DealersEdge Professional Forums

Just had a sales manager ask me why we mark up tires. The customer wanted Michelins and requested them by name as part of the car deal. They didn't like the price so they bought generic tires. After the install the customers threw a fit so now they have to buy Michelins and I can't send the others back, nor is there going to be anything on this lot that they will fit. So they are going to lose $900 because they didn't want to spend the extra $200 the first time. Why is it evil for us to want a paycheck? Why are they the only ones allowed to make money?

This just shows how out of touch the sales department is in most stores. Ask him what he knows about fixed coverage. Ask them why they buy pieces of wrecked crap that Stevie Wonder could see at the auction, and then get mad when it cost a ton to rehab it to a sellable condition.

I would ask the sales manager why he bought two sets of tires for one car.

I've gotten in arguments with sales people because they want everything at cost. When I explained that the entire store is commission except office girls and porters they change their tune.

TimK wrote:I would ask the sales manager why he bought two sets of tires for one car.

winner!!

cville1987 wrote:I've gotten in arguments with sales people because they want everything at cost. When I explained that the entire store is commission except office girls and porters they change their tune.

Funny thing about cost... It's just a word. When a salesman come in with or with out a customer and says we told this customer we would give him floor mats at our cost. I quote retail price from my department. That also happens to be the sales dept cost!!! And when the sales person says " so that's cost right?" I reply yep that's sales' cost.....


The only person that has authority to have ANYTHING at true cost is the owner. However I can count the times he has came to me and asked to do so on one hand. Even the owners pay the 10% markup for parts. They wrote the book and play by the rules. It's quite refreshing actually.

TimK wrote:I would ask the sales manager why he bought two sets of tires for one car.

I would be asking how much longer he will be in a management position.

partsman103 wrote:

TimK wrote:I would ask the sales manager why he bought two sets of tires for one car.

I would be asking how much longer he will be in a management position.

His brother is the boss......

coleracing77 wrote:Funny thing about cost... It's just a word. When a salesman come in with or with out a customer and says we told this customer we would give him floor mats at our cost. I quote retail price from my department. That also happens to be the sales dept cost!!! And when the sales person says " so that's cost right?" I reply yep that's sales' cost.....

This. I don't even use the word 'sales'. That's my cost? Yup, that's cost.

So, My store just changed ownership and has a professional team in place now.

Before this, we had a GM and Sales managers who were going to les schwab for tires and tpms sensors, having a lot attendant go to another store to buy parts with the company credit card.. we had this chevy truck that we got from the DOD and had to rehab, instead of buying lamps from LKQ and doing it right the first time we went with certafit, and then just taped over the holes in the lamps with metalic tape. he went through my warranty parts to find a center console to fit in it. One car we pulled the thermostat and poured a bottle of blue devil in it.