BMW rolling out new US dealership standards for 2015

[Mark]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW rolling out new dealership standards for 2015

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As many of you may or may not know, dealership in the USA as based on a franchise system, where BMW does not directly own the places where their cars are actually sold.

However, they can establish rules to maintain certain standards. These standards are collectively called "Future Retail 2016" which include the "BMW Genius", an idea borrowed from Apple, where there are non-sales staff in the dealership who exist to answer any detailed questions about the cars. BMW also plans to 'increase the number of contact points with customers and prospects' and 'enhance the retail experience'.

BMW is also holding meetings with regional dealerships to address the new standards and keep the dealerships calm. "It never fails: Once you have that meeting and that one-on-one and get your questions answered is when the dealers get calm.", said Steve Late, chairman of the BMW National Dealer Forum, president of BMW of Austin, a Penske Automotive Group store.

Dealership questions still revolve around the shortage of BMW i vehicles and the status of a full size BMW X7, which is still a few years out.

For now, expect to see more BMW Produce Geniuses at your local BMW store

Source: Autonews

[bd5400]

The BMW Genius thing is a novel idea, though I was a little put off when mine told me my car was a V6. Personally, I'd be happier if the person I actually test drove the car with and purchased it from was the one to go over everything with me.

Granted, their role could certainly evolve over time and end up being pretty great.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Originally Posted by bd5400

The BMW Genius thing is a novel idea, though I was a little put off when mine told me my car was a V6. Personally, I'd be happier if the person I actually test drove the car with and purchased it from was the one to go over everything with me.

Granted, their role could certainly evolve over time and end up being pretty great.

I had a similar experience with a BMW Genius at Oyster Bay BMW who couldn't answer any technical questions about the X1 my girlfriend was looking at. In fact she couldn't answer any questions beyond the contents of the sales brochure.

[ShocknAwe]

Be nice if they would roll out new standards mandating that their service departments treat you like the asset you are and try to win your business rather than expecting it and treating you like scum.

[E36 PWR]

The BMW Geniuses at South Bay BMW know nothing about the cars other than what they can pull up on their iPad.

99% of the guys here on the forums know much more than them, and actually give a shit about BMW's products.

[M3 Adjuster]

It looks like this thread will be a source for many potential employees as BMW geniuses.

[dclowd9901]

A BMW Genius took me on my F80 test drive. He was clearly an automotive enthusiast and loved the car. He encouraged me to open it up more than I would've with a normal sales person, and that experience sold me on the car instantly. The fact that he was super knowledgeable and knew more about the car than I did (not to mention he wasn't on commission, so would talk more frankly about problems) made it a very pleasant experience.

Good idea, I say. I bet their numbers showed people who test drove with the Geniuses outsold those who went with normal sales people.

[miiipilot]

Originally Posted by E36 PWR

The BMW Geniuses know nothing about the cars other than what they can pull up on their iPad.

99% of the guys here on the forums know much more than them, and actually give a shit about BMW's products.

^^^This was my experience at my local dealer. He was a 20-something year old kid with an iPad. I was asking about what the $500 Enhanced BT option would do for with an Android phone...He was confused. I don't think he knew what Android was.

[Teutonic]

The "Geniuses" idea is terrible from many points of view.

First, the guy who sells the vehicle must know the product. No knowledge, no sale.

There will be some conflicts in there, many times you see one guy saying something and the other saying something different.
In my experience, many sales guys I bought from DID NOT deserve the money they get from me. If I could choose to give my mark-up to the charity I will definitely do it.
I actually got afraid few times that my order was not properly received due to the fact that the guy DOES NOT KNOW THE PACKAGES! So I must make sure that the manager signed the paper that it will be as discussed.

A very knowledgeable sales person at Ford for example can build more value in the eye of the customer than a non-knowledgeable sales guy from BMW, and in the end the customer can have a more pleasant experience and see more value in a Ford vehicle than a BMW. If you know which keys to target, you can win a customer.

