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Old 27th October 2017, 11:10   #1
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Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Similar thread on media test-drives - Link (Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work)

Cars are an important part of our lives. And buying them is a wonderful experience. Right from the discussion on "what car?" to taking multiple test drives and then finally the delivery experience. We usually discuss the dealership atmosphere / location, knowledge of the sales advisor, the ability of the dealership to get the car early and discounts on the forum. However, how many of us here know the inner workings of the dealerships? How does the dealership order cars from the manufacturer? What does the sales person think about the customer? What goes on behind the scenes to give you a 5-star delivery experience? I will share my first-hand experience of working in a dealership of India's top selling car manufacturer here.

Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-marutiscross01.jpg

Typical staff in a dealership
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-nexa.jpg

• Let us start from the beginning. The first contact person you ever face while coming to a dealership is the watchman/valet. While this person is usually ignored, he does play an important role in a positive car buying experience. This person usually assists you in parking your car and then opening the door for you.

• Next up is the receptionist. This is usually the first place where you will give your details and the person will ask you to wait and offer you some refreshments while they call the right person to meet you. Their job gets especially stressful when there are more customers than the sales people.

• Then a sales advisor will come to greet you. He will be your one-point contact right from the beginning till the delivery stage and even after that. The primary function of a sales advisor is to help you in selecting a car, get you a test drive, discuss the pricing, tell you about the various loan schemes, offer the monthly discounts etc.

• A team leader is the next person up the ladder. Usually he handles a group of 3-7 sales advisors and monitors their performance, queries, problems, and reports to the sales manager. He / she is also the person who will discuss the freebies / dealer discounts.

• A finance manager co-ordinates all the loan applications and decides the best loan option for the customer. It is important to understand the profile of the customer and have a good relationship with banks and other organizations that will give car loans. We used to get a lot of clients without any proper income proofs - e.g. farmers, people with lots of properties on rent, small businessmen from the unorganized sector, etc. Loan for such clients was done only by a couple of banks and mostly by NBFCs at a higher rate of interest. Many people usually put off the car purchase if they don't get a loan.

• A sales manager usually handles the stock monitoring of the dealership (ordering cars based on pending bookings, festive seasons, local election dates, etc.). They also discuss the schemes / offers for a particular month given by the manufacturer to each dealer as well as the price changes with the team leaders. At times there are 2 persons - one assistant sales manager and one sales manager to handle the smooth workings on a day to day basis. They also have to handle the corporate schemes - defense canteen, bulk deals, government departments like Police, Local governments, etc. Handling them is tricky as the payment is usually released only after delivery which often gets delayed due to some reason or the other. I've known instances when the cars were delivered over a year ago but no payments received till date.

• The accessories manager usually keeps an eye on the stock of accessories and helps to highlight various accessories to the customers. He / She also has some discretionary powers over discounts on accessories. He is an important person as the dealership gets a fat margin by selling accessories.

• Usually the RTO manager / liaison will not interact with the customers, but he is critical to the prompt delivery of the vehicles. He / She usually prepares the documents along with factory invoices, delivery invoices, insurance etc. and sends this to the RTO. He / She also informs the drivers when to take the car to the RTO for inspection. These days, due to the online system, data must be manually fed in to the RTO website by the dealer as well as sent as a hard copy to the RTO office. Appointment for the inspection of the vehicle usually happens a couple of days after the papers are sent. During mass deliveries or auspicious days, the inspector may be called into the dealership to inspect the cars as well. A dealership in a city like Mumbai region has to handle a minimum of 7-8 different RTOs / municipal bodies. He / She also tells if the documents of a customer are sufficient or any other proofs are needed. Usually if they say that the car won't get registered on less documents, and the customer insists to send the documents to the RTO, the RTO manager / liaison is usually right. The RTO will send back incomplete documents or hold the registration process unless all the required documents are submitted.

• Other senior personnel like the vice presidents, general managers and owners don't usually interact with the customers on a day to day basis, but are likely to meet a customer in case of delays, non-availability of a particular colour / variant etc.

