Just for my own personal information... do you have any info on what the new lease pull ahead time frame is?

Last I heard it was still if your lease expired before December 31st, 2005... has been sitting there for quite a long time too...

 

Lease pull ahead til 9/6 is for leases maturing by end of Feb 06.

 

I went into a Chevy dealership dressed cleanly driving a nice looking car and was completely ignored by sales people whilst looking at the Cobalt SS. Mind you, the sales people walked past to me to help out a middle aged couple looking at a truck.

Around these parts cars at dealerships are locked and have alarms. You can't do anything but gaze at them without the help of a salesperson. When I was at a Chevy dealer, the only sales people I saw were the ones cruising by to help other people.

I could have gotten a sales person...why should I? I'll get help at any other dealer I go to, why do *I* have to go the extra mile for Chevy to sell me a car? It's not my job to justify why I should be buying a Chevy, it's the dealership's job. They failed me, and it looks like they failed another poster here too.

Is it my fault? Well, I'll cry a river about it. Bought a car from the competition and GM loses more market share from a former Chevy owner. Tell me it's my fault all you want, I'm not the one losing business. Your bad attitude seems to mirror the Chevy dealer's bad attitude.

It's a wonder I don't own a Chevy anymore.

PS: Am I credible enough for you, BDNF? You sure did come off as an elitist *** to that new guy on the board. I'll be amazed if he stays.

 

I feel your pain. These are just two examples, think of how many more exist that we don't know about. That is why the first twenty steps (which we have gotten away from discussing) deal with the retail level. These are items and circumstances most easily and quickly rectified.
The difficulty is in GM's blindness regarding, and ignorance of, occurrences in the real world.
I reference a recent email received at www.GeneralWatch.com.

Hello Jim,

The recent news about the shuttle prompts me to send you some thoughts it has triggered. Almost twenty years ago the Challenger exploded. To the engineers it was clear that the flight should be stopped because they knew that gas escaped past "O" rings when the weather was cold and this flight was on a colder day than any previous flight. The managers did not comprehend the significance of the engineer's concerns and ordered the flight to go on schedule.

It is pure speculation because I have no knowledge of the thinking. The speculation is that the shuttle managers minds comprehended only those things they have seen. They did not have the ability to extrapolate from leaks caused by cold weather to the possibility of destroying the shuttle.

A wild speculation is that Mark LaNeve might have such a "managers mind" that he is limited to anticipating consequences of things he has previously seen and cannot extrapolate to anticipate the consequences of strategies he has never encountered, like your proposals. If so, some way of showing Mark LaNeve examples of how marketing strategies like those you proposed worked in other industries might help get his thinking beyond the situation you described to me by "he doesn't think my ideas will work".

 

Thanks,

Keep in mind though, that this is not as far out as they have done in the past... there have been a few times where they have let you "pull ahead" up to 9 months early... this is only 6 months, and, the current date would be down to 4 months....

I really think Lease Pullahead is good for everyone.... customer, dealer, financial institution and manufacturer.

Customer can get out early if they choose.
Dealer moves another vehicle.
Financial Institution gets more interest revenue.
Manufacturer moves another unit.

 

Personally, I love it. I'll deliver 50 fast. From the standpoint of GM anylst/critic, it is another example of the inability to "sell" cars. We take a hit by eating remaining payments and remain weak from our lack of competitiveness.

 

Baloney. Import makes had their day, in the 1980's and the early 1990's. Their days of big advantage are over. Now it's becoming a parity game. Domestic makes now have the tech and processes to make world-class quality and it's just a matter of time (actually already happening) until buyers realize the imports have lost their old quality high ground. Market share growth of the imports is stalling out. Their cost advantage is evaporating. Patriotic buyers are becoming wise to their game of 'manufacturing' vehicles in the USA. Domestics will turn the tables in upcoming years.

