C230 Coupe Marketing (lack of)
12-04-2001, 11:45 PM
#26
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black on black 2k2-230k auto/c1/c5/c7/k2c/COMAND/TELEAID/Stage II HIDS
curt...
i greatly respect your input here in this forum and on this thread. but heres where i am coming from as a customer....
wow me and i will be loyal to you
treat me like dirt and your lucky to get the initial sale.
maybe if you keep kissing those frogs some might turn into nice fat princes.
i bought my c230 from MB of princeton, the guy sucked, (same dope that tried to rape rick)
i canceled my order from MB of princeton and ordered from keenen motors
the guy from keenen has been so accomodating, knowledgable, honest, and open with me, i bought my coupe from him, referred a friend to him for a clk, and sent my mom to him to get an m class.
if my 35 k doesnt equal your 4 hours to explain to me my car, then you dont understand what your job is.
greg
ps have done commisioned sales myself so i have some experience
i greatly respect your input here in this forum and on this thread. but heres where i am coming from as a customer....
wow me and i will be loyal to you
treat me like dirt and your lucky to get the initial sale.
maybe if you keep kissing those frogs some might turn into nice fat princes.
i bought my c230 from MB of princeton, the guy sucked, (same dope that tried to rape rick)
i canceled my order from MB of princeton and ordered from keenen motors
the guy from keenen has been so accomodating, knowledgable, honest, and open with me, i bought my coupe from him, referred a friend to him for a clk, and sent my mom to him to get an m class.
if my 35 k doesnt equal your 4 hours to explain to me my car, then you dont understand what your job is.
greg
ps have done commisioned sales myself so i have some experience
12-04-2001, 11:54 PM
#27
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2002 C230K, Silver, 6-speed, Evo, Roof, Leather, CD, Staggered C7 Wheels
Originally posted by Iceman's C230
There is also very low marketing here in Calgary Canada. When i was shopping for a new car i didn't even hear about the new C230. I dropped by at a local benz dealer to actually see it. And so far i seen 2 driving in town. But in some ways it is good. I sometimes get lot of attention.
There is also very low marketing here in Calgary Canada. When i was shopping for a new car i didn't even hear about the new C230. I dropped by at a local benz dealer to actually see it. And so far i seen 2 driving in town. But in some ways it is good. I sometimes get lot of attention.
Iceman, how was your purchasing experience in Calgary?
12-05-2001, 03:37 AM
#28
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White C230 Coupe, Leather, Evolution, Panorama, Heated seats, Bose, Factory Alarm
Buying the C Coupe in Calgary..!!
Hi fellow Calgarians.. Iceman and VoyagerDude.
Sorry for being "off" topic.
Voyager... I can hook you up with the Sales Manager at Lone Star Merecedes. He's very nice and helpful.
I've waited a LOOOONG time for my C230K but its finally HERE..!!
I place my order in MAY..!!
Saw it today still wrapped in that plastic. Will be ready for me on Friday at 3:00PM...
White, 6sp, LEATHER, Evolution package, Panorama roof, Bose, CD changer, Heated Seats, factory Alarm.
Only gripes are that I wish I got the POWER SEATS option... and there's no Xeon option.... also, I rather have a "hand brake" instead of a "foot brake".
Otherwise... I can't WAIT for Friday to come... !!!
Hope to see you guys around...
Sorry for being "off" topic.
Voyager... I can hook you up with the Sales Manager at Lone Star Merecedes. He's very nice and helpful.
I've waited a LOOOONG time for my C230K but its finally HERE..!!
I place my order in MAY..!!
Saw it today still wrapped in that plastic. Will be ready for me on Friday at 3:00PM...
White, 6sp, LEATHER, Evolution package, Panorama roof, Bose, CD changer, Heated Seats, factory Alarm.
Only gripes are that I wish I got the POWER SEATS option... and there's no Xeon option.... also, I rather have a "hand brake" instead of a "foot brake".
Otherwise... I can't WAIT for Friday to come... !!!
Hope to see you guys around...
12-05-2001, 08:36 AM
#29
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2002 C240 Classic - Orion Blue Beast!!
curtrich...
Thank you for your honesty and insight. Please ignore some of the rude posters on this board. They are a very small minority here. Don't let them chase you away.
For the most part, I was very satisifed with my purchase experience. I was a little concerned that a build date had not been acquired after 7 months of waiting. But after voicing my concerns to my consultant via email, he acquired a build date for me the same day. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and very honest. Here in Canada the C240 is sold in three trim levels(Classic, Elegance, and Sport). I was seriously considering getting the elegance trim so I could then add the "full leather" interior to it(it wasn't available as an option on classic models), as opposed to getting the classic trim with MBLEX. My consultant told me I was crazy if I bought the elegance with full leather. He said it would be "a waste of your money". The difference between "full leather" and "mblex" are barely noticeable. He was right. He showed me two cars with both. He saved me almost $10000 Canadian. He could have made a bigger sale, but he gave me his honest opinion instead.
I just thought I'd share that. Not all SC's are bad guys. Their just trying to make a buck like the rest of us.