• At the back-end of the dealership are the data entry personnel who will update the DMS (Dealer Management System) with details of the customer, fill out booking details, handle the invoicing etc. A couple of these will be dedicated to the new car insurance. The busiest staff are in the accounts department. They verify the customer payments and give the go-ahead to invoice the car, co-ordinate with banks for the loans payments, manage cash, send money to the manufacturer, pay out salaries, etc.

A typical back office looks like this, but not so spic and span. You will find lots of files lying everywhere:
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-samu-san-126.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 28th October 2017 at 12:09. Reason: Adding link to the other 'behind the scenes' thread :)
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:11   #2
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One might ask how I ended up working in a car dealership. After my engineering, I didn't want to end up in a typical corporate 9-5 job, especially in a company that hires fresh engineers by the thousands. So, a friend and I ended up going to a Maruti Suzuki dealership and asked about the vacancies. We were not there for the money, just to while away our time till we figured out what we wanted to do. We had a short interview and were asked to start from the next Monday. The HR person there was very nice and repeatedly asked us if we were OK with doing this kind of job. However, we were adamant and insisted on going ahead. I started my first job as a Ciaz sales consultant. My first task was to familiarize myself with the car (specs, features, variants, colours etc.). By good luck, my team leader was one of the good ones working there and taught me lots of new things.

Daily routine of a sales person

9-9:30 am - Time to reach the dealership and punch your attendance. Usually the attendance machine is located close to the entrance so that in case of a delay, you can just hurry up and scan your thumb before doing anything else. It is a sight to see especially at 9:29 am when you have staff running over and fighting to get their attendance marked before the clock ticks 9.30 am.

Sight is similar to the audience rushing to the podium area after the end of an F1 race:
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-run.jpg
Image Source

9:45-10:30 am - Usually the time for the daily morning meeting, either with the whole sales team or with your own team. It is generally to discuss the day's plan, any problems or any other matter to be brought to the attention of the sales manager. Typically, the meeting happens in the conference room - in case of a longer meeting, you don't want the customers that come early listening to what's being said.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-samu-san-063.jpg

10:30-11:30 am - Time for follow ups. Once we get daily action reports on our customers, we make a note on the next follow up (phone, visit, test drive, etc.). This sheet is usually given back to the back-end staff by noon.

11:30-5 pm - This is usually the time we get walk-in customers, telephonic enquiries etc. We also do other work like scheduling deliveries, following up on status of our customer's car (location of car - whether it is in the accessories department, registration, still at stockyard etc.). When the dealership sells 300+ cars monthly, there is a lot of work to do. Due to the large volumes, it takes time for the work to done, especially if your file is at the bottom end of the stack. We also manage to take a break of 10-20 minutes for lunch. Usually this happens in a staggered manner to ensure that all staff is not absent at the same time.

5-7 pm- Usually the busiest time in the showroom. We have to ensure that cars are billed in time so that in case of any next day deliveries, cars are on the next day's list to be brought from the stockyard. A lot of customers also come in and as "Customer is the King", we must attend to them without delay. Since I was primarily handling only Ciaz clients, there were times when I was requested to handle other car customers as well - especially during holidays and festive seasons. If free, I preferred to attend Fleet customers (Ola/Uber and other taxi customers) as not much car explanation to do, but just explain all the different paperwork and loan schemes.

There are manufacturers who sell less cars in India than what one Maruti dealership sells in a month. Hence, you will never find the showroom empty:
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-showroom.jpg

Post 7 pm - Dealership timings on paper are 9:30 am to 7:00 pm, but I rarely remember leaving the dealership before 7:30 pm at the minimum. As a sales person, it makes sense to wait back for some time when others leave the showroom. Most of the clients who come late end up buying a car.

