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Old 10-14-2011, 01:34 PM   #1
birch3x
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Default Staffed Sales

Anybody have a favorite company for staffed sales? Or ones to avoid, etc. Just trying to get some input. We did our first and only one 5 years ago to move used inventory after closing a GM store. Ours worked well, but 5 years is a long time ago.
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Old 10-14-2011, 04:56 PM   #2
XDCX
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Are you referring to a sale where an outside vendor creates a Sales Event at your dealership and staffs it with their own people?

If so, those events and vendors that offered them seem to have fallen out of favor on the West Coast. Most promoters have shifted to an "Off-site Sales Event" format where a number of dealers bring their used car inventory to one location and allow any of the other dealers to sell their cars.

Concerning the staffed events, I recall reading a news report a year or so ago where a dealer was being forced to honor commitments made by the vendor's employees - it sounded like a real mess.
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Old 10-18-2011, 06:16 PM   #3
John Schutz
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Had a staffed event earlier this year and our sales team sold circles around those clowns.
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Old 10-19-2011, 06:47 AM   #4
57years
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When I was a GM dealer, I reached out to more than one "staffed" sales team. I NEVER found success using their tactics, with the "controls" I mandated, where I knew my customers were ethicly protected from "one and done" sales tactics.

There is the additional factor, of dragging the bottom of the pool for the customers. The advertising seems to catch the "drowning in debt" public, and now, with the lenders not really trying to book deals, most of this paper isn't worth printing.

I would NEVER do it again if I had a franchise.
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Old 10-19-2011, 09:10 AM   #5
XDCX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Schutz View Post
Had a staffed event earlier this year and our sales team sold circles around those clowns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 57years View Post
When I was a GM dealer, I reached out to more than one "staffed" sales team. I NEVER found success using their tactics, with the "controls" I mandated, where I knew my customers were ethicly protected from "one and done" sales tactics.

There is the additional factor, of dragging the bottom of the pool for the customers. The advertising seems to catch the "drowning in debt" public, and now, with the lenders not really trying to book deals, most of this paper isn't worth printing.

I would NEVER do it again if I had a franchise.
Great comments.

It would appear that based on the poor results, questionable practices and challenged customers that neither of you have had much luck with staffed events. I think that's the same reason why they've mostly disappeared from the West Coast.

Has anyone participated in an off-sight sale with a number of other dealers?

When I was working for a dealer in the Seattle area we participated in an off-sight sale and it worked great. The location was about 20 miles away from our store and it was all 100% "plus" business. (The people we sold cars to would have never found us and we were not taking business out of our own market.)

It was a lot of work but I'd still recommend the concept. For the store I was at the added benefit was tapping into a different buyer demographic - as an example we sold a Saab that we had taken in on trade that we never would have been able to sell in our local market.
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Old 10-27-2011, 07:12 AM   #6
birch3x
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XDCX View Post
Great comments.

It would appear that based on the poor results, questionable practices and challenged customers that neither of you have had much luck with staffed events. I think that's the same reason why they've mostly disappeared from the West Coast.

Has anyone participated in an off-sight sale with a number of other dealers?

When I was working for a dealer in the Seattle area we participated in an off-sight sale and it worked great. The location was about 20 miles away from our store and it was all 100% "plus" business. (The people we sold cars to would have never found us and we were not taking business out of our own market.)

It was a lot of work but I'd still recommend the concept. For the store I was at the added benefit was tapping into a different buyer demographic - as an example we sold a Saab that we had taken in on trade that we never would have been able to sell in our local market.
Well, we had one last week and it was a success. We did pull in people that had never been here before. Chrysler PAP reimbursing for part helps also. Our sale was different from others I've seen, and if anyone wants details or a recommendation I can help.
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Old 11-09-2011, 10:59 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by birch3x View Post
Well, we had one last week and it was a success. We did pull in people that had never been here before. Chrysler PAP reimbursing for part helps also. Our sale was different from others I've seen, and if anyone wants details or a recommendation I can help.
Thanks for the update - I'm happy to hear your sale was a success.

If you're willing, maybe we can start a new thread where you can share your experience with our other members? I'm sure many are curious about the cost of the program and the results you achieved.

While it would be a great topic for the open section of the forum we could also create a thread in AREA 51 if some of the information is too sensitive to be shared in a public forum.
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Old 05-19-2014, 04:05 PM   #8
greenlightcody
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Default Staffed Events / Tuxedo Sales / Super Sales

I organize staffed events on a regular basis. You have to be careful what company you use as there are a lot of "hacks" out there bringing all kinds of characters into your dealership. There are companies out there that have been doing the same stores for as long as 15 years! (they are the pros that you want)

These events are typically based around a direct mail campaign which when done right can provide a phenomenal response rate and and a return on investment that can not be matched or measured by ANY other form of marketing. The buyers that respond to this type of marketing (with the games and insured contests or buyback mailers) are typically 500-600 beacons so you have to be set up with banks that will buy these customers.

With the internet and smartphones in every pocket these days, more and more people are showing up at dealerships well educated and already found a website that told they what they should be paying for the car making it more challenging than it should be to hold gross. The "super sale" traffic didn't come to the dealership with intention of buying a vehicle. When your spotting 5-15 units a day to customers that have done none or little homework it allows you to make profit.

I've seen Marketing/Mail companies that offer "tuxedo" sales in which they send out the staffed event style mail and provide 1-3 staff that simply registers the guests, completes the standard "interview" questions and sells them on the idea of getting into the market. The registration is then turned over to the desk if there is a potential car deal and the desk assigns a home team sales person. This provides an enormous amount of traffic, filters through the "prize seekers" and puts the additional gross on the books without the risk of having potentially unethical strangers in your business selling cars.

My mail guys are also great car guys and have been known to hold a training session at the dealership to teach the sales team how to flip prize seekers into buyers if you think your team is up to it. It will only work if your sales team buys in 100%.

I know dealerships that do over 5 million a year in gross directly from their staffed events. You'd be crazy not to check into it!

Send me a direct message if you need me to point you in the right direction or @GreenLightCody on Twitter
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