My letter to LOWES.. Ladies please read..

[phlack]

Originally Posted by BzyBee No purse??? How about a parasol or a dainty pair of white gloves to whack him with??

With a brick in it.

-Mike

[phlack]

I've also never seen a car saleswoman. I wonder why that is.

-Mike

[kurlisola]

Originally Posted by phlack I've also never seen a car saleswoman. I wonder why that is. -Mike

I've worked in accounting at car dealerships for 7 years & only came across one woman salesperson. She was good too. I think it has to do with alot of reasons-consumer expectations of what a woman knows or should know about cars, sexism (by consumers...management doesn't usually care so long as cars are moving off the lot), the natural of the job-high pressure (both on the salesperson and by the salesperson towards the customer). Also, it doesn't tend to be a secure job...we'd recruit 10 new salespeople every couple of months & most were gone within a month or two tops. Finally, to be successful, it requires alot of hours. Our salespeople were typically there from 8am-9pm, 6 days a week. That pretty much knocks out any woman with children.

I'd never recommend being a car salesperson. It sucks the life blood out of you & spits you out. The few who were truly good at it, had little to no social lives, no family, and looked 10 years older than they truly were. Also had a rather sarcastic view of the world and consumers (and management-lol).

[BzyBee]

But wouldn't a woman, who does not know so much about cars, feel more comfortable with a woman as the salesperson? Or, does such a woman bring a man along with her...to kick the tires for her? Certainly there are a lot of women out there buying their own cars.

Now that I think about it, our last car salesperson was a woman. She did fine overall...but we knew what we were looking at and wanted when we went in.

[3swimmersmom]

Great letter!

[kurlisola]

Originally Posted by BzyBee But wouldn't a woman, who does not know so much about cars, feel more comfortable with a woman as the salesperson? Or, does such a woman bring a man along with her...to kick the tires for her? Certainly there are a lot of women out there buying their own cars. Now that I think about it, our last car salesperson was a woman. She did fine overall...but we knew what we were looking at and wanted when we went in.

I don't think so Bzy (but I'm not in the consumers mind, so have to guess). A car is a big purchase & frankly, alot of time a luxury or impulse purchase (most people could hold onto their cars alot longer than they do, but they want that new car feel). And when it comes to cars, women (and men) tend to feel that men know more about them (as a general rule). I think that most women bring a man along to make sure they aren't being taken advantage of. Not that that really works. I've found that when it comes to being taken at a dealership, it doesn't matter what your gender. In fact there were few things a salesperson liked more than a women buyer, who brought a man along that knew nothing about cars. They'll sign for any extra add ons because they don't want to appear stupid in front of the woman.

Plus, I think that (unfortunately) there are still alot of female vs female rivalries...maybe even on a subconscious level. Maybe even subconsciously we need a man to reassure us. Not saying this applies to all women; but enough so that they would prefer men in certain occupations.

Edited to add...the woman that I worked with who was successful at it? I'd say that 90% of her customers were men. She was there & the women still didn't go for her.

[BzyBee]

Good point Lisa...that is why I wondered if they would bring along a 'token' man.

[kurlisola]

Let me give you an example. I had been in the business about 4 years. I couldn't sell a car if I tried, but I understood what was a profit to the dealership & what they lost money on...since I reconciled almost all of the general ledger accounts.

So, my female neighbor comes to me & says they are considering a new minivan. I get the financial info from her (what they owe, value of vehicle). Then I suggested a strategy. I offer to go to the dealership with her & dh. Well, dh decides that a woman (me) doesn't have a clue what she is talking about) & goes without her or me, to a different dealership & gets railroaded. This guy has a top secret security clearance in intelligence & speaks fluent Arabic (as well as a couple other languages)...don't ask me what he does-lol! So, one would think he is pretty intelligent right? Wrong! He couldn't change a spark plug in a lawn mower; much less deal with a high pressure car salesperson who can smell an arrogant suckster a mile away. He got railroaded at the dealership...both with buying the new car & trading in his old car. It was a mess & they ended up upside down in their new loan.

Dh lets me buy the cars in the family. He just sits back and enjoys the show. First when the salesperson is ignoring me, then when I whip out info on the manu kickbacks on the vehicle & finally the salesmens face when he learns where I used to work & specifically what I did. You can actually see the capitulation on their face:-) My best moment was wheeling and dealing for our Kia Sedona when I was 8 months pregnant:-) Every time I heard an offer I didn't like, I groaned, rubbed my very pregnant belly & said, "humm...I'll have to think about that" lol! Ended up walking, even though I had a $23k check in my purse; because I wasn't getting the deal I wanted. Finally did get a great deal though...just had to wait a couple of months & try another dealership.

[mshopper]

Originally Posted by kurlisola I'd never recommend being a car salesperson. It sucks the life blood out of you & spits you out. The few who were truly good at it, had little to no social lives, no family, and looked 10 years older than they truly were. Also had a rather sarcastic view of the world and consumers (and management-lol).

Had to respond to this, as my DH is a car salesman! :Shocked3:

He's one of the ones that IS truly good at it (supports all 7 of us on his income), and it's really not as bad as you made it sound! Yes, the hours are crappy, but he still manages to spend plenty of time with the kids and is even coaching one of their soccer teams this season. Also, that sarcastic view of the world you spoke about isn't so much a by-product of being a car salesman...rather, I see it as a personality trait that one already possesses, which enables them to be a top salesperson. It's a rough business, and definitely not for everyone.
One more thing...he LOVES his boss, who just happens to be a woman!

Not arguing, just offering a different perspective...

[kurlisola]

Thanks for the different perspective. I never got to see it from the spouses side. It was just sad, seeing these guys 12 hours a day, trying to keep their energy levels up, moving and shaking all the time, munching on cold fast food, and pretty much never seeing their families. As for the cynicism...I have actually seen that grow, first hand, over the years (for the few that lasted more than a week or two). They tend to learn to see the customer as prey. The funny part....very few ever really cared about the paycheck...it was the thrill of the hunt. Once they scored, it was all over. Kind of like a one night stand.

I've just found that this is pretty much the norm around most car salespeople. The few that do well, I guess find a way to balance their work and families. And I have run across a few. But to be honest, most were struggling.

I'm glad it worked out for your family. I know that the ones who did well, did really well. It took years & much of their sales were from referrals and previous customers. This gave them more time to spend on themselves and family...instead of cold calling, checking on leads, and chasing customers down on the lot.