Boatshow Salesmen

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Good salesmen facinate me.
If they don't go to work, no one does.
A good boat saleman can sell you the gascap off your boat and you'd feel good about it.
Hard to find a good one.
My dad used to buy new Fords in Ojai, Calif. A really cool wood frame/floor old Ford dealer, still in business today, the old showroom still there since the Model T days.
The salesmen knew everything about everything about Ford products.
No baiters, closers or other dipshits, the salesman handled the entire transaction.
You go in now,, it's Hector, his business card has Carlos name crossed out and his written in, and he has to keep running to someone to find out answers.
The Boatshow produces some ringers too.
The dumbest sales people are from Berts. The biggest liars probably Malibu Boats.
The most disappointing are Advantage.
Most the boat companies seem to have salepeople that know nothing about their line.
The most knowlegable and straight forward seem to be Ebbtide in Corona, among others I'm sure.
Thank god I've never had to sell anything with my business. I've made it on good prices, quality work and word of mouth.
I'd be standing there stepping on my Dick if I had to sell anything to someone.
My uncle had a meat business in Hawaii since WWII. Chudacoff meats. They sold 100% of the non retail meat in Hawaii and Hong Kong. Think about it, thats alot of money.
Check this out:
My Uncle Lou decided to retire, sold the meat company to an outfit that ran a bunch of KFC's, and they decided that if they controlled 100% of the islands meat, why have salesmen?
So they fired all their sales staff, causing the company, in business since WWII, to fold a year later.
If salesmen don't go to work, no one does. It has to be a companies most important asset, and I think a lot of companies, especially boat companies, don't realize it.
[ August 28, 2003, 11:00 PM: Message edited by: Trailer Park Casanova ]

[wildbillg]

how true, how true......
if only more people felt that way.

[Just Tool'n]

Salesmen ( or Saleswomen) are a dying breed!
I need 2-3 good peolple right now!
Willing to get up in the AM, drive a truck around, & talk tools to people who use them to earn there living.
The biggest design flaw our tools have is they do not have a mouth, & they can not talk for themself.

[HighRoller]

The wisest advice I ever got from somebody was kinda like this.The people who deal with your customers will make or break you so pay them more than the market wage.They will work harder and take more care in your business as well as being loyal beyond reproach.BTW,Just Tool'n,you lookin for any reps in the NV/AZ/CA tri-state area?I'm contemplating a career change lately and used to be a race car mechanic..... :D

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Just Tool'n:
The biggest design flaw our tools have is they do not have a mouth, & they can not talk for themself. Now that's a great line.
Even though I have a Air Conditioning business, my uncle told me to go to a Singer Sewing machine sales class.
He said: "If they can keep moving those pieces of crap, they must have a good salesprogram".
My uncle was right, the class helped a lot until I could set up my business trying to dodge selling, and avoid expensive yellow pages ads.

[burbanite]

Some good quotes in this thread.
In my younger day, journeying from NZ to England, (a two year sojourn), I had a six month stop in Perth Australia. Sold commercial vehicles for a Toyota dealership, first sales job and I sucked. :(
Until that is, I realized that no-one on the sales staff knew much about the product. That part was easy for me being the technical type and pretty soon I tossed aside all of the "sales pitch" b.s. and more than quadrupled my units sold through product knowledge, product knowledge, product knowledge. idea

[bratprince]

I own a roofing business now, but my first sales job was selling $2,000 Rainbow Vacuumes, If you can convince someone to buy a product that they can buy at wal-mart for under a 100 bucks, you can sell anything....
Speaking of sales jobs if anyone wants to sell roofs in the San Gabriel Valley I have a an opening fax 626 633 1155

[VillainDave]

bratprince:
I own a roofing business now, but my first sales job was selling $2,000 Rainbow Vacuumes, If you can convince someone to buy a product that they can buy at wal-mart for under a 100 bucks, you can sell anything....
Speaking of sales jobs if anyone wants to sell roofs in the San Gabriel Valley I have a an opening fax 626 633 1155 I had my start with Kiby's and i hated going to houses and showing them how much dirt they still had

[HighRoller]

I can't believe how bad the F#$king economy is right now!!NOT!!!!!!!!2nd quarter economy numbers"surprise" leading economists...that's what you get for underestimating the American people.I've seen 10 job offers just in this thread so how could anyone be unemployed?

