ashtray

iTrader: (12)

Next time a salesman asks what business you are in just say...."The kind that pays enough..and lets leave it at that" hahaha! It should shut them up Personal life is personal. They need a hint to know when to stop with their game plan and try another route.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Whenever they would ask my dad he would lie and say some really random job. He would do this to "sort out" car salesmen he said. When the salesperson just lost all interest and became very rude my dad would walk out, when a sales person continued to be polite, my dad would buy the car from that person. I never understood why he did it, maybe because he could but now we've had the same sales people at the 3 dealerships we use for the past 15 years. He did always eventually tell them what he really did.

ashtray

iTrader: (12)

This is cool. He probably did it to have the upper hand psychologically. Just a guess.

cremaster

iTrader: (1)

i really don't mind that sales people, real estate agents, etc., know what profession me or my wife are. bc if they're going to treat us better thinking we make good money, albeit fake, fine by me. if they think they can milk more money out of us, bc they think we have money, wrong! haha

Haitwun

Exactly. It serves to determine if you can afford the car. It also is used to determine your worth as a person.

CDNROCKIES

So much cynicism in this thread.

The business world revolves around relationships. It doesn't matter what field you're talking about, positive personal relationships help you make a sale. Compound that with the number of "aspirational" buyers that luxury car salespeople have to deal with and why wouldn't they be asking you? They can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. The great ones will develop a rapport and gain the knowledge they need to evaluate whether or not they should be wasting their time.

I make no secret of what I do, as I'm proud of the businesses I've developed, but there is zero chance a salesperson is going to take advantage of me price wise due to that info. I go into a dealership likely knowing more about the car than whoever I'm dealing with.

LexFather

Thank you for this post. The o.p also has stated that names don't matter for cars so its likely a young kid asking these questions.

People ask all the time "what is your profession", from parties, to church to basic convo. Not sure what the big deal is here.

I mean when you buy the car you have to write down your profession anyway, they will have tons of your personal information so this question is no big deal.

Some of you make it sound like the salesman asked you when you had sex for the first time or something

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

True they can be pushy, but a good salesperson's job is to sell. Not only for the company and himself, but to make sure the fit is for you. If you tell me a lawyer, there's a good chance you like golf. I know you care about some status and enough room in the car to put two golf bags. It's all psychological

Bahahaha

STIG

well said, sir.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

there are few good salespeople in the industry. did someone say build rapport most don't understand this and never will.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

i know of the purposes or reasons that sales people do this, but I think the point of the OP is it turns away some people

Being exposed to sales rep background, its always the most humble people who have the most money and big spenders

spwolf

indeed, we do this with any relationship we build in business and/or personal life...

mmarshall

I've heard salespeople tell me that they have gotten laid X-number of times while driving this car, or that car (mostly sports cars)....not that I asked or cared. I just let it go in one ear and out the other.

LexFather

I remember getting in my GS 400 at what 22 yrs old or so...and as I am walking to the car to leave a salesman said "you are going to need a Lexus baseball bat" and I looked confused like "why" and he said "cause you are going to be fighting them off".

No truer words were spoken