good deal.....
- Thread starter bmw675
- Start date
What's funny about that is while I was shopping for my bike last summer, I seemed to know more about the differences between the FZ6 and the FZ6R than they did. Seemed like the sales guys don't seem to really know their products inside and out. As a sales guy for 13 years, that was the most important thing to me. Knowing my product inside and out.
Stopped in at a Yamaha dealership and they had a brand new FZ6 for $4999, whereas the FZ6R was a $7100 (both were 2009, brand new). Asked as to what the difference was since I had read the FZ6 had more power, etc. and they said the FZ6R had much more power than the FZ6.
Yeah one of the sales guys I talked to tried to tell me the 6R was the exact same bike with full fairings. They had two sitting right next to each other and I pointed out the different frames, different headlight shape, etc... and he just kind of started giving the oh uh... I was thinking of another bike... umm let me look into that for you... :banghead:
I agree,my dealer doesnt know anything about these bikes,the service dept isnt anybetter,Ive been back twice for weird engine noises and their answer is we arent sure if its normal or not just ride it you have a warranty anyway...
Pretty sad when a salesperson doesn't bother to learn the differences between the products they are trying to sell... I've encountered this at numerous motorcycle dealers over the years (including the one we bought Tracie's 6R at). I heard, "same as the FZ6...Can't be lowered...Seat height adjustment? Not that I know of...Handlebar adjustment - no....
Seriously - five minutes of reading would give you all the information to know, at least, as much as your potential customers...
Seriously - five minutes of reading would give you all the information to know, at least, as much as your potential customers...
Brock Kickass
New Member
Problem is trickle down. Prices get cheaper, margins get slimmer, sales staff make less money, dealerships hire crappier sales people because smart people are getting the jobs that pay, service suffers.
Jonkerr said he's been in sales for 15 years. Have you noticed this? Are the guys they're hiring now guys like you? I bet they're not.
I'd love to sell bikes for a living, but the employment terms dealerships offer around here are like student jobs. I don't think I could make a decent living at it. I've even looked in to selling cars, and it's not like it used to be.
The car salesmen my Dad knows are regular middle class guys who have nice houses and send their kids to college. The ads I see in the paper for new salesmen look more like those crazy scam jobs you see in the classifieds in the free newspapers.
Jonkerr said he's been in sales for 15 years. Have you noticed this? Are the guys they're hiring now guys like you? I bet they're not.
I'd love to sell bikes for a living, but the employment terms dealerships offer around here are like student jobs. I don't think I could make a decent living at it. I've even looked in to selling cars, and it's not like it used to be.
The car salesmen my Dad knows are regular middle class guys who have nice houses and send their kids to college. The ads I see in the paper for new salesmen look more like those crazy scam jobs you see in the classifieds in the free newspapers.
I wasn't a bike salesman. I sold industrial products. But I'm probably the biggest critic of sales people because I've been doing it so long. Sales is sales. Know your products, earn the customers trust, get to know who your customers are, and what products will meet their needs. If your customer trusts you to know what products you have that will serve their needs the best, they will come back to you over and over. It doesn't matter if you're selling bikes, cars, or corrosive fluid handling products like I did for 13 years. I was actually trying to get a job at most of the local dealerships. I was told twice I was over qualified for the job. I was passed over by another dealership for a guy who I heard with my own ears tell the sales manager that he's never ridden a motorcycle. :jawdrop: I could not believe it. I could do a better job right now without any product training than pretty much any of the sales guys I've dealt with.
I was passed over by another dealership for a guy who I heard with my own ears tell the sales manager that he's never ridden a motorcycle. :jawdrop: I could not believe it. I could do a better job right now without any product training than pretty much any of the sales guys I've dealt with.Brock Kickass
New Member
Overqualified is the key. In the retail sales industry (including major items like cars and bikes) the powers that be are saving costs by paying sales staff less and less. They can get away with this because we live in the internet age, and buyers are very educated. Often, items sell themselves.
With the lower pay, quality people are not as attracted to these jobs. Retailers are leaving it up to the customer to learn about their product, and the sales staff are more or less just cashiers.
At least selling industrial products is a different market, where the customer demands a quality sales staff and the company understands the need and (hopefully) pays accordingly.
You say "sales is sales" and I agree, but we live in a day and age where, if you're paying less then 60K, just getting someone who shows up every day and on time is a small miracle. In the pay grade that selling cars and bikes has become, the guys who are willing to put some effort in to their jobs are becoming a rare breed.
My local Yamaha dealership is losing good guys left right and centre because the new owners are cutting costs at every corner, and their guys are quitting in disgust. It's really sad. They had one of the best mechanics I've ever met, and the guy worked there for almost 20 years. My bike was the last thing he ever touched at that place. A shop in the city offered him almost double his wage on the spot. The worst part of it is, he never would have even been looking if his new boss hadn't started timing his breaks, cutting demos, etc, etc...
With the lower pay, quality people are not as attracted to these jobs. Retailers are leaving it up to the customer to learn about their product, and the sales staff are more or less just cashiers.
At least selling industrial products is a different market, where the customer demands a quality sales staff and the company understands the need and (hopefully) pays accordingly.
You say "sales is sales" and I agree, but we live in a day and age where, if you're paying less then 60K, just getting someone who shows up every day and on time is a small miracle. In the pay grade that selling cars and bikes has become, the guys who are willing to put some effort in to their jobs are becoming a rare breed.
My local Yamaha dealership is losing good guys left right and centre because the new owners are cutting costs at every corner, and their guys are quitting in disgust. It's really sad. They had one of the best mechanics I've ever met, and the guy worked there for almost 20 years. My bike was the last thing he ever touched at that place. A shop in the city offered him almost double his wage on the spot. The worst part of it is, he never would have even been looking if his new boss hadn't started timing his breaks, cutting demos, etc, etc...
That's why they even have Managers that don't even know the difference between a Yamaha FZ6R and a Kawasaki 650R.
These are the type of dealerships that will dictate there own prices (Set-up and Freight, etc.) to add on the price of the bike, just to jack up the price. It's the only thing they care about, your hard earned $$$$, not you or the bike, just to make the most money they can out of all of us.
I'm not buying here, ever...Santa Rosa, Cal.
I'm going to Sacramento...yeeeehhaaaaaa
These are the type of dealerships that will dictate there own prices (Set-up and Freight, etc.) to add on the price of the bike, just to jack up the price. It's the only thing they care about, your hard earned $$$$, not you or the bike, just to make the most money they can out of all of us.
I'm not buying here, ever...Santa Rosa, Cal.
I'm going to Sacramento...yeeeehhaaaaaa
Brock Kickass
New Member
Hey, Wanderer, you're the first person I've seen that had the good sense to buy the limited edition Red and White like me! That's a damn good looking bike you have there!