[syke-o]

I would have to agree with all the posts in here... :D :D

[Just Tool'n]

The problem is that most people want Entitlements, not a job that they have to work at.
I know that most of the people here have 1 thing in common, Boats!
Boats are a luxuary item, & to buy this luxuary items you need to get out there & bust your ass to make money to buy it.
This is what made america great!

[HighRoller]

All the unemployed peeps want 12-15 bucks an hour for menial skills.I've told everyone the same thing.I've NEVER seen a McDonalds that wasn't hiring.And those temporary agencies are dying for good labor.Unemployed peeps are that way because they haven't found a job that they"want".

[StealBlueZ]

Hey TP Casanova, you write some relly good stories and I for one enjoy reading them. Thanks for breaking up the boring days!

[MagicMtnDan]

The truth is we all sell. Ourselves. If we're good at it we get good jobs, good friends, good income. We sell ourselves when we interview, we sell ourselves with our supervisors and we sell ourselves with most others that we come in contact with.
Sure, many folks would never want to be a professional salesperson but people need to realize that selling oneself is a fact of life and the better one is at it the better life usually is. By the way, having positive self-esteem goes a long way towards selling oneself.
I've been in sales and marketing my entire career and it's disappointing to see salespeople who should be professional and who should know their product fail miserably at both.
Nowadays most buyers of big ticket items know more about them than the salespeople. Thanks to the Internet, manufacturers' and distributors' Web sites and boards like this, buyers have terrific resources from which to draw information. An uninformed salesperson is their own and their employers' biggest problem.
I am happy to provide sales and/or marketing consulting services if anyone is in need. In the meantime I continue to provide my company's prospective customers with very positive, professional service while selling benefits.
Salespeople need to understand that it's all about creating and maintaining a relationship with the customer and trying to get this sale and the one after (almost all sales offer repeat sales opportunities). It's all about the relationship.
People who think they would never want to be a salesperson need to realize this and put some effort into selling themselves. It's a daily occurrence

[TOBTEK]

"You go in now,, it's Hector, his business card has Carlos name crossed out and his written in, and he has to keep running to someone to find out answers."
NOT JUMPING YOU HERE! But do you want to know why Carlos's name is crossed out on that business card? Its beacuse the general public(me and you) can walk into ANY GM/ford/Toyota/honda dealership and buy or lease just about anything on there lot for anywhere from $100.00 to $500.00 over there INVOICE COST. Now take our Mr Carlos, he has a wife and two kids right? The average pay plan for a car salesman is 25% of the gross profit, before they charge what is called a "pack" to the vehicles cost(at our dealership the min pack is $500.00) so, Now at $100.00 over cost and they charged the pack to the deal ole Carlos has a looser deal going righhht(what kind of service do you think your going to get?). So the dealer pays carlos a "minie" which is probably 50-100 dollars. Say Carlos is one hell of a salesperson and sells 20 cars a month (and very,very few do!) thats a whole $2000.00 IF his minie is set at $100.00 BEFORE UNCLE SAM TAKES HIS CUT.... Do you think Carlos is going to stick around for very long, I think not! thats why every time you go into your local average car dealer you never see the same face twice on the lot. Same ole story applies, If you want good service, your going to have to pay for it. Hmmmmm maybe when you talk to the Bayliner or Yamaha boat salesman(had to pic two that not many peep's here have..for anti-flame) you dont get the same treatment and product knowledge you get at say DCB,Howard,Lavey, ect. Exactly the same as comparing talking to your average Yugo salesman to a BMW wink or M.B dealership...all of us "joe consumers" have done this to ourselves at the businesses we visit....IF YOU LET THEM MAKE SOME MONEY, Maybe they can afford to give you the service you are seeking. You in turn will get more and much better service from your salesman if he is making a decent commission. MOST of our customers know this, and dont mind paying whats on the window(if not much more $$ at times on certain models), and in turn we KNOW they dont want excellent service, THEY EXPECT AND DEMAND IT. OK, im done now :D
[ August 28, 2003, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: TOBTEK ]

[Jimmy Jam Jam Jim]

I once was a sales man for a day or too. I done sold high performance parts for your shitter.

[Trailer Park Casanova]

StealBlueZ:
Hey TP Casanova, you write some relly good stories and I for one enjoy reading them. Thanks for breaking up the boring days! Thanks stealBlueZ. :D
I bought our new boat from kid who has a college degree. He sold boats all through college and has ever since.
He owns a home in Canyon lake, buys a new pickup every three years. Doing good for a 29 year old.
His character, bearing and knowledge caught our attention,, and we bought a boat in January.