Special events

• On certain weekends, we used to have car exchange fests. Each salesperson was given a target of getting one evaluation done (just getting the customer, not a booking / sale). This may not seem much, but with over 50 sales persons in a single dealership, you have 50 customers coming in. On such days, there is a fun atmosphere in the showroom with trendy music playing and some activity for the customers.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-img_7133.jpg

• At times, the company will introduce some scheme for PSUs, Bank Employees, Teachers, Doctors etc. To effectively announce such schemes, one demo car, along with pamphlets, brochures, and a portable banner are taken either to a residential complex or an office campus etc. Most of these require prior permissions. In such cases, it helps to keep in touch with your customers who might be able to get you the permission to display your car. It is best when you get an indoor space to park display the car...
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-disp01.jpg

...else be prepared to slog in the sun.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-disp02.jpg

• Sometimes, we have events in malls around town. Apart from the huge number of enquiries Maruti stall / pavilion gets, some of the questions you get to hear are really funny, especially the ones that involve comparisons. Most will ask about the mileage first, then the price. If in a rural location, customers will prefer diesel variants only - whatever their annual running is. I know people who have brought diesels but run the car less than 10,000 km a year.

• Typical weekend at the mall will see 500-700 enquiries and one must be there from 9 am to 9 pm. On day 1, it is important to get there early to get the car inside the mall. The ramp / entry to the mall is usually very different from what you were told. It takes some time and jugaad to get the cars inside:
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-mall-display.jpg

Last edited by Aditya : 27th October 2017 at 11:16.
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:11   #3
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Customer handling

It may seem that Maruti cars sell well, hence there is no requirement for a sales person, but the sales person is employed by the dealership to primarily do 2 things -
1. Sell from the stock
2. Make good relations with customers so that they give in more references

Since I was primarily in the Ciaz team, I had to undergo a 5-day training. Out these, 2 days were kept aside for understanding customer objections and soft skill development. Both are a vital part of maintaining a good rapport with the customer. You can even get away with not knowing the specs of the car by memory (you can always refer the brochure), but not knowing how to speak with the customers is a big fail.

There are ways to address a customer. Basic etiquette's like greeting the person, offering a seat, etc. go a long way. Even the way to speak on the phone was explained to us. I used to think that all this is un-needed, but I've since changed my opinion. A good training goes a long way. The most important thing I learnt about customer handling was - HONESTY. Yes, you might land up in a soup sometimes, but its best to be honest with the customer. He / she might get angry with you at first, but later will appreciate the honesty. It is very important to be a good listener as well. Not all customers come looking for a particular car, most of them need to be advised on a car based on their needs. This is where listening to their needs is important.

I have seen many types of customers- right from the corporates, farmers, families, fleet owners, etc. There is a very different way to interact with all these clients. For corporates, you must be on time, interact mostly via email and reach their place of work for test drives and other formalities. They will usually come to the dealership only for the delivery. The dealership I worked with was located a bit in semi-urban area. So, we had lots of local farmers around. Now those who say that farmers can't buy costly cars is grossly mistaken. I have seen people come into the showroom, asked about the colour availability and paid the full amount in cash on the spot (before the demonetization). Some sales people do judge you by the way you dress, but that is a very bad idea. You never understand whether a person will by a car or not just from judging his attire. Families usually are a bit more personal towards their future car. Usually the mother selects the car, the father chooses the variant and the children pick the colour. They are a lot of fun to have as customers. They will ask you about small features, ask for test drives, see cars of different colours etc. Fleet owners are usually no nonsense - they are primarily concerned with the financing and the availability of the car.

Government departments / divisions like Municipalities, Police, Excise dept., etc. also take cars from us. Some of them are exempt from the road tax while others are not. Further, the vehicles are registered on different names - E.g. A car can be registered on the name of a post like Additional Commissioner of Police, or a department like Maharashtra State Excise or municipal corporations like Karjat Municipal Corporation. However, the process is pretty long winded. Such purchases are eligible for discount from the company. Earlier, the system of rate contract was used - the rates would be decided as per the negotiations between the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal (DGSND) and the service / good suppliers. However, the current system is the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), that acts like online markets like Amazon and Flipkart. The biggest hurdle in this is the fact that very few of the departments will do the buyer registration themselves. They will ask us to register for them on the portal and place the order. But it involves a lot of problems as it is authenticated by Aadhaar card of the office staff that is doing the purchasing. You need the representative for receiving the goods, then a senior to authenticate the purchase and finally a finance / accounts person to release payment. Despite multiple trips over a month-long period, I was unable to register a department in the system. They gave up and purchased the car at normal rates. The portal is user friendly, but requires official email IDs that very few people get - most of them use Gmail. The process is easy, but getting all the preconditions are necessary

