How NOT to make sales contacts

[AreaCode707]

I was browsing local dealership sites looking for a new car. One site had a "Car Finder" feature:

http://www.cartersubaru.com/carfinder/index.htm
Carter Subaru Shoreline offers a free, no obligation and confidential CarFinder tool, allowing you to specify your desired car, truck or SUV and submit the vehicle configuration to us. Once we locate matching vehicles, you automatically receive details of those models, with photographs included. Let us handle the task of finding your next dream car!

I input my search criteria, including the required fields of name (fake), phone (fake) and email (real but spam account.)

Unfortunately, it didn't produce search results, just submitted my info into their database. Oh well, wasted my time but whatever. I didn't think anything of it and moved on, slightly irritating but overall neutral experience.

UNTIL:

-----Original Message-----
From: Carter Subaru <78278@crm.cobaltgroup.com>
To:
Sent: Sat, Dec 5, 2009 10:16 am
Subject: Customer Number[xxxxxxxxx] David North@Carter Subaru in Shoreline

No Name.....No Quote!


David North
Fleet/Internet Sales Manager
Carter Subaru (in Shoreline, Seattle)
425-753-9294

Mildly amused at this guy's smarmy tone, I responded:

Dumb website that signs me up for spam instead of returning search results when I input information, no business!

Figured that would be the end of it.

UNTIL...

-----Original Message-----
From: Carter Subaru <78278@crm.cobaltgroup.com>
To:
Sent: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 8:55 am
Subject: Customer Number[xxxxxxxx] David North@Carter Subaru in Shoreline

Serves you right.......use your real name for real results....

Oh, I'M sorry - was I not making my potential customerness EASY enough for you? Have you never had a privacy-minded person who was looking to buy a car from you?

The funny thing is that I would totally have considered this dealership as a source for my next car, search results notwithstanding, until the sales rep decided to lecture me about the horrible offense of not dumping all my personal information into a nameless faceless database for his sales contact convenience.

I see potential fun here. His boss's info is online. What does ATOT recommend?

 

[Crusty]

Should have just put down a different last name.

 

[AreaCode707]

Should have just put down a different last name.

Should have skipped the waste of time form honestly.

 

[rudeguy]

yeah...just let it go man. Or post it on 4chan

 

[Train]

Lets all submit fake names to waste his time. Fuck 'em.

 

[Q]

Lets all submit fake names to waste his time. Fuck 'em.

I approve

 

[darkswordsman17]

Have Fleabag talk to him.

 

[kranky]

I would reply with "Your site said using the CarFinder tool was confidential, so I thought not entering my name was what I was supposed to do."

 

[rgwalt]

I've done my part

 

[AreaCode707]

I did a bit of Googling and found out this guy has been creating fake accounts on various forums in praise of himself and Carter Subaru. I'm following those results around to post my experience to counter his made up praise.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I live in North Seattle, Greenwood area. My GF is going to be in the market for a car this spring, and now I know with certainty one dealship we will not be visiting.

 

[AreaCode707]

I decided the reasonable approach was to post my experience on various review sites and let other people make of it what they will, and to email this guy's boss.

Lesson #1: Never be rude to customers in a documented fashion when both your name and your boss's contact info is available online.

-----Original Message-----
From:
To: jmoran@carterseattle.com
Sent: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 6:12 pm
Subject: Fwd: Customer Number[xxxxxxxx] David North@Carter Subaru in Shoreline

Dear Jennifer,

I was on your website attempting to do a basic web search for available vehicles and, not desiring any immediate sales contact and, not wishing to become part of your database without first viewing your inventory, did not input real information.

I was disappointed but not surprised to discover that your website does not return instant results. This did not deter me from considering Carter Suburu as a possible source for my next car however. Some sites work that way and I took my chances without results, no problem.

However, when I got a flippant email completely unsolicited from one of your sales representatives, I determined that I will actively avoid shopping at Carter Suburu. His follow up reply to me was pointless from a business development standpoint, as he did not use the opportunity to initiate a sales contact but instead lecture me about the grevious offense I commited by misusing your form.

Surely I am not the first potential customer to feel uncomfortable providing a full name, phone, and other personal information during my initial casual browse of your website. I commend Mr. North on the initiative of his insulting personal follow up with each of these clients.

I will pursue my purchase of a Suburu Outback elsewhere.

Thank you,

 

[Kadarin]

Good response.

 

[F1N3ST]

My business law class is doing contracts right now, the six elements are embedded into my brain.

1. Capacity
2. Legality
3. Consideration
4. Offer & Acceptance
5. Writing
6. Genuine Assent

Struggled for the last one, damnit.

 

[olds]

My business law class is doing contracts right now, the six elements are embedded into my brain.

1. Capacity
2. Legality
3. Consideration
4. Offer & Acceptance
5. Writing
6. Genuine Assent

Struggled for the last one, damnit.

OK, then.

 

[Gothgar]

OK, then.

call out

 

[mugs]

From the description I would have assumed that it's probably a human being doing the search for you, not a search engine. I don't blame him for not wanting to waste his time on someone who didn't provide real contact information. He should have been more polite in his e-mail, but you should probably just move on.

 

[Jeff7]

From the description I would have assumed that it's probably a human being doing the search for you, not a search engine. I don't blame him for not wanting to waste his time on someone who didn't provide real contact information. He should have been more polite in his e-mail, but you should probably just move on.

True; though most sites return search results within the time it takes for a page to load. Google doesn't have someone sitting there to find all relevant links on "mary poppins sado-masochist roleplaying," or whatever family-friendly things someone may be looking for.

Still, just searching for a car, on the surface it doesn't seem to make sense for them to want your name. It just looks like another one of those sites that want you to register to do some routine, mundane task.

 

[TallBill]

I've done my part

..

 

[l0cke]

From the description I would have assumed that it's probably a human being doing the search for you, not a search engine. I don't blame him for not wanting to waste his time on someone who didn't provide real contact information. He should have been more polite in his e-mail, but you should probably just move on.

I put in fake info and it gave me the search results instantly.

 

[AreaCode707]

I put in fake info and it gave me the search results instantly.

Must've been no results for what I was searching for, which makes the fellow's follow up email even more irrelevant than it otherwise would have been.

 

[kevbot]

Car dealers in general are an awful lot like the music and movie industries. They will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Many dealerships see the possibility of using the internet as a way to generate leads so they can contact you in hopes of getting you to show up in person for the traditional sales process. These people don't realize that the customer might want info just to see if they are wasting their time (and theirs) before they go to any real trouble.

Check out edmunds.com forums, specifically http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f09ff51 "Stories from the Sales Frontlines" for some insight.

If you go back far enough, I think you will find that most of the dealers find the idea of generating sales leads via internet great, but at the same time regard it as a huge hassle.

I hope this makes sense. They are running a business, after all.

Untill recently, I was still getting junk email from a couple of dealers from an inquiry I made in 2002. Good luck. Buy what you like, and like what you buy.

 

[MichaelD]

Nice letter to his boss. Anytime you notify a manager/owner of a lost sale you WILL grab their attention by the nuts. Don't be surprised if the manager calls you personally, offers to be your salesperson and gets you a car for a very good price. They want your business and a good salesperson (or manager that gives a damn) would rather kiss your ass, make a little money AND keep their "numbers up" than lose the sale.

 

[Born2bwire]

Lets all submit fake names to waste his time. Fuck 'em.

Slab Bulkhead
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Reef Blastbody
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Beat Punchbeef
Hack Blowfist
Roll Fizzlebeef

 

[RoloMather]

David North