Quote:
Originally Posted by Devin.RS
Hey man,
I see you're a BMW genius so I hope you didn't take anything I said personally, maybe I'm looking at this wrong and you can clarify some misconceptions that I may have.
It's my understanding the BMW Geniuses are not sales people, they're only hired to answer peoples questions, once you decide to commit to purchasing a vehicle they will hand you off to a salesperson. Is this correct?
When I do decide to purchase a car, be it from a genius or from a traditional salesperson, will the same tried and true tactics of car sales apply, meaning is there a chance if my wife goes in and negotiates a car, she can end up paying $6,000-7,000 dollars more than me, for the same exact car, simply for not knowing how or wanting to negotiate?
What are your thoughts on the methods Tesla has been using to sell cars?
cheers  |
Yes, you basically have the gist of it. Although our services aren't only for sales. I'm always in the service department of my dealership helping answer questions that service customers have. Whether it be hooking up bluetooth, BMW Connected Drive, BMW SOS, answering questions on runflats, or why their iTunes won't play though the car's sound system.
Before you get handed off to a salesperson, ideally we're to get what options you like/don't like, what color combinations, and basically anything else that one would like or not like to have in a vehicle. That way, we can hand them off to a salesmen and say that we think that this particular customer would really like the Convenience Package, Doesn't need a vehicle with lane departure warning, etc etc. That way, when talking to a salesperson, they can basically build and/or find a vehicle that closely represents their needs. The customer doesn't want to be hounded about buying a car with Nav if their commute is 12 miles to/from work, and they have another car with Nav that they use for roadtrips anyways. Get what I'm saying?
I answer almost all questions customers have. Why? Because do the salesmen want to be bothered answering questions when they can potentially be following up with potential customers and creating sales? Not particularly. Customers
love that they can come in and ask me any questions they have and I'll provide and enthusiastic and quick response to their questions.
Simply put: the "Genius" position (and yes, I hate that term as much as everyone else here) isn't made for you "enthusiasts." You guys know what you want, how you want it, and you've probably done enough research to know all the logistics of the car anyways. We're for the people who are probably new to BMW, and want to learn about why BMW is better and cooler than their previous Ford Taurus or Kia Optima.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alumac
A BMW genius should not be showing up here rambling on about how his time is as valuable as a potential buyer. Flat out, it isn’t. A genius should be able to recognize when they are working with a BMW novice and an enthusiast/hobbyist and be able to adjust accordingly. That is value added.
|
You're incredible. Why is our time as valuable as yours? Because we have other customers that would like ours assistance. The last thing I want to be doing is being secretly quizzed by some "enthusiast" to see if/when I mess up when I could be assisting an actual customer with actual questions they'd like answers to.
Other customer's time is as valuable as yours, therefore my time is valuable.
If you ask me what BMW's "twin scroll" turbo means, I'll basically tell you it's like having two turbo's in one. Why? Because frankly, nobody cares. To the average buyer, that answer is good enough and they get the picture. To an "enthusiast", the last thing I want is a "Ha! No it's not!" Can I explain that half of the engine's exhaust goes in one side and the other goes in the other side, thus making for much less turbo lag and better efficiency? Yes. Can I also go in depth about how BMW's electric turbo's have flaps that move dependent on throttle input & turbo need? Yes.
Does anybody really care? No. I mean, sure people care, and every once in a while I meet somebody who likes to learn about that stuff, but to the average buyer.. they don't really want to know how every mechanical item works.