Some of the particular customers are worth mentioning:

1. One family from another city had come to the city for a couple of days. They decided to check out the Ciaz and I was asked to attend them. Showed them the car, gave the Test Drive and told them about the pricing and discounts. I was frankly not expecting them to get the car from here as they lived a good 500 km away. The next morning the son calls me up and asks about the showroom opening time and I say that I can be there by 9 am. Just as I reach the dealership, I spot them waiting outside. We go in and they surprise me by saying they have decided to get the car from me. I asked them to book the car and we can do the rest of the formalities later, but they said they will be paying in full and taking the car home in the evening . Once confirmed with the manager, I asked them about their payment method and they said cash. I asked them to go to the cashier and they literally had got a large gunny bag filled with bundles of 10 and 20-rupee notes. Meanwhile, I was instructed to get the insurance and temporary registration done. Till 4 pm, the cashier was just counting. Later, he resorted to counting only the bundles and not the individual notes. They took the car home after 5 pm. All this while they were sitting in the showroom.

2. A lady with a kid came late evening (6:30 pm or so) just as I was about to leave. I don't know why, but I decided to attend to them as the other sales guys were busy. Greeted her, showed her the cars as per her requirement and even got her car valuated. After some time, we went for a Test drive. She said she'd call me at her office at noon the next day for further discussion. I went home after the usual long day. Next morning, in the morning meeting, our manager called us up and said that we had been visited by a mystery shopper. The email he showed us from the Regional Office had my visiting card attached. They had sent in a report with parameters and a remark against them, some of them were - availability of doorman, valet and receptionist, greeting by sales person, test drive, evaluation, pricing and schemes, refreshments offered etc. Thankfully I didn't get any negative points but 2 things that were highlighted included the pantry staff (who bring tea / coffee) not wearing gloves and there was no music playing inside the showroom! The reason for music was due to the computer that played songs being turned off at 6 pm. The missing gloves issue was asked to be rectified. Such small attention to detail was totally unexpected.

3. So far in my 15 months at the dealership, only 2 customers had asked for a PDI to be done. In the first instance, the person buying the car was an employee of an automobile media house, and in the second instance a person was working with a big multinational company. Barring these 2, of the 140 odd cars I sold, no customer asked for the car to be seen before the registration process.

Last edited by Aditya : 27th October 2017 at 11:15.
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:11   #4
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From booking amount to delivery

Unlike most of us petrol-heads, the general public usually wants to know only 2 things about a new car-
1. Availability of particular colour / variant combo.
2. Maximum discount that can be given.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-colours.jpg

However, despite clearing up all the doubts, there is a process to be followed to get a car to the customer. It starts with the booking of the car. Most of the cars in the Maruti stable can be booked by paying amounts between Rs. 5,000 - Rs. 21,000- the later for Ciaz. Initially there used to be a cancellation fee of Rs. 250, but it has since been removed. Cars with long waiting periods always had 100% refundable booking amounts.

Before committing anything to the customer, it is critical to confirm the same with the Sales Manager. In a dealership having 5-6 branches and 100+ sales executives, a car that was moments ago in the stock could have got allotted in less than 15 mins. Each of the executives are given a printout of the daily stock report. Based on that, we inform the customers and take it further. On the first of every month or events like starting of the Gujarat plant, we get the updated waiting time from MSIL.

Once the car status has been verified, the booking form is filled out and the token payment is taken. Some customers insist on paying more than the booking amount even if the car has a waiting period, but we politely decline and take just the booking amount. Once the customer leaves, the executive has to get the form checked and signed by the Manager. It is then taken to the data entry operators to enter the details into the system. In case of cars with long waiting periods, it is critical to get it done before someone else get in before you.