For $400k per year, I would generate a lot more than 20 ideas

Market share alone is not the only metric of success. Total shareholder value? If shareholders were all convinced GM is doomed with Wagoner at the helm... why has the stock been stable over the years? A simple check of GM's price per share over time shows the price to be about the same as it was way back in 1995, when it was -you guessed it- about $40 per share according to finance.yahoo.com. Face it - most shareholders know, GM is making high quality at low cost, is innovating both in products (witness the Avalanche, the H2, the CTS, the C6, the Cobalt SS, Grand Prix GXP, I could go on and on) and in marketing (zero% loans, now the widely copied employee pricing), and overall has a good future despite some admitted mistakes along the way. In fact I believe GM's market share has already bottomed out and is on the way back up (yes - without implementing the key 20 ideas!).

I recall some debates we've had in the past about you and your Scion. Wouldn't be carrying any baggage from that, would you MunchE?

Attitude is a two-way street. If you have a snooty air about you no one will come up to you either. Did you look at anyone, or just pretend to ignore everyone who glanced your way? Sometimes salespeople will kind of stay away if it appears you want to be left alone. Plus as I have said before, quality of dealers varies greatly. There are Chevy dealers I don't deal with. I imagine if I were interested in Mazdas there would be Mazda dealers I wouldn't deal with either. Clearly something got the salesperson at your dealer to stroll over to the couple you mentioned... why didn't he stop to chat with you?

This statement is both puzzling and silly. Puzzling since I have yet to see a dealer who does not lock the cars on their lot and keep the keys secured (naturally... those with alarms are likely armed upon being locked ). Surely you don't mean the cars are also locked on the showroom floor? If so that would be reason to leave just out of fear for your own safety (I mean that is a REAL bad neighborhood!). It's silly too since obviously by your own observation, others were being helped by the sales staff. How'd they manage that? Superior cologne? Facelift? Waving wads of dollars? Maybe... they ASKED for some help! I've been in a lot of dealers shopping for cars in my 30-odd years as a motorist. And over time - common sense has dawned on me - that sometimes they don't have enough personnel or awareness to seek you out and quickly engage you the moment you are ready to chat, even though I'm sure that is the goal of most sales managers (to have their staff ask "How may I help you?"). If you have a chip on your shoulder about being treated all nicey-nicey, maybe you aren't really on the market for a car anyway....

Why should you? I don't know, maybe because you CAME THERE to buy a car? Both buyers and sellers have to go out on a limb a little to come to a deal. Buyers have to submit to a credit check or somehow prove they can pay in cash. Sellers have to show they have the vehicle or can get it, and that they have something to offer like a good service dept as well. No one at a dealer will ask you why you should buy a Chevy... but it's certainly within their rights (and more fair to those who ARE serious about buying today) to make judgments about who wants/needs sales help the most at a given point in time. If they misjudge, it's the buyer's move to speak up and ASK for help.

I hope you're not going to try in vain again to convince me that your Scion is somehow sporty. (Tell me, does your engine make as much torque as is required to secure the lugnuts on my LT1 Formula? ). Chevy didn't "lose" (I use the term loosely) you because you were 'neglected' by incompetent salespeople. YOU decided - perfectly within your rights - to get a 'hip' economy car. Good for you. You are right, it's not your fault, it's your choice... but I seriously doubt you ever seriously wanted anything other than your Scion - - or you would have figured a way to find out more about the alternatives.

He will stay or go regardless of what I say. Very few -if any- come here hoping to have their mind changed by debate. Most are here to put forth their beliefs and knowledge and maybe learn some things. Frankly I couldn't care less how I came off to this newbie (It's comforting to see though, how effective you are as his spokesperson ). Elitist? Well I don't work for GM, nor do I speak for them. But I do love their vehicles and GM is all I've ever owned or driven to work. I get a thrill whenever I pull up to a cowering sport import at a red light in my Formula... rev the engine and watch him look away... then he glances back and sees my low-slung headers and 275 tires... and I leave him behind when it goes green

http://mwshowgo67.com/formula99/imag...n/attitude.jpg

 

Um, I bought a Scion to have a reliable commuter that wasn't completely gutless. It's a slow *** dragger car, if I want something fast I have a classic with a 408 small block, it's not worth putting mods into a late model car here in CA with the stupid CARB crap.

