How far do your customers travel?

[Tony911 79]

If you have the right car they will travel anywhere 

[NOACROSS 414]

I wouldn't be able to tell you if Walsall is better or worse than Bromsgrove.  Is it near Birmingham? Anything further than Ringwood is 'up north' to me ;0)

It's all about how you present yourself and the car in the ads/website/pictures/reviews etc.  I'm sure there's good places and bad places in every area.

Concentrate on the presentation and don't worry about the location.  If you're within 20/30/50 miles of the punter (whatever they deem to be acceptable) you'll be fine.

[tradegirl 112]

 @NOACROSS it's 1 junction up from Birmingham on the M6.

By the sounds of it I have a lot of work to do. Website is number 1, then I can get customer reviews.

I need to see what AutoTrader needs to be able to get reviews on that too.

Thank you everyone, it's put my mind at ease. It's something I can control if I do what's needed and do the right work

[XFS 70]

2 minutes ago, tradegirl said:

 @NOACROSS it's 1 junction up from Birmingham on the M6.

By the sounds of it I have a lot of work to do. Website is number 1, then I can get customer reviews.

I need to see what AutoTrader needs to be able to get reviews on that too.

Thank you everyone, it's put my mind at ease. It's something I can control if I do what's needed and do the right work

I may have mentioned before in the thread. its not where you are as much as what you are trying to sell and whom you are trying to sell it to.

Selling bread and butter to penny pinchers is going to be sole destroying as a home trader because they hold all the cards. Find yourself a niche where you hold more of the cards. 

[It's me 615]

you should be looking to sell on your strengths

not weakness's

ie established since 1999

family run 

we care 

the best stock available bar non

we aim for 100% customer satisfaction

3 month warranty included in every sale

[tradegirl 112]

@XFS what is bread and butter stuff? Our stock is £6k-9k normal every day cars.

Same stuff we've always stocked, but now it's in a higher price bracket. Before £5-6k was our most expensive car, now £4-5k are our cheapest ones. Maybe that's the reason, I don't know.

We've never had a problem until now.  But no one knows we're home based until they actually call. Even then, very few people have a problem with us being home based.

@jason doyle motor sales I need to market myself a whole lot better.

[MattR 177]

If you're selling 'bread and butter' are you competing with main dealers or larger garages? something like a 4/5 year old Corsa, Polo etc will be available from any franchise and irrespective of the level of service you offer, Joe Public is swayed by the big glass showroom. At 6-9k range you can get stuff that's a bit different and likely to stand out more. 

Make sure you can offer Finance.

I dont think the location is as much of an issue as you think. It wont stop the phone ringing. If its a real shithole they won't find out until they're nearly there, so no shows for keen sounding appointments are your only guide on that.

[tradegirl 112]

Ok thanks @MattR I understand now. We don't offer finance, and with my credit score I don't think we'll be able to any time soon.

I'm not sure our cars are bread and butter stock though. They're not small cars.

I need to get a website up, and make sure the online presence is up to scratch.

[MattR 177]

Does your credit score matter to be able to offer Finance? I know youve said historically that you have credit cards, the amount you owe doesnt always affect a credit score, its how good you are at paying it back!

[David Horgan 564]

4 hours ago, tradegirl said:

I should have phrased this better: how much does location affect sales? A car advertised in an affluent area like Bromsgrove vs a car advertised in a not so affluent area like Walsall (Birmingham and the Black country have a lot of shady traders and goings on), will the customer be put off by the location?

I know it's quiet almost everywhere, but I'm worried that advertising cars in Walsall isn't helping.

Walsall cant be that bad  Ive sold two cars to customers from Walsall this week end , Both cars were 13k + both went on prime  Finance and both returned  nice PX cars too . 

Both from WS3 4 post codes 

[tradegirl 112]

21 minutes ago, MattR said:

its how good you are at paying it back!

There's the problem. When it's hit the fan with work like it did a few weeks ago, payments bounce. Only 2-3 times, but that's 2-3 times too many.

1 minute ago, David Horgan said:

Walsall cant be that bad  Ive sold two cars to customers from Walsall this week end , Both cars were 13k + both went on prime  Finance and both returned  nice PX cars too . 

Both from WS3 4 post codes 

David, it's not, but when you've relocated from whiter than white Worcestershire, Walsall/Birmingham area seems a bit dodgy. Or maybe I'm overthinking it.

 

[XFS 70]

1 hour ago, tradegirl said:

@XFS what is bread and butter stuff? Our stock is £6k-9k normal every day cars.

Same stuff we've always stocked, but now it's in a higher price bracket. Before £5-6k was our most expensive car, now £4-5k are our cheapest ones. Maybe that's the reason, I don't know.