In case the car is in stock, the car has to be allotted against that booking. It is also important to get this done right away. There have been instances when someone forgot to allot the car and it was billed and sold to another person in just a day. Double check this from the master stock list and you are done. As a rule, once the car is allotted, the customer must pay the balance amount within 7 days. In case of in-house finance, this period is increased if the loan is under process.

If the car isn't in stock, then the dealership must order the car from the company. Usually, at the beginning of the month, the company allots xx cars to the dealer. You get to know only the model / variant and the dealer is free to choose the colours. The dealer can also cancel the lot in case they have similar cars in their stock. At rare instances, due to a delay, rare colour etc., the request for the car is sent to the regional office who gets the car dispatched. Usually, the cars are dispatched in lots and only after full payment. Note that the customer pays only the booking amount till the car has arrived, but the dealer must pay up in full. Else the company will not dispatch the cars. Sometimes, the manufacturer will dispatch a particular bunch of cars as part of incentives / monthly targets. E.g. A lot of white Alto 800's and K10 as part of the Anniversary edition, some Eeco's etc. It is necessary to take such cars as MSIL has a capacity constraint - only a certain number of cars are made every year. Every dealer has his monthly targets to achieve. At the end of financial half years - the dealers will usually get whatever is available in the factory to achieve their wholesale targets for the period.

Once all the balance payments are done, including the loan payment from a bank, the car can now be invoiced to the customer. This process usually takes a day or two due to the sheer volume handled by a dealership. First the accounts department confirms the payment and okays it to be invoiced. Once invoiced, the insurance is done and the file is sent to the RTO department. Due to the current online system, data entry must be done before the tax is paid and then the car is displayed to the officer for inspection. Due to technical problems, this process can get delayed as well. But on an average, it takes anywhere between 3-8 days for getting the number allotted. Some customers prefer to get a number of their choice. In that case, the receipt for the same must be handed over to the sales person before the data entry stage.

For the best delivery experience, schedule your delivery on a working day, around 4 pm or so. Never get your car delivered on a mass-delivery day. Though I have delivered 10-15+ cars in a day without any trouble, in case of some problem, it gets very difficult for the sales person to rectify it. If the D-day is someone's birthday / anniversary in the family, discretely inform your advisor. 9/10 times he will make it special for you. We had made it a special moment for a customer who wanted to surprise his wife on their anniversary with a new sedan - with the help of my team leader, we managed to keep her in the dark till the delivery day. The manager was kind enough to allow us a small cake for the celebration.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-delivery01.jpg

In case of any auspicious time/day, make sure you mention it fairly in advance as it helps to arrange all things in place on time. The worst-case scenario is the customer waiting in the showroom and the sales guy has to run around asking others to bring the car to the delivery bay, get it washed and check for the accessories fitted.
Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-delivery02.jpg

Once all the procedures are done, accessories fitted, and number allotted from the RTO the order for the number plates is placed. Everything is kept ready a day before the actual delivery. On the D-Day, an hour before the scheduled delivery, the sales person inspects the car one last time. The idea is to keep the customer not waiting for long. Once the customer has reached the showroom, we will explain the paper work and then head to the delivery bay. The car is covered in a satin sheet and is to be uncovered by the customer. A small gift - usually a chocolate box is handed over, photographs taken (some dealers have a mini printer on which the photo is printed in 5 mins), puja is done and then we introduce the customer to one of our seniors and bid goodbye to them. Remember, the sales person does hundreds of car deliveries a day, but it is a very special occasion for the customer. We must always be enthusiastic for each and every delivery.

Not all the deliveries happen smoothly. There are some problems as well. It's not the problem, but how you handle it that matters. Would like to highlight 3 incidences here -

1. A very good customer (bought multiple cars from the dealership), took the delivery of a Ciaz and was back after 30 mins complaining about thud-thud noise from the suspension. It was at almost 6 pm, when most of the workshop guys were going home. A quick diagnosis revealed that the car was affected by the suspension bush recall from Maruti, but it was missed by the PDI department. We requested the customer to wait for some time while we sort out the issue. He was adamant that he wanted the car replaced. We calmed him down and I asked my manger to meet him and we showed him the recall notice from Maruti. Meanwhile the car was taken up on the ramp and the replacement procedure had already began. 30 minutes later, we took the car back for a test and the customer was happy. Later, he said that being honest upfront was the key to keep things under control.

