The Elio Automatic Transmission

[goofyone]

I am sure there will be an incentive system to encourage and reward the Elio sales staff. Elio must encourage their sales staff to engage the customers and not just sit back and be lazy. It would not surprise me at all if Elio Motors establishes a system where the sales staff receives a base amount of pay plus a bonus for each vehicle sold as this is the way this has been handled at other no haggle dealerships such as Saturn and Carmax.

 

[zelio]

I am sure there will be an incentive system to encourage and reward the Elio sales staff. Elio must encourage their sales staff to engage the customers and not just sit back and be lazy. It would not surprise me at all if Elio Motors establishes a system where the sales staff receives a base amount of pay plus a bonus for each vehicle sold as this is the way this has been handled at other no haggle dealerships such as Saturn and Carmax.

I guess to men that sounds logical. To me, at least, it simply sounds like the same ol', same ol'. In other words commission. That means Paul Elio is lying to us. Sorry, that does not make me happy. I have never received a commission in my life but that did not stop me from doing a good job. I still do the best job I am able to in everything I do because I take personal pride in my work, my play, my swimming, my life. I do not like being lied to. Color me disillusioned. And on that sad note I am going back to bed. Z

 

[KN16]

I thought this was settled in another tread. Call it a dealership or call it a kumquat it's the place they're going to sell Elio's The price same great price will be true as long as you want the same not so great base model with nothing added on. The salespeople will be making their money in add-ons. If there wasn't anything being sold they wouldn't need sales personnel. You'd poke at a touch screen terminal and be done with it. If you think they wont be trying to make it look like you're getting a great deal (AKA traditional sales techniques) on the accessories you're kidding yourself. Not every sales location will charge the same with regionally preferred options carrying a slight premium. If you don't think they'll pull something akin to "take the auto trans and the GPS and I'll throw in a free sunroof" you are again deluding yourself.

If there was no money to be made selling these things no one would open an Elio "store"

 

[goofyone]

I guess to men that sounds logical. To me, at least, it simply sounds like the same ol', same ol'. In other words commission. That means Paul Elio is lying to us. Sorry, that does not make me happy. I have never received a commission in my life but that did not stop me from doing a good job. I still do the best job I am able to in everything I do because I take personal pride in my work, my play, my swimming, my life. I do not like being lied to. Color me disillusioned. And on that sad note I am going back to be. Z

Z, I think how this plays out depends on how the incentive system is setup. To encourage a low pressure environment they could make the incentive a flat amount per vehicle sold so the sales staff would not be compelled to pressure buyers into buying more options than they need or want. Of course the reality is that Elio Motors is a business and businesses generally try to make as much money from each sale as possible so from a purely business point of view Elio Motors would be best served with a system that encourages buyers to purchase more options and you do this by giving the sales staff incentives to encourage buyers to spend more.

 

[Lil4X]

The problem is that these "options" have to be price competitive. With so few "factory" options available, once you get beyond color, transmission choice, and maybe cruise control, there's nothing that can't be had in the aftermarket. The radio upgrade is going to face a vast amount of competition from every stereo shop in the country. Sunroofs, leather upholstery, and wraps, ditto - trim shops are going to see this as a real business opportunity. If it can be tacked on to the vehicle after it rolls off the assembly line, there is eventually going to be plenty of competition for that business. The beauty of this is that owners can "upgrade" their Elio over time, rather than pay it all up front. Dealers are going to be hard-pressed to compete if they are giving more than minimal "bonuses" for add-ons.

 

[KN16]

The problem is that these "options" have to be price competitive. With so few "factory" options available, once you get beyond color, transmission choice, and maybe cruise control, there's nothing that can't be had in the aftermarket. The radio upgrade is going to face a vast amount of competition from every stereo shop in the country. Sunroofs, leather upholstery, and wraps, ditto - trim shops are going to see this as a real business opportunity. If it can be tacked on to the vehicle after it rolls off the assembly line, there is eventually going to be plenty of competition for that business. The beauty of this is that owners can "upgrade" their Elio over time, rather than pay it all up front. Dealers are going to be hard-pressed to compete if they are giving more than minimal "bonuses" for add-ons.

You can do that now with any existing car. Just because you can get a sunroof down the street doesn't stop GM dealers from selling them. There's power in an effective sales presentation and few people will end up going a dozen different places to complete their new car. If they can't make a profit doing this they'll fail. At that point it won't matter if you call them; dealerships, stores, or a ripe head of cabbage because they'll be gone.

