I inquired about a machine that my local Cat dealer had listed on machinery trader. I was passed on to the territory salesman. I told him what I wanted , granted it was a 15000 $ machine , he said he would check into it and call me back. Two days pass and no call so I called the dealer again , they never gave me a straight answer about a thing said they would get back to me. Never heard a word. At any rate I bought a machine at auction this past weekend that should suit my need. The thing is , my money is good , this kind of offended me to a point. I have seen lots of people fall to the sales pitch and spend hundreds of thousands only to go broke and the dealer reposes the equipment. I don't listen to the sales pitch that buy this or Cat because its the best or it will make you so much money , I try to make decisions based on experience and what I know will make me money. I guess I should not waste they're time anymore in the future. The other thing , the machine I bought was paid for via wire transfer in 30 minutes.
Salesmen are all giant killers, somebody that isn't on their "trap line" of good customers looking for a low dollar used machine usually gets the bottom of the list. Other thing is, it's possible any one of the sales people, managers, etc. had that machine promised to one of their pet customers, or claimed they did in order to keep it from being sold by anybody but them. It's almost always an ugly and dishonest game especially within the dealership. Funny thing is, the salesmen get all the glory and rewards, commission, bonuses, promotions, etc. but with rare exception at the end of the year the parts department makes more profit and pays the bills, and get treated like a redheaded stepchild. Rant mode off.
My local Cat rep whines all the time about all the new Deere stuff coming into his territory. Funny thing is, these guys buying the Deeres or anything else don't even know his name because he's too busy schmoozing commissioners to buy road graders. Entertaining for me.
I've noticed this a lot at the Cat dealer.
They seem to love municipal deals , I don't have a tax base paying my bills so I have to look out for my dollar. They pushed a 50 grand CTL on me but I wanted a steel track loader. One thing I've noticed , it seems some cat dealers are supplying equipment on state jobs for companies that have went under. But the guarantee is there from state monies. I guess I think to much.
I've heard the same rant about every dealer I've worked for. Cat dealers do the most business so seem to be the most frequent target. This is a very busy time of year for everyone. Everyone is wondering is accelerated depreciation might come in again so all are clamoring on end of year stuff. All equipment sales reps are paid on commission which at best on a used machine is many times around one percent. The problem with that comes when at this time of year there are already too many larger paydays they are working on so the low dollar sale isn't near the priority. The best way to handle the issue is to contact a sales manager and let them know what is going on. If that doesn't get anywhere, start climbing the ladder for someone who actually has the ability to do something about it.
The relationship I have with my Cat dealer is second to none. I can call my salesman this morning and probably have whatever I wanted on demo as soon as they had a lowboy available. Now take in mind that we haven't bought a new machine in 9 years, however we did convert a rental to purchase in '13. We've been doing business for 15 years. Now that doesn't mean a hill of beans to anyone else, just like any business it's only as good as the people who work there. Several manufacturers have gov't programs where they sell trucks and equipment very, very cheap compared to what our price is. Several times a year our local counties auction off late model and current year Mack dumps with low miles and they bring close to what you can buy a new one for. The counties have figured out they can buy them cheap enough, run them a year under warranty and sell them at a profit.
CM I have a good relationship with my Komatsu dealer. The salesman which is the president of the companies son calls on me every couple months. That's one reason I bought my Komatsu dozer. They also have knowledgeable staff that can diagnose problems over the phone. I guess maybe the CAT guy don't care for this. I know I am that typical customer , I shop all brands and check all over. I don't just walk in and say I want that can you get me financed.
I have experienced the same from local Cat and Deere dealers. If you say you are looking for used equipment, they ask for your phone number and say they will get back with you but never do. I know I am not a big time purchaser of equipment and do not expect them to drop everything and bring me a demo but at least conversation and an opportunity to buy would be nice.
The county I live in does the same thing with the county highway dept pickups for the last 10 years or so. They were using midsize trucks for the supervisors but the last two years have gone to full size etended cabs because they get a bigger return on them. Usually sell them with 10 to 15 thousand miles on them. New trucks every year at no cost to the county, at least so far. Gravel trucks are a different story. After the salt and abuse of plowing snow they are hard to give away.
Salesmen are smarter than Doctors and Lawyers, they all have an IQ of at least 140 and deserve every penny they earn. That's why I always buy from private individuals and auctions.
New shoes and haircut! .... an wearing my...'Cleanest dirty shirt. I was applying for a job but thought I'd wander into the shop first. Then they asked me if I was a Salesman!
The difference is the people who run the dealership and your relationship with them not necessarily the brand. I've had the sales manager for our Komatsu dealer stop in on the job twice to talk to me. Both times he said he would have a salesman contact me just to follow up and open up an account for rental, aftermarket parts (they carry CTL undercarriage parts for all brands) and any future equipment needs. Well to this day I haven't gotten a follow up or a credit app.:beatsme No salt to worry about here OIH. It's very savvy on the county's part to operate this way, new trucks every year and make a buck or two. It's funny I was at one of these auctions where they were selling these current year Mack tri's and the Mack salesman was handing out cards saying " I can sell you a new one for the what that one went for".
Years ago I bought a new excavator from the dealer, I was very surprised the salesman never followed up with a sales call, note, new calendar, latest brochure, anything . Sign of an order taker, not a salesman.
same here new cat loader 972k no salesman comes buying over 18months heres the kicker just 4 miles from the dealer. there are very few salesman left all order takers. I guess I ask to many ?'s that they can't answer.