The person who sales the car MUST know the product regardless, because that is his bread. Second, if he's not good, let him go, bring a passionate individual. Probably 80% of the sales guys in BMW franchises are there because of the money, not because they love the product. Passion goes a long way, brings excitement and many times can be contagious.

Bottom line,
This is just a way to get crowded, confusing and very costly. Why?
Educate, train, and impose product knowledge exams in each sales person and forget about the Geniuses.

And as a note, a genius is something way above the ordinary and it will not work nor for Apple or BMW.

[patb23]

I met the "genius" at my dealership and talked to him for a while. seemed to be a smart guy, until I showed up the next day and he started calling me by another customers name even after the other guys at the dealership called me by my real name. I've heard him talk about the cars and spouting off bad info. He brags about BMW letting him go to these different events and places but I dont think he pays attention to what he's suppose to be learning.

[Fraggy]

Geniuses need better training. Mine knew very little and used a cheat sheet and fiddled around with stuff. It was truly a waste of an hour.

[M4M6]

I'd like to meet the genius who came up with the genius plan. From the time I started looking until the time I actually ordered my M4, I visited two dealerships (same franchise, different parts of town), talked with three salesmen at first dealer ship, and two at the second. I finally dealt with the sales Mgr at the second dealership who paired me with the "M specialist" because first sales guy no longer worked there. What a colossal waste of time! This last guy was actually knowledgeable but it took forever to reach him. Had any of the other salespeople known anything about their product all this would have been avoided. Good luck to all the potential buyers trying to reach a genius.

[turbo8765]

Same here, Genius at my dealer was unable to answer any of my questions.

He did enthusiastically tell me he overheated a C63 and preferred the F80.

[chipotle_napkins]

The only difference here is that the Genius Bar at Apple know what they are doing

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by E36 PWR

The BMW Geniuses at South Bay BMW know nothing about the cars other than what they can pull up on their iPad.

99% of the guys here on the forums know much more than them, and actually give a shit about BMW's products.

bmw geniuses have the skill levels of that of an apple genius.. they can wear the colored shirt and hold an ipad...

i knew more than my client advisor. this actually helped me as he didnt know my car had logic 7 or heated steering wheel or comfort access.. i was able to get the car cheaper than it should have been.

[swagon]

So in Germany, they've got the BMW Niederlassung dealerships in bigger cities, which are owned by BMW AG, and the other dealerships that are basically franchises, am I right?

[loesch]

I would love to be a "BMW Genius". That sounds like such a fun job.

[modkrazy]

This idea must have been the brainchild of an idiot savant. How about training your regular sales staff to know what the hell they are selling, or your service people not to be useless assholes?

[nike001]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

bmw geniuses have the skill levels of that of an apple genius.. they can wear the colored shirt and hold an ipad...

i knew more than my client advisor. this actually helped me as he didnt know my car had logic 7 or heated steering wheel or comfort access.. i was able to get the car cheaper than it should have been.

And may I ask what your job is? I think it's severely unfair that you categorize an ENTIRE position, no matter the person.

I'm currently a Genius and I partake in many conversations with fellow enthusiasts who know their stuff too and I always get complimented on my knowledge. I also work with another Genius who is very knowledgeable, also meeting many other Genius's who are very knowledgable in their field as well.

It's NOT our/my fault that the Genius at your local dealer is disconnected from the car culture and/or doesn't know/care to know about the product. Our overall job is to "help", not to know everything. People hear this "Genius" term and immediately assume that they have to try and test us to see our knowledge and see if they can stump us. Are there things I don't know? Sure, but don't hold it against me. Our job is hard because we're constantly getting hammered with questions with the assumption that we know everything. It's one of the few jobs on this planet where this is our FULL-TIME duty. We're here to help, quit dragging the rest of us through the mud when something cannot be immediately answered, even though you probably knew the answer beforehand anyways.