2. For a Dussehra delivery, the car was taken to the RTO for inspection in the morning and the delivery was scheduled in the afternoon. Unfortunately, while coming back, another truck that had come for inspection as well, scratched the LHS side of the car. There was a scratch along the front left fender till the rear door. We initially thought of repainting the panels, but it wouldn't dry in time. So, I called up the customer and told him what had happened. He was disappointed, but I offered him to do the puja on the scheduled time, and take the car home the next day after the repaint - he agreed on this.

3. A very late decision by a customer for a car would lead to incomplete RTO processes by the expected delivery date. Again, requested the family to do puja on that day and we home delivered the car after we got the number. The customer's wife was understanding and agreed with our point of view.

Note- Insurance is not valid unless you have a temp number (CRTM issued) or your registration number is allotted. The red plate TC numbers are just for the dealers to bring the vehicles from the stockyard to the dealership.

Last edited by Aditya : 27th October 2017 at 11:15.
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:11   #5
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Mass deliveries

A dealership is open on most days of the year. The rare days when it is shut completely include Holi (more to prevent colour splatter on the cars), Labour Day, etc. All other days including the Sundays it operates on a skeletal staff. Those working on festival days are given compensatory leaves. On days like Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali etc. lot of people take deliveries presenting a unique set of management problems. In a Maruti dealership, mass deliveries = 150+ cars handed over to customers on the same day.

Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-50tatazestdelivery.jpg
Source

Festival deliveries are a totally different numbers game. The procedure usually starts 2-3 months in advance with special instructions from the managers. Depending on the waiting period, production schedule and stock, a basic timeline is drawn for the last day to order / book a car to get it delivered by the festival day. For example, an Alto or WagonR will be available upto 2-3 days before, Swift / Dzire maybe a week before, Ciaz 10 days in advance etc. It is also critical to keep the stock sheet in your pocket and get the latest report on time. Thanks to WhatsApp, each booking is shared with everyone and we can strike-off those from the stock sheet.

Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-mass-delivery-01.jpg

There are some customers who plan in advance and everything (including the registration) is done 2-3 days before the special day. But, on the other hand, you need to handle the last-minute people as well. Usually they have booked at some other dealership which was giving them additional discount but didn't have the car in stock and gave an unrealistic delivery commitment to the customer. So, the customer must scout for the car at another dealership and get the registration formalities done in time. As described in the later posts, doing the paper work takes time and some things can't be hurried up. Apart from the car, you need to check for the accessories in stock, RTO holidays / half-days, parking place at dealership etc.

Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-mass-delivery.jpg

Two days prior to the actual event, deliveries for the day are closed. A delivery register is kept, ensuring that nothing is missed for the big Day. A location needs to be found for delivering a large number of vehicles simultaneously. Dealerships in the heart of a city will have to find an open ground unless they can sufficiently park many cars in their premises. The usual number of the drivers fall short on such occasions. So, the sales staff is called upon to bring over the cars from the stockyard. A bunch of salesmen (rarely are saleswomen tasked with this) are packed like sardines in some people mover like Omni or Eeco with no functioning AC, rattling doors and a CNG kit that looks like it will fall off any moment. If you are lucky, you will get to go in one of the test drive vehicles.

Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership-mass-delivery-02.jpg

Usually, a ground close to the dealership is selected. A car driven down from the stockyard is taken to the RTO on the same day and then handed over to the accessories department. Once all fittings are done, the car is washed and only after the final OK given, the car is taken to the ground one day prior to the event and the keys are handed over for safe keeping. From a dealership point of view, over 100 of their undelivered (at times unregistered) cars are lying in a place with open access to the public. Strict rules are in place regarding the procedures to be followed. The accessory fitters work overtime to get the cars ready. It does happen that some cars aren't ready in time and the guys have to spend the night fitting things.

