It's A Tough Job Selling Cars!

[Lexusfreak]

Ouch!

Ft. Myers Florida (AP) -- An 81-year-old woman preparing to take a test drive at a car dealership hit her husband, a salesman, a car and a tree before running into a wall.

"She must have panicked," said Joe Sica, sales manager at Honda of Fort Myers.

The new Honda Accord shot backward after Dorothy Byrum got behind the wheel and apparently stepped on the wrong pedal Wednesday.

The open car door hit her 88-year-old husband, Robert, and the salesman. Then the car struck the parked car, the tree and the wall. The air bag deployed, and Byrum was not injured.

Her husband was knocked down but was in good condition the following day. The salesman was released after treatment and is expected to be out of work for about a week, Sica said.

The car was written off.

[SKperformance]

i heard on the radio ,where are the pics

[yoji6365]

LOL, thats why we were required to drive the car off the lot, go to a wide open area to switch drivers and make sure all the seats, belts, mirrors were properly adjusted.

Another reason why we never let anyone take the car out by themselves.

[denslexusgx470]

LOL, thats why we were required to drive the car off the lot, go to a wide open area to switch drivers and make sure all the seats, belts, mirrors were properly adjusted. 

Another reason why we never let anyone take the car out by themselves.

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my parents back in 1997, when they still had their salesguy at Honda, let them take the car out for a test drive, all by themselves! I was with them and I saw it right in front of my eyes. salesguy got the license info and all that stuff, he gave my dad the keys and we took the car out for a 15 mile test drive.

before i got the GX, there's was a demo unit in the dealership (lucky they got one from a buyback they did because a previous owner got paralyzed or something and couldn't get into the GX, so the dealer bought it back) and when it got to my turn, the salesguy (wasn't my sales guy but was really friendly to helping me) let me take the GX out for a test drive STRAIGHT from the dealership parking lot. he actually told me where to go first before hitting the highway, some backroad that was so bumpy so he could demonstrate the off road toughness and capability of the car. the test drive wasn't as far as the honda one, but it was the second time i've been/heard of a test drive w/o the salesguy taking it out to an open shopping lot before the customer gets to drive it. B)

[SKperformance]

It is different here, nver seen a driver switch off lot.

You get the keys they jump in and you drive off.

Test drive a smart car and you get the keys for a drive and your off.

[SW03ES]

LF- Salespeople let folks drive cars here by themselves all the time. Like I said before I'd never buy a car from a dealer that wouldn't let me take an extended test drive by myself. I only got resistance one time and that ended when I communicated to the sales manager that if he didnt allow me to do that I'd just go down the road to the first dealer that did.

[SKperformance]

agreed, i had a salesman trying to tell me where to go and to return to the dealership on a test drive. I put my foot down and told him i am buying a car not him ,i don;t intend to sit behind a car for a few years after a few minutes.

[SW03ES]

The dealer that tried to keep me from testing it myself had a "company policy" and "insurance regulations" that suddenly dissapeared when I said I'd take my business down the street.

All it is is a sales tactic, thats the first thing they teach you "Never let the customer drive it alone because you can't sell them when they're alone" "never stop talking" they say, and many salespeople do that and it is unbelievably annoying. Customers hate it. I tell them all the time, good salespeople LISTEN, not talk.

I just started selling real estate and they say the same thing "Drigve your clients to the properties so you can sell to them, never stop talking" Its nothing but high pressure BS and it doesn't work. The product sells itself, with cars and homes, you need to help the customer find the product that works for them, shut up and get out of their way. The best way to do that is to let people drive the damn cars on their own. They're happy, they like you because you're easygoing, no pressure, know the product and care about their needs. Its a win win.

[Lexusfreak]

The dealer that tried to keep me from testing it myself had a "company policy" and "insurance regulations" that suddenly dissapeared when I said I'd take my business down the street.

All it is is a sales tactic, thats the first thing they teach you "Never let the customer drive it alone because you can't sell them when they're alone" "never stop talking" they say, and many salespeople do that and it is unbelievably annoying. Customers hate it. I tell them all the time, good salespeople LISTEN, not talk.

I just started selling real estate and they say the same thing "Drigve your clients to the properties so you can sell to them, never stop talking" Its nothing but high pressure BS and it doesn't work. The product sells itself, with cars and homes, you need to help the customer find the product that works for them, shut up and get out of their way. The best way to do that is to let people drive the damn cars on their own. They're happy, they like you because you're easygoing, no pressure, know the product and care about their needs. Its a win win.

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Well said sw!

Good products like a brand new car (or well cared for used one) & homes sell themselves. If a customer want to know anything, they will ask. B) More times than not, at least with cars, the well informed buyer know's more about the product than the salesperson! ;) B)