129 Cars
thisamericanlife.org
129 Cars
1–10 of 66 posts
Re: 129 Cars
#2I can't listen to audio. Why is it interesting?
Re: 129 Cars
#3I can't listen to audio. Why is it interesting?
"One of the best podcast episodes you'll ever hear about selling software. Actually about cars. Stick with it."
Re: 129 Cars
#4I listened to this podcast the other day and it was one of the more compelling This American Life episodes I've listened to recently. I say that as a pretty big fan of TAL.
They spend the episode interviewing car salespeople and managers at one particular dealership over the course of a week (IIRC), where the salespeople are trying to rack up a certain number of sales to qualify for a bonus payout that means the difference between being in the red vs being in the black. They clear up some myths about car sales and generally get to the heart of what it's like to be a salesperson.
The things that were interesting to me were the various mindsets and tactics the salespeople use to sell a car, especially when they're desperate. The way the salespeople negotiate between two different parties – on one side with the customer, on the other side with their manager – was also something I hadn't thought about.
That's about the gist of it: a week in sales during a somewhat desperate situation from a car dealership's perspective. As a semi-regular podcast listener who really likes TAL but feels like they have some hits and some misses, this one is definitely a hit.
Re: 129 Cars
#5Re: 129 Cars
#6I can't listen to audio. Why is it interesting?
"One of the best podcast episodes you'll ever hear about selling software. Actually about cars. Stick with it." https://twitter.com/patio11/status/418879954894340096
To substantiate that, if the only thing you got from the interview was the mindset for dealing with customers who are not ready to purchase ("Let's go over this: they are in a car dealership..."), it is worth it.
Next time I have a call with a purchasing officer for the County of Springfield (not actually my last call) I'm going to say "Remember, Patrick, nobody ever sent an email to the CEO of an appointment reminder company just because they were feeling lonely and wanted someone to talk to."
Re: 129 Cars
#7I can't listen to audio. Why is it interesting?
"One of the best podcast episodes you'll ever hear about selling software. Actually about cars. Stick with it." https://twitter.com/patio11/status/418879954894340096
It's a very good piece of radio, and it's a compelling account of how selling works in the real world but I disagree with the tweet that it's the best podcast you'll ever hear about selling software.
Selling your own software is mostly a distance selling arrangement with little or no agents. So, for example, you can't easily let the customer think they've negotiated a great deal and then get your manager to turn the deal down and counter-offer yourself. You'd look pretty stupid. Also, you probably won't set yourself ridiculous targets which are driven by the desire to smooth out the supply side and grow the business. Software doesn't work that way.
Selling software face-to-face might be a lot similar. But that might be the same as just plain old selling.
Re: 129 Cars
#8I listened to this podcast the other day and it was one of the more compelling This American Life episodes I've listened to recently. I say that as a pretty big fan of TAL. They spend the episode interviewing car salespeople and managers at one particular dealership over the course of a week (IIRC), where the salespeople are trying to rack up a certain number of sales to qualify for a bonus payout that means the diff…
> course of a week
I think it was a month (129 was their monthly quota). But the amazing stuff comes from the last couple of days. Damn, that was tense...
Re: 129 Cars
#9That was so intense... I was stressed from the very beginning.
There's a lot to be said for a stable paycheck.
Personally, I only buy used cars and pay cash. But if I didn't, I know that I'd be buying my car at the end of the month...
If you listen to this, don't forget to to look at the photo gallery. I waited till after I'd finished listening to look at it, I think that worked out well.
Re: 129 Cars
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
"One of the best podcast episodes you'll ever hear about selling software. Actually about cars. Stick with it." https://twitter.com/patio11/status/418879954894340096
To substantiate that, if the only thing you got from the interview was the mindset for dealing with customers who are not ready to purchase ("Let's go over this: they are in a car dealership ..."), it is worth it. Next time I have a call with a purchasing officer for the County of Springfield (not actually my last call) I'm going to say "Remember, Patrick, nobody ever sent an email to the CEO of an appointment remind…
> if the only thing you got...
Damn, here I was getting ready to put balloons all over my web site.