As for the lack of marketing on the coupe. I totally agree. I've only seen one or two on the road here in TO. I've seen a few more sedans, but still no where near as many as their are BMW 3 series. The TO auto show is coming up at the end of January, so we'll see then if MB Canada is putting more effort in hyping the car.
For the most part, I was very satisifed with my purchase experience. I was a little concerned that a build date had not been acquired after 7 months of waiting. But after voicing my concerns to my consultant via email, he acquired a build date for me the same day. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and very honest. Here in Canada the C240 is sold in three trim levels(Classic, Elegance, and Sport). I was seriously considering getting the elegance trim so I could then add the "full leather" interior to it(it wasn't available as an option on classic models), as opposed to getting the classic trim with MBLEX. My consultant told me I was crazy if I bought the elegance with full leather. He said it would be "a waste of your money". The difference between "full leather" and "mblex" are barely noticeable. He was right. He showed me two cars with both. He saved me almost $10000 Canadian. He could have made a bigger sale, but he gave me his honest opinion instead.
I just thought I'd share that. Not all SC's are bad guys. Their just trying to make a buck like the rest of us.
As for the lack of marketing on the coupe. I totally agree. I've only seen one or two on the road here in TO. I've seen a few more sedans, but still no where near as many as their are BMW 3 series. The TO auto show is coming up at the end of January, so we'll see then if MB Canada is putting more effort in hyping the car.
12-05-2001, 10:37 AM
#30
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ML55 AMG
i]Originally posted by greg230 [/i]
curt...
i greatly respect your input here in this forum and on this thread. but heres
if my 35 k doesnt equal your 4 hours to explain to me my car, then you dont understand what your job is.
greg
[/QUOTE]
Greg,
Certainly I understand my job involves infinite patience. Methinks you skimmed my posts. You wouldn't be writing this if you had read them thoroughly. I was trying to explain A) why the caliber of MB sales reps has gone down (pay cut in half MY 2000) and B) why a lot of them don't want to spend time with people who want to look at C230s and take up a lot of their time and probably not buy. Nowhere did I say it took 4 hours to explain a C230. (In reality it averages 30 hours customer contact time per actual C230 sale). What I said was it takes the time to sell 1 C230 that it takes to sell 4 other MBs because an awful lot of people are looking at them who don't buy them for one reason or another, usually because they can't afford them. A lot of lookers really need a $20,000 car, and this just isn't it. As a result of having to kiss all those frogs, the handsome prince buys from a salesman who isn't tied up kissing frogs.
I also said that I sell a lot of C230s. Right now I have orders extending to March deliveries. But then I sell a lot of everything. With a quarter century in the car biz and 20+ years in the Mercedes biz, I probably do understand what my job is. There were also hints in there on how to get better treatment from a salesman despite all this.
Note to those reading this post. I've disabled e-mail notification on this subject. I think it's been talked to death, and I'm moving on.
curt...
i greatly respect your input here in this forum and on this thread. but heres
if my 35 k doesnt equal your 4 hours to explain to me my car, then you dont understand what your job is.
greg
[/QUOTE]
Greg,
Certainly I understand my job involves infinite patience. Methinks you skimmed my posts. You wouldn't be writing this if you had read them thoroughly. I was trying to explain A) why the caliber of MB sales reps has gone down (pay cut in half MY 2000) and B) why a lot of them don't want to spend time with people who want to look at C230s and take up a lot of their time and probably not buy. Nowhere did I say it took 4 hours to explain a C230. (In reality it averages 30 hours customer contact time per actual C230 sale). What I said was it takes the time to sell 1 C230 that it takes to sell 4 other MBs because an awful lot of people are looking at them who don't buy them for one reason or another, usually because they can't afford them. A lot of lookers really need a $20,000 car, and this just isn't it. As a result of having to kiss all those frogs, the handsome prince buys from a salesman who isn't tied up kissing frogs.
I also said that I sell a lot of C230s. Right now I have orders extending to March deliveries. But then I sell a lot of everything. With a quarter century in the car biz and 20+ years in the Mercedes biz, I probably do understand what my job is. There were also hints in there on how to get better treatment from a salesman despite all this.
Note to those reading this post. I've disabled e-mail notification on this subject. I think it's been talked to death, and I'm moving on.
12-05-2001, 02:44 PM
#31
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black on black 2k2-230k auto/c1/c5/c7/k2c/COMAND/TELEAID/Stage II HIDS
i did read your posts and i dont mean to sound snappish, but my experience with MB sales people has run the gauntlet from HORRIBLE to very very good.
and the feeling i got from the bad folks, was that my purchase wasnt worth their time.
now in sales, commisioned or otherwise, its unfortunately your job to kiss every damn frog that walks in the door. if SCs arent doing it (i am not saying you arent doing it) or if they are *****ing and moaning about having to show soooo many c230s then something is fundamentally wrong, somewhere in the process
greg
and the feeling i got from the bad folks, was that my purchase wasnt worth their time.
now in sales, commisioned or otherwise, its unfortunately your job to kiss every damn frog that walks in the door. if SCs arent doing it (i am not saying you arent doing it) or if they are *****ing and moaning about having to show soooo many c230s then something is fundamentally wrong, somewhere in the process
greg
