Dealer What Makes a Great Dealer

[JWR]

Know as much or more about your product as the customer does. Years ago when tractor shopping, the Kubota salesman could not answer half of my questions about things I'd already researched.

That is a great point. There is nothing a whole lot more frustrating than a sales person who does not know their product and it soon becomes obvious. You instantly loose trust in that person and rightfully so.

 

[WM75Guy]

That is a great point. There is nothing a whole lot more frustrating than a sales person who does not know their product and it soon becomes obvious. You instantly loose trust in that person and rightfully so.

Along the same line the salesperson needs to be able to convince me to buy based on the merits and cost advantage of their product and dealership, not by badmouthing the competition. I don't want to hear second and third hand stories about how bad XYZ tractors or the other dealers are, I tend to walk away without buying. It is OK to compare specs and features that may or may not be available on comparable models of other brands, i.e. FEL lift capacity or transmission options. I will decide what I need based on cost and what I have planned for using the product.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Along the same line the salesperson needs to be able to convince me to buy based on the merits and cost advantage of their product and dealership, not by badmouthing the competition.

I agree with this statement. Badmouthing happens when a sales person hasn't done their homework to understand how their product and brand is positioned in the market. A good sales person seeks to educate a person's understanding not to shape their opinion. Let the facts speak for themselves.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

And what I see is an angry guy who looks for any tiny flame of dissent and concentrates on anything written in the hopes of fanning iinto some sort of controvery. It wouldn't have mattered what I said or what words I used. You searched until finding something to focus your anger on. I've known people like you all my life. You thrive on dissent. The way you act has nothing to do with either of our ages. It has a lot to do with philosophy & lifestyle.

I'll not take this any farther. Anyone interested can easily follow our conversation in this thread and decide for theirself.
rScotty

I was thinking the same thing about you.

Funny, I suppose.

I will no longer beat this dead horse or interact with you in any way.

Consider yourself blocked.

 

[lpakiz]

I think the most effective action you can take is to to ACKNOWLEDGE your customer ASAP. Even if you are involved with another customer or on the phone, a simple wave of your hand or a nod will suffice to acknowledge your customer. Everyone wants respect, wants to feel he (she) matters. No one enjoys being ignored.
If I were your salesman and saw a potential buyer outside kicking tires, I'd go out, introduce myself, and ask if I could help you. If you are just browsing, it makes it easy for the customer to refuse further interaction. If you really have a question or want a price, better yet. Then I'd say, "if you need more help, come in and ask for (Larry), I'll be around the showroom, or in the second office to the right, (or wherever). Or just ask the first person you see."

Every person in the building would be coached (required!) to make eye contact, greet the customer, even the parts man, the janitor or the bookkeeper and/or the OWNER.

I drive right past my small town auto parts store multiple times per month these days. I used to spend some money there, and they all knew me by name. One day I walked in and the owner was out front discussing politics or weather with a guy. I had to walk right between them. Not a sign that I was there. The owners son came scurrying up from the back, looked me right in the eye, made a hard left and picked up the phone laying on the counter. Not a sign I was even alive. Only the part time high school kid had the sense to say "Hi Larry, we are backed up a bit, be with you in a second", then went back to the guy in front of his counter.

My wife was a receptionist in a medical office. She said EVERYONE got a Hello, a Thanks for coming (or, for your business) and a Goodbye, at minimum.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I think the most effective action you can take is to to ACKNOWLEDGE your customer ASAP. Even if you are involved with another customer or on the phone, a simple wave of your hand or a nod will suffice to acknowledge your customer. Everyone wants respect, wants to feel he (she) matters. No one enjoys being ignored.
If I were your salesman and saw a potential buyer outside kicking tires, I'd go out, introduce myself, and ask if I could help you. If you are just browsing, it makes it easy for the customer to refuse further interaction. If you really have a question or want a price, better yet. Then I'd say, "if you need more help, come in and ask for (Larry), I'll be around the showroom, or in the second office to the right, (or wherever). Or just ask the first person you see."

Every person in the building would be coached (required!) to make eye contact, greet the customer, even the parts man, the janitor or the bookkeeper and/or the OWNER.

I drive right past my small town auto parts store multiple times per month these days. I used to spend some money there, and they all knew me by name. One day I walked in and the owner was out front discussing politics or weather with a guy. I had to walk right between them. Not a sign that I was there. The owners son came scurrying up from the back, looked me right in the eye, made a hard left and picked up the phone laying on the counter. Not a sign I was even alive. Only the part time high school kid had the sense to say "Hi Larry, we are backed up a bit, be with you in a second", then went back to the guy in front of his counter.

My wife was a receptionist in a medical office. She said EVERYONE got a Hello, a Thanks for coming (or, for your business) and a Goodbye, at minimum.

This is not directed at the OP but you would think all this is common sense. However, in the words of Charlie Munger, "what is common sense is actually not that common."

 

[dodge man]

We have a local grocery chain called Hy Vee. It’s a pretty good sized chain but regional to the mid west. They have a good attitude and must drill it into their employees. The workers almost always say hi, good morning, are you finding everything ok or similar greeting. I once was missing a bag of groceries when I got home, mostly meat. I went back and told them and they said go get the items you are missing. I did and they refunded the amount to my credit card. I explained to them I might have been the one who didn’t grab the bag. Didn’t matter I got a refund.

Some of the car dealerships, tractor dealerships need to take note of this type of customer service.

 

[AchingBack]

Simply do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

 

[YanmarFever]

When I had a tractor dealership, I always greeted every customer like I wanted to be treated.

.I always introduced myself and asked for their name.
.If I was with another customer, I offered them bottled Starbucks coffee or water while they waited looking at the brochures.
.All 30 tractors were under cover inside the building, nice & shiny, that's all it would hold.
.The kids had toy tractors to ride on the grass.
.All the tractors had the sale price on them, plus the implements.
.We had free delivery, whether you bought a Yanmar, Branson or Mahindra.
.We repaired only tractors that we sold, that way we had more time for our own customers
.Every buying customer had to go thru tractor safety 101, no matter who you were.
We retired the dealership in 2012

We sold 49 Mahindras alone our first year..


If you want to see a GREAT professional dealership, visit Daves Tractor in Northern Ca.
I have heard nothing but good reports about them. Plus Dave and his crew are nice folks, and they dont play games with the prices.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

When I had a tractor dealership, I always greeted every customer like I wanted to be treated.

.I always introduced myself and asked for their name.
.If I was with another customer, I offered them bottled Starbucks coffee or water while they waited looking at the brochures.
.All 30 tractors were under cover inside the building, nice & shiny, that's all it would hold.
.The kids had toy tractors to ride on the grass.
.All the tractors had the sale price on them, plus the implements.
.We had free delivery, whether you bought a Yanmar, Branson or Mahindra.
.We repaired only tractors that we sold, that way we had more time for our own customers
.Every buying customer had to go thru tractor safety 101, no matter who you were.
We retired the dealership in 2012

We sold 49 Mahindras alone our first year..


If you want to see a GREAT professional dealership, visit Daves Tractor in Northern Ca.
I have heard nothing but good reports about them. Plus Dave and his crew are nice folks, and they dont play games with the prices.

Why did you decide to exit the business?