• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

In retail and bored?? Read this

campgottagopee

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
3,771
Points
0
Location
Virgil
I went over this w/ my guys earlier today---no matter what you sell you can relate.


If I hear one more person give another reason why they can't sell cars I am going to punch them in the mouth.

"The banks aren't buying" - Yes they are, just not like they were, so change what you are doing.

"There are less customers looking" - So get out of your office and work the ones you have harder.

"The deals aren't as good" - Says who? Cars have always been expensive and they have always cost more than the customer told you they wanted to pay...so now you are going to start believing the customer?

"We cant lease anymore" - yes you can...there just aren't giveaways that any no talent order-taker could give away, so maybe you should quit and we’ll get a salesperson who can do the job.

Guess what... We sold cars when interest rates were 18%... We sold cars when they would blow up...we sold cars that flipped over...we sold cars in recessions...we sold cars that were uglier than a monkey’s armpit and broke down on delivery...we sold cars from empty showrooms...we sold Yugo's, and Daewoos, and Pinto's, and K-cars for god's sake, and Suburbans when gas was $4 a gallon.

How? Because we SOLD them. We inquired about our customers needs and wants, their budget, their family, their jobs, their travel habits. We made friends and sold the snot out of the right vehicle that met all of their needs. We didn't sell the deal, we made the deal sell. We didn't believe them when they told them the car was too much...because we selected a vehicle that wasn’t too much; and, when they chose a more expensive model...we told them it was more expensive and they would pay more. We sold them on the idea of putting money down so they wouldn't be buried with debt so that cash down wasn't a burden but a benefit - and they always found more money for the car we made them want...because we made them want it...we made them need it...and they loved us for it.

We didn't lie or cheat, we didn't fudge the numbers, and trick them into paying more...we sold the sizzle...and we made money doing it and our customers loved us when we were done. And they told their friends how great we were to do business with.

When I was a salesperson I loved the rain. I loved it because the other salespeople would hide in their office convinced that they were not going to sell anything because nobody was going to come out in the rain. So I stood on the lot under my umbrella and waited, 'cause I knew that if somebody did show up...they were there to buy something.

Today the news media is pumping bad weather into everybody's living room and it is raining bad news. Today I want to be a salesperson again standing in the showroom waiting for the customer who is going to walk in despite everything they have heard because they are looking for someone to say, "its OK to buy," and I would be there in my tie with a warm handshake and a smile ready to make it OK to part with a few thousand dollars...and I would make it fun too.

Yes, it is true that dealers will close. Banks will go under. The car business is changing. This is the time when we will undergo an economic housecleaning. We will see the weak salespeople who survived in this business out of sheer dumb luck find their true place in McDonalds dunking fries. We will see the sales managers who forgot how to sell, and who never knew how to motivate and train professionals, move on to telemarketing gig's or make that career change they have “talked” about for so long.

Good riddance. This business is not for the weak or faint of heart. Here only the strong survive. When all is said and done only the best will be left standing. We will be sipping our coffee, and cashing our big checks, and rolling steel.

I will be here with my umbrella, my tie, a warm handshake and a smile. I say bring it on.
 

drjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
19,290
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn, CT
I went over this w/ my guys earlier today---no matter what you sell you can relate.


If I hear one more person give another reason why they can't sell cars I am going to punch them in the mouth.

"The banks aren't buying" - Yes they are, just not like they were, so change what you are doing.

"There are less customers looking" - So get out of your office and work the ones you have harder.

"The deals aren't as good" - Says who? Cars have always been expensive and they have always cost more than the customer told you they wanted to pay...so now you are going to start believing the customer?

"We cant lease anymore" - yes you can...there just aren't giveaways that any no talent order-taker could give away, so maybe you should quit and we’ll get a salesperson who can do the job.

Guess what... We sold cars when interest rates were 18%... We sold cars when they would blow up...we sold cars that flipped over...we sold cars in recessions...we sold cars that were uglier than a monkey’s armpit and broke down on delivery...we sold cars from empty showrooms...we sold Yugo's, and Daewoos, and Pinto's, and K-cars for god's sake, and Suburbans when gas was $4 a gallon.

