What I Found When Mystery Shopping A BMW Dealership This Week…
What I Found When Mystery Shopping A BMW Dealership This Week…
Today, Phil and I are out shopping for a new car…. In fact, I’m currently test driving a BMW 328i and will be comparing the vehicle and the service with the C Class Mercedes Benz.
This experience really reminds me of how important every step of the sales process is, and how you must give it your absolute very best!
You know I’m out driving a $90,000 BMW right now and there is no salesperson with us… The car is filthy, the carpets are a mess, and the outside of it is an absolute mess…
So what was my salesperson like…?
EXCELLENT MEET & GREET – CHECK
NEEDS ANALYSIS – FAIL – Didn’t ask me anything about my family, what I need the car for, why I am upgrading, what I want out of the car…
PRESENTATION – AVERAGE – He only showed me the things he was interested in like the Sat Nav. As he didn’t ask me any real questions, he didn’t know how best to present the car. In fact all I really found out was the economy and comfort of the car… Shame I am mainly interested in the appearance and the performance…
VALUATION OF TRADE – FAIL – No offer or interest in the RX Lexus I drove in with.
MANAGEMENT & FINANCE INTRO – FAIL – The manager walked past me at least 3 times without any acknowledgement
DEMONSTRATION – FAIL – He said, “You guys can take it for half an hour” and threw us the keys….! The salesperson has no idea who we are, what we do for a living, he hasn’t got our car keys, he didn’t suggest where to take it…. No idea
ASKING FOR THE SALE – FAIL – Just asked if we have any questions, and when we threw in the objection of wanting to go and have a look at the Volvo he didn’t try to provide reasons why we should buy.
Remember, we’re driving a $90,000 car here and I’m out driving it myself knowing nothing about it! I don’t even know how to drive the thing properly and how everything works. This salesperson would you agree has given a mediocre performance!?
This week I wanted to encourage you to ensure you are giving excellence to the entire sales process every time if you want to succeed in sales in 2014! We can’t take shortcuts and expect to make our target and stop our customers from shopping us.
So I’m going to take this BMW back, and I’ll catch you next week on Telling It Straight where I’ll share what the Mercedes salesperson was like…
Great Selling!
Comment
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Comment by Big Tom LaPointe on March 9, 2015 at 10:18am -
while we can't stereotype all bmw dealers or salespeople with this experience, it points to the importance of selling fundamentals, no matter how impactful or informative the internet becomes
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Comment by Brian Bennington on March 7, 2015 at 10:15pm
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Posting this on your more recent "Can you stand the pain" blog, I wanted to add a little insight about your BMW shopping experience. I recently heard a rumor, and until I read your post, would have bet it wasn't true, that BMW was taking a page of history from England and moving all of their worst sales reps to Australia. Mighty weird, but something to consider. Then, there's the other possibility the rep took one look at you and thought, "I'm not wasting my time as this guy couldn't finance a pack of cigarettes." In truth, I'm really not qualified to guess the reason for your experience, as I don't know much about Australia other that I watched "Quigley Down Under" three times and really liked it.
Considering your shopping trip might be sincere, I think you should forget those "peasant rides," BMW and M-B, and look for something more befitting of your "rugged, yet sophisticated individualism." Word has it that Belchfire Manufacturing, located here in the states, is reintroducing their "LaStatus" model, originally built between '54 to '56. My Navy Hero Uncle, a confirmed bachelor until his death "behind the wheel," had one and proclaimed he "had to beat women off with a stick" when he drove it. Seriously, wouldn't you like to own a car that created "instant lust"? Imagine your friends' amazement when you roll up in front of them, jump out and pop the hood, and proudly announce it's a "straight sixteen!" It reminds me of my favorite closing line when I sold M-Bs. "Come on 'Mr Tee,' don't you deserve a Belchfire LaStatus"?
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Comment by Bill Stoeckel on March 7, 2015 at 1:13pm
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Martin;
One wonders what you were trying to accomplish with this commentary. It appears to paint with a broadbrush across all BMW Dealers which is unfair. In the automotive business, or any business, there are high performers, and low performers. Your bad experience Does not mean all stores are that way, or perhaps not even the general rule at the store you visited. It doesn't appear to be a store in our country (USA). The stores in America are not perfrect either, but there is a very difinitive program from the manufacturer to train and standardize excellence at the entire dealer body. BMW stores are regularly mystery shopped by a third party. All sales and service customers are surveyed after each store visit. Few reputable dealers would allow an unsupervised test drive.
For your comments to have real value, there should be a comparison of the same mystery shop with other manufacturers stores. The price of the vehicle has no bearing on the experience.
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Comment by Dave Benson on March 7, 2015 at 12:56am
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No worries. :) Credits to Dave Benson who is the founder of Reaching Your Potential.
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It is interesting to know about a so poor sales process example coming from BMW, just now that the brand is making serious efforts to transform its customer experience in sales with application of Apple's store principles for retail experience.
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Comment by Hans K on March 5, 2015 at 7:49pm
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Sorry, I think I found the break down on information, Tee.
You missed to tell us that you live in Australia and the Dollars you are referring to are AUS $. I think thats what got me on the wrong path. Sorry for the wrongful critique.
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I agree with Hans.....something is wrong
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I really can appreciate the effort to show how little of the training actually ends up on the show room. But--- please do you homework! If you are telling us, that the BMW 328i you were driving was a $90,000 vehicle (you said this twice) I must question whether you actually were at the dealership or you just made up the whole story? FYI, most BMW 320i models cost less than $50,000. Also, you are referring to a successful year 2014? That is already history where I live. No harm intended, but I think this excellent website needs to stay straight.
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