I’m reposting this from my other blog over at Octane Gossip, as I think it bears relevance to my thoughts on the current state many people in sales will be finding themselves in
I bumped into an old friend last week, as I had to call into a car showroom I used to work in. Of course, they relocated a few years ago to a cool, trendy out-of-town site, lots of smoked glass and chrome and very nice to look at, the perfect shopping experience and surely a great place to be? But when I asked how things were going, while I didnʼt expect it to be roses given the current climate , I was truly surprised by what he had to say. “Iʼm really sick .
” Selling cars today is nothing like it was when you were at it.” I looked around the showroom, trying to find his desk. “Weʼre not allowed desks in the showroom, theyʼre seen as confrontational. Weʼve got sofas and clusters of chairs instead. What with the coffee machines, kidʼs Play Stations and widescreen TVʼs we ʼve less space to display cars here than in the old site”
Christ, feller, no wonder youʼre not making any money…
“Thatʼs not all, we ʼre not allowed to approach customers, we wait in the office until the receptionist calls us, theyʼre seen as more friendly” I can see why. The lovely long legs and black wool dress were truly impressive and no match for my freindʼs middle age spread and greying temples. But it wasnʼt selling cars.
“This jobʼs hard enough, but now, itʼs just about impossible.”
No shit, Sherlock. If youʼve got to stay in the office until called, youʼre not allowed to approach customers and the used car pitch is off limits until called, you stand no chance. My friends no Swiss Toni or vulture looking for the next punter as a victim, heʼs actually a very conscientious, professional bloke who cares about both the people he sells cars to and the company he works for – heʼs been there more than a decade. And yet heʼs desperate.
So who thought all this up? “Itʼs the new ʻRetail Conceptʼ, apparently. I just wish I could get out, but I guess Iʼm too old now …” I was staggered, but on reflection I knew why. Some marketing expert with a degree in something theoretical has pitched this as what people want – comfy, cuddly, touchy , feely car buying thatʼs big on theory and short on real world facts. So is my freind a silver haired dinosaur?
The young trendy marketing-type will doubtless think so, but Iʼve news for them. When the jobʼs on itʼs arse like it is right now and if you walk onto the used car pitch and listen carefully you can actually hear all the stock depreciating and the bank are twitching to grab back your overdraft, you need honest, motivated, hard working and above all, experienced cars salesmen. It ʼs simple mathematics . Your stock is falling in value as never before, Glassʼ Guide is punishing it with a baseball bat, so you daren ʼt let it go over-age , but you canʼt liquidate it, because no-one in the trade is buying, either because they don ʼt want to or they simply canʼt write a cheque for it either . Thatʼs when you need car sales professionals, to get out there and find retail buyers for your stock. Not flat screen TVʼs and comfy sofas.
