[GTO]

I think the one guy who made a difference here is Mr. Evans. Here is the brand manager of a high-end marque who personally invited an enthusiast, met with him, apologised for this staff' behaviour and even threw in some Porsche memorabilia. Takes a big man to do that.

Look at what sidindica had to say:

I got an invitation to visit Porsche New Delhi today from the brand manager, Mr.Evans.
we sat, greeted each other and he humbly apologised for saturday's incident (which I feel could have been done by the persons who are responsible for this incident)
Very courteous and humble person,we had a nice interactive chat and he gave me the new boxster, cayman brochures and panamera pre-launch photo-set,along with some memorabilia- all awesome and worthy additions to my collection for hardcore porsche fans like me.

His staff has a lot to learn from him. Do us a favour guys; meet with Mr. Evans and learn from his wisdom. He knows what has created the brand and how followers of the same must be treated.

Originally Posted by blacmagic

let me tell you, dude, there is something called GOODWILL. you cannot assign a number to it.

Statement worth a million bucks.

Originally Posted by ECM

How big you are,never try to judge anyone from his outlook.

Truly. These elitist dudes need to realise that the old-rich almost never show off their wealth. I know of some families who have crores in the bank, but you'd never know by looking at them. Stop judging people by the clothes they wear or the watch on their hand.

Originally Posted by flyingspur

....to which he laughed and said "It is irrelevant that you cannot afford the car today, who knows, in a few years time you'll have your own !! I clicked this picture so you can cherish the memory of sitting in a car you're going to buy 10 years from now. I'll be expecting you then "

That was the most hospitable treatment I've come across anywhere. His good nature, interest, enthusiasm and humour has left such inquantifiable goodwill in my mind

I gotta admit : some lessons in Marketing 101 are required here. I don’t believe someone's come to the largest enthusiast forum in a country, that is obviously important to the brand he represents, and then post on how cheap they can be? A miserly attitude is not befitting of a brand like Porsche, is it?

Lastly, how many better things do they have to do than protecting their brand and treating visitors with respect? Face it, it's not like Porsches salesguys have their hands full everyday with with car deliveries.

Note to Porsche : Please be extremely particular about who represents your brand.

[Ravveendrra]

I agree with GTO and also commend DKGs comments for every enthusiasts attention.

For the bean counters in the showrooms - remember that enthusiasts are a great help to the auto industry, they act as unofficial spokespersons for the brand and act as salesmen for free!

Enthusiasts have extensive and in depth knowledge of cars and bikes. Common folk trust the enthusiasts and respect their opinions and often take their advice. Entusiasts can make or break a deal, eg. this man who cajoled me to TD the Laura, that TD convinced me that Diesels are not too bad after all. (I eventually did buy a Laura).

DKG has succinctly put across the point that the entusiasts have to behave in a responsible manner. They should maintain a respectful distance and ensure that the objects of their admiration are not soiled, sullied or spoilt in any way.

Cheers,

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

And here is something the "big guy" knew, and the "sales man" did not - sales of brands like Porsche depends on the drool from the people (like me) who cannot afford it, rather than the cash in pockets / banks of the guys who actually buy them.

[blacmagic]

this is how people like Mr Evans see all people who walk in:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...1&d=1237045095

... and this is how the Manishes and assorted bean counters see them:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...1&d=1237045095

NOTE:
Sid, this is an attempt to lighten the mood. apologies if you dont like what Ive done to your photograph.
Moderators, please do not hesitate to junk this post if it appears in bad taste.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

The old man and lad walked around the car, sat in it, (in spite of the discouraging looks from the sales guys) he then asked for the bonnet to be opened - looked at the engine, asked if it was petrol or diesel, requested them to start it etc. All this he did in a very self-effacing and plesant manner. He was extremely patient with the rude and boorish sales staff and waited quietly when they tried to avoid him.

