The car maketh the man - but loses the contract

[Ian J]

However, with even the most expensive cars being available on lease these days what you drive says sod all about your wealth, but loads more about your ego.

You seem to have this thing about expensive cars and egos as this is the second thread this week that you have mentioned it. I don't see what buying and driving an expensive car has to do with ego as some people just like driving decent cars.

Many people including business owners have no need to live in anything more substantial than a one bedroomed flat so are you saying that anyone who lives in anything more substantial than their basic needs is pandering to their ego

 

[Ian J]

If someone genuinely has a need for 4wd and a 1 tonne carrying capacity then they can justify the cost. If not then the economics simply do not stack up and if they can't look after there own cash properly they are giving out bad signals.

I can understand comments like that in Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia where citizens do what they are told but in this country people are free to express their free will and that includes buying whichever car they want.

In Australia the pickups that you are denigrating so roundly are fashionable and very common and who are you to tell people that buy them that they can't look after their cash properly.

This thread has really opened my eyes to exactly how small minded some people are

 

[BustersDogs]

When I bought my 4wd (which I need for driving in fields from time to time but not often enough to risk getting a landrover), I wanted to be similar to my clients. Who mostly have 4x4s to drive the kids to school in (and yes I have had to walk their dogs in snow because they 'can't get out of my road' then I trundle along in the bog standard van to collect the dog) but I didn't want to appear to be overcharging so I made sure I bought a Toyota instead of the type they all drive (Range Rovers and Discoveries mostly) and one that was 5 years old (now 8). When it gets to 10 I'll replace it so I then don't look like I'm bad at managing money so can't afford anything newer. I want something bigger to show my improving business, but will still stick with Toyota.

One of my clients owns a company that digs up roads for utility companies, and she was telling me they lost a lot of work when her husband bought his dream car that he could finally afford - a ferrari! He sold it, got a Range Rover, and the work came back. People are strange...

 

[Ian J]

One of my clients owns a company that digs up roads for utility companies, and she was telling me they lost a lot of work when her husband bought his dream car that he could finally afford - a ferrari! He sold it, got a Range Rover, and the work came back. People are strange...

I would have said that people are stupid not strange. Their customers are happy to give him work as long as he only drives a £90,000 Range Rover but if he drives a Ferrari they would rather give their work to a company who's MD can't afford an expensive car due to the losses that his company has made rectifying their poor quality workmanship.

Petty minded idiots like that deserve to fail if they decide the suitability of their supplier by the car that the MD drives

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Y

Many people including business owners have no need to live in anything more substantial than a one bedroomed flat so are you saying that anyone who lives in anything more substantial than their basic needs is pandering to their ego

Only those nobs who insist on bringing up in conversation how much their house is worth, we've all met them.

I have no problem with people driving nice cars at all, it's their money to spend as they wish. I have a problem with those that like telling everyone what they drive as if it makes them a better, or more successful person. It's just a piece of metal that doesn't even relate to how well you may, or may not, be doing financially. Hence it massages their (usually very fragile) ego.

 

[Bruceflea]

I would have said that people are stupid not strange. Their customers are happy to give him work as long as he only drives a £90,000 Range Rover but if he drives a Ferrari they would rather give their work to a company who's MD can't afford an expensive car due to the losses that his company has made rectifying their poor quality workmanship.

Petty minded idiots like that deserve to fail if they decide the suitability of their supplier by the car that the MD drives

I totally agree with you Ian J and to be fair, you make a lot of good points through the thread. Doing business with someone should be on the basis of who is going to provide the best service/ product at a price you are prepared to pay. As you rightly say, it shouldn't come down to what car the person is driving but unfortunately it is a sad sign of the times when it is clear that it does.

I used to work for one of the leading telecoms companies in NI and our company vehicles were Insignias. They were due for renewal and the company decided to move to BMW 320 M-Sport models. In my opinion they aren't anything out of the ordinary or flashy but they did look well and had some of the spec upgraded as our boss was into cars. That being said when I went out to quote for new business, a lot of people commented on the car and not necessarily in a good way. It didn't change me as a sales person but I would go as far to say that it felt like people thought because you had a new BMW (albeit company leased) you were doing well for yourself and subsequently didn't want to give you the business. I assumed it was just down to our we backward place of NI but the thread has opened my eyes a bit.

 

[alexft]

So how many people rent cars here when visiting clients? And are you talking about small biz, mid size, blue chip? I think blue chip execs would be least inclined to see which car you drive, mid size maybe most and small go figure

Some people afraid of failure so they kick success out in case it will run away later. Some welcome success and sharp fun people. Which % of B2C and B2B customers in UK like people and businesses who done well?

