The glaring mistakes of a well-intentioned sales team.

I was excited about buying a nice new car, but like many of your clients, I was dreading the process. As a service advisor trainer who specializes in teaching the differences between selling to women vs. men, I’m in car dealerships all the time. However, since I have limited exposure to the sales departments, I can offer my story as a fresh, and hopefully helpful perspective.

It was raining and 59 degrees in Florida. That’s like a blizzard to you northerners, so this is an indicator that I meant serious business! My financing was prepared, and I was determined to leave the dealership with my shiny new car. I didn’t yet have the exact model picked out, but I had done the research to narrow my choices, and I carried a list of my “must have” features.

First mistake: I was not directed to the right person.

While doing my research, I had contacted several dealerships through their websites. Some of them followed up, but many did not. A nice young man I’ll call “Kevin” responded to my inquiry. I told Kevin what I had in mind, and that I would be coming in Saturday for a test drive. After hearing my list of “must haves,” he assured me he had two of the cars I was looking for on his lot.

Once I arrived at the store, I completely blanked on Kevin’s name. (Cut me some slack here, I’m over f..…never mind!) A salesman approached me, and I let him know I had spoken to someone in internet sales, but couldn’t remember his name. “It doesn’t matter,” he responded, “Those guys get enough leads!”

This new salesman (I’ll call him “Jim,”) made no effort to find out to whom I had spoken. So besides being slightly embarrassed, I was now inconvenienced because I was starting all over again. But still, I was determined to proceed.

Just a few minutes later, Kevin approached me with a defeated look because I didn’t ask for him by name. I wanted to crawI under a rock, I felt so horrible! Should your clients be made to feel this way? Jim probably could have found Kevin with just a little investigating.

Second Mistake: My salesman didn’t listen to my “wants”.

Jim and I had a nice conversation as he started trying to build rapport. He was a very nice man but he was not listening to the clues I was giving him about my needs in a vehicle. Determined to take matters into my own hands, I asked him if we could go out (In the rain) and walk the lot, another huge indicator that I am serious! Instead of leading me to vehicles that fit my list of “must haves,” we wandered aimlessly around the lot while he complained about the weather. Believe me, I knew it was raining and cold!

Finally, we came upon a vehicle that had most of my wish list, but it was missing the leather interior and heated seats. (Yes, you read that right. Heated seats in Florida. What can I say? I like to be warm while the air conditioner is blowing!) Jim assured me that they could change the interior out for me and it would be like new. Really? Change the entire interior? I must have looked like I just fell off the turnip truck! I decided to play along, so we took it for a drive. I drove right past the dealership I intended to visit once this test drive was finished!

Third MistakeMy salesman wasn’t knowledgeable about his inventory.

I have to admit, Jim did a great job on the test drive, pointing out features that I didn’t even know existed. I thought the car was “acceptable” even though it didn’t have all my “must haves,” so I decided it couldn’t hurt to see what I could get for my trade-in just in case I decided to lower my standards. While I was waiting in Jim’s office, another salesman stuck his head in and asked what I was buying. I told him I wasn’t buying because they didn’t have what I was looking for. He asked to see my list of must haves, and then said… are you ready for this?…wait for it…

“WE HAVE THREE OF THOSE ON OUR BACK LOT.”

WHAT? Are you kidding me? Why didn’t Jim lead me to the right car? Wouldn’t he have checked the inventory that morning? Wouldn’t new car availability have been discussed in their morning kick-off meeting? Did they even have a morning meeting? Do you?

Now I have to admit that I appreciate the teamwork of another salesman stepping in to help, but I saw the look on Jim’s face when he realized what had transpired. He suddenly snapped to attention and it took all of five minutes to find my perfect car.

Why had Jim wasted my time on the wrong car? I was very clear about what I wanted. I even had a list! Was the car I test drove just one they needed to get off the lot? I was ticked, but Jim seemed like a nice guy and I am a woman, and you and I both know that (most) women do not like confrontation. So we moved back into the office to see if we could agree to a deal on my car. Don’t miss the lesson there:

Most women will not speak up (to you)
about poor service unless they are pushed to a breaking point.