For the actual deliveries, bays are marked for the cars and as the customers start coming in, one by one the cars are taken to unoccupied bays for puja and handing over. Day starts early by 8 am and ends by 4 - 5 pm. In case of an unusually hot day, the deliveries are closed by noon and the undelivered cars are taken back to the dealership. Most of the cars sold on such days are done in a haste and at times the registration is pending due to the day being a holiday for the RTO. It must be noted that RTO officers do co-operate a lot. At times, we had the local RTO officer come to the dealership for inspection rather than sending over 50+ cars on a single day. They do have a lot of work, and they try to do the best they can.

Usually, 2 people from a team handle the deliveries, while others stay back at the dealership. Remember, on an auspicious day, an equal if not more number of customers book new cars. A jovial atmosphere is spread throughout the dealership. On days like Diwali, we used to celebrate after office hours with a couple of fire crackers. We even had our own Ganpati who used to come every year to bless us. And for Christmas, one of our seniors used to get us homemade mouth-watering plum cakes. It is important to keep the staff happy with such activities.

Last edited by Aditya : 27th October 2017 at 11:12.
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:11   #6
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Understanding more about MSIL

Before starting my work here, I was usually under the impression that Maruti cars are a success just because of their cheap price. I later on realized how wrong I was. It is not just the product that matters, but the company's attitude, their customer-centric stance and the constant upgradation of themselves that counts. It's not an easy job getting to the number one position and staying there since a long time.
  • Maruti has a very strong complaint redressal mechanism. First the complaints are handled at the dealer level. In case it is not solved, it is then escalated to MSIL. There are strict penalties for providing false commitments, any pricing discrepancy, etc. The monetary penalties are levied right from the sales person, team leader, sales manager, general manager and till the top including the owner.
  • The company also conducts surprise checks / visits on the many dealerships sending people posing as customers and making a note of all the happenings. These are known as mystery shoppers and everyone is scared of them as the repercussions of getting their attention are severe. These mystery shoppers could be a single person, or a friendly couple to a full-fledged family with kids in tow. A monthly review report is sent to the dealers - the only time when you make out if you had been visited by a mystery shopper or not. These are especially critical when a new model is launched or a car has a long waiting period (e.g. Brezza, Dzire, etc.).
  • Customer centric attitude - The customer is always right. There have been cases of dealerships being shut down for poor service. The way the company handles its dealerships is commendable. They have a good say in the day to day dealings of every dealership. In case of a month with poor sales, someone from the Regional Office will be sitting in the dealership to ensure that it doesn't happen again. And even if you overachieve the target by a large number, it is investigated as well. Customers are always given avenues to speak out, there are feedback calls, emails and even some letters are sent to the addresses provided by the customers. Dealers are also expected to host customer meet sessions once a month to discuss any issues the customers might have.
  • Service network - Largest in India and in places where competitor's nearest workshop is 200+ km away. The workshop technicians undergo regular training and are monitored as well for any complaints. Remember, for a dealer the major revenue is from the servicing and not the new car sales.
  • Training - Regular training sessions are conducted for new product launches, allied services (insurance, exchange, extended warranty), refresher courses etc. Attendance is mandatory and you can't get away with it. Usually these sessions are conducted in some hotels or in case of smaller sessions, they are arranged at some dealership.
  • Upgradation - MSIL is always thinking of new things to do. They don't sit at the top and go lazy, on the contrary, they have been launching new dealerships - Nexa, True Value, Arena, Commercial Vehicles, etc. Their new models are claimed meet the proposed safety norms - Nexa cars come standard with dual airbags and ABS, now Dzire also has it standard. Driver airbag is standard on the new Celerio and Vitara Brezza. The iCreate customization was introduced for the Brezza and is now available on the Swift as well.

More about being a sales person

• While it is a nice job, it usually means long working hours, working on holidays, etc. Then there's the problem of incentives. Since its a sales job, the base salary is very less and most of the money you make is via commissions / incentives. There are incentives for selling the car, insurance (through dealer), warranty and accessories. But in some dealerships, these incentives are paid with a considerable delay. The scheme announced at the start of the month and the one it gets converted to when you actually get your incentive is totally different. Despite this, the earning potential is above average. So far, with all the interactions I had with other sales people across the dealerships, only one name comes out as being a good dealership (for the people working there) - they have outlets in Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Hyderabad, Cochin and Goa.

