I read the board is behind Wagoner (of course they are), now this. First it was Chrysler rushing to cheapen their newly introduced products, now it's GM. They wonder why they've had only a handful of hits the last decade (most of those they've let wither and/or die). Now they introduce a new product, watch as it misses its sales goals miserably, and instead of improve it, they make it worse. That's something.

BTW, I would much rather buy a car from someone honest and helpful than the other way around.

[roy219]

Has the acoustic interlayer for the side front glass been deleted as well?

[montrealvue]

It makes you wonder what else they cut that you don't know about....... I guess '09 owners will find out after their warranties are up.

[Quickening]

Bean counters still ruling GM. Sigh.

[F14CRAZY]

De-contenting is stupid; another example is the deletion of the glovebox light

[goblue]

I think I'm honestly done with GM. High hopes for vehicles like the new Saabs, Cadillacs, etc. What's becoming readily apparent is GM just is not interested in building cars that exude quality - not reliability - but real quality. They think they can cost cut to victory - when what it really takes is even bigger losses to build better cars than the competition and make desireable products.

[MCGARRETT]

So the salesman is the "bad guy" for answering a question honestly?

Wrong, salesmen sell something, he was there to hold hands with the customer while they complained that the cars "sucks" boo hoo boo hoo, the winshield is different, boo hoo, you dont want this car, bye...they he waived goodbye to his customer and sent him and his money off to the Toyota or Honda dealership.

If you're in sales, and I suspect you think you are, you're approach is why most customers/clients and true sales professionals believe people like you are pond scum!!!

He just gave the customer poor re-affirment...as I said, yes I am in sales, yes I am good at it, yes I make money. I earn my keep.


There is a difference between selling and order taking, and the customer, contrary to what you might have read, is seldom if ever right.

People come into a dealership looking to be sold, they want you to tell them that the decsion that they made is the right one, they want confidence.

You're approach is why most people prefer root canal to buying a car!

Funny though, you usually see a dentist more than a car salesman, and he makes a hell of a lot more money off you on average than a car salesman, but you never ask the denist to show you his invoice, or waste 3 hours of the dentist time and then decide that you need your wife, or that you might want to go see another denist, go ahead and try to "negotiate" with the dentist? Try to take money out of his pocket, see how far that will get you.


P.S, I am also a part time dentist and a free lance gyno.




What will this customer do?

He will buy a noiser, less equipped car from a GM competior, but what is the difference, at another dealership he will run into a salesman, thats the place were he will buy a car.

[spencerb]

Customer Q: "Why is this new Aura noisier than my 07?"

Salesman A: "Saturn will often make minor changes to components in the car from year to year. In the earlier Auras, the windshields were terribly expensive to replace, so the material was changed to reduce your cost should it need replacement if and when you get a chip or crack. Unfortunately, driving noise can be a little more noticeable for a few people. Let's drive the car again on a different route and see if the noise is consistant."

Turn the negative into a positive. If he was looking at the 4-cyl with the 6-speed, you could also mention that the powertrain has been improved for better gas mileage, and the new powertrain may be a cause of added noise. If it was a particularly windy day, mention that as well.

[coaster.n3rd]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

The problem was the salesman, he talked himself and the customer out of the sale.


Why did'nt you also tell him it gets bad gas MPG and tell him that he might not be able to get parts or service after GM goes bankrupt?


thats the problem right there, perhaps you are not cut out for car sales?


The right answer would have been to tell him that the 2009 is actually quieter because the added more insulation.

I am sure that with a meter, the difference if any may be 1 or 2 Db.

Customers are stupid and crazy at the same time, they look to the salesman for re-assurance that they are doing the right thing, no matter what.

Are they hiring at the Toyota dealership?

That customer was sold as soon as he walked out of here in 2006 with his brand new 07 Aura. I had a customer for life in that guy and would have kept him too if it wasn't for the incompetence on GMs part. I'm not and I reapeat NOT going to lie to someone who has sent me referral after referral and bought from me already.

This cutomer is not stupid or crazy. If your customers are like that maybe it is you who is not cut out for car sales. To suggest for a second I didn't explain all the new features of the car to keep him in my showroom shows a lack of knowledge about Saturn's core values on your part. My CSI which has been at 95% or above reflects that about me. I've had one bad survey at the fault of an Ion and a cutomer with severe buyers remorse.

I reassured this customer a million times and I even called him this morning to try and get him to drive the car one more time. The cusotmer knew what he loved about the car. It wasn't leather, the sunroof or the radio, it was the peace he had while driving his 07 and that has been changed for him. He complained about it as soon as he exited from his test drive. His decision was probably made when he left the lot. He asked, i told the truth.