A few years ago I was interested in buying a Jaguar estate. The first obstacle was that it was impossible to get a brochure for it, every time I asked, online or by phone, I was sent a saloon brochure. Then one afternoon I went to a main dealer showroom on the way home from a meeting, without an appointment. It was a mid-week afternoon. A secretary told me someone would speak to me and asked me to sit down, without offering a coffee. After about 20 mins when no-one turned up and I walked round, I counted 5 sales execs on the phone or in a meeting. No-one was interested in speaking to me at all! I then left and ultimately bought a Lexus, where the sales experience was fabulous. What a poor way for Jaguar to treat a potential customer!
There is a cultural attitude on car retail that most customers are tyre kickers. Which drives the poor service. Rarely do you get someone who is
passionate about helping you make the right decision or to impart what they know. Do you think bonus structures have a part to play in creating this culture?
A few years ago I was interested in buying a Jaguar estate. The first obstacle was that it was impossible to get a brochure for it, every time I asked, online or by phone, I was sent a saloon brochure. Then one afternoon I went to a main dealer showroom on the way home from a meeting, without an appointment. It was a mid-week afternoon. A secretary told me someone would speak to me and asked me to sit down, without offering a coffee. After about 20 mins when no-one turned up and I walked round, I counted 5 sales execs on the phone or in a meeting. No-one was interested in speaking to me at all! I then left and ultimately bought a Lexus, where the sales experience was fabulous. What a poor way for Jaguar to treat a potential customer!
The sad thing is that nothing about that story surprises me at all. What a missed opportunity.
There is a cultural attitude on car retail that most customers are tyre kickers. Which drives the poor service. Rarely do you get someone who is
passionate about helping you make the right decision or to impart what they know. Do you think bonus structures have a part to play in creating this culture?