How? Because we SOLD them. We inquired about our customers needs and wants, their budget, their family, their jobs, their travel habits. We made friends and sold the snot out of the right vehicle that met all of their needs. We didn't sell the deal, we made the deal sell. We didn't believe them when they told them the car was too much...because we selected a vehicle that wasn’t too much; and, when they chose a more expensive model...we told them it was more expensive and they would pay more. We sold them on the idea of putting money down so they wouldn't be buried with debt so that cash down wasn't a burden but a benefit - and they always found more money for the car we made them want...because we made them want it...we made them need it...and they loved us for it.

We didn't lie or cheat, we didn't fudge the numbers, and trick them into paying more...we sold the sizzle...and we made money doing it and our customers loved us when we were done. And they told their friends how great we were to do business with.

When I was a salesperson I loved the rain. I loved it because the other salespeople would hide in their office convinced that they were not going to sell anything because nobody was going to come out in the rain. So I stood on the lot under my umbrella and waited, 'cause I knew that if somebody did show up...they were there to buy something.

Today the news media is pumping bad weather into everybody's living room and it is raining bad news. Today I want to be a salesperson again standing in the showroom waiting for the customer who is going to walk in despite everything they have heard because they are looking for someone to say, "its OK to buy," and I would be there in my tie with a warm handshake and a smile ready to make it OK to part with a few thousand dollars...and I would make it fun too.

Yes, it is true that dealers will close. Banks will go under. The car business is changing. This is the time when we will undergo an economic housecleaning. We will see the weak salespeople who survived in this business out of sheer dumb luck find their true place in McDonalds dunking fries. We will see the sales managers who forgot how to sell, and who never knew how to motivate and train professionals, move on to telemarketing gig's or make that career change they have “talked” about for so long.

Good riddance. This business is not for the weak or faint of heart. Here only the strong survive. When all is said and done only the best will be left standing. We will be sipping our coffee, and cashing our big checks, and rolling steel.

I will be here with my umbrella, my tie, a warm handshake and a smile. I say bring it on.

Well spoken there camp!
 

bvibert

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
30,394
Points
38
Location
Torrington, CT
My only complaint about my Subi is the damn washer fluid reservoir is tiny. C'mon my old VW Golf could hold more washer fluid.

VW's have ginormous washer fluid tanks. A gallon of washer fluid wasn't enough to completely fill the tanks in my old Golfs.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
28,134
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
My only complaint about my Subi is the damn washer fluid reservoir is tiny. C'mon my old VW Golf could hold more washer fluid.

I have a love / hate relationship with the car. It's a 2004, so not that old and already the gaskets around one of the window is blown and letting water in. There's just a whole host of things with the car that I find 'cheap'. Like no coat hanger in the back seat, so you have to use the O shit handles, which is a pain in the ass. Also no pockets behind the front seats. Both of these 'features' were in my 1982 Honda Accord. Who builds a sedan or wagon in 2004 without the little pop down coat hanger thingy?

It runs like a champ no doubt, but I think Daweo might have nicer interiors.
 

Hawkshot99

Active member
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Messages
4,489
Points
36
Location
Poughkeepsie, NY
I have worked in retail for the past 4 years.

This year the business is having a up year compared to last.

I am not selling as many of the $1000+ pairs of skis, but i am selling lots of gear. People are being more picky on how the spend, but there are still lots of them out there to sell to. you just need to work a little harder for the sale now than in years previous.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
28,134
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
We were going along great until mid-September. October was the first month in five years that my company saw fewer sales than years prior. I'm doing okay, but I have numerous customers that will go out of business in the next three months. In NYC the carnage in the restaurant biz after NYE won't be pretty and I wouldn't be surprised to see stories in papers regarding dozens if not hundreds of restaurants turning off their lights that night and disappearing.

In my biz the worst is yet to come. My only choice is to work harder, so I will reap the rewards when things turn around again.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
28,134
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
Right now I think that's any biz---but I also think/hope we're close to the end of the tunnel.

Hard to tell, we can only hope. I think summer 2010 is a realistic time frame of when the scales will tip towards the majority viewing that the economy is okay again.
 
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
17,569
Points
0
My only complaint about my Subi is the damn washer fluid reservoir is tiny. C'mon my old VW Golf could hold more washer fluid.

My Subie holds a whole gallon of washer fluid and car sales is uber rough right now..newer cars last so much longer so people don't need cars as often and the people who want to swap cars every 3 years are holding onto their cars longer..
 

ccskier

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
646
Points
0
Location
Cape Cod
I went over this w/ my guys earlier today---no matter what you sell you can relate.


