Target Markets...

[XFS 70]

I see loads of tales of woe on the forums.

Who are your target markets ?

Im in the process of setting up again with the same target market as previously.

I am only interested in affluent pre family individuals or post family/kids all gone people.

Dont do families, sub-prime, finance, time wasters of any description. Kids are simply not allowed on the premises. Try and avoid local customers to and won’t sell to anyone I know socially.

Rules out the majority of potential buyers I guess, but previously I rarely needed more than one per car.

I am pretty brutal in assessing customers....if I sense a pest, they don’t get further than an email or phone call.

[EPV 631]

1 car? 

[XFS 70]

5 minutes ago, EPV said:

1 car? 

6 to 8  

Selling 4/6 per month on average, mainly 7k plus up to 20k odd

Edited March 26, 2019 by XFS

[Mojo121 229]

30 minutes ago, XFS said:

Kids are simply not allowed on the premises.

That'll work wonders for the friendly car dealer image 

What went wrong last time?

I have certain cars here and I think "little old lady will have that" "1st driver" "maybe someone looking to lug stuff around" ... I'm very very rarely right so I've stopped guessing. I just like easy-going customers that aren't entitled picky arseholes.

[XFS 70]

1 minute ago, Mojo121 said:

That'll work wonders for the friendly car dealer image 

What went wrong last time?

I have certain cars here and I think "little old lady will have that" "1st driver" "maybe someone looking to lug stuff around" ... I'm very very rarely right so I've stopped guessing. I just like easy-going customers that aren't entitled picky arseholes.

Nothing went wrong, just got fed up with the space I had, couldn’t find the right set up, so took some time out in the sun.

Lol...I,m not friendly, I,m a miserable C*nt.

[Rory RSC 596]

Hey @BHM found you a long lost brother  

[Blenheim Car Sales 111]

1 hour ago, XFS said:

Nothing went wrong, just got fed up with the space I had, couldn’t find the right set up, so took some time out in the sun.

Lol...I,m not friendly, I,m a miserable C*nt.

you fit right in here then, welcome  back !!!!!

[SC Derby 259]

Genuinely couldn't care less who buys what or how they pay.

Just try and sell as many as I can each month.

[awc1000 93]

2 hours ago, XFS said:

I see loads of tales of woe on the forums.

Who are your target markets ?

Im in the process of setting up again with the same target market as previously.

I am only interested in affluent pre family individuals or post family/kids all gone people.

Dont do families, sub-prime, finance, time wasters of any description. Kids are simply not allowed on the premises. Try and avoid local customers to and won’t sell to anyone I know socially.

Rules out the majority of potential buyers I guess, but previously I rarely needed more than one per car.

I am pretty brutal in assessing customers....if I sense a pest, they don’t get further than an email or phone call.

sounds like you have already sussed things out, some dealers don't have the luxury of picking customers or not worrying about target markets - or even the way that this job is going regards needing finance commission to make a deal stack up / profitable etc , but like me you sound like you have the luxury of choosing, i don't even think about who my market is, stick to the main priority of this job which is finding the quality stock which affords you to operate in this way and sell at a premium, the price range you mention will as you know attract a more sensible customer anyway, in summary - find the good stuff, ignore the AT price dictatorship, sell at a premium, kick the p/ex hard, choose the the right customer, earn money and enjoy the job, good luck.

[Max Branning 149]

53 minutes ago, SC Derby said:

Genuinely couldn't care less who buys what or how they pay.

Just try and sell as many as I can each month.

Amen

[David Horgan 564]

Cant see how you can choose a target mkt these days myself as every ones online looking at adverts . 

All customers are different , some think they know how it all works , others haven't a clue but if they have the means to pay they are very welcome . 

 

Cant judge a book by it's cover these days either not like a few years ago

, I have had some dodgy looking characters on face value come to view cars , but they are the nicest people ever , some suited and booted types are horrible people , all left after paying though . 

How do you not sell locally , wait till the invoice is filled in and ask them to leave because your too close 

I like all people providing they have the money to spend , not bothered about what they wear or if they are affluent or not . 

We sell in the same price bracket 6k/20k and you get all sorts from every angle of life . Sub prime finance people are getting the norm now too , but they've been to rent some dosh ltd and will pay you debit card /cash / bank transfer .

Regards kids , well "man comes in and likes the car " ,  but wants to bring the wife/ girlfriend back  "it happens " they come back with two kids , at what age are they asked to leave ? 

Might find the new generation are a little different too a few years ago I'm thinking  , we would all like to achieve your ideal sales model buts its really not like that nowdays in my opinion anyway 

 

All the best in your chosen selling model though , hope it works well 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2019 by David Horgan

[justina3 518]

Nothing wrong with target markets, i myself love the newbies as everyone else hates them we swallow them up. 

Offer them a good service when they brake things which is often, and when they have done there first year with the black boxes they come back and upgrade.

So bread and butter for me please nothing sporty nothing fancy c1/107/aygo fiesta / clio punto fox, golf, astra 

You can also fix these with a bread knife and when you sell the same thing day in day out its quite rare to come across a problem you havent seen ten times over, so fixes are cheap and quick. 

Also allows to slightly over pay in the auctions when you have 20 very similar cars its easy to make a tweak here and there buy the odd £100 which makes all the difference when your buying.

Boring ....very but works for us.