I didn’t speak up to Jim that day. But you better believe I told all my friends the next day! And now I am telling all of you, so watch out! Besides telling all their friends, women are three times more likely to fill out surveys and write reviews.

Fourth Mistake: My salesman treated me like a close friend instead of like a client.

Once we returned to the office, Jim needed to get all of my information to start negotiations. He was pleasant, but exceptionally casual and would often stop typing to talk. I understand this to a point, (I do training on body language too!) but after 90 minutes I was ready to close the deal and drive off into the thunderstorm. My time is important and I wasn’t there to make a lifelong friend, but a major purchase.

As the process continued Jim made another huge mistake, one that I always address in my service advisor training. He started sharing personal information such as his knee pain, past surgeries, stitches, family issues and the fact that he had been in this business waaaaay too long to which I agreed. I even heard about his over-developed daughter (which included hand gestures) and how he had to “watch that one!” I began to look for hidden cameras because I knew this couldn’t be real! When is this ever appropriate to share with a client, especially a female?

Fifth Mistake: They didn’t offer me refreshments.

Three hours of my day had now passed. At this point, I made an excuse to leave for about 45 minutes to get something to eat and drink as nothing had been offered to me. The heavenly smell of the hot pizza that had been delivered for the sales team had put me over the edge. While I was out, I stopped in another dealership to look at a car I had been considering, but lucky for the first store, I had fallen in love with “my” car in spite of their lack of communication, knowledge, and respect for my time.

Sixth Mistake: The process was way too long.

After my much needed break, I decided I was ready to go back and close this deal. I arrived to find out that there had been computer issues and my paperwork was just getting started. I understand computer glitches happen, but between Jim’s lack of knowledge regarding his inventory, this delay, and a very long clean up, by the time I drove off the lot, it was closing time. I had walked into this dealership over SEVEN hours ago. This is completely unacceptable!

I didn’t write this to complain about our industry. I know we have a lot of great, well-trained professionals. I wrote this article hoping that we can all learn from these mistakes so our clients can enjoy shopping in our stores rather than turning to the internet. I am encouraging managers and dealers at all levels to be aware of how knowledgeable your sales team is regarding their inventory, how well they listen to their clients, how long guests are in your store, and how they’re treated while they’re there.

Sometimes even the best professionals can forget that everyone who comes through our door should be treated with as much respect as a guest in our home, and as someone whose time is valuable. We should be developing our sales team’s hostingability as much as their sales ability because they are both equally important.

One final mistake: My salesman ignored my extended hand because he wanted a hug. UGH!

No one in your dealership should be initiating hugs with your clients. This is a personal gesture and breaks the golden rule of respecting personal space. If the customer reaches out for a hug, then go with it, but otherwise keep it professional.

Why women buy cars from their salesperson

Anne Fleming, president of Women-Drivers.com, offers us the following statistics regarding women’s top 5 reasons for buying a car from their salesperson: 

  1. Trust  52.3%
  2. Being Respectful  52.1%
  3. Likeable  47.8%
  4. Knowledgeable  45.6%
  1. Understanding  40.6%

(Percentages add up to over 100% because reviewers could submit multiple answers.)

Coming in at 34% was the “price of the vehicle.” Clearly, connection and relationship (minus the hugs!) outrank price.

How do you think my dealership stacked up in these areas? The bigger question is: HOW DOES YOURS?

Click here for more articles from sw Service Solutions.

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Comment by Kristopher Hampton on September 6, 2016 at 12:15pm

It is truly amazing what gets missed on the customer service side of perception sometimes. Great read Sally!

Comment by Sally Whitesell on September 3, 2016 at 5:46pm

More great feedback but the hug was not to make up for anything because he had no idea he had done anything wrong!  You made another great point though, as women we always want to give them the benefit of the doubt.   

Comment by Clare Vossen on September 3, 2016 at 2:56pm

Yes, the physicality...I have customers who think it's appropriate to do stuff that's definitely a no-no, and that's a fine-line that I have to be careful with. There's one person who creeps me out to no end and I've been vocal about it to management. He has told everyone else that they are to help this man (I almost said gentleman but he's not). I'm also not a hugger by nature unless I've been friends with people for a very long time. But as for being a salesperson... that was definitely a no-no. The first thing I thought of when he was hugging you was that he was trying to make up for being such a jerk in the first place but it doesn't make it right

Sharing personal information is also wrong...He clearly didn't want to be there. 

Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. If it happened to me, I would have simply told "Jim" that I was going to wait for my original salesperson, end of story. 

I used to work as a manager in a mall store and there have been customers who flat out told other people that they would wait for me, and no, don't help me I want Clare. Even in the middle of a sale they've told me "please take over" and I have. I've no qualms about it. I'm sorry that you didn't get to work with your original guy. Everyone knows one bad sale can turn into a huge fire amongst that customer's friends, like that hair commercial - I told ten friends and they told ten friends and so and and so on.

Comment by Sally Whitesell on September 3, 2016 at 11:41am

Clare, I see this happen in service all of the time.  The man is often greeted first and unless the women steps up she is left out.of the conversation.  I know it isn't intentional but it is something we need to overcome in our industry.  I find it interesting that nobody has commented on the inappropriate physical parts of my story. I think the gestures and hug are worth disusing in some future sales meetings. We still have a lot of work to do in this area.

Comment by Angela Angelovic on September 2, 2016 at 8:51pm

Great story! Besides learning how to improve customer service, I LOL'd several times! Thanks for sharing.

Comment by steven chessin on September 2, 2016 at 4:59pm

Sally - Yes you did an excellent dissection of the good - the bad - and the ugly of this actual sale. You were a far-better customer than they were sellers. 

Comment by Clare Vossen on September 2, 2016 at 3:28pm

At a sales meeting last month - I should preface that I am the only female salesperson where I work - my managers brought up how to sell to women (or reinforced it). I related a story of when, eleven years ago, my husband and I were out looking at cars in Charleston, SC and we were approached by a male sales person. My husband started the conversation, said the car was for me and ... the sales person kept talking to my husband. He didn't even say hello. 

I immediatly told my husband we were done and we left. I explained to him why I stopped the conversation when we were in our car, which we held onto for another two years.

The other salespeople shook their heads when I told them this story. I observe all the time, since I'm brand new at this occupation, and for the most part, and only from what I SEE, the boys are ok.

Comment by Sally Whitesell on September 1, 2016 at 10:48am

I could be a professional mystery shopper because I tend to notice every transgression!  Thank you for giving an even a clearer perspective to my story from the sales side. I will be shopping again real soon and hopefully it will warrant a different kind of article. 

Comment by steven chessin on August 31, 2016 at 11:37pm

Sally - This is why dealers"Mystery Shop".

Your story is a text-book example of what I call "The Fails Process". Just as coins have "heads-and-tails" dealerships have "Sales-and-Fails". This deal succeeded because you were "in the ozone". You were so in love with the car that you overlooked transgressions that usually result in FAIL. You visited another store in the middle of the deal !!  OMG !  That is about the worst FAIL possible except that you didn't buy there. What if you had bought there ?!  Heads-would-have-rolled !! As they should have.  

"Jim probably could have found Kevin with just a little investigating."  Not only did it make you feel terrible  -- but the drama afterwards surely would have been reality TV worthy !  When he said - "It doesn’t matter”. It was "Game-On" ! (deal-skating is grounds for losing the deal for the 1st offense and termination the next)  Then ...  "another salesman stuck his head in and asked what I was buying?" Salesmen do not speak to another salesman's customer except for directions to the restroom.  

I really really love your story  -  I try to get customers' version of why a deal FAILED as clearly as this --- instead of the salesman's twisted version.

Comment by Sally Whitesell on August 31, 2016 at 6:26pm

I completely agree with all of your observations although I wasn't "upped and skated" because I ended up with a great car at a good price.  I simply did not have the time to start all over with another dealership and the next one is over 60 miles away; probably why they get away with such treatment.  I have since found out that this dealership was sold and the new management is much better!  These kind of situations happen because of a lack of training or a leader that does not inspect what they expect. I just couldn't resist sharing the lessons there are to be learned from this experience.  Thanks for reading and sharing Steve!

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