If I hear one more person give another reason why they can't sell cars I am going to punch them in the mouth.

"The banks aren't buying" - Yes they are, just not like they were, so change what you are doing.

"There are less customers looking" - So get out of your office and work the ones you have harder.

"The deals aren't as good" - Says who? Cars have always been expensive and they have always cost more than the customer told you they wanted to pay...so now you are going to start believing the customer?

"We cant lease anymore" - yes you can...there just aren't giveaways that any no talent order-taker could give away, so maybe you should quit and we’ll get a salesperson who can do the job.

Guess what... We sold cars when interest rates were 18%... We sold cars when they would blow up...we sold cars that flipped over...we sold cars in recessions...we sold cars that were uglier than a monkey’s armpit and broke down on delivery...we sold cars from empty showrooms...we sold Yugo's, and Daewoos, and Pinto's, and K-cars for god's sake, and Suburbans when gas was $4 a gallon.

How? Because we SOLD them. We inquired about our customers needs and wants, their budget, their family, their jobs, their travel habits. We made friends and sold the snot out of the right vehicle that met all of their needs. We didn't sell the deal, we made the deal sell. We didn't believe them when they told them the car was too much...because we selected a vehicle that wasn’t too much; and, when they chose a more expensive model...we told them it was more expensive and they would pay more. We sold them on the idea of putting money down so they wouldn't be buried with debt so that cash down wasn't a burden but a benefit - and they always found more money for the car we made them want...because we made them want it...we made them need it...and they loved us for it.

We didn't lie or cheat, we didn't fudge the numbers, and trick them into paying more...we sold the sizzle...and we made money doing it and our customers loved us when we were done. And they told their friends how great we were to do business with.

When I was a salesperson I loved the rain. I loved it because the other salespeople would hide in their office convinced that they were not going to sell anything because nobody was going to come out in the rain. So I stood on the lot under my umbrella and waited, 'cause I knew that if somebody did show up...they were there to buy something.

Today the news media is pumping bad weather into everybody's living room and it is raining bad news. Today I want to be a salesperson again standing in the showroom waiting for the customer who is going to walk in despite everything they have heard because they are looking for someone to say, "its OK to buy," and I would be there in my tie with a warm handshake and a smile ready to make it OK to part with a few thousand dollars...and I would make it fun too.

Yes, it is true that dealers will close. Banks will go under. The car business is changing. This is the time when we will undergo an economic housecleaning. We will see the weak salespeople who survived in this business out of sheer dumb luck find their true place in McDonalds dunking fries. We will see the sales managers who forgot how to sell, and who never knew how to motivate and train professionals, move on to telemarketing gig's or make that career change they have “talked” about for so long.

Good riddance. This business is not for the weak or faint of heart. Here only the strong survive. When all is said and done only the best will be left standing. We will be sipping our coffee, and cashing our big checks, and rolling steel.

I will be here with my umbrella, my tie, a warm handshake and a smile. I say bring it on.

Very well said sir. I am surely going to pass this on at the office tomorrow.
 

ccskier

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
646
Points
0
Location
Cape Cod
I have worked in retail for the past 4 years.

This year the business is having a up year compared to last.

I am not selling as many of the $1000+ pairs of skis, but i am selling lots of gear. People are being more picky on how the spend, but there are still lots of them out there to sell to. you just need to work a little harder for the sale now than in years previous.

I am also in the sales world, insurance (don't shoot me). As an agency we are doing very well with sales, but our costs are through the roof this year, cost more to make more. Personally, I am 150% of my goal for the year. Next year is going to suck since they raised the bar by 35%.
 

wa-loaf

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
15,109
Points
48
Location
Mordor
My Subie holds a whole gallon of washer fluid and car sales is uber rough right now..newer cars last so much longer so people don't need cars as often and the people who want to swap cars every 3 years are holding onto their cars longer..

I swear mine is only like 1/2 gallon.
 

campgottagopee

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
3,771
Points
0
Location
Virgil
my buddy has been trying to sell my a FJ for 6 months now. its just not exactly what i want and there really isn't a car on the market that makes me happy. i may just scrap the whole FJ thing and get a used defender.

Your not alone---I've had a usewd FJ for 3 mo's now---guess now we know why they made the list of top ten worst selling cars for 2008---However, I think they're cool:cool:
 
Top