 

[Kuda]

You can do that now with any existing car. Just because you can get a sunroof down the street doesn't stop GM dealers from selling them. There's power in an effective sales presentation and few people will end up going a dozen different places to complete their new car. If they can't make a profit doing this they'll fail. At that point it won't matter if you call them; dealerships, stores, or a ripe head of cabbage because they'll be gone.

Something to be said for a one-stop shop in this regard. Options will have been sourced as to their fittability to the Elio & they
will have to meet Elio's cost/quality model as well..................JMO.

 

[Kuda]

Color me disillusioned. And on that sad note I am going back to be. Z

Custom options=more profit. If one is happy with the standard model, fine. These aren't franchise shops as far as we can tell from what little info. we have. Company policy as outlined below states up front that Elio plans to conduct their business differently from the status quo. Time will tell, I do agree with others that this isn't a charity but a business & they need to make a profit or they will fail.

Per Elio Motors website: http://www.eliomotors.com/

Your Elio Retail Experience
The Elio retail experience won’t follow the crowd, but it’s certain to attract one. Think “genius-bar” as opposed to in-your-face plaid jacket high pressure. For starters our future Retail Centers will be staffed and operated by Elio-trained certified specialists –people you can trust to know your Elio inside and out. Plus, everyone will get the same great price, which will eliminate the old-school haggling element found in traditional dealerships.
We’ll also offer plenty of custom options just in case you want to infuse your Elio with some extra personality. We can’t wait to see what you might have in mind.
Ordering Your Elio
Ordering your Elio at the Retail Center will be seamless and intuitive. We will have computers you can access on site along with and some techy interactive kiosks, all programmed to connect you and the Elio you were born to drive.

Our specialists will assist you through your selections, including body color, manual or automatic, and any extra customization you have in mind. Feel free to ask questions along the way. They will be on hand for one purpose, to make sure you get your Elio your way.

When you finish ordering, you might even want to just hang out a while longer and take it all in. Please do. Coffee will be on us.

Hang in There
The momentum is huge. We have a breakthrough vehicle, a plant to build it in, and we’re poised to hire an American work force of 1,500 to produce it. Plus, we have thousands of Elio reservation holders and counting. So now you just want your Elio. We understand, and we want you to have it too. So keep the adrenaline up, because your place in automotive history has almost arrived.
Your Elio Team!

 

[pj rogers]

I want to apologize to zelio about some of my comments, I should have said the MSRP would leave out the S. Many times the salespeople get paid on the profits. The base elio would be a certain % or amount. As options are added the profit margin increases and for example, the base elio with no options would be $1000 and the salesman would get a percentage of that $1000, say 15%..as the options are added on, the salesperson makes more money because the profit goes up. Also, , the number of elio he/she sells in a week or a month could bring small bonuses.
Most sales people have lost that plaid jacket a long, long time ago. I can't tell you the number of hours I spent watching videos on every part of that vehicle including the material of the front headlights. The professionals always made the customer feel they had a great deal because their job depended on it, referrals are the way most make a living.
You buy a car from me, get a good deal, and your wife gets a big bag of popcorn sent to her work so she can share with her co-workers and you get a big old thank you card and a nice present also. of course, a couple of my cards were attached to those presents.
Do you realize how many people you will present the elio to, and even do test drives that will not buy it, or not be able to finance it for various reasons? Betcha 1-4 buy. An auto with cruise is over $9500..
Oh, the sales people selling those yaris, those madza 2, the mini's, the sonics and the sparks, the half a dozen of the other vehicles will be vicious in their attempts to make the elio a poor purchase for their customers family.
My Elio will be chromed wrapped in a alsa colored chrome (blue) with auto and cruise so I am ready to spend the $10,000+ of what it will cost. Go. go elio!

 

[Kuda]

JMO............but I don't view the Elio store person as the typical auto dealership salesperson. Probably the closest
auto comparison are the Saturn folks (I know they failed but not due to the model per se. http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/08/saturn-gm-innovation-leadership-managing-failure.html ) Elio store people are employed by the "Company" to be like "customer service" personal on
salary not commission. There may well be an incentive/bonus program put in place but structured on customer satisfaction that the
Elio purchased met the customers needs w/surveys & follow up, etc. without pressure to add all the do das.........