[HighRoller]

TobTek,very informative rant.By the way,no offense but most of us know that"invoice"is dealer speak for"minimun profit level".If you're going to tell me that ANY business is going to let a 20,000 dollar piece of inventory go out the door for a 100 dollar profit you're crazy.If they do,they deserve what they get.How can it be our fault if the dealer sells it?If a GMC dealer offered to sell me a new pickup tomorrow for 500 bucks,would it be my fault for buying it?The sales manager is supposed to make sure the dealer makes a decent profit on every sale,either through the retail price or financing interest.If he fails to do that,how is it our fault?

[TOBTEK]

HighRoller:
TobTek,very informative rant.By the way,no offense but most of us know that"invoice"is dealer speak for"minimun profit level".If you're going to tell me that ANY business is going to let a 20,000 dollar piece of inventory go out the door for a 100 dollar profit you're crazy.If they do,they deserve what they get.How can it be our fault if the dealer sells it?If a GMC dealer offered to sell me a new pickup tomorrow for 500 bucks,would it be my fault for buying it?The sales manager is supposed to make sure the dealer makes a decent profit on every sale,either through the retail price or financing interest.If he fails to do that,how is it our fault? I knew this would come up very fast....I NEVER SAID that the dealership was only making $100 total...I was speaking of Carlos the salesperson, and the level of service that can be expected from someone putting up with a customer and their needs for a very small commission. Ofcourse everyone knows that MOST car dealers get "holdback" money. Its been awhile, but as I remember was 2-3% of the vehicle's MSRP back in Chevrolet days. Remember Carlos wont see any of that holdback money, finance reserve money (although nobody will see much $ with all the 0% and inexpense money offters that are currently available), advertising co-op money, accessories, ect. I was simply addressing the salespersons lack of knowledge and turnover rate....thats all.
[ August 29, 2003, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: TOBTEK ]

[Just Tool'n]

MagicMtnDan, you are right!
Its about relationship building with your customer, it is also the same when you manage sales people. Break a bound or trust & you can forget about getting the max potential out of that sales person.

[RP]

StealBlueZ:
Hey TP Casanova, you write some relly good stories and I for one enjoy reading them. Thanks for breaking up the boring days! I think he actually just needs a friend to talk about his everyday life expierences with... maybe you can help him wink

[Ziggy]

TOBTEK:
HighRoller:
TobTek,very informative rant.By the way,no offense but most of us know that"invoice"is dealer speak for"minimun profit level".If you're going to tell me that ANY business is going to let a 20,000 dollar piece of inventory go out the door for a 100 dollar profit you're crazy.If they do,they deserve what they get.How can it be our fault if the dealer sells it?If a GMC dealer offered to sell me a new pickup tomorrow for 500 bucks,would it be my fault for buying it?The sales manager is supposed to make sure the dealer makes a decent profit on every sale,either through the retail price or financing interest.If he fails to do that,how is it our fault? I knew this would come up very fast....I NEVER SAID that the dealership was only making $100 total...I was speaking of Carlos the salesperson, and the level of service that can be expected from someone putting up with a customer and their needs for a very small commission. Ofcourse everyone knows that MOST car dealers get "holdback" money. Its been awhile, but as I remember was 2-3% of the vehicle's MSRP back in Chevrolet days. Remember Carlos wont see any of that holdback money, finance reserve money (although nobody will see much $ with all the 0% and inexpense money offters that are currently available), advertising co-op money, accessories, ect. I was simply addressing the salespersons lack of knowledge and turnover rate....thats all. LOL--Hey Toby, easy to get someone up in arms over educated and knowing comments such as yours. Its impossible to to convey our biz to some and others already know better anyhow :rolleyes: .

[TOBTEK]

classic case of....."I WANT IT FOR FREE, AND WITH NORDSTROM SERVICE" cant and doesn't happen often. If you dont MAKE any money on the transaction, you can't afford to give any back. "HE/SHE WHO PAY'S ALL THE MONEY ARE ALLWAYS THE HAPPIEST CUSTOMERS" SOUNDS ODD AND FUNNY, BUT ITS 100% TRUE.

