General Why Minis will will be more profitable than 500s

[DohBall]

I placed an order for a 500 Sport the other week having looked at a range of alternatives, including the Mini. Press reports say circa 80% of 500 purchasers are new Fiat customers. My experience of dealing with four dealerships in the greater Glasgow area is that they are poor to very poor. Sales staff don't know fundamental stuff about the car's spec, the options and the pricing. When I phoned the dealer back last week, my sales contact didn't know there had been a price rise. He doesn't return calls when he says he will and I can't get any info on the order.

In contrast, the Mini dealership was much more professional, the staff knew their stuff and they have actively followed up for the past 4 weeks. I didn't buy the Mini as I just prefer the 500 in so many ways.

I have no regrets about purchasing the 500 - I negotiated a 430 quid discount with which I am pleased but that wasn't the deciding factor and I would have gone ahead without it. But I can't help feeling Fiat must be losing sales due to the poor approach of their sales force. I understand that they are proposing to sell them through a set of premium Chrysler dealerships in the USA - could they not do the same here. It would emphasise the 'premium' niche of the car.

Is mine just a bum experience?

 

[pearce_jj]

What you're seeing is simply the Mini dealer hungry for the sale.

Two years ago the Mini dealer would have been the same - but now the Mini isn't the coolest, with resale values plummeting and sizable discounts available new, they have to work for their money.

 

[DohBall]

What you're seeing is simply the Mini dealer hungry for the sale.

Two years ago the Mini dealer would have been the same - but now the Mini isn't the coolest, with resale values plummeting and sizable discounts available new, they have to work for their money.

Fair point ... but at least they are putting up a fight now that there is some competition. In two years when a new competitor emerges for the 500 Fiat will be dead if they intend relying on the dealers I contacted to fight their way in the market. They simply didn't know basic stuff on the cars - like the engine size, CO2 etc. The Volkswagen, BMW and Audi dealers just knew the cars they were selling whereas these guys didn't. My main point above was impagine how well they could do if they had a good sales force.

 

[pearce_jj]

On the other hand most buyers interested in that sort of thing I would have thought would have already have made a short list based on it all from the tables in the back of What Car? magazine anyway.

I'm not disagreeing with you, car sellers are indeed often completely useless - but I don't think they're really needed anyway TBH.

 

[zanes]

The 500 sells itself. Simple as.

 

[DohBall]

The 500 sells itself. Simple as.

... until the next cutey comes along

 

[zanes]

... until the next cutey comes along

Having looked at quite a few small cars other than the 500 before I bought it, I think the attraction is more than skin deep....

 

[DohBall]

car sellers are indeed often completely useless - but I don't think they're really needed anyway TBH.

I'll agree with you on that one!

 

[306maxi]

I placed an order for a 500 Sport the other week having looked at a range of alternatives, including the Mini. Press reports say circa 80% of 500 purchasers are new Fiat customers. My experience of dealing with four dealerships in the greater Glasgow area is that they are poor to very poor. Sales staff don't know fundamental stuff about the car's spec, the options and the pricing. When I phoned the dealer back last week, my sales contact didn't know there had been a price rise. He doesn't return calls when he says he will and I can't get any info on the order.

In contrast, the Mini dealership was much more professional, the staff knew their stuff and they have actively followed up for the past 4 weeks. I didn't buy the Mini as I just prefer the 500 in so many ways.

I have no regrets about purchasing the 500 - I negotiated a 430 quid discount with which I am pleased but that wasn't the deciding factor and I would have gone ahead without it. But I can't help feeling Fiat must be losing sales due to the poor approach of their sales force. I understand that they are proposing to sell them through a set of premium Chrysler dealerships in the USA - could they not do the same here. It would emphasise the 'premium' niche of the car.

Is mine just a bum experience?

These days a good deal of people do their research on forums, various websites and magazines before buying. The salesperson in a lot of cases is just their to take the order and flog additional bits. Then of course there are the people who don't know diddly in which case it doesn't matter if the salesperson doesn't know because they also don't know.

 

[OrangeSport]

I think you have been a bit unlucky (or I have been lucky). Mine was bought at a dealer who covers several makes. The Fiat team were busy, so I dealt with someone who actually specialises in Kias. But, he knew the 500 well, didn't over-sell, returned calls, offered advice, has kept in contact.

All in all a good enough show for me to send another family member their way when looking for a new Fiesta.

 

[T14086]

what 4 garages did you go to

 

[DohBall]

These days a good deal of people do their research on forums, various websites and magazines before buying. The salesperson in a lot of cases is just their to take the order and flog additional bits. Then of course there are the people who don't know diddly in which case it doesn't matter if the salesperson doesn't know because they also don't know.

I take your point about the fora - and this one has been excellent for me - but the fora tend to be used frequently by a relatively small number of folk. So there are probably a large number who go in knowing diddly.

From the posts, I'm seeing I might have been a bit naive in expecting the sales force to know much. What I'm gathering is that I need to be 'managing' my sales contact if I am to get what I want when I want, and NOT leave it to chance. This will mean me driving to the dealership and nabbing the guy face to face or phoning using an alias so that I trick him into speaking to me (I am trying to find out if they managed to add Interscope to my Sport order which he says he asked for). I wouldn't mind, but I have been very pleasant with him thus far! Maybe that has been my error.

Thanks guys for the responses - this has been a very valuable thread for me

 

[DohBall]

what 4 garages did you go to

Why do you want to know

 

[DohBall]

I think you have been a bit unlucky (or I have been lucky). Mine was bought at a dealer who covers several makes. The Fiat team were busy, so I dealt with someone who actually specialises in Kias. But, he knew the 500 well, didn't over-sell, returned calls, offered advice, has kept in contact.

All in all a good enough show for me to send another family member their way when looking for a new Fiesta.

A colleague suggested Perrys - I spoke to them by phone and they seemed more professional. They did follow up my enquiry and seemed keen to make the sale.

 

[T14086]

Why do you want to know

because you haven't much choice in Glasgow except the usual dealer chain who get through salesmen at a alarming rate...takes a commited salesman to learn about the cars these days as most just want to sell to make up wages which is in all fairness is fair enough.

 

[Lloyd71]

My experience with my dealer has been nothing but fantastic to be honest. The saleswoman was excellent, she knew everything about the car and let me go on various test drives to see what the car was like. Most of them are still dodgy but they are definitely improving.

 

[OrangeSport]

A colleague suggested Perrys - I spoke to them by phone and they seemed more professional. They did follow up my enquiry and seemed keen to make the sale.

That sounds better. I've not used them myself, but it sounds like a step in the right direction....

 

[jkay]

Of course most new car salespeople are crap,most buyers know what they want and its just a question of haggling about the price. In the case of 500s that aint even a buyers option.Having said that I have no complaints with the wonderful sales guy at Marylebone who subtly guided me in to a black/black naked Abarth SS.

 

[Davinnicus]

The gent I have been dealing with in Chesterfield has been nothing short of great, from the initial discussion about the 500, to the follow up progress reports.

 

[ny152]

Having previously owned a couple of MINI's and now the 500, I have to say that Fiat dealerships could learn a lot from BMW.
The 500 is crying out for better dealership support. Here in Glasgow the local Abarth dealership didn't even know how to change my daytime running lights!
It's a very special little car and I think as a buyer/owner it should feel just as special an experience when you visit the dealer. Sadly that isn't the case.