Don’t insult your customer

My car is a 1997 Hyundai Tiburon that has been and continues to be a fantastic vehicle. Of course having a great mechanic to keep it that way helps a lot. The other day I stopped at a Hyundai dealership to get a new oil cap. As I was pulling into the parking area, I saw a salesman practically running for the door. He was in the lot as I got out of my car.“Looks like you got here just in time,” he says. Is he insulting my car by implying it’s old and needs replacement?

“Just in time for what?” I demanded; he’s already annoyed me.

“We’ve got all these new models and blah, blah, blah,” he went on.

I’m thinking, who taught this guy how to interact with people? I replied, “I’m not here to buy a new car. I love my car.” And I turned away and went inside to the parts department, where they could not have been nicer.

I thought about that original greeting the rest of the day and the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I was. He was my first interaction at that dealership that day and he was insulting. He was the classic car salesman. I thought the industry was moving away from that stereotype. The perfect example of why car dealerships desperately need the Zen Rabbit Gratitude Program. I would call the general manager if I thought he would care.

Lesson number one in making sales and keeping clients - in any industry, don’t insult a probable purchaser/potential customer.