[Irishluck]

TOBTEK:
"You go in now,, it's Hector, his business card has Carlos name crossed out and his written in, and he has to keep running to someone to find out answers."
NOT JUMPING YOU HERE! But do you want to know why Carlos's name is crossed out on that business card? Its beacuse the general public(me and you) can walk into ANY GM/ford/Toyota/honda dealership and buy or lease just about anything on there lot for anywhere from $100.00 to $500.00 over there INVOICE COST. Now take our Mr Carlos, he has a wife and two kids right? The average pay plan for a car salesman is 25% of the gross profit, before they charge what is called a "pack" to the vehicles cost(at our dealership the min pack is $500.00) so, Now at $100.00 over cost and they charged the pack to the deal ole Carlos has a looser deal going righhht(what kind of service do you think your going to get?). So the dealer pays carlos a "minie" which is probably 50-100 dollars. Say Carlos is one hell of a salesperson and sells 20 cars a month (and very,very few do!) thats a whole $2000.00 IF his minie is set at $100.00 BEFORE UNCLE SAM TAKES HIS CUT.... Do you think Carlos is going to stick around for very long, I think not! thats why every time you go into your local average car dealer you never see the same face twice on the lot. Same ole story applies, If you want good service, your going to have to pay for it. Hmmmmm maybe when you talk to the Bayliner or Yamaha boat salesman(had to pic two that not many peep's here have..for anti-flame) you dont get the same treatment and product knowledge you get at say DCB,Howard,Lavey, ect. Exactly the same as comparing talking to your average Yugo salesman to a BMW wink or M.B dealership...all of us "joe consumers" have done this to ourselves at the businesses we visit....IF YOU LET THEM MAKE SOME MONEY, Maybe they can afford to give you the service you are seeking. You in turn will get more and much better service from your salesman if he is making a decent commission. MOST of our customers know this, and dont mind paying whats on the window(if not much more $$ at times on certain models), and in turn we KNOW they dont want excellent service, THEY EXPECT AND DEMAND IT. OK, im done now :D I know all to well what you are talking about. Selling real estate is my profession and it's about as cut throat as it's going to get. People have a big misconception about realtors they think that we are all making millions so they nicle and dime us and basically smash our balls any chance they can get. If I was treated with a little more respect by the sellers and buyers I think I would go a 150% instead of 100% but that's life especially when your a young realtor.

[TOBTEK]

BUT.....I should add, IM A TOTAL MOOCH PAIN IN THE ASS CUSTOMER ASWELL. Just ask dave Hemmingson, he'll tell ya the same. :D

[MagicMtnDan]

Cars and trucks are like toilet paper. In fact, I'd rather sell TP than cars and trucks. Why? Because the buyers can negotiate the price they pay for cars and trucks but you can't do that on toiler paper.
My point is that cars and trucks have been turned into commodities. If the manufacturers don't want them treated that way by the buying public then THEY SHOULDN'T PUT A DEALERSHIP ON EVERY CORNER!
I always know more than the salesmen/women and their managers about the vehicles. What I don't always know is how low they'll drop their price for me although we're able to have a very good idea these days.
I would never want to sell cars or trucks. I'd rather sell something where both the salesperson AND the customer can benefit from a relationship and where the salesperson can deliver some value to the customer while doing the deal. It ain't gonna happen at a car dealership.

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Respecting your right honorable opinions I'd like to add this:
When shopping for my Loaded 2002 GMC 4X4 crew cab, several dealers quoted me $39.600 to $39.900 all saying it was 6 to 9 hundred dollars over invoice.
Finally I walked into a GMC dealer, gave him the same list of options I gave the rest, and the price was $35.300.
My Point;
I believe the actual price the dealers pay for truck and cars is a closer guarded secret than the Norton Bomb sight.
I think the "invoice" is just a piece of paper, and the dealer really paid about 50% less than is printed on the Marony sticker.
Like I said, I respect your opinions,, but a multi million dollar car dealership can't float with margins like those.
No business does,,
http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/picturejokes/11283.gif The last lady car salesperson I delt with.
[ August 29, 2003, 04:53 PM: Message edited by: Trailer Park Casanova ]

[HighRoller]

Here's the reason nobody feels bad about car dealers not making as much money.They make a living by getting the customer to pay the highest price possible.How many times have you haggled with a salesman,him saying that's the lowest price possible.So you walk out and BINGO!!Suddenly the price drops a grand..So now he's a liar,trying to hose you.Nobody except the car company will ever know how much that car costs to make.They make money because it's a big shell game where they try to confuse you and make you believe higher numbers.For every well informed person that cuts a car dealer to the bone with his deal,there are 5 more who paid full boat and got hosed for 5 or 6K extra!!!Then they try to sham you with add-ons and warranties that make them huge profits.