• It's important to stick to your beliefs despite the pressure from management. I had a policy of not delivering vehicles without a registration number, but I had to give in when someone close to the owner got a couple of cars. I have seen the problems faced when the Police come across unregistered cars, or when they met with an accident. Not worth the trouble for a sales person as ultimately, he'll be the one held responsible.

• There are some fun incidences as well - I used to drive an Abarth to work and I have had many hilarious moments when my customers see me getting into the car. Let's just say I had to stop taking the car to work in the last few months. Even for home visits to collect some payments / documents I used to turn up in the Abarth.

• I have also got a chance to drive almost all the vehicles in the Maruti stable, including the Super Carry. I used to be the first person to volunteer to get the car from the stockyard (located 30+ km away) in case of a shortage of drivers or on the days leading to mass deliveries. The feeling of braking when driving an Omni must be experienced. The Eeco being a RWD can be fun on the corners - ok I'm exaggerating a bit here, but combine the skinny tyres, low weight and RWD, you can have fun in that van. My favourites were the S-Cross 1.6 and the Swift petrol.

• I understood the mentality of the Indian car buyer and what makes him tick. It might seem that a Maruti customer might just walk in and book the car, but he / she has done enough research on the product and the competitors. The company has also managed to offer products that the people want and have combined it with good service network, reliable products, frugal cost of running etc.

Based on my experiences at the dealership, I'll definitely consider the following -

• Time the delivery of the car in the lean season - and never during a festival

• PDI at the yard is a must

• All major communication (discounts, waiting period, etc.) via email only

• Meeting with the service staff

• And most importantly, the fact that the sales person is just doing his / her job and they might not be an enthusiast like us!
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:24   #7
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 27th October 2017, 11:43   #8
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Thanks a lot for the insights and the time taken to write it up.

Really informative write-up too - I am probably going to take a print-out and keep it next to my management books.
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:02   #9
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Great.
We always talk about customers and car companies. This is from a different angle. Good writing style. This shows the salesman in a different light.
I liked the examples you mentioned - customer with cash, mystery customer etc.
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:11   #10
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Fantastic insights to what happens across the counter. Loved reading every word of it.

Can you clarify one point you made on non-registered cars being caught by police. Why does blame come to the Sales Person and not the person driving the car itself?
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:15   #11
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Thank you for the time & effort to pen this down. A unique insight available only on Team BHP. Please could you share some pointers for us as customers that can make life nicer for the salesman next time he deals with us. I mean here pointers beyond being polite. Also could you share examples of bloopers committed by customers. Where the sales staff pe se' go my experience has been as follows over last 20 years Lexus 10/10; Opel 6.5/10; Skoda (2006) 6.5/10; Honda (2010) 6/10; Skoda (2010) 4/10; Honda (2015) 2/10; Premier 2/10. Best wishes to you for a successful and rewarding career. - Narayan
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:23   #12
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Great write up. Its ironic how Maruti and Nexa evoke such good thoughts for some while for others like in this thread below only evoke ire.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4287468
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:28   #13
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

So, how do people pay after demonetization ? Do you people still accept cash for the entire price of the car ? Has sales seen a slowdown ?

This whole 2 lakh cash limit has been successful in preventing black cash from entering the system to an extent.

I overheard a hardware shop owner speaking with a property flipper / trader. The sale amount was 69 lakh out of which the guideline value was 38 lakh which had to be compulsorily paid by cheque /DD only according to the new rules. They were planning to register the property only for 38 lakhs.

The shop owner said , he didn't have any money in the bank

I would not be surprised if the entire deal was cancelled.

Last edited by Ragavsr : 27th October 2017 at 12:34.
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:34   #14
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

Related read:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ealership.html
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Old 27th October 2017, 12:53   #15
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Re: Behind the Scenes: A salesman's life in a car dealership

What is the MSIL policy on booking cancellation?Does the employee or dealer get remarked about it?

What incentive the dealer gets for a good show?
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