The situation was obvious, the show room guys thought he was a loser who would never be able to afford the fancy new car they were trying to sell. Finally the old man got down to brass tacks and asked how much it cost. When told, he said ok, put his cloth bag on the table and counted out the CASH! The look in the eyes of the 'smart set' sales guys was unbelievable - none of them had seen that kind of money ever in their lives. He told them in a very patient tone that he owned a Ford Prefect from the days when they were imported and was thrilled to learn that Ford were coming back to India, that was why he was there on the first day!

,This reminded me of 2 incidents with Maharaja of Patiala,

Once, he was in London, looking at a diamond in the show window of a Jeweller, the owner came and shooed away the Indian(not knowing), telling him that he cannot afford anything here. The Maharaja bought the whole shop including the property itself.

Second, he had ordered a fleet of well known brand of cars (cant remember which brand), all imported into India. Soon they started breaking down and all efforts of him getting help/ parts from the parent company failed. He converted the rest of them to garbage collecting dumpster, the parent company came running with the parts and engineers as they didnt want their brand image to be effected

The crux: Never ever underestimate anyone.

[Nikhilb2008]

Second, he had ordered a fleet of well known brand of cars (cant remember which brand), all imported into India. Soon they started breaking down and all efforts of him getting help/ parts from the parent company failed. He converted the rest of them to garbage collecting dumpster, the parent company came running with the parts and engineers as they didnt want their brand image to be effected

This was Rolls Royce I think.

[doctorque]

i think its been potrayed in a very rude manner.
i want to ask people who have visited porsche centre and seen me as i know quite few who have and dont know a lot many who have visited too.
We hand over everything to a client, whatever he asks for and have not denied any information to the best of my knowledge. The hard copy/soft copy is an option i specifically use as i have come accross a large number of people who insist on a soft copy if available.

@ GTO-
You have been extremely biased, i only feel sorry for the effort that i have put over the years at ford, BMW & now Porsche, an effort to see a sparkle in a clients eye and make them smile with the best we can.
It shows its simple to say things and its another thing to experience the same before conveying such rude things without even checking it out youself.

I had high such regards for things before, but i am hugely dissapointed now.

[blacmagic]

doctorque, most people prefer softcopies over hardcopies. which, if you give them, keeps them happy. for the few who ask for hardcopies, whats the big issue?

you dug a hole for yourself when you declined to take a stand on the pathetic attitude displayed by Manish. so what if he is senior to you? some things are just wrong and by making excuses about them, you lose credibility.

[Ravveendrra]

Relax @ doctorque.

No one here is saying that all sales guys are bad, not even that all sales guys for one (or some) brands are bad. The thread is essentially about one bad incident which was held up as an example of bad treatement and also the amends made by the company (which were promptly applauded). Several members have posted their positive reactions to good treatment received in showrooms.

Let me share my own great experience.

Two years ago I was looking for a decent sized car. I identified the Laura, the C-class and the spanking new 3 series (Chris Bangle however ensured that I struck this one off my list).

I test drove the Laura (reluctantly as it was a Diesel), collected all the info about the car and pushed along to the Merc dealership. I was offered a TD on the spot. I declined and told them that I was looking at the Laura too and wanted more information before I decided. The gentleman gave me a complete tour of the cars and their features, he also compared their pros and cons vis-a-vis the Laura. He gave me the literature on the car and the costing etc. I left the showroom telling them I would get back to them. I dropped in a few days later and told them that I had decided to go with the Laura as I was basically a cheapskate and the lower cost of the Laura coupled with it's FE had won me over. I thought that this would be the end of the story, but it was not.

Some days later, I got a call from the Merc showroom asking me whether I had bought the Laura, I replied that I had. He then requested me for an appointment at a time convenient to me. I decided to humour him. He arrived at the appointed time and told me that he still wanted to give me a TD. I was amused but thrilled at the same time, so we set off on a TD of the Petrol C class 200K (I think it was). Turned out that he had arranged for a TD of the Diesel C class, as well as an E class. So I TD all three, he then insists that I have a dekko at the S class, the 4 door coupe (horrid looking car), and a hard top sports, all of which were getting ready for delivery. I came away very pleased after a few hours well spent.