As to biz I think it depends on the segment and approach. For example if company is price leader I say most people would not care which car sales rep drives as he can say would you like to drive such car? According to our calculations the amount you save with us will be enough to cover lease and you will still have xxx extra pounds saved on top! Would it work well in UK?

 

[Chris Williams]

If a client is sold on a flash set of wheels, then show him/her a flash set... if they are not then walk. Bottom line, do your research as to who you are visiting. They'll be plenty of time to show off your wealth later on down the line after the contracts are signed.

 

[series530]

If you arrive in something flash, slam on the brakes as you turn up and then sit outside on your mobile for ten minutes before knocking on the door and then offer a limp handshake as a greeting you are sure to start off on a bad footing.

Turn up in something suitable for purpose but which demonstrates success in your field and give confidence right from the start and you stand a good chance of success.

In our business we have smart , generally clean, immaculately liveried vans and we try to exude professionalism right from the start.

As the sales person for my company I confess to wear an Omega watch. I considered leaving it at home and wearing a Seiko. The Seiko lost out because I love the Omega. Customers who know about watches invariably have something of similar quality or better and appreciate some degree of success. It's common ground and gets customers on side. Those who know nothing about watches see it as a watch. My clothes are smart but casual - functional and not scruffy. Gucci plays no part in my arsenal.

I never bring the car to a customer - always the van. If the van were off the road I would have to drive the car but it would be parked a significant distance away. I don't want to give the wrong impression.

My personal car? A top notch Jaguar.

 

[dmckellar]

I've had first hand experience of this.

I run a cleaning company who sub-contract to major housebuilders. I have a small fleet of new vans on lease, all signwritten and always clean etc...no one bats an eyelid other than to say the vans look the part

I drive a "company van" ie: just another van but it doesnt have tools in the back, i use it for site visits and picking up paperwork, exact same as the vans the guys use when doing the builders cleans.

We got an influx of work and i needed someone else to load up my van and use it, similarly as this work came in i found myself needing to work "on the tools" and took my car.

Had a contracts manager saying that we are obviously paying too much etc. Fast forward around 3 months and he has offered 2 of my staff their own start/own site etc and someone overheard him saying "why would you want to keep making him the money to fund that car"

I pulled him up about it but he denied it, knowing the type of person he is (he failed at being a self employed joiner years back) hes the green eyed monster.

By the way, the car was a C class mercedes. hardly a Bentley GT

As above, i now park round the corner or rent a van if my other is off the road

 

[Ian J]

Had a contracts manager saying that we are obviously paying too much etc. Fast forward around 3 months and he has offered 2 of my staff their own start/own site etc and someone overheard him saying "why would you want to keep making him the money to fund that car"

By the way, the car was a C class mercedes. hardly a Bentley GT

Sadly that is the world that we now live in

 

[alexft]

What about positive examples? I met one cool biz owner once who offered me pretty lucrative deal

 

[Deleted member 59730]

When I was still at school I heard a story about a florist in the town where I lived. His business was in slow decline and he realised that he would soon have to stop. He had always had a dream to own a Rolls and bought one while he still had the money. He delivered flowers in it. A couple of years later he had expanded and had a fleet of delivery vehicles; all Rolls.

 

[series530]

I'll rewind to the 1980's, academic to some point I know, but I don't think that things have necessarily changed: I those days I worked in capital equipment, close to sales, but doing sales support. My sales colleague told me of a competitor who turned up at a factory where they both did business. This competitor was driving a Mercedes, albeit a C class. He has a Vauxhall Cavalier. The plant manager, who saw the competitor arrive, was polite and professional and on leaving informed his minions to never let the guy on site again. He was too flash and he was subsidising him. The plant manager was driving a Vauxhall Cavalier.

People get it in their heads. So many cannot see past the material things. They cannot see that the trappings of success don't necessarily come through over charging. In my business we charge a slight premium but we also offer a premium service and many are willing to pay for it. Those who are not can work with somebody else. We don't need to price dump to nicely survive.

That said, our demographic is older people, admittedly comfortably middle class in many cases, but on limited means. I simply wouldn't want to rub my financial success in their faces as its both disrespectful and crass.

If I was dealing with professional corporations , wealth management companies and such like then I would behave appropriately for that demographic and most likely would exude more financial might... but I don't so I wont.

 

[Talay]

I drive what I want without recourse to anyone else.

Likewise, I wear what I want, which mostly means a t-shirt, jeans or shorts and trainers.

I have earned the right and don't worry what others think.