You seem to think it's the customers responsibility to ensure the dealer gives them good service. I feel that it's the dealers responsibility to make sure I have a good experience at their dealership. I can go to any other dealership, and get someone to walk up and see if I need help with anything. If to be part of the super cool club to buy a Chevy I gotta hunt down a sales person, be dressed hopefully nice enough that he doesn't give me a bad attitude, and if he does then just go out on my own without the help of a dealership employee to test drive the car myself. Perhaps I could just find a friend with one and test drive it that way?

Fact is, when I bought my car, I had someone take care of me, take me out to to drive it, and answer all of my questions about it. Perhaps to you this isn't neccesary, but to a lot of car buyers service is what matters. If the Chevy dealer doesn't even care about me to get the sale, how much are they going to care on my service? On my warranty work? Do I have to dress up nicely and then hound after the service guys to fix my car, too? Because the sales guys aren't even motivated to help me, why would service?

Chevy has a lot of negative stigma to overcome. Acting like ****** at the dealership isn't helping it. It amazes me that someone would have the nerve to defend the dealership acting like *******s.

I wonder if there's some guy just like BDNF in GM saying "Well why don't the customers come MAKE us sell them the cars? I don't understand why our market share is declining, we put the cars right out there! If the customer is dressed nicely enough and hunts down a salesperson and twists their arm, maybe we'll sell it to them!"

This isn't a Ferrari, it's a Chevy. They should be doing everything in their power to get me to buy it, and not the other way around.

To go back on topic here, Buickman's steps look like a good step in the right direction to improve one of the worst parts of a GM buying experience...the dealerships. Unfortunately it seems that GM is unable/unwilling to exert much influence at all over the dealerships.

 

It's good to see... at least you achieved one of your goals
Wrong. (Congratulations on your word-twisting efforts however). I believe it is a customer's responsibility to engage the dealer in a reasonable manner. There is obviously no 'dress code' for buying a car. But no one should be surprised to be treated differently if shopping while looking like a homeless person seeking a temporary bed, or a mid-level executive on his/her lunch break. OF COURSE it has an effect... but it's attitude that matters most. Maybe politely asking a receptionist for some help might... just might... result in a polite salesperson helping you! Well, imagine that!
Gads, that is pure, unadulterated, garbage. You mean, Chevy, the star brand right now (along with Cadillac) at GM? Chevy, home stable of the Le Mans winning Corvette? Chevy, the location of the streetable version of Jeff Gordon's NASCAR victory machine? Chevy, winner of countless quality awards such as those flowing almost continuously from the famed Oshawa complex? Give me a break already. You, and a mumbling herd of other import owners, are free to stumble around in whatever underpowered econoboxes you want. I'll be sweeping rapidly across the countryside in something powerful, sporty and distinctive from GM.

Here's where both you and Buickman are missing the boat. Compelling, distinctive, magnificent designs - - like the 1997 Grand Prix - - practically sell themselves. Sure, it's important for sales and service staff to be helpful and courteous. But PRODUCT is what sells product.

 

BDNF,
Not 400 per year. 100 per mo, 3 mos. Only if necessary to resign current position. Prefer zero upfront, pay only for performance. You twist words like you do facts. GM value down $50 Billion and you make it seem like nothing happened. Market share rebounded? You're nuts!
Buickman

 

Fine. For $100k in 3 months... I'd still have a lot more than 20 ideas!

I've already said - sure I agree - GM has made mistakes along the way. So have the other domestics. So - should we also eradicate the leaders at Ford, for underestimating the onslaught of the imports? Makes little sense to do that. As for market share, I guess only time will tell if you or I am correct.

 

The Plan - Return to Greatness contains 60 steps. Released to the public are the first twenty.

 

Well, that makes it all OK then! (Not!)

 

Constructive criticism is one thing, simply slinging sarcasm is another.

 

Are you tired of the inflammation?

The embarrassing rash?

The itching and burning?