Comments for Motor Trade Insider

Comment on Car buyers are all individuals by Mark R

Mark R — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:22:57 +0000

Take a Main Dealer exec or sales Manager, put them in the sharp end of retailing on their own site with their own money, buying from Auctions, then sit back and watch it fail nine times out of ten

Comment on Car buyers are all individuals by Raj Singh

Raj Singh — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:48:34 +0000

I was recently sacked by an ‘old school bully slaes manager’ from a Big Japanese Car Franchise as I did not follow his strict sales process. I demonstrated to him by my KPI’s that his ‘robotic’ routine was not working, he could not handle my opinion which frustrated him even more……………….

Comment on The battle for car servicing business hots up by Mark R

Mark R — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:21:16 +0000

Why is our local Land Rover agent so much dearer for a 18,000 mile basic service than the local independent then? both offer the basic service, oil, filters, general check of lights etc with a stamp in the service book at the end, but the main agents wants £80.00 more ! the smoke and mirrors is all theirs?………….

Comment on Car dealers still not prepared to play the “we buy any car” game by Stuart Chalmers

Stuart Chalmers — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:50:20 +0000

Oh, and I almost forgot. Take my worthless heap and give me something for it, make it easy for me to buy from you. Sometimes I only have £1,000 to spend and sometimes I have £10,000 to spend, maybe later £30,000 but you will not get my £10,000 or £30,000 if you do not look after me when I only have £1,000.

I know this is obvious but certainly not all of you.

Comment on Car dealers still not prepared to play the “we buy any car” game by Stuart Chalmers

Stuart Chalmers — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:45:47 +0000

Car dealers are strange breed to us customers. It seems to me that unlike many other businesses you are very short sited. Many of you judge your customers by the immediate financial value of a customer and usually do not encourage loyalty. Nearly every other business type I know see the first sale as the start of a relationship in which they hope much more business from a new customer and their referrals will come. Many customers are suspicious of car dealers as the perception is that there are many cowboys in this trade so speaking for myself we tend to stick to a good dealer or garage we know, better the devil you know! We recently tried a new dealer who gave us very poor service and just re-enforced our cowboy perception.

No doubt many car dealers will complain that there is no loyalty and people just go for the cheapest or keep looking until they find the car they want. To the first point, that is because you do not encourage it and to the second, why don’t you work together a bit more, maybe you do but I/we don’t know that.

It’s the post sale service that makes the difference and what you do when something goes wrong.

Comment on Car dealers still not prepared to play the “we buy any car” game by maximile

maximile — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:11:58 +0000

i dont think the article is aimed at you Mark if anything you will be the beneficiary of the inerta from the main dealer world as you are more personally involved in what you will allow in chop or if you even want to take it in at all and if your average slling price is much lower than at main dealers then you will surely only attract the fodder anyway.In my experience the higher priced and profile the car is, the better quality the trade in is as a result.This is aimed at lazy franchised dealers who have staff who cant be bothered to get off the arses and recognise what an opportunity they have when someone just wants to sell them a similar ca to the ones they sell every day and have an opportunity to sell another one in the proces,alternatively they can buy the same cars they have been offerd by the online buying sites only for more money,why else can so many of these sites by cropping up if it is not profitabe business,and you only need look at the recent survey carried out by what car to see that they ae ip to their old tricks again by offering one price online and then a much lower one when it comes to transaction,yet people STILL sell their cars to them,why? because they at least provide a service and actully get back to enquirys within a week,people use them not neccesarily because they will get the best price but for convenience,and if dealerships dont wake up and smell the coffee they will go bust and very soon.

Comment on The battle for car servicing business hots up by Lee Collins

Lee Collins — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:02:55 +0000

This is exactly my point!!

A main dealer can compete in everyway even from a Glass Cathedral if on the same basis – in otherwords if you take out all the frills and your happy to simple have the work required carried out then the lowest price can be acheived.

I think the low cost Airlines are a good example. The difference is you can’t negotiate with a website and for some reason when it comes down to the purchase of a car or indeed its ongoing maintenance and repair, very very few customers or indeed garages deal with the facts.

Whos kidding who – Its smoke and mirrors gone mad!!

Comment on Car dealers still not prepared to play the “we buy any car” game by Mark R

Mark R — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:09:52 +0000

Yes, you keep making the point that we independents do not want to buy these cars, but have you actually seen what gets offered to us? we positively encourage them to go to W.B.A.C as 99% of everything offered to us is rubbish anyway ! maybe it’s location thing, we are very close to London and as you may be aware most is dented damaged unlooked after tosh, need i say more?…………………………

Comment on The battle for car servicing business hots up by Mark R

Mark R — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:03:44 +0000

Actually i can’t stand Ryanair either, however no matter how they are peceived for many thousands of people they forgive or put up with the service because of that old chestnut again…………………the price ! and let’s not forget their huge profits increased yet again last year, can the bigger, better airlines compete? it’s doubtful…………………

Comment on No surprises as Renault have a rethink by Kev W

Kev W — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:16:52 +0000

I think the French manufacturers relied on patriotic customers to ignore the poor quality of their domestic vehicles for too long, not so long ago no frenchman would buy a foreign car. That never applied here in the UK and finally the years of French manufacturers coming last in quality and ownership surveys has come home to roost, even the french public sector buy “foreign” vehicles. The french have even lost their sense of style; Laguna, latest Scenic, Peugeot 207/307/308 anyone? and so have no redeeming qualities whatever.

All manufacturers insist on expensive “glass palaces” which do nothing but increase costs which in turn have to be passed on to the customer. There is NO MONEY in selling cars anymore, giving away margin to meet weekly sales targets and the internet has seen to that, all profit has to come from parts and service and with such huge overheads main dealers cannot compete with independents. Game over.