I’m one of those people that seldom makes large purchases, but when I do, I keep those purchases for a long, long time. I've been driving the same car since I was 16 years old, a very reliable Honda Civic. Understandably, I became very attached to that car over the years! Recently, I decided it was time to trade the old girl in and get something shiny and new; a vehicle to make new memories in, before I was spending more on the Civic than it was worth. I did a lot of research, and narrowed down my selection between a few different models. I happened to make an appointment online to go test drive one vehicle at Troncalli Subaru. That Saturday is when I got to meet Eric.
As I said, I hadn't bought a car since I was 16, and even then my dad did all the negotiating and purchasing. I was a little hesitant to visit a bunch of dealerships because of all the stereotypes surrounding car salesmen; we've heard them all. However, when I showed up to test drive with Eric, I was pleasantly surprised to find “not your typical car salesman”. I let him know that I wasn't going to be purchasing a car that day, and he did not put any pressure on me at all. He didn't even try to talk about pricing with me. He was able to answer all my questions, which is certainly more than I can say for some of the other dealers I talked to during this process. He was patient when I came back for a second time with my dad, answered more questions, and let us test drive again. He didn't gripe when I went back to even test drive a third time, just to make sure I was getting what I really wanted.
Eric was able to display the classic customer service qualities that most companies should look for in their employees. He was polite, cared about making a personal connection with his customer, followed-up and was well-informed about the products he was trying to sell. He was interested in helping me make a wise decision and even helped me see that some of the extras were things I didn't need. He didn't seem to just be interested in making the sale; rather he was concerned with helping his customer make the best choice for them.
In the end, I did purchase a car from Eric. I told him what I wanted to pay each month and he was able to make it work. I would recommend anyone go visit Eric whenever they decide it’s time to look for a new car. He was able to quell my fears of making a big purchase and broke the stereotypes of typical car salesmen who are just interested in “getting you in a car today!”
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