BMW has this "Genius" position because they're trying to get rid of the old 'salesperson' that gets immediately disconnected from the customer the second they drive off the lot. Now you get a Genius that you can call and actually get ahold of. You also get a Genius for a stress free environment, and through my experiences, people love it. People love that they can ask someone about the cars and their packages and go on test drives and not be consistently pressured to "step into the office" to go over numbers, as if they're going to buy the vehicle.

A lot of the posts are are based off ignorant opinions of people who don't understand the position and what BMW's trying to achieve with it. This could be BMW's fault though too..

[Downeaster1]

Dealership technician and former genius here; 90% of the people don't know or care what an F80 or N54 are. People typically just want to know how to do X, Y & Z. Same goes for Apple. Not everyone cares what the hell a logicboard is. They just want to browse the Internet.

[obliterate]

Originally Posted by bd5400

The BMW Genius thing is a novel idea, though I was a little put off when mine told me my car was a V6. Personally, I'd be happier if the person I actually test drove the car with and purchased it from was the one to go over everything with me.

Granted, their role could certainly evolve over time and end up being pretty great.

I interacted two BMW Genius in two different stores. The first one was a young guy driving an E36 or E30 (can't remember) who knew everything about cars. I test drove the car with him and was really impressed. The second one was a middle age man who had no more knowledge than my CA. I felt the standard of being a BMW "Genius" must be very vague, which is exactly the same as Apple, since most of the Apple Genius I met knew absolutely less about computer than I do.

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by nike001

And may I ask what your job is? I think it's severely unfair that you categorize an ENTIRE position, no matter the person.

I'm currently a Genius and I partake in many conversations with fellow enthusiasts who know their stuff too and I always get complimented on my knowledge. I also work with another Genius who is very knowledgeable, also meeting many other Genius's who are very knowledgable in their field as well.

It's NOT our/my fault that the Genius at your local dealer is disconnected from the car culture and/or doesn't know/care to know about the product. Our overall job is to "help", not to know everything. People hear this "Genius" term and immediately assume that they have to try and test us to see our knowledge and see if they can stump us. Are there things I don't know? Sure, but don't hold it against me. Our job is hard because we're constantly getting hammered with questions with the assumption that we know everything. It's one of the few jobs on this planet where this is our FULL-TIME duty. We're here to help, quit dragging the rest of us through the mud when something cannot be immediately answered, even though you probably knew the answer beforehand anyways.

BMW has this "Genius" position because they're trying to get rid of the old 'salesperson' that gets immediately disconnected from the customer the second they drive off the lot. Now you get a Genius that you can call and actually get ahold of. You also get a Genius for a stress free environment, and through my experiences, people love it. People love that they can ask someone about the cars and their packages and go on test drives and not be consistently pressured to "step into the office" to go over numbers, as if they're going to buy the vehicle.

A lot of the posts are are based off ignorant opinions of people who don't understand the position and what BMW's trying to achieve with it. This could be BMW's fault though too..

More than likely it is the dealership's fault and people base their opinions on what they interact with. There may be a great genius at a pennslyvania dealership, but i dont live in where you do. If bmw truly wants this to excel, they need to have a standard for genius.

When it comes to operating the idrive on my car, i shouldnt have to watch the genius fumble through the idrive screens to find how to pair a phone.. So something like that was not even a test of his knowledge.. Being an enthusiast i did know how to use the functions on the idrive when i went to buy my f10 after buying my e90 from the same place. I let them go through their whole delivery pickup routine and played dumb to just listen. Heck, i paid for it, might as well go through it, maybe i forgot about something etc..

as for the whole salesperson is disconnected, my CA follows up with hand written cards etc.. and even calls me from time to time asking about how I'm enjoying my cars etc.. I'd say that's much better than the genius.

Unless the genius upsell anything, they are considered a nonproductive employee at a dealership, i can only imagine franchise owners hating having them on the payroll