Car salesmen email/phone correspondence

colino

If you buy cars as a business that has nothing to do with a consumer dropping a speculative cold email thinking about, perhaps. maybe, buying one car.

Joe_Horner

robatwork wrote: »

Do you have those statistics?

I buy cars for a business and do nearly all the communication via email. I find the car I want on the manufacturer website, then email the dealer with the (generally nearly new) model I want.

The thing is, if you're doing this for business, then you are a serious buyer and that will come across even in email. So your emails are likely to get a more favourable reaction to someone who's not so well versed in written communication.

If you think about it, much the same happens even on here. People will read and respond to obviously serious, well worded, questions but avoid posts that come across as bored spam, even if they are serious questions to the OP.

Add to that an undoubted reluctance by some traders (the ones you should be avoiding anyway) to put things in writing, plus the fact that a huge part of selling is about forming that rapport (much easier by phone or in person), then sprinkle on a little bit of conversation being faster
than waiting for emails to chug back and forth (useful when you're answering questions to be sure you're explaining well enough).

I do use email quite a lot for watch repairs, and I accept the inevitable spam content, but by far the easiest way to let a customer see that I can be trusted with their Dad's Rolex is in person, closely followed by a phone call. Email is fine for business - business communication but comes a pretty poor third as a business - customer tool.

robatwork

My initial email is normally via a web form and won't necessarily imply that I am buying for a business. But I do take the point that it does give me a leg up in the "Not a virtual tyre kicker" mindset.

I also check my wording and expect the car dealer to do the same. I do get the odd "pls give us a call mate" reply that makes the salesman sound like the young wide-boy he probably is.

motorguy

robatwork wrote: »

Do you have those statistics?

I buy cars for a business and do nearly all the communication via email. I find the car I want on the manufacturer website, then email the dealer with the (generally nearly new) model I want.

At the final point I will probably talk to the salesman to discuss delivery, but negotiations are by email. If they don't want to email then I won't buy.

This is 2015 and genuine salesmen should be prepared to do business by email, and have their assurances immortalised.

For me personally (and selling 20 cars a month as a full time trader) i would have seen something like a 5% conversion rate from email. Roughly 30% of phone calls resulted in a viewing, roughly 80% of viewings resulted in a sale.

So either

(a) you're in the 5%

or

(b) by the very nature of buying for a business then dealers are taking you more seriously than the "whats the least you'll take for it mate?" emails you tend to get from your average joe bloggs.

Personally, i always answered emails, however i can see why a salesman in a large dealership with 100 cars on the forecourt and the phone ringing may chose not to trawl through emails hoping to strike it lucky.

motorguy

colino wrote: »

If you buy cars as a business that has nothing to do with a consumer dropping a speculative cold email thinking about, perhaps. maybe, buying one car.

"Hi, you've a car listed at £9995 on your website, will you take £4K cash for it today?"

Or

"whats the least you'll take for it mate"

Or

"I'll give you £1000 plus my ropey old car with no MOT and a smokey engine for your 2008 Merc"

Were the usual vein of email i was seeing

StripeyMiata

DUTR wrote: »

Whilst you are messing around with emails, there is a customer sitting in the showroom ready to sign on the dotted line for the vehicle , due to finance agreements they will have little problem selling to waste time on chasing you for a sale.

Not all the time though? Any time I have been in a dealership at least 20% of the salesmen seem to be looking bored looking at their computers.

"Hi, you've a car listed at £9995 on your website, will you take £4K cash for it today?"

Or

"whats the least you'll take for it mate"

Or

"I'll give you £1000 plus my ropey old car with no MOT and a smokey engine for your 2008 Merc"

Were the usual vein of email i was seeing

Yep, I'd ignore them too, can't blame you.

DUTR

StripeyMiata wrote: »

Not all the time though? Any time I have been in a dealership at least 20% of the salesmen seem to be looking bored looking at their computers.






Yep, I'd ignore them too, can't blame you.

I can't disagree, what we can agree on though, is that the sales reps are not going to be falling over themselves to get a sale from the OP, his money is no different to the next punter, so few will go out their way to attract his custom.