Car Dealerships and Sales Reps from Hell
Disclaimer: I am writing this article based on recent personal experience and fully-understand that there are many outstanding dealerships out there (I bought from one of them). As a marketing professional, I believe that the car-buying experience, like anything else, should be simple and honest. Sale or no sale, buying a car should never leave a customer frustrated and upset, or damage a dealership’s reputation. So here’s how it went…
We've all been there before.
Our once beloved, trusty, and favorite-vehicle-of-all-time starts to break down. For some, the final straw is a transmission gone bad. For others, it’s their third attempt to fix the A/C system. The repair bills and incoveniences add up quickly.
On the flip side, many folks purchase a new car based on safety concerns, as a treat, or to satisfy the needs of a growing family.
No matter the motivation, Americans love buying and driving new cars.
Thanks for the Ride, Old Friend
It was when my previously-indestructible Jeep Cherokee hit 200K miles that it began living in the repair shop. I couldn't keep it off the mechanic’s lifts or in my driveway for an extended period of time.
After too many ride-less weekends and mounting repair bills, I knew it was time to start shopping.
Not to mention, my wife and I have a newborn son and rear car space was quickly becoming a priority.
So, we talked about it, and decided on a new Ford F-150 XLT Supercrew.
It’s a beautiful truck with (4) full-sized doors, tons of space in the back, and all of the power and 4x4 capability that I require for my hobbies (kayaking, drums, etc) and travels (beach trips, etc).
As an added bonus, my wife would be able to put me to work on a variety of HGTV-esque projects with the truck’s ability to haul materials and supplies from Home Depot to our house.
(Yes, I spend more time at Home Depot than at the bar these days.)
So the decision was made, we were buying a new truck!
What we didn't plan on was the pure hell that the car-buying experience would be.
Getting Started, Shopping Around
As most people do, I started the search online — scouring local dealership websites and popular car buying sites. After doing (a ton of) research, I knew exactly what we wanted in terms of options, colors, and the likes.
So, when I sent my information and vehicle preferences to a local dealership, who had many potential trucks available on site, I thought I’d get a quick response with recommendations and available trucks.
Wrong.
Here’s my initial email to a sales rep named “Seth” at the dealership:
Here’s the response that I received:
As you can see, instead of a helpful response geared towards selling me on a vehicle, I received this atrocity. It left me with more questions and a poor taste in my mouth.
What’s worse is that there were no indications, or a secondary follow-up email to suggest that this was an automated response, which would be more understandable.
Either way, it’s very poor marketing fundamentals and it does not make the dealership look good.
I began to wonder…
What happened to the guy named Seth that I emailed?
Did this new “director guy” even read what I wrote?
Why did they ask me for information that I had already provided in an alarmingly-bright red colored font?
And most importantly…
Should I really spend tens of thousands of dollars with a dealership who finds these types of low-information interactions acceptable?
I don’t know about you, but when I’m spending big bucks, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for professionalism and personalized service.
This Ford dealership did not make the cut. I had practically handed them the playbook to convert the sale, and still, they fumbled the ball.
Just find me a matching truck, and sell me on it, fast. Not rocket science.
No Sale.
Driving Forward, Hitting the Car Lots
Next, I drove down the turnpike (with my wife and baby along for the ride) to view some trucks parked on the lawn of a dealership car lot. This time, a sales rep literally started sprinting across the property towards me.
At this point, I distinctively recall having two thoughts:
- This guy is a really dedicated and hard-working salesman.
- This is a crazy person who is going to assault my family and I must defeat him at all costs.
After his Olympic gold-worthy sprint, he greeted me with a firm handshake, and then inexplicably, just stared at me.
I waited for the “how can I help you?” or the “I see you’re looking at trucks today…” line, but it never came. The sales rep just stood around me, fiddling with his cell phone, as if we were playing a game of verbal chicken.
After looking at the window sticker price on a bright red truck, I asked him, “How negotiable are you on the price?” He replied, “Man, just drive to all the dealerships on this road. We already have the best prices. I’m not going to take any lower offers.”
Ok, he’s playing hard ball I thought. I’ve been in sales and marketing for nearly ten years, I would expect nothing less.
I responded with a reasonable offer of three thousand less than the sticker price of a $30K+ truck. I figured he’d counter-offer something higher and we could go from there, as usual.
Nope. He just looked at me like I was crazy with another strange, fierce stare. What was I missing here? Everyone haggles when buying from a dealership. Prices are negotiable. I was not at a haggle-free CarMax.
Even if he was truly unable to haggle on the price (for the first time in the history of the universe), the sales rep’s awkward conversation and somewhat insulting demeanor was enough to make me leave.
No sale.
Finding the Perfect Truck Online
On a third and memorable car-buying attempt, I was confident that I had found “the perfect truck” online.
It was a gorgeous deep blue color, with chrome everywhere, and as a bonus, it had a sunroof too. I could envision my wife and son riding down to the beach with me, cool breeze circulating around us. Happy as can be.
And in promising fashion, I received a quick response to my email from a sales rep, requesting that we schedule a test drive at a convenient time.