 

 

[XFS 70]

7 minutes ago, justina3 said:

Nothing wrong with target markets, i myself love the newbies as everyone else hates them we swallow them up. 

Offer them a good service when they brake things which is often, and when they have done there first year with the black boxes they come back and upgrade.

So bread and butter for me please nothing sporty nothing fancy c1/107/aygo fiesta / clio punto fox, golf, astra 

You can also fix these with a bread knife and when you sell the same thing day in day out its quite rare to come across a problem you havent seen ten times over, so fixes are cheap and quick. 

Also allows to slightly over pay in the auctions when you have 20 very similar cars its easy to make a tweak here and there buy the odd £100 which makes all the difference when your buying.

Boring ....very but works for us.

 

 

That’s a great reply. Interesting to see what works for others. 

 

47 minutes ago, David Horgan said:

 

How do you not sell locally , wait till the invoice is filled in and ask them to leave because your too close 

I like all people providing they have the money to spend , not bothered about what they wear or if they are affluent or not . 

Regards kids , well "man comes in and likes the car " ,  but wants to bring the wife/ girlfriend back  "it happens " they come back with two kids , at what age are they asked to leave ? 

All the best in your chosen selling model though , hope it works well 

 

Deposited appointments only. No walk ins or unappointed people.

I am maybe exaggerating a little, but I tend to avoid selling to neighbours/people in the same Village or anyone I known.

I say outright, please be aware, my place is not child safe or child friendly.

 

 

 

[Nick M.K. 574]

1 hour ago, David Horgan said:

Cant see how you can choose a target mkt these days myself as every ones online looking at adverts . 

+1. 

I know what my ideal customer looks like. 

Looks like a person that is not on Pistonheads, has done their homework, knows the car better than me, read my reviews, is prepared to pay my advertised price and generally feels happy to buy from me. If he has a wife, if he has kids, if he is wearing trainers, if he needs picking up from Heathrow: so be it. 

[SC Derby 259]

We need an explanation of how you can possibly choose not to/avoid selling locally? 

[Dealer 54]

5 hours ago, Mojo121 said:

That'll work wonders for the friendly car dealer image 

What went wrong last time?

I have certain cars here and I think "little old lady will have that" "1st driver" "maybe someone looking to lug stuff around" ... I'm very very rarely right so I've stopped guessing. I just like easy-going customers that aren't entitled picky arseholes.

I do this and then the opposite happens........ I know eff all!

I too hate the picky ones with ideas way above their budgets! 

[trade vet 703]

Hi XFS

You are clearly a hardened pro and not an amateur as I mistakenly thought with your first post a couple of weeks ago.I have to admit I was discouraged from putting up a ‘no free range kids notice’ in our warehouse years ago.

Sounds like you may be offering a ‘Basil Fawlty like’ customer service ,if it works who are we to criticise.

[Rory RSC 596]

Very sensible post from David Horgan as ever.

As long as people are not complete pricks I don’t mind selling them a car. 

I remind them of this if they start getting a bit funny if anything ever needs fixing.

Nice polite people do well from us and get the best service by far.

[Tony911 79]

Customers all ages, local or from the moon, colour, age, race, family, no family, who cares a punter is a punter if they are buying we are supplying. Only the ones that get fucked straight off are the last price tossers

[TangoVictor32 90]

Choosing your customer type is relatively easy but you cannot choose if they're local or not.

Sell the cars that attract a certain group. A jag would attract a 40/50+ year old chap and not a 25 year old trackies chav who will prefer an ST. On other hand only a handful of 40/50+ year olds will want an ST unless they're the you know old chav types.

[BHM 994]

14 hours ago, Rory RSC said:

Hey @BHM found you a long lost brother  

Christ Rory, he’s worse than me! Even I couldn’t ‘ban’ all of those punters

Tbh I attract lots of imbeciles, dreamers, tyrekickers & messers - at least when I feel my blood pressure going through the roof I know I’m still alive! 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

17 hours ago, XFS said:

I see loads of tales of woe on the forums.

Who are your target markets ?

Im in the process of setting up again with the same target market as previously.

I am only interested in affluent pre family individuals or post family/kids all gone people.

Dont do families, sub-prime, finance, time wasters of any description. Kids are simply not allowed on the premises. Try and avoid local customers to and won’t sell to anyone I know socially.

Rules out the majority of potential buyers I guess, but previously I rarely needed more than one per car.

I am pretty brutal in assessing customers....if I sense a pest, they don’t get further than an email or phone call.

It’s your baby, it your life, you work how you want to and bollox to anyone who tells you different.

You sound like a mirror image of me, a man off my own back. 

Best of luck to you. 

14 hours ago, awc1000 said:

but like me you sound like you have the luxury of choosing, stick to the main priority of this job which is finding the quality stock which affords you to operate in this way and sell at a premium, the price range you mention will as you know attract a more sensible customer anyway, in summary - find the good stuff, ignore the AT price dictatorship, sell at a premium, kick the p/ex hard, choose the the right customer, earn money and enjoy the job, good luck.

Bang on

[XFS 70]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess not relying totally on this for my income, means I do have the luxury of not being under pressure to sell, which is essential if you want to pick and choose your customers I guess. Although having said this, I found previously failing to make a profit on a car really hurts and I don’t really remember the cars I made a big profit on, but I do remember very well the Porsch I lost money on. I have it as a screensaver on my phone to remind me.