Buying Advice A dealer looking for your input

[Morgan Kubota]

You guys ( with the exception of maybe one ) are all extreamly insightful. Please dont think I am whining or trying to get you all to feel sorry. I am honestly looking for advice to see if people just dont care about service or if the lessons my father always taught me still apply.

Oh and it was a $600 difference on a $35,000 purchase. I have lost deals before, but this one just hit me hard after the relationship we built.

 

[magicheater]

I have lost deals before, but this one just hit me hard after the relationship we built.

All being true, this would have hurt a bit for me too. How you handle this guy when he comes in for parts/service will be a real test for you, at least it would for me. Relationships/loyalty in this day and age seem to be thinning.
In the end you get what you pay for, hopefully.

 

[TripleR]

You guys ( with the exception of maybe one ) are all extreamly insightful. Please dont think I am whining or trying to get you all to feel sorry. I am honestly looking for advice to see if people just dont care about service or if the lessons my father always taught me still apply.

Oh and it was a $600 difference on a $35,000 purchase. I have lost deals before, but this one just hit me hard after the relationship we built.

I for one appreciate you coming on here and posting regardless of your motives. I deal with Davis Farm Supply and they seem to be the same kind of dealer as you and they have been in business since 1955. They may not be the cheapest; don't know, but for me they offer the best combination of price and service. It occurred to me that I didn't even ask the price on the last two pieces of equipment purchased, I just had them bring it out as I knew the price would be fair.

 

[bp fick]

You guys ( with the exception of maybe one ) are all extreamly insightful. Please dont think I am whining or trying to get you all to feel sorry. I am honestly looking for advice to see if people just dont care about service or if the lessons my father always taught me still apply.

Oh and it was a $600 difference on a $35,000 purchase. I have lost deals before, but this one just hit me hard after the relationship we built.

Morgan, thanks for the additional info.
I wouldn't get too down on that other dealer. Doesn't sound to me like he "dumped" a tractor. I suspect, frankly, there is a whole lot more to this than meets the eye. There likely more to this than you, and certainly we, know.

Just my take, but you had a guy who took up a lot of your time. If accurate, that difference is no big deal, not on a percentage basis. Shrug? People DO care about good service. This was just one of those situations. It happens. There will always be those few people who take up your time, lots of it, and then once armed with the info they get from you, go and do something else. Wouldn't let that color my world view.

 

[PILOON]

I'd be Po's as well for that small difference in price, considering all the time you invested in educating him.
Was the other dealer out of state? did buyer skip taxes?

Had same happen to me years back when I was educating a buyer on a $40,000 autopilot installation.
He proudly announced that he followed my recommendation and had one installed while vacationing in Fla. and wanted me to perform service adjustments under warranty.

The only problem was that he neglected to pay taxes and duties when he came back to Canada! (and my quote was lower without taxes)

It was real quite interesting to see the RCMP put a seizure on his aircraft for tax avoidance.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I'm sorry. Was a bit aggresive and brutal. Don't know what set me off on this one. I'm currently in property rental busines but have been in other businesses over the years. Never the tractor business though and I admit that. Forgive my brutal attack and I will try and do better in the future.

 

[magicheater]

I'm sorry. Was a bit aggresive and brutal. Don't know what set me off on this one. I'm currently in property rental busines but have been in other businesses over the years. Never the tractor business though and I admit that. Forgive my brutal attack and I will try and do better in the future.

JOHNTHOMAS, That was simply honorable.

 

[Jaylegger]

Morgan Kubota,

Though it's counter instinctive to do so, you simply have to suck up this segment of the market. Yeah there's plenty of expletives for this amoral segment of our population but you can still make a few bucks from him. Continue to treat him courteously and as a, rare and valued, potential customer when he undoubtedly will show up at your door for servicing. You'll likely score added sales in attachments and possibly his second tractor purchase.

Treat him otherwise and you are at high risk of reaping the, somewhat contrary to good business, seeds of "bad news travels fast".

 

[Conn]

Morgan Kubota, it sounds to me like you tried your hardest. Had it been me, I would have felt obligated to buy a tractor from you due to the time you spent.

 

[Conn]

You guys ( with the exception of maybe one ) are all extreamly insightful. Please dont think I am whining or trying to get you all to feel sorry. I am honestly looking for advice to see if people just dont care about service or if the lessons my father always taught me still apply.

Oh and it was a $600 difference on a $35,000 purchase. I have lost deals before, but this one just hit me hard after the relationship we built.

600?!?!? 600 dollars difference!?

Yeah, I'd be a but upset too.

I thought we might have been talking about $1000-1500 dollars difference. Or more.

WOW. I'm floored.

 

[crazyal]

600?!?!? 600 dollars difference!?

Yeah, I'd be a but upset too.

I thought we might have been talking about $1000-1500 dollars difference. Or more.

WOW. I'm floored.

If this tractor wasn't for farm use there could have been taxes that also came into play. If it was just $600 I would rather sit on the tractor and look it over at the dealer without any of the pressure of "I just drove all the way here and you're not happy because of that?" attitude.

 

[TigerfaninAR]

Wow 600 dollars!

