Dealership Training

The salesman at my test drive did not know very much about the car, and was giving tons of wrong information, everything from packaging, cost, to the technical details of the car (e.g. what happens when you shift into N, why is B useful, and the details of the EV mode.) With that said, I don't think the lack of training is necessarily isolated to the Toyota. I had similar experiences at Acura, Honda, and VW.

The trick we've found is to go through Costco or Edmunds and get in touch direcly with the internet sales person. He or she is likely to be much more senior, experienced and knowledgeable.

 

I had a similar experience... I knew more about the car than the sales reps I talked to and not just at one dealer. I knew the pricing information and packaging options way before they knew it. When the "Build your 2010 Prius" option became available on the Toyota website I called the dealer and asked about availability and they told me pricing was not released yet. In fact I wanted to buy the iPod adapter at delivery they talked to their Part manager and they told me it was not available yet, when in fact I could get the same part online from another dealer. When I told my sales rep all these, his reply was that they have a computer available but they don't use it for research purposes.

 

My experience was hilarious.

I started with salesman "A", a real old fashioned car sales guy. Loud, boisterous in your face kind of guy. "what can I do to put you in a car today" He kept forgetting I wanted a '10 and kept bringing me stuff about the '09. Halfway through doing the deal with him the sales manager took over and salesman "A" was gone.

Came back a few days later to ask about some options and I was handed to salesman "B" who acted like he had better things to do and who made fun of salesman "A" "B" knew nothing about my deal and kept me waiting for almost an hour to dig out the paperwork and update the numbers. Then he sent me to the finance guy, why I have no idea, I was doing my own financing. I guess only to try and sell me the service and warranty plans.

Come pickup day I am back to salesman "A" again. At this point my wife and I are almost laughing at how disorganized the dealership is and how they cant keep our deal with one guy.

Now they cant find the keys to the car. Its sitting up front but the keys are gone. Salesman "A" is still trying to sell me the car, " Oh this car is beautiful, what a great car, wait till you drive it" Im thinking dude, I already bought it, stop trying so hard.

They find the keys and poof salesman "A" is now gone again. Now I am handed over to the 20 year old blonde cutie in the overly tight outfit who will go over the car with me and show me all the features. Now maybe that would be a good idea if I was single or there alone, but I am with my wife. Really piss poor judgment on the dealers part and I can tell my wife is not too pleased.

Cutie knows nothing. Has never seen the car before and is trying to go over it with me but clearly is trying to fake it. She could not even figure out how to open the hatch. Clearly she is only there to leave guys with a warm feeling as they leave so they will give good scores on the survey.

About to leave and salesman "A" and "B" suddenly reappear reminding me to give the dealership 100% on the survey so they get their bonus. They press the point several times.

We leave.

Next day salesman "A" calls me at work to remind me to give the dealership 100% on the survey.


Survey never came. Bet they never did the paperwork to put me in the system.

 

Absolutely. I've talked with salesmen from several local dealerships, and got all sorts of ridiculous things that I knew for a fact to be wrong.
I kept thinking to myself, "Wow... I should be out here selling these things. How did these guys get a job?? How can they be selling these $30,000+ objects when they obviously don't know much about them??"

Not to say that they're all like that, because I'm sure they aren't... but most of the ones I talked to simply didn't know the details and which options came with which packages, etc.

 

"Toyota should think about seriously training their sales people about the products they are selling."


The only thing I'd say in Toyotas defense it that without taking part in one of their training classes or seminars we don't know how good or bad the training class might actually be. Toyota can offer all the knowledge in the world, it's up to dealerships and individual salespeople to utilize it.

It is pretty inexcusable if you call yourself a Toyota salesperson to not at least have a cursory knowledge of The Prius. While as a hybrid it has features and aspects not common to other cars, it also has TONS of information about it available. The videos Toyota has on YouTube make me think they are trying to let people know how the automobile works, they just can't force dealerships or individual salespeople to learn if they don't take the time.

My dealings with one dealership, I will leave unnamed, was that a friendly salesperson tried to help me. When I showed interest in The Prius he admitted he didn't know the vehicle as well and went to get "The Prius Guy".

Personally, if I make my living selling cars, I'd make it my goal to know the Prius. But I guess being honest and admitting you don't know, is better than pretending and just talking up smoke. However, if I ran the dealership, ALL my salespeople would be "Prius Guys/Gals".

