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When I started in sales way back in 1983 I was told this ...

" Take as much profit out of a deal as you can when you sell a car , so when they return with any problems you simply smile and put them right !"

How true is that ? 

If you don't make profit you can't look after them - , Doesn't matter how little you've made the customer always thinks you're still making thousands anyway .. so you might as well make thousands and if they have a problem .. smile, look after them .which in turns makes them happy, repeats, recommendations ! 

{ Was trying to attach an image but failed, failed, failed :) ) 

 

Edited by umesh

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Haha my 1st lesson as an 17 year old was to go get the belly buster Saturday morning sandwiches when asked by the sales manager and always pop a cup of tea on the general managers desk when ever I was passing his office - its amazing how many "house" deals were passed my way :-)

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And I'm guessing one of the reasons why a few traders are unwilling to fix a problem is because they are making so little profit on the deal in the first place, the customer wants to have their cake and eat it, low sale price, and refund policy, in reality it just doesn't work

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Day 1. Lesson 1.

Never buy hot food.

Lesson 2. Don't sleep with the receptionist unless you want to date her afterwards. You'll spend at least a month without sales calls.

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Without any dealer training or any experience, I threw myself in the deepend. 

Naive , young and vulnerable; I quickly learnt that however nice and honest you are, the customer is always trying to rip you off. 

Their part ex is f****d and the header tank is probably full of k-seal, they want your car for less than it owes you, they come back for absolutely everything and think a 3 month warranty means a free pass to all goods and services that your garage provides. When someone wants "trade" discount, they will still come back for ALL the warranty claims. 

The "I'm in the trade" bollox.......... you used to sweep the local motorbike dealers floor once a week............... YOU ARE NOT IN THE TRADE

 

 

I hate people

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Not so much a lesson ( I wish I had of had lessons rather than learn the hard way) but a phrase that has always stuck with me from one of my peers in the early days, 'shy men make no dough'.

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My first lesson in the trade was to watch the osf wing when reversing to the left and not go through the showroom window with it. Expensive mistake. 

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Mine was the opposite to Umesh's ironically, told to me by a very successful car dealer:

"The first profit is the best profit".

By this he meant; get it sold, don't hang onto it through pride or for an extra £50 it'll cost you more in the long run. He was very right, I have ignored this lesson many times thinking I know best and regretted it every time.

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