I have not bought a Mercedes yet. Any time I look for a new car - I shall automatically shortlist the Mercedes. I also recommend the brand to anyone looking for a car in that segment(s)/price bracket(s).

This incident showed great salesmanship - inspite of knowing that he would not make a sale, he decided to spend some time and effort on me and . . . . . . . . converted me for life!

All of us have also had great experiences with salesmen, we do recognise and commend those efforts. However, one cannot blame us for trying to convert the bad guys into good guys.

Cheers,

[doctorque]

i will not defend any one.

@Ravvendrra
Great to know about your experiences.

[diabloo]

Basically the issue is with handing over the brochures after calculations.

The root cause is Porsche showroom knows the criteria but other don't.

So the Porsche showroom must announce eligibility criteria for securing the brochures.

Then anybody can check themselves whether they satisfy the requirements, and collect those brochures. Those who don't qualify will get digital brochures on CD (I guess Porsche can spend Rs 8 for CD & Rs 2 for cover, so total Rs 10 only for brochures).

Originally Posted by doctorque

The brochures are expensive, very expensive. So it has to be calculated by a Sales guy each time they give a brochure

Originally Posted by sidindica

I came to know that the new boxster and cayman brochures have arrived.

[harry10]

I think issue has been resolved long back so now should be the time to move on.
@Ravvendrra - Quiet a nice experience. Wish all sales people were so customer oriented.

[diabloo]

Better foresee than feel sorry later.

Thats what we are doing now - how to prevent such incidents (from anybody) in future.

Originally Posted by harry10

I think issue has been resolved long back so now should be the time to move on.

[abhi182]

At the risk of bumping a thread hat has already reached a logical conclusion, here is my own experience, and although none of the vehicles I am talking about are even close to a Porsche, there does exist a clear parallel.

I started working at the age of 21 and with a 5 ft 7" 45 kg frame used to look 17 back then.

The first thing I wanted to buy when I started earning on my own was a car and ended up shortlisting the Ikon , Petra and Accent. The Ikon and Petra were ruled out for some reason (don't remember exactly why) after the test drives which left us with a Accent TD (and most likely deal closure) for the next day since it was post 6 PM already

Now I had just moved to Gurgaon and me & my roomie decided to drop in at MGF mall after work which is were we spotted a showcase for the Corsa setup by the local GM dealer.

We dropped in for a dekko, and the guys there treated us like kings... Showed us around the car, described each detail and insisted we take a TD the next day.

Next morning, around lunch time, me & roomie (+ colleague) biked down to the Hyundai showroom on the old Gurgaon road, parked our bike and went in.

The showrooom manager noticed these two emaciated looking youngsters get down from a rusty bike walking in the showroom asking for a TD, and guess what, we were given some vague excuse about a TD vehicle not being available, and if we could check back with them tomorrow. We took the manager's words at face value and decided to return back the next day.

However, Before heading out, we decided to check the brochures /accessories and other stuff in the showroom.
Meanwhile, oblivious to us, another gentleman (?) had entered the showroom decked up in garish clothes, thick gold chains..the works

While we were getting out of the showroom, we saw this portly gentleman being ushered into a demo vehicle ...

To cut a long story short, I paid for and toook delivery of the Corsa within that very week, and one of the first places I drove down to was Hyundai showroom where I asked the manager for a word, called him out and let him know in no uncertain terms the reasons why he lost out on a customer

[thiyags22]

Originally Posted by DKG

I learnt a trick in handling these guys effectively. Whenever I'd walk in to a Ferrari Porsche RR or Lamborghini showroom I would never expect to be attended. As someone would walk up with a "Can I help you" I'd smile with a "Just looking" and go back to enjoying gazing at the car. In time I noticed it worked magically. More often than not someone in the showroom invariably would notice me drooling over the car on display and they would make a concerted effort to strike up a conversation

Exactly what I do, even for visiting a Tata or Ford showroom. I am happy to be left alone to look at the cars. For technical details / reviews, I have this forum.