I agreed, and we scheduled a Saturday morning appointment to take a spin and learn more.
Saturday morning. Test drive. Making progress!
Excited now.
Not so fast… when I arrived on Saturday, the truck was not there. The sales rep explained that he forgot to mention this particular truck was located at at a lot over 100 miles away. Then, he proceeded to tell me that, “I figured you would find something else and we could make a deal”.
What the hell.
The test-drive was never actually going to happen. He knew it because the truck had never been on his lot in the first place. It was a flat-out lie and bait-and-switch type situation.
No sale.
Side Note: As a marketing professional, one thing was clear to me at this point – many car dealerships don’t know how to sell. It was after my third attempt to find a truck that my sister-in-law told us about her experience purchasing a new Subaru Outback. To her disgust, one of the sales reps at a particular dealership repeatedly called her “sweetie” during the process. This caused her to feel very uncomfortable, insulted, and upset, and she walked out the door in the middle of negotiations as a result.
My situation wasn't unique. It was now clear that many dealerships have critical sales and marketing issues.
So, through the multiple car-buying attempts wrought with deception, awkwardness, and unprofessionalism, I decided to put the entire purchase on hold.
I must have sent over 20 emails and visited half a dozen dealerships before coming to the decision. Not a single attempt generated a transaction or even a positive experience.
I was a reasonable and educated buyer, with cash in hand, and every single dealership lost the sale.
New Plan: Wait for a Deal to Find Me
Throughout my career, I've personally managed direct marketing campaigns for dealerships spanning the country. As such, I know that successful dealerships frequently send out highly-incentivized direct mail offers.
Surely, with a little patience, a truck offer would present itself via the mail. I was confident that, given ample time, local dealerships would target our sprawling suburb. After all, the area is overflowing with attractive car-buyer demographics (families with children, homeowners, decent income levels, etc.)
I’d let the right deal find me this time.
Wrong again.
Despite the fact that every successful dealership I've ever worked with relies heavily on direct mail (nothing outperforms direct mail at the local level), I received only one offer over the course of a month.
Side Note: I’m in my early-thirties, and I rely on the web for everything too, but nothing is more effective than putting offers directly into peoples’ hands. Especially for locally-purchased goods. It’s no wonder that the same cars sit on these local lots for months on end.
Undoubtedly, the web is a great sales and lead generation platform, but it is not an effective form of proactive marketing – with web ads, you still have to wait for prospects to Google or search for your products. Dealerships can not afford to wait and hope for customers to find them online (amidst a vast sea of competitors).
By this point, I honestly would have bought a truck from the first dealer with an offer in my mailbox. Or even a simple phone call from an educated and motivated sales rep would have won me over.
I was dying for a reason to buy. I was frustrated and craved the excitement of a new vehicle. But still nothing. Just more of the thoughtless email and voicemail auto-responses.
FINALLY a Breakthrough…
When all else fails, you can always leave town.
My wife is from a small town near Lynchburg, Virginia. It’s a town of about 2,200 people where everyone knows everyone. Naturally, things are a bit less tech-driven and cut-throat out there, and the people and businesses are generally kind, respectful, and hard-working. It was through word of mouth that I heard about a relatively new dealership which had opened nearby.
Everyone spoke highly of this new dealership, and their online reviews were stellar, but I was jaded and skeptical. Still, people were posting on reviews on Google and Facebook, left and right, about their great experiences. Some folks had even traveled from South Carolina to purchase from them, and they had pictures posted to prove it.
So, I decided to try my luck, and I sent them the exact same email I had used previously.
To my delight, I received the following response:
As I foreshadowed earlier, the first dealership to take the initiative and provide great service was going to make the sale. And this email was exactly what I wanted to see. It came straight from the GM!
I was SOLD based on his sheer competence alone.
Here’s a picture of my wife and I, along with our knowledgeable, friendly, and highly-professional sales rep, right after we made the purchase.
During our visit, we received refreshments and snacks, took a long test drive, and we must have been thanked at least ten times for our business.
To top things off, we met the owner of the company, who sat and chatted with us for about twenty minutes just because he wanted to. He told us about his own marketing struggles, and how much he appreciated the fact that we travelled, and how he is trying to improve and simplify the car buying experience.
It worked.
The End
We could not be happier with our purchase. It’s nice to know that there are still well-run dealerships, with professional-grade sales reps, and really good service out there.
For what it’s worth, the next time you buy a car, make sure the dealership earns your business and that you are proud of your purchase. I will forever be grateful that I did not give in to the pressure or sleazy tactics that some local dealerships use to lure customers into the wrong deals.
Business transactions of all types should be honest and lead to referral business and “good press.” Everyone should win.
Maybe that’s why Carmax is a runaway success despite their above-average price points. They eliminate the sleaze, hassle, and awkwardness from the equation. And to many folks, that’s worth every penny.
Perhaps traditional dealerships can use a similar approach to streamline negotiations, improve communications, and impress prospective customers.
Have you had a similar experience buying or selling a vehicle? Share this article on social media along with your own experience.
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