makua11b
07-07-2001, 11:41 AM
I sell Subarus and I've read a lot of stories about peoples bad experiences with dealers and sales people. I hope this helps some how.
IMO the biggest barrier customers have to cope with when shopping for a car is the sales people. Unlike most other professions there is little or no educating or training required by dealers of their sales staff. Most sales people are drawn to the business because they like cars and think they can make some money selling them. Most sales people have very poor interpersonal skills, they tend to be a bit arrogant and condescending because they are't particularly intelligent. They don't listen well at all and have many prejudices.
70%, of sales people don't last more than twelve months in the business. Of the remaining 30% half won't make it to the three year mark. Because of this very high rate of turn over most customers will get a less then effective sales person who will in some way or another offend them.
The attrition rate of "High line manufacturers" dealers such as BMW, MB, Lexus, etc. is very low compared to average brands such as Honda, Toyota, Subaru , any Big Three, etc. The High line brand dealers hire the best of the best sale people. When a customer is considering a car that costs $40,000 and up the dealer wants to know that the sale person is top notch. The average brand dealerships just want to make sure they have a salesperson who can pass the spoon test (are they breathing).
So when I read a comparison between a BMW, or any other high line brand, sales person experience and a Subaru sales person experience and it reports how out standing BMW was and how bad Subaru was I can't help but shake my head. The median price for Subarus is about $26,000, for BMW it's about a huge $60,000. It only makes sense that on average your experience at BMW will be nicer than at Subaru.
You get what you pay for. An A-Typical price of $60,000 is buying you a lot more (read: nicer experience) than the typical price of $26,000.
BUT, that in no way means the dollar for dollar value of a Subaru is any less then that of the BMW. Try shopping for a sales person as much as shopping for a car but remember that you're buying a car and not the person.
The people on this board who report a pleasant Subaru shoping or buying experience are the ones who were lucky enough to have dealt with an A-Typical sales person. Unfortunately A-Typical is just that, A-Typical.
IMO the biggest barrier customers have to cope with when shopping for a car is the sales people. Unlike most other professions there is little or no educating or training required by dealers of their sales staff. Most sales people are drawn to the business because they like cars and think they can make some money selling them. Most sales people have very poor interpersonal skills, they tend to be a bit arrogant and condescending because they are't particularly intelligent. They don't listen well at all and have many prejudices.
70%, of sales people don't last more than twelve months in the business. Of the remaining 30% half won't make it to the three year mark. Because of this very high rate of turn over most customers will get a less then effective sales person who will in some way or another offend them.
The attrition rate of "High line manufacturers" dealers such as BMW, MB, Lexus, etc. is very low compared to average brands such as Honda, Toyota, Subaru , any Big Three, etc. The High line brand dealers hire the best of the best sale people. When a customer is considering a car that costs $40,000 and up the dealer wants to know that the sale person is top notch. The average brand dealerships just want to make sure they have a salesperson who can pass the spoon test (are they breathing).
So when I read a comparison between a BMW, or any other high line brand, sales person experience and a Subaru sales person experience and it reports how out standing BMW was and how bad Subaru was I can't help but shake my head. The median price for Subarus is about $26,000, for BMW it's about a huge $60,000. It only makes sense that on average your experience at BMW will be nicer than at Subaru.
You get what you pay for. An A-Typical price of $60,000 is buying you a lot more (read: nicer experience) than the typical price of $26,000.
BUT, that in no way means the dollar for dollar value of a Subaru is any less then that of the BMW. Try shopping for a sales person as much as shopping for a car but remember that you're buying a car and not the person.
The people on this board who report a pleasant Subaru shoping or buying experience are the ones who were lucky enough to have dealt with an A-Typical sales person. Unfortunately A-Typical is just that, A-Typical.