We've never had a problem until now.  But no one knows we're home based until they actually call. Even then, very few people have a problem with us being home based.

@jason doyle motor sales I need to market myself a whole lot better.

I would classify anything mainstream as bread and butter stock. It could be a 6k car or a 16k car. If you can look on Autotrader and see a dozens of examples of the same car, be it a Ford Focus at 5K or a Mercedes A class at 15k, its bread and butter in my book and therefore it will be difficult to compete and make yours stand out.

However, if you had a high spec Volvo C30 or a low miles Land Rover Freelander in Aintree Green, or a BMW E46 330CI or a Subaru Outback etc you would stand out as there are not many and people will go to wherever they can get one. 

 

[Casper 272]

4 hours ago, tradegirl said:

 @NOACROSS it's 1 junction up from Birmingham on the M6.

By the sounds of it I have a lot of work to do. Website is number 1, then I can get customer reviews.

I need to see what AutoTrader needs to be able to get reviews on that too.

Thank you everyone, it's put my mind at ease. It's something I can control if I do what's needed and do the right work

Good luck trade girl ...

[It's me 615]

21 hours ago, tradegirl said:

 

@jason doyle motor sales I need to market myself a whole lot better.

ive said it before

you need to sit down with no distractions and give yourself a plan for at least the next 12 months with clear aims

more importantly as has been suggested if i was you i would be considering specialising in a product that people want rather than what you think might sell

if you do well with insurance write offs then keep to them,if theyve fallen out of favour because of cat s or more likely because the prices dont reflect the true damage anymore just stop buying them

my business has morphed more times in 35 years than i care to think about and im going to need to start again within the next 18 months as my specialisation product is coming to an end

its a challenge

i always enjoy a challenge

this is why i do the job

[XFS 70]

I,m not saying you should do this, because I'm in the position where I don't mind losing the odd potential sale.

But the horror stories I hear on here about awkward customers....I simply couldn't deal with them. I try to "vet" my customer before they get anywhere near the car, that way at least 95% of the time the car sells to the first viewer. I just don't entertain anyone awkward or I suspect will waste my time.

For instance, yesterday I had a guy on the phone about a car...Rare, low miles, 9 years old up at 8k. Older and cheaper than my normal stock. Obviously having been on forums relative to the car for hours, he starts asking me for photos of the gearbox (apparently the number gives an indication of robustness) the colour of the power steering fluid, and god knows what else from a list of prepared questions and whether he can organise an inspection with a specialist in the make and whether I would take it their (not a chance, obviously). I said mate, by the time I gather all the information you are asking for and organise a specialist to collect the car and take it back, the car will be sold, so I think you are chasing shadows. He seriously didn't know how to respond.

[It's me 615]

8 minutes ago, XFS said:

I,m not saying you should do this, because I'm in the position where I don't mind losing the odd potential sale.

But the horror stories I hear on here about awkward customers....I simply couldn't deal with them. I try to "vet" my customer before they get anywhere near the car, that way at least 95% of the time the car sells to the first viewer. I just don't entertain anyone awkward or I suspect will waste my time.

For instance, yesterday I had a guy on the phone about a car...Rare, low miles, 9 years old up at 8k. Older and cheaper than my normal stock. Obviously having been on forums relative to the car for hours, he starts asking me for photos of the gearbox (apparently the number gives an indication of robustness) the colour of the power steering fluid, and god knows what else from a list of prepared questions and whether he can organise an inspection with a specialist in the make and whether I would take it their (not a chance, obviously). I said mate, by the time I gather all the information you are asking for and organise a specialist to collect the car and take it back, the car will be sold, so I think you are chasing shadows. He seriously didn't know how to respond.

you could just see he was sat there in his shorts too,well done, but we still make mistakes of course,i hate the arm stretching puffing on cigs brigade in bands of 3 but when they cant fault your product you can win them round sell the car and have great men talk before they go

[BHM 994]

11 minutes ago, XFS said:

For instance, yesterday I had a guy on the phone about a car...Rare, low miles, 9 years old up at 8k. Older and cheaper than my normal stock. Obviously having been on forums relative to the car for hours, he starts asking me for photos of the gearbox (apparently the number gives an indication of robustness) the colour of the power steering fluid, and god knows what else from a list of prepared questions and whether he can organise an inspection with a specialist in the make and whether I would take it their (not a chance, obviously). I said mate, by the time I gather all the information you are asking for and organise a specialist to collect the car and take it back, the car will be sold, so I think you are chasing shadows. He seriously didn't know how to respond.

You are absolutely correct. Only the desperate & skint entertain the likes of that arsehole.