Its taken a while but I've learned that the ones who take that much of your time aren't the best customer/friends/you name it. I would never have someone at their place of business 3 hours on off hours. I guarentee this person feels they did everything ethically correct and would say "thats just how it goes". Its not that they didn't buy from you its they took that much of your time. If I would have heard the first part of your story I would have bet they didn't buy from you. That's the public. Sure there are "types" of people and one type is the ME type and thats who you dealt with. I bet he wouldn't take 3 minutes off his lunch but would expect you to take 3 hours after close. Some will disagree with this I'm sure. I also believe that you did right and good will come around. Good luck, wish you were in my neck of the woods.:thumbsup:

 

[jimjdb]

You mentioned the relationship you established with this fellow- mayby it became too close and he was reluctant to approach you over the 600 dollars. You may have forgotten a cardinal rule of selling, "always be closing".
This customer went too long without being closed, you have to strike when the iron is hot and after one of you sessions with him you should have sealed the deal-not waited for him to close YOU. People WANT to be sold.
Now, don't become a victim over this one loss and do not become hardened to customers over it. Learn from the incident and don't forget that your mission is to sell product, you became caught up in a personal relationship you assumed you had formed and it cost you money and confidence. Sure , you were treated poorly and many of those posting want to give you a shoulder to lean on because they would never do such a thing- but you need to examine the whole scenario again and use it as a learning experience. The easy way out is to blame the customer for the loss. Good luck!

 

[architect]

Just a question, you stated you were a NE dealer and the guy bought in PA, if he did not live in PA, he might not have paid tax on the out of state purchase, 6 or 7% of $35,000 is
over $2100.00. Same applies to the many members who have purchased out of state from Barlow Equipment.

 

[donn12]

You mentioned the relationship you established with this fellow- mayby it became too close and he was reluctant to approach you over the 600 dollars. You may have forgotten a cardinal rule of selling, "always be closing".
This customer went too long without being closed, you have to strike when the iron is hot and after one of you sessions with him you should have sealed the deal-not waited for him to close YOU. People WANT to be sold.
Now, don't become a victim over this one loss and do not become hardened to customers over it. Learn from the incident and don't forget that your mission is to sell product, you became caught up in a personal relationship you assumed you had formed and it cost you money and confidence. Sure , you were treated poorly and many of those posting want to give you a shoulder to lean on because they would never do such a thing- but you need to examine the whole scenario again and use it as a learning experience. The easy way out is to blame the customer for the loss. Good luck!

I agree 100%. The type of rejection you are dealing with will make you a better salesperson if you dont let it make you negative. The buyer took advantage - but you let him. Next time you think you have made a new friend, remember this and sharpen your teeth a little. What's the line from the movie? It ain't show friends its show business. The other guy was probably more direct and asked for the sale. The funny thing is the buyer might be mad at you because you tried to get an extra $600 out of him!

 

[crazyal]

I would also try to remember that even if you thought you had a good repour with the buyer he may not have felt the same. You or someone else could have turn him off, something about your dealership, or maybe a friend who had something bad to say about you. The thing is you just don't always know.

The next time a guy walks in and points to a Kubota and say's "I'll take that one" and with in minutes it's sold think of it as a balance of the karma scale.

 

[om21braz]

Morgan Kubota,
As others have stated, it sounds to me like you did all you could do for this customer. It's a tough environment, with tough although naive customers. Don't let this one deal get to you, just stick to your principles. Over the long run, you will reap what you sow. Our local dealer was happy to service all brands of tractors for many years, providing a Kubota loaner when the selling dealer would not, being a mechanic/encylopedia of knowledge more than salesman and seeing that most folks are very satisfied in order to be what they are today - good friends to community first and excellent/sucessful tractor dealer second.

 

[kozman]

I sympathize with the way Morgan feels. I would have at least gone back to you to see if you could match my offer from another dealership before buying elsewhere.

With that being said and being new at this, I live in New Engalnd as well (unless NE is Nebraska) and I did go back to the dealer that I talked to a few times. Once I got a quote from a dealership I found in KY, I brought it to my local dealership to see how close they could match it. They would not be able to do anything less than $1,500 away from my other offer. Needless to say, I went with the dealer in KY for that much of a spread.

As for service, where I live, I am sure the service is going to be good at the local dealership, but it is not going to be any different whether you buy it from them or someone else. You are not going to get a discount on service if you buy it locally. Most of the money the local dealers make is on the service of the tractor.

 

[kuboman]

My approach is to ask the dealer for his best deal. He gets one shot at the deal. The best deal gets it. I don't have time to be running back and forth trying to deal one against the other.
If the dealer is not prepared to give me his best deal first time then he loses the deal, quite simple really.

 

[bp fick]

You mentioned the relationship you established with this fellow- mayby it became too close and he was reluctant to approach you over the 600 dollars. You may have forgotten a cardinal rule of selling, "always be closing".
This customer went too long without being closed, you have to strike when the iron is hot and after one of you sessions with him you should have sealed the deal-not waited for him to close YOU. People WANT to be sold.
Now, don't become a victim over this one loss and do not become hardened to customers over it. Learn from the incident and don't forget that your mission is to sell product, you became caught up in a personal relationship you assumed you had formed and it cost you money and confidence. Sure , you were treated poorly and many of those posting want to give you a shoulder to lean on because they would never do such a thing- but you need to examine the whole scenario again and use it as a learning experience. The easy way out is to blame the customer for the loss. Good luck!

If the desire for feedback is genuine, this may be your winning post.