Retail sales is both a simple and complex process, depending on the product, service, or business. Anyone who has attempted to run their own business is especially aware that the word 'sales' is dynamic and necessary for success. Not only selling the service, product, etc, but also in selling themselves... getting the client to both like you, trust you, and have faith in you delivering your promise. Fortunately for me I have experienced many facets of retail and B2B sales throughout my career paths, bringing the sales process to me rather naturally. Unfortunately it also makes me very critical towards how others sell and serve me as a customer.
Moving to Sweden was definitely an eye opener for me within the retail environment... with vast chasms in both service and sales throughout. Most of the time this can be forgiven when buying a fifteen dollar t-shirt or some McDonalds at 2am, but definitely gets under my skin when a large chunk of my bank account must part ways with me.... which was eventually the case when I decided to buy a car in Sweden. My career experience in this area comes from 4 years of both new and used prestige car sales in Australia, trained in the art of the 'Six point sell' and being taught basic psychology of personalities. All allowing us to effectively communicate with the customer not only getting them to like us but also like the car enough to feel comfortable parting with some hard earned cash. This training and strict regime which lead to a very secure and trusted sales process is somehow either completely missing or completely ignored by many Swedish car sales people.
Let me paint a picture, from recent direct personal experience attempting to change cars again here...
Due to work I usually approach a dealership in the last 45 minutes prior to closing - a perfectly legitimate reason and still within documented opening times of all dealerships. Two small (non-branded) car dealers next door to each other had two almost identical vehicles for about the same asking price. I approached the first one, entering and being kindly greeted by the sales man. I found the car I was interested in and politely asked for a short test drive, when I was met with the response, "I'm sorry but I'm closing early today because it is a holiday tomorrow, but you can come back tomorrow as I am open anyway... Meanwhile we can sit down and work out the figures to see if you are happy". I asked if he was serious asking me to negotiate on a car before I had driven it, which was was met with a response, "but there is no use in driving the car if you don't like the price". I promptly told him that he had lost me as I walked out the door.
I was left stunned while walking 50 or so meters to the other dealer, thinking he must realise his competition has the same car. Upon entering the other dealer, again I found the car and asked if there was time for a test drive. The well dressed and confident salesman responded with a positive "yes" immediately followed by a 'but'... "but it has just rained and we don't want to get the car dirty, as it will cost us 200kr to clean again (keep in mind they will make a profit of around 30,000kr). I asked if he was kidding, which was a mistake as the salesperson's face changed to a very serious expression as he suggested I come back on a sunny day to drive the car. When I mentioned that their direct competitor next door had the same car also for sale, I was just met with a bland "yes" and then blank silence as if he didn't really understand my point... The rain had stopped and the roads were not so wet, but the dealer remained stubborn and started to suggest that we sit down and talk about the figures first. At this stage I was frustrated beyond belief and sternly answered back, "would you negotiate on a house you have never properly inspected?" "Fair call", he says. I said I would try to make it back on a sunny day but could not guarantee it. I never went back.
This being said, I have experienced some car dealerships here that were very helpful and actually invited me to drive in the rain. Some have done the sales process relatively well, and without any doubt I would feel comfortable laying down a deposit. Still though, I have been sent on my way on a drive (on my own) without any instruction on how to operate different features of the car. I am still waiting on a follow up phone call, email, or some sort of sign that salespeople are thinking about my money, and in turn, their money, career, etc. It seems that there is an underlying arrogance joining together with laziness giving the car salespeople the mentality that the cars will sell themselves, and they don't have to try. A little sad maybe but what is more worrying is that the Swedish people put up with this and accept that their money is fair game to people who don't really want to get to know you. Are the Swedes that cold?... I would like to argue not, as socially it has been the opposite to me. It does however make some sense in how easy I have found it to operate a business in a foreign country without knowing the language... in the end people do prefer to know people who want to know them.
Until the Swedish car sales people catch on to this mythical way of life, many of us trying to buy a car have to come to grips with these facts - the Customer is almost always wrong and arrogance is something we need to swallow when they don't. I am also left wondering if they sell any cars at all during a cold and snowy Winter?.. I mean, the car could rust while on a test drive!
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