So you're doing up to 100 grand in and you're expected to go over and ask for help?!

Not on my watch.

I don't want my ass kissing but I certainly don't expect to have to ask to be served.

As others have said, polite acknowledgement or a nod and "just ask if you need anything" is all it takes.

End of the day, at the top end of the market, they are just order takers. The product sells itself.

"They are just order takers" isn't fair.

If the "order taker" isn't personable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic (even in an understated way) then surely less people - no matter how affluent or how much credit they can get - are going to commit to/ feel comfortable doing business with either the individual or that particular business as it does not reflect well on that business whom the person represents, whether 10 or 100k is being spent.

In an average day, can you imagine how many messer's a dealer has to put up with.
They must get so many timewasters / test pilots with no intention of buying a car ....

Some middle ground would be nice!?

Had a mate years ago , really good job, literally changed his cars every 6 months.
Almost no regard for the cost to change/ depreciation etc ...The amount of times that dealers turned their noses up at this scruffy young bloke, Only to watch him drive away , and realise he had a few quid  Alcohol and eBay is never a good mix

2006 4.2 Supercharged, Java Black

You tend to get better sales service at fast food joints than at car dealerships ,  2008 MY Supercharged
Rimini Red / Jet
four zone climate
remote park heater
and no ugly kid windows.
magnus satis quod turpis satis

no-one comes into a fast food joint to browse.....
or to pretend they have 100k in their pocket when actually they're skint.
"arh yeah, I'll have a bargain bucket 'cos I'm a millionnaire don't you know, and don't you know your service is better than LR. You give me a bucket in seconds, they take monthhs to give me a car...."

for myself, I do not like it when every salesperson in the dealer has bounded over to me like a puppy to ask if I need some help. Have turned around and left dealerships when this has happened.

if you want that, go to somewhere like top shop or the local toyota or vauxhall dealer.
If I cross paths with a member of staff, a hello is usually given. Shock horror sometimes from me first.

When going in to actually make a purchase (how often do people actually go into a dealer to buy in comparison to booking a service, browsing the floor), then I won't be dressing as if money was falling out of my pockets like a cheap chav. I am going to dress like I have no money....and indeed I think most FFRR owners dress in an understated way.

As for those that walk into a showroom intending to buy, but after a couple of minutes when no-one has spoken with you (maybe they have other customers to deal with ....), you are really going to walk out and buy that cayenne instead? Are you really so full of pride you can't plonk yourself down at someone's desk and say "hello" ?

Good luck with the cayenne.

^ when the salespersons came bounding over to you like puppies and they upset you so much that you left, did you go and buy a cayenne???...  Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

Woah, some extreme opinions on here!

Surely it is the same in any sales business - the customer is king

All that's required is a polite acknowledgement of customers when they arrive at your premises, a quick 'Hello, feel free to browse and just grab me if you'd like any help' then let the POTENTIAL CUSTOMER (this is the important point) choose how they would like to proceed.

You cant judge people by how they look, so you need to serve all potential customers equally. That is what salesman are (or should be) paid to do!

If it were my business and my salesman ignored any potential customers to carry on gazing at their navel, I'd be looking for new sales staff.

As for time wasters, how can you judge that? Lots of people visit multiple dealers before deciding what they want to spend their hard earned on and from who.

The point is, they are more likely to come back to the place were the salespeople were polite, friendly and interested. 2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

Main dealers again, overpriced and mainly manned by order taking half wits who have no idea on cars or equipment I couldn't and wouldn't give them the drips off my pi$$ tbh _____________________________________________________
Zambezi silver Vogue Se unique

yup. over enthusiastic porsche sales staff persuaded me that FFRR was the way to go !

^  Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

Not like the "old days" when Glenvarigill were the Porsche dealers. Most of the guys there were enthusiasts and you always drop in for a cuppa and a chat about cars, but sadly those days have gone  Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

I've never bought a new car.

And never will

^^ +1 re Glenvarigill, they seemed to care which is probably why they were successful and bought out! There was also a Saab dealership up in Jockland owned by a friend of mine who was a car nut, that filtered through although someone will now tell me they were sh one t

Always felt uncomfortable going into showrooms to have a look at the stock, wondering when I'll get pounced on; and so I've always felt more comfortable looking at stock outside to start with... although as mentioned, usually a visit to a dealership has been to look at a specific vehicle.

I've never been ignored, never actually had the hard sell and I've no problem at all walking over to ask a member of staff if somone is available to discuss a particular car. Communication is a two way thing.

Only once did I take an adverse reaction to a sales person and that was at a BMW dealership. He was of an arrogant, condescending, dismissive 'these cars sell themselves' dispostion. So, went elsewhere and ordered one... and spec'd it with the 'wrong' wheels, only realising when I saw it sitting in the showroom ready to be driven off. Not the salespersons fault, mine!