PS. A funny thing, or sort of funny, was that "The Prius Guy" when he went to show me The Prius, couldn't get it to start. It was a 2009 and after an embarassing couple of minutes, he finally put the fob in the slot and it started. So I don't know how sharp "The Prius Guy" was himself. He acted like we were sitting in the Wonkavator and if he pushed the wrong button we might just elevate through a glass ceiling and fly over the city and never land.

 

Me too. My sales guy knew half of what I knew. He begged for 100%. Most likely I will because he went to bat for me a few times regarding prices but whatever. I have a new low expectation for dealerships and will make sure I get something more in return for having to deal with unintelligent, unprofessional, uneducated people that expect something in return.

 

What I found most troubling with my experiences is that this is happening in Portland Oregon of all places. Portland has the highest number of hybrids per household as of Oct. 2008 (9.628/1000 vs. 2nd place SFO at 6.843/1000.)

 

Bucking the trend--my salesman-- on the first demo with their first 2010 was thorough, knew more than I did, although I'd studied everything (and this site) ahead of the visit, and he could answer specific questions about features. I already had a Lexus hybrid, so my questions were not simple.

I ordered one and at delivery, he went through everything, set up the non-NAV phone, etc. We were in the delivery annex for over 30 minutes, inside, hatch, under hood, all the how-to's. I went home and read the manual, and he had it all right. He drives a Tundra, so it's not just that he had a familiarity with the Prius. There are sales professionals out there. He had been a service writer at this dealer for 4 years, now 5 in sales. (Toyota of New Bern)

Another pleasant experience--the business manager--I signed the forms, did not ask me to consider a warranty, no mention of leasing, nothing. Probably took 2 minutes. (No added dealer markups, either).

Last but not least, a nice box of gourmet cookies arrived from Carolina Cookie Company 10 days after delivery, with a note and post card survey from the dealership owner.

 

Funny you should say that--I lived in Annapolis after 20 years in Richmond; I only lasted 4 years and had to move even further south to rehab!

 

I have yet to meet a salesperson that knows as much as I do about the product I'm interested in. This is not just a Toyota problem, this is a salesperson problem, at least the ones that I've dealt with. Often I hear the phrase, "You know more about this vehicle than I do."

I would think that in order to improve sales, knowledge would be key. Does the full responsibility lie on the dealer? I don't believe so. If I thought my boss should provide everything for me, I would be sorely mistaken, and jobless.

On the other hand, my job does not involve standing in a parking lot 15 or more hours a day, just so that I can put food on the table. I would imagine that after a day like that it would be time for one, if not multiple cervezas!

The brilliance of the car market though, is that a new product doesn't come out very often. I would think that it would be particularly easy to keep up with the new products of one manufacturer, or even two (Scion).

I once tried to become a salesperson several years ago. I have been a "gear head" forever, and used to collect and play with Hot Wheels every chance that I could get. Later in life I had a subscription to every car magazine and would memorize every feature and spec about any new car coming out. I can still do this, as it's not all that difficult.

My point is that for some reason the dealership I went to was not interested in someone who knew every bit of every part of their line-up. They wanted someone who was down on their luck and willing to do cold calling ( ) to ensure that they met their quota.

All in all, it was a learning experience and a memory that I take with me every time I go to a dealership.

I know there are a few dealers that read and reply on priuschat... I would love to get their input as to what they are looking for when hiring a salesperson, and what training is provided after they are hired.

Apologies for the long-winded response.

 

Lol! You are certainly a gifted writer, my friend! It's as if I actually know these characters!

 

Honestly if were not for the fact that they were the only dealership who had the car we wanted at the time we wanted it I would have walked after the first day. But I called 5 other dealers, one as far north as Virginia and no one else had the one I wanted or knew when they would. So we stuck with the stooges. nyuck nyuck.

My wife and I still laugh at the comedy it all was.

 

Our III will be in this coming Thursday (supposedly)! I asked our salesman to have the prep guys please leave the wheel covers in their factory packaging and that I did not intend to use them. ---- I was rudely advised that the Prius had alloy wheels and not hub caps. I almost canceled the order and got my deposit back. The conversation left me disappointed and frustrated.