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  #1  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:18 PM
DasLeben DasLeben is offline
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Default Is what I\'m doing unethical?

Last week, I started a new job right out of college. Because of the way the aviation industry is (I'm trained as a pilot), I decided that I should get another full time job in order to pay the bills for now.

So, I looked around and applied for various positions, one of them being a blackjack/poker dealer (which fell through), and another being a sales associate at a Toyota/GM dealership (AKA the bane of modern society). Because of a contact I had, I landed the job as a car salesman and started last monday. I'd never sold a thing in my entire life.

I came into this business a little naive, I think. I expected most dealerships (including this one) to be caught up to the modern trend, which is a low-pressure and no-haggle approach. Well, I found one of those oldschool pushy ones, and it turns out I'm working for it.

So, my first day I began learning the ropes. The first thing they told me was to "Never lie, and treat your customers like you'd like to be treated when you buy a car." Cool. I liked it.

As it turns out, everything they told me dripped of ways to deceive your customer. When they say "never lie," they really mean "spin the truth so they like it." Remember the Simpson's quote: "There's the truth (nod), and...the truth (shakes head)"? It's exactly like that. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

So, here's a list of things we do:

-We steal trade-ins. If someone comes along with a vehicle that's worth $4000 on a trade, we'll try to get them to take it for $2500. If they haggle, we'll give them $3000, and add a solid $1000 profit to the deal.

-We build people's trust, then stab them in the back with a high price for a car that's not even CLOSE to what they could pay for it. Building the trust simply allows us to more easily con them into taking the high price.

-We push people into buying cars that they might not 100% want. If they come on the lot to "just look" (we have a line to get around that one too), it's our job to get them to test drive and settle on a car. It really doesn't matter which car, as long as they at least like it somewhat. Then we point out all sorts of stupid details about the car (power windows, power locks, shatter proof headlights, etc.) in order to build false value. It could be any car, and it doesn't really matter what we say as long as we just keep talking. Suddenly that customer is thinking "hey, this car is nice," not thinking that there are probably plenty of other cars that are better for the price. It's basically a con.

-We're like sharks when it comes to people on the lot. We're lesser forms of ambulance chasers. If someone comes in, we're made to chase them down. If we're on golf carts and they pull in and drive around the lot, we'll tail them and try to get them to stop. It's sickening.

Anyways, I've been here for a week and I'm already thinking about quitting. I don't see how most of these other salesmen sleep at night, knowing that the top producers scam people out of thousands of dollars per day.

I've been told "that's just how the world works," but I refuse to take that as an answer. I just can't and won't do something that's contrary to my ethical standards.

Ugh. I don't even know why I posted this...maybe I just had to get it off my chest. I dunno.
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  #2  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:27 PM
jakethebake jakethebake is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

So let's get this straight. You don't think the dealership should try to make a profit on used cars, and you don't think they should sell cars for as much as they can? If you're at a dealership that actually doesn't lie to people, I'd say you found a pretty good one.
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  #3  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:28 PM
SpearsBritney SpearsBritney is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

Don't ugh! That was a great post. "Shatter-proof headlights"- Sign me up! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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  #4  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:34 PM
DasLeben DasLeben is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

[ QUOTE ]
So let's get this straight. You don't think the dealership should try to make a profit on used cars, and you don't think they should sell cars for as much as they can?

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't say that at all. I think that dealerships should make profit on their vehicles (also, I make my living solely on commission, which is based on profit). I'm saying that I feel the practices that are used in order to get that profit are unethical.
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  #5  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:38 PM
jakethebake jakethebake is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

[ QUOTE ]
I didn't say that at all. I think that dealerships should make profit on their vehicles (also, I make my living solely on commission, which is based on profit). I'm saying that I feel the practices that are used in order to get that profit are unethical.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well what methods? They quote the people a price to buy their used cars at. People can take it or leave it. And most people understand that's just a starting point to haggle. What's unethical about that?

I'm also not really sure how pointing out a car's features is unethical, but you seem to think it is.

I don't really get any of this. I'm not a salesman, and I could never be any good at it. I'm not saying I like high-pressure salesman, but their job is sales.
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  #6  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:38 PM
SpearsBritney SpearsBritney is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

Letting a sucker keep his money is unethical.
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  #7  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:47 PM
eastbay eastbay is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 647
Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So let's get this straight. You don't think the dealership should try to make a profit on used cars, and you don't think they should sell cars for as much as they can?

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't say that at all. I think that dealerships should make profit on their vehicles (also, I make my living solely on commission, which is based on profit). I'm saying that I feel the practices that are used in order to get that profit are unethical.

[/ QUOTE ]

What value does the dealership provide that should ethically generate profit for them? Think about that for awhile, and you'll see why the status quo is what it is.

eastbay
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  #8  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:50 PM
mostsmooth mostsmooth is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2002
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Posts: 153
Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

im surprised you didnt know all this crap went on before you got there
car salesmen are scumbags, no offense
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  #9  
Old 06-26-2005, 09:52 PM
Blarg Blarg is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

The biggest danger in being a salesman is not that other people believe your schtick, but that you start to believe it yourself.

That's when you jump the borderline into not just slimy, as people kind of expect salesmen to be, but go all the way into creepy.

When you convince yourself you LIKE whatever arbitrary horsecrap piece of worthlessness you're told you have to sell whether you like it or not, in order to keep your self respect, to "look at it more fairly," to "be more realistic," or to be able to stomach foisting what is often a poor product on people who don't know any better and can't afford it or don't need it and might even get into financial trouble buying it, you'll be able to sell anything for the rest of your life. You'll also be completely full of crap and exactly what you'd feared you might become and maybe hated. You'll give off a vibe of creepiness mixed with desperation, contempt, and utter lack of integrity so common to salesmen. You'll have sold yer soul, dude -- that's the first thing you sell.

If you don't have the stomach for that, you'd better either quit before the invisible transformation begins or find something to sell you absolutely believe is a fantastic product that you not only sell for a living but are PROUD to be associated with. The number of jobs selling things like that - heck, THINGS like that -- are few indeed.

Sales is not a job for everyone, but some sales jobs are far worse than others. If you really want to get into sales, it can be a great and satisfying career for some, but not if you take just any old sales job that comes along.
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  #10  
Old 06-26-2005, 10:02 PM
tdarko tdarko is offline
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Default Re: Is what I\'m doing unethical?

go back to the boobies please, the bling is no fun.
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