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Some Sales people and Motor dealerships misconceptions

By Barlo Motors ThurlesJul 13, 2018

Car sales as a profession has been a prominent part of Irish life for over 100 years. As long as people have bought automobiles, there has been a need for the men and women who sell them.  Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of misconceptions about car salespeople throughout that time. Some of them have been as a result of shady operators, and others from movie characters playing sleazy salesmen, but the overwhelming majority of honest salespeople have paid the price.

Because of this, there are some things that car salespeople wish that you knew about them and the car buying process. Here are the five most important things:

1. We don’t have much control over your payment:
Despite what you may think or might have heard from a friend, car salespeople have almost no control over how much your car payment is going to be. Your payment is determined by the price of the vehicle you’re purchasing, the value of your trade-in (if there is one), how much money you’re putting down, your credit score, the current market lending rate (for people with your credit profile) and the length of your loan term. While salespeople sometimes have a bit of flexibility on the pricing of certain vehicles, every other aspect of your payment is entirely out of their control. Also, even if you do find a vehicle that has some wiggle room on price, a €500 price discount on a vehicle only ends up saving you about €10-€15 a month on a 5-year payment. 

Car Poor condition

2. Your car’s trade in value will depend on its condition:
Car salespeople would love to give you what you’re asking for your trade-in vehicle every time, because it would help us earn your business, but it’s just not possible. Car value estimation websites are also not always accurate in their assessments. Your car’s value will depend on its condition, the state of the market, the dealership’s likelihood of being able to do something with the vehicle after it’s been traded in and also, very importantly, the service history. If a car has been to the garage every year to be serviced, it is most definitely worth more than one that has no service history. This is why it helps to take great care of your vehicle, both mechanically and cosmetically. If it’s in great shape, and is a marketable vehicle, then you’re more likely to get what you’re looking for when it comes to its trade-in value, as long as your expectations are reasonable. 

3. Margins on vehicles are relatively small:
Margins on cars are nowhere even close to what they once were a decade ago. The internet has definitely helped drive down prices for consumers, which in turn means much smaller margins for car salespeople. This isn’t meant to invoke pity, only to make the point that the dealership and in turn the salesperson, is probably not making anywhere near what you think they’re making on a vehicle. Customers can now search dealers from each corner of Ireland from the comfort of their armchair. 



4. We’re working-class people, just like you:
We oftentimes forget that car salespeople are regular working-class people, just like everybody else. Some have college degrees, but most don’t. We work very long hours to provide for our families, spending most of our time away from our spouses and children due to the demanding hours of automotive sales, taking calls and answering emails even when we’re not at our dealership. I myself answered an email inquiry at 9.10Pm last Sunday night. Why, well the customer was so impressed, they appointed to come in and purchased a car. Many car salespeople do make a living, but to say that we work for it is an understatement. All we ask is that you think of us the same way you think about other professionals who work hard to get ahead, we just happen to work in an industry that has sometimes been unfairly maligned.



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