Enjoy exercising consumer power by walking away! Also, it is perfectly OK for you to inform others about your experiences.

The main problem here is a lack of sensible decision making on their part. I would expect that they make at least 20% on the helmet and suit. That means around $1000 in profit (less the discount you would accept) that they were losing by not giving you a good deal. However, in dysfunctional organisations, floor level sales people are not allowed to make those decisions. From that, you can also assume that the same goes for their mechanics (who will not be empowered to let you jump to the front of the line to get a small emergency fixed quickly), support people (who will not be allowed to advocate for you) etc. So as a customer, this is a clear sign that you should stay away.

Verbal contracts are worth precisely the paper they were written on. There isn't a contract here because there is no consideration. A deposit paid and/or receipt given would drive a different discussion.

Styles of selling vary. The Bavarian Suited Lizard is not a species I especially like but some obviously do. My last experience with BMW was a sales manager and he calmed it down no end when the coffee was declined over looking at the bike and we got to discussion on latching service lights. This was the first time I'd set foot in a BMW showroom for 20 years and the first time I'd come out not feeling like buying bleach and a wire brush.

I've made the error I think these guys might have made. Misquotes happen. You have to explain, ask forgiveness and offer what you can. In this case you'd hope to balance the clothing margin and not tell the customer.

I wonder if this bloke was on a bonus structure? It causes very odd behaviour. Sales managers will wreck deals like this if it will push the lizard just over the line for a huge pay out. Its a bad sales team that thinks this way and usually means someone won't be there much longer.

Andy

It's incredibly rare that a salesman won't be on commission. It's pretty much unheard of these days unless you're in a small independent.

I have been walking on sales floors in different industries and positions all my life.

What happened to you shows an incident of a contemporary fully controlled sales system. These systms produce sales managers who are only allowed to sell bikes which are in the system. Every deal has to be approved by the leading manager - typical 4 eyes principle in sales organisations. It should be clear that their sales managers have only a very small room for own negotiations. Profitloss and win is clearly defined through margin guidelines in the system and affects the commission rate top down the company heirarchy. This is a common thing in sales systems.

But your salesman is an idiot. Why did you have to come back and ask? If a customer shows clearly interest to a bike, I`ll get his data and I call him asap as the bike is in the system. A good sales man takes every chance to prepare a future deal every time he recognize it! Because he knows that can`t get every deal every time and that acquisition cost time and nerves.

If my sales managers won`t act like this with their "walking in" leads, I fire them at the third time I notice.

Every sales man should be able to explain the situation with the price difference and additional costs of panniers - just a question of his eloquent skill. A good salesman know the hints and traps of system driven sales system and so he know how to avoid getting in a situation like this. Yours didn`t - a second and clearly sign of lack of professionalism after not hunting the deal!

If a customer offers to buy additional gear with often means bigger margins on the piece, a good sales manager will negoiate promptly with his senior. There is a lot he can offer: additional parts to complete your bike for traveling, a special service, training lessons and for sure at last a discount. Yours did`t either for what reason ever!

A good sales manager will always offer something with high price which includes a high margin and which will give him a scope for the deal. He will set up a deal and wrap your total price in persuasive package. That`s how selling works - ask the customer what he desires and use the customers arguments to let him benefit from from your deal!

Because all this didn`t happen I assume that the commission and profit rate on the used bike was very poor. And I assume that the customer who sold in the GS got a better discount than usual for the new bike he ordered. That brought pressure to price of your desired bike. This is caused only by the sales system which handles the price and commisions to force sales man to be mainly margin focused.

Most of my work as a head of sales is focusing and raising the net profit rate while I have to find a balance in satisfying customers with acceptabel prices/Services and my sales crew with a good commission and of course in building up the brand!

What I find most interesting is that you're describing in positive terms the same thing I was when I wrote (earlier in the thread) "Changing the terms at the last moment, or saying for any reason "I'll bring it to my manager and see if he ok's it," are standard sleazy sales techniques. So are mysterious last-minute added charges that were never mentioned before, or dragging out the process until you're too hypoglycemic and addled to think clearly and will sign anything just to get it done."

In other words, it sounds like you're quite enamored of the sales techniques I find so abhorrent. I'm grasping for explanations, because you're framing this in terms of satisfying the customer, while my direct experience has involved walking out--with or without a completed sale--feeling like I've been had. Perhaps it involves something about the attitude which accompanies those trips to the sales manager's office and the attempts to assemble a "persuasive package."

I've been much happier on the one occasion when I searched by internet for the best available deal, committed, then traveled by train to a city 250 miles away to pick up my new car. I was in and out of the dealership in short order, there were no surprises, and I saved a fair bit of money. I'd have walked right out the door if presented with any surprises, especially if described in terms of my self-interest.

I'm genuinely intrigued by these discrepancies. In the US, car salespeople are generally considered rather low on the ethical ladder. This being the age of multiple, overlapping truths, I assume there is validity in all sorts of perspectives. On the other hand, I doubt most customers leave vehicle dealerships thinking "I love the way they used my arguments to set up a deal which benefited me!"

Mark

Mark,
I am not enamored in these sales technics. I am a salesman for more than 3 decades and my job since ever is to increase sales.

That is my way of thinking and what I tried to describe in my analysis of what happened to you and which mistakes were made in the sales process. As I wasn`t eyewitnessing, I could only say what I understand by your lines. I could have easily burst the limit of marks from this forum software with a detailed answer and analysis of your case. Saying this to make you understand that I tried keep it simple.

Sales isn`t always fun, It´s a tough business with a lot of competition. A lot of salesman and companies sell like hell to earn their living and profit. That is how capitalism in free-market economy functions. And this is also the reason why many buyers aren`t satisfied and did get frustrated when they do the recap after their shopping.

I always try be in balance in making my deals, at earning the margin while I have to satisfy and to create (!) needs or wishes of customers. In the same time I have to keep my sales staff in a good mood with a suitable income . But in the end of all my activities my CEO and all shareholders will only look to numbers. Eat or to be eaten we call this situation in german.

How does my profession influence my shopping?
Honestly, I am the worst and unpleasant customer you can think of. Because I hate shopping in any kind. I know how to play the game as a seller but I hate to be in the shoes of a customer. What has to do with my knowledge about some branches of trade, their products and sales techniques. Because of this I inform myself as much as possible about a product and I think carefully about my real needs before I buy.

So my advise to you for fighting the sales situation is:
Be prepared and have knowlege about the product, competitive products and the market. Dont`show this to the sales guy and have a list in your mind or phone to ask him a lot of questions about everything, don`t worry about to be seen as a stupid one by this! Be smart and show yourself as ignorant!

A salesman who has to answer a lot of questions will give you much more information as he wants to reveal usually in a sales situation. Remember always that a salesman will never give more information to you as he will find necessary in the situation. It´s not his job to make you clever, it´s his job to be competent and to sell you something. Which is much easier for him as lower your level of knowledge is. And it´s your job to hide (individual) informations that the sales guy can turn into a sales techniques to get your money! He must take the challenge to get his commission; if he doesn`t, leave and buy elsewhere, there are no monopols for anything!

Never buy during your first visit, leave the showroom and go for a coffee to overthink what you really want and to make you a room for a balanced decision.

That is how I do it if I want to buy or I did with the mororcycle sales guys before C19 shut down the showrooms.