Did I go to the shopping mall to book a Volkswagen?
It's a sunny and fucking hot Sunday afternoon. Instead of being a couch potato or taking a nap like some of you, I decided to window shop at the new Atria shopping mall in Petaling Jaya. I stumbled upon a Volkswagen roadshow where a dealer displayed 7 models, namely Polo sedan 1.6, Polo HB GP 1.6, Jetta 1.4 TSI, Passat 1.8, Tiguan 1.4 TSI, Golf 1.4 TSI, and Beetle 1.2 TSI Sport.
Since I was there, I thought I might as well take a closer look at those German babes and appraise the salesmanship of the saleswoman I talked to.
Do you need music for a car roadshow?
I don't think it's a good idea since it doesn't do a salesperson any good when it comes to sales talk. I had to raise my voice when I was talking to a saleswoman. The music this young sexy DJ picked weren't my cup of tea either and a bit too loud.
If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it.
About The Saleswoman
I didn't take a close-up pic of her for obvious reason but she was a Malay lady in her late twenties wearing a black head scarf by the name of Siti. Here is her business card.
I was reading the price list and a couple of leaflets and Siti approached me. She struck up a conversation by saying, "Can I help you?" with a smile. I told her I was just looking around. She wasn't going to leave me alone after I asked her where her showroom was. She handed me her business card and told me the location briefly.
One thing let to another and I chatted with her for at least 30 minutes while checking the interior of 3 cars. I bantered her a little bit during our conversation so that she would feel more relaxed and she thought some of the things I mentioned were funny. I won't go to the details of our conversation but let me appraise her in terms of her salesmanship, which include but not limited to the following, on a scale of 1 to 10:
(1) Command Of English - 7
I would have rated her 8 if she didn't make the mistake of calling the luggage compartment of a car as "bonnet" instead of "boot" in British English. I pointed out her mistake and told her that North Americans call them "hood" and "trunk" respectively.
In terms of fluency, she was above average comparing to most Malay Malaysians.
(2) Product Knowledge - 5
I expected her to know more about the products than me and highlight the main features of the car and what benefits did the features offer.
(3) Her Appearance - 7
She wasn't an attractive woman ( doesn't matter to me) but she dressed in an presentable company uniform, i.e. long black pants and white shirt. She was wearing a head scarf which I think is unnecessary although she's a Muslim. I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't bring your religion to work life.
(4) Digging Info From Potential Customers - 4
She didn't try to ask me some pertinent questions to help me to make a better choice; questions such as:
(1) What's my budget?
(2) What am I going to use the car for?
(3) Do I have a car to trade in?
(4) Do I need financing and for how long? Etc.
(5) Attitude - 9
She was polite, listened attentively and didn't interrupt what I was trying to tell her throughout the selling process.
(6) The Prerequisite Of Following Up - 5
She did ask me whether I need a test drive but she failed to request contact phone number from me so that she could follow up. She just assume I would call her to ask for more info and/or arranging a test drive.
Overall Impression Of Her As A Salesperson And The Company She Represented
She might not have yeas of experience of selling passenger cars under her belt but she can definitely brush up her selling skills. She was the only salesperson, out of 5 of them, who approached me when I was showing some interest in those prestigious cars. I don't blame her but I think her superior didn't do a good job in training her.
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