I can just now imagine the phone call between one d Okain and missus Okay, who is now on the phone saying, you've done, what you're looking at, what you're thinking about? What it'll let the proverbial good on your tennis. Thank you for that. I had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago of going into a beautiful land Rover dealership just over here in Port Melbourne. Spoke to some really lovely people there and they said, well, what you're waiting, would you like to make yourself a cup of tea
or a cup of coffee? And I said that would be very kind, so I made myself a cup of coffee. I happened to notice that the sales manager, good morning Ben Ben, was dealing with a client who looked to be just collecting his beautiful new motor car, Albeard A. Top of thea was a range Rover, large range Rover, I'm thinking ballpark, probably two fifty, maybe as close as three.
And I just sat there watching the delivery process, and I was so impressed with the idea, what the what for us me immortals, What would that feel like for somebody who's in a position to be able to do that to go and spend two and a half probably three minute, three hundred thousand dollars on a beautiful new motor car. The whole ceremony of it was in chanting just to watch it. And I did watch it for about twenty minutes, and it looked really just a whole
lot of fun. So it occurred to me, what would that be like and is that part of a tradition and how important is that in these days? We thought we'd find out Paul I miss Auto Kats, PAULA good morning.
Good morning, Tony and all tuning into three aw overnight.
It just seemed like a lovely thing to sit back and watch that, And I think I mentioned to you on the phone what a lovely sort of sense of occasion that was.
Yeah, process, it's it's such an interesting topic when you brought it up, actually, because we had a good long chat about it, it did, Yeah, you brought it up. And then of course I took that experience from Range Rover Land Rover into other dealerships and started discussing the topic again. Because one size doesn't sit all in dealership's time. Every dealership and every brand actually has a completely different delivery.
Process and so whether you're dealing with somebody at a Hendi dealership or in this case where you're dealing with you know, a big range Rover jagu JL precinct to rend the corner Import Melbourne. I guess the intention is the same, is to make the customer feel very special.
And it's when we're going through sales training we actually, I'll never forget years ago they they if I could somehow highlight this for listeners that they say that the excitement levels are actually reversed from salesperson to consumer. So on sale, the salesperson's excited because they've made a sale, and the consumer is a little bit nervous and apprehensive because they're spending money and they don't know what's going on and should they or shouldn't they, But they're on
the delivery process. The salesperson is a little bit stressed out because they have to make sure that everything's perfect for the consumer. They have to make sure all of their paperwork is right because we don't have PDF electronic signatures. I mean, the automotive industry is full of paperwork, still nothing is electronic. And the customer, the consumer is excited, so it's a very interesting process.
I'd love to find out, Paula, whether somebody listening who's picked up recently, I don't know, say a Highlus from Toyota or Ford Ranger or the equivalent from Forward as the two leading contestants in terms of people that will be listening right now driving to work and need much love you the idea of purchasing that car, owning that car, taking ownership or that car, would that be any different to somebody who's just picked up on top of the range Range Rover or I don't know, even a Porsche.
Yeah, the question is should it be yes? Should it be different? See when I was having a chat through a couple of managers, actually because I took this question to the industry because I think it's actually a brilliant question. Should it be different? Should there be a variant in the delivery, in the exclusivetivity of the delivery dependent on the amount that you're actually purchasing.
The cut for the other thing that came up, and I'm sure you've looked at this too, Paula, is the idea of how long a delivery takes. In the days where the keys might have just been handed over and was goodbye, Thanks for signing the check and off you go and see when you come back for a service. There's a fair bit of explanation there because some of these things are so highly technical.
Yeah, when we discussed this, Tony was interesting because back in the day, as you said, there was there was very the features and the benefits of the vehicle just weren't as filled or jam packed or loaded or whatever terminology you'd like to use as what they are now. I mean, the car basically drives itself. So if you can imagine, the salesperson has set standards from the manufacturer to ensure that we've gone through everything with the customer. So the customer will get a survey and say did
they explain everything? So it's not even just a matter of trying to explain everything, it's ensuring that we explain it and the customer understands. Now there isn't just turn the lights on and also move the seat backwards and forwards anymore. And there's the indicators and would you like me to possibly pay your phone to the bluetooth when that came out. Now we have to go through our connectivity. You know, how does RDAR cruise control work? Boots doors,
everything's electronic, so where the delivery. I remember when I was selling cars, the delivery could possibly take two thousand and five and six, maybe fifteen to twenty minutes. Now it's approximately at least forty five minutes to an hour and a half.
Yeah, to go through it all thoroughly. So that presumably customery is is somehow satisfied at endorsing the fact that they've made this quite considerable decision.
Yeah. And then you know what's the most interesting thing is the customers will generally Now in this especially, I've noticed in the last year or two, with all of the new cars coming out, the hybrids and all of the new features, a lot of customers are coming back to dealerships, and a lot of sales people actually venting to me because they just do a lot of sales people are actually venting to me saying this is just I mean, we love our customers, but they're coming in
because they're just not understanding the features. They need to be explained and shown time and time again. And it's hard.
Work, yeah, of course, but there's nothing wrong with that. So in terms of based on your experience, in terms of dealerships and the trends these days are there gifts? There used to be things that be you know, I don't know, you put a blanket on the back of one seat or something, or to make that whole process a little more interesting and take these home the kids. Is that sort of also a thing with somebody buying a.
New co depend it's completely and purely dependent on dealerships. So each dealership, generally, and I'll say generally every manufacturer franchises their dealerships out to a prive entity, whether it be a group or whether it be an individual or like a McDonald's franchise, a dealership is actually privately owned, so it's actually dependent on that corporate body that decides whether they are going to give a gift or not.
Okay, so that's separate to the agreement, if you like, it's over and above exactly.
And it's funny because how to chat for a few people about this topic, just different dealerships, and I just wanted to pick their brain, and I said, oh, well, how is you know, how is Tony's experience? You know, he saw these beautiful gifts being given and one of the comments from a particular individual, he said, oh, well, you know they're buying a three hundred thousand dollars cars. They've got lots of money to give all to give all their pretty gifts. But now look gifts gifts every
dealership at different times. Too hard to set a standard, I.
Guess yeah, but you can imagine for anybody who's and you could have, you know, could who what would it be like to go and buy Rolls Royce. For example, you're buying the fully electric Rolls Royce, which is going to come in over one million dollars well and truly these days for the fully electric version in Australia, and that's before you've added any real bells and whistles. What would that experience be like as the as the salesperson is wandering around this incredible.
Car with you, we have to I say, Tony, you and I go down too. I think this is the Gami groups that have Roll's voice. I have to double check and owns that one now, and we'll have to go and find out exactly what they do.
We should.
Unless you're up for the purchase.
That's right? Or do you go in and say, look, I'm thinking about I don't know where would you even start that conversation?
I would probably just name drop we say, I'll say, do you know who this guy is?
The information that's very kind of you, and that whole delivery experience I find absolutely intrigue. And you can imagine somebody who's probably buying their let's say a high end Benz for example, you're out of Barrick and you're doing the deal and it may not be your first, it could be your third, fourth, fifth, or sixth.
Yeah, over a period. Yeah, and you probab this out. I want another I don't want another drink, bottle or cap, thanks mate, I want a sports bad thank.
You, that's right. Or I want tickets to the golf or something along the line. As I don't know how it works these days, but it is fascinating. Paula. It's always good to chat. Thank you for getting up nice and early, Paula, miss Auto Cats. We catch up with Paula every couple of weeks of the program a straighter every night.