Chicago car salesman fired for wearing Packers necktie

[angryguy77]

Being a packer fan is cause for termination on its own.

[soap07]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

You'd think their prices and customer service - not their neckties - would be enough.

Then you apparently know nothing about sales, or at least have never worked in it.

Selling is more about the trust and relationship you have with a customer, than it is anything your pitching.

It's a skill and talent to take two sticks and a rock, and sell someone that their buying fire. The bottom line (i.e. package, pricing, etc...) is only part of the equation.

True - but if a trust/relationship with a customer is compromised by a freaking necktie, the problem is with the customer, not the dealership.

This is truly ridiculous. I understand a passionate fan base. Boston has some of the most passionate fans around - but at the end of the day, it's still just a sport. It is a giant distraction from the larger problems in life.

If any customer is shallow enough to feel "alienated" by a car dealer wearing a necktie of an opposing team, well, that's just too bad.

[soap07]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

It's a car dealership. No rational customer  would truly get "ticked off" to the point that they wouldn't come to the dealership to buy a car because the guy is wearing a necktie of a team that is going to the Super Bowl.

[bdm860]

Reminds me of this classic commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_qAUCdLSiU

[Chris]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

You'd think their prices and customer service - not their neckties - would be enough.

Then you apparently know nothing about sales, or at least have never worked in it.

Selling is more about the trust and relationship you have with a customer, than it is anything your pitching.

It's a skill and talent to take two sticks and a rock, and sell someone that their buying fire. The bottom line (i.e. package, pricing, etc...) is only part of the equation.

True - but if a trust/relationship with a customer is compromised by a freaking necktie, the problem is with the customer, not the dealership.

This is truly ridiculous. I understand a passionate fan base. Boston has some of the most passionate fans around - but at the end of the day, it's still just a sport. It is a giant distraction from the larger problems in life.

If any customer is shallow enough to feel "alienated" by a car dealer wearing a necktie of an opposing team, well, that's just too bad.

Have you ever tried to buy a car?  So many of those guys are sleezy as hell, and they have a ton of power to screw over the customer.  Enstilling an environment of trust is absolutely essential to selling cars, and if a guy does not respect the customers enough that he will openly taunt them, it is a major red flag.

[Sizzlack]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

You'd think their prices and customer service - not their neckties - would be enough.

Then you apparently know nothing about sales, or at least have never worked in it.

Selling is more about the trust and relationship you have with a customer, than it is anything your pitching.

It's a skill and talent to take two sticks and a rock, and sell someone that their buying fire. The bottom line (i.e. package, pricing, etc...) is only part of the equation.

True - but if a trust/relationship with a customer is compromised by a freaking necktie, the problem is with the customer, not the dealership.

This is truly ridiculous. I understand a passionate fan base. Boston has some of the most passionate fans around - but at the end of the day, it's still just a sport. It is a giant distraction from the larger problems in life.

If any customer is shallow enough to feel "alienated" by a car dealer wearing a necktie of an opposing team, well, that's just too bad.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but that makes absolutely no difference for the argument here. Whether or a customer is justified, you can't take that risk as a business.

You're there to sell product, period. You cater to the customer, you tell them whatever they want to hear, you make them a comfortable as possible. That's just how it works.

Ideologies and "sticking up for what's right" is what failing business do.

[GreenEnvy]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

You'd think their prices and customer service - not their neckties - would be enough.

Then you apparently know nothing about sales, or at least have never worked in it.

Selling is more about the trust and relationship you have with a customer, than it is anything your pitching.

It's a skill and talent to take two sticks and a rock, and sell someone that their buying fire. The bottom line (i.e. package, pricing, etc...) is only part of the equation.

True - but if a trust/relationship with a customer is compromised by a freaking necktie, the problem is with the customer, not the dealership.

This is truly ridiculous. I understand a passionate fan base. Boston has some of the most passionate fans around - but at the end of the day, it's still just a sport. It is a giant distraction from the larger problems in life.

If any customer is shallow enough to feel "alienated" by a car dealer wearing a necktie of an opposing team, well, that's just too bad.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but that makes absolutely no difference for the argument here. Whether or a customer is justified, you can't take that risk as a business.

You're there to sell product, period. You cater to the customer, you tell them whatever they want to hear, you make them a comfortable as possible. That's just how it works.

Ideologies and "sticking up for what's right" is what failing business do.

Fair enough, I never have worked in sales, but wouldn't the proper action be "hey buddy, lose the tie"?

[fairweatherfan]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

It's a car dealership. No rational customer  would truly get "ticked off" to the point that they wouldn't come to the dealership to buy a car because the guy is wearing a necktie of a team that is going to the Super Bowl.

I agree with you but I think we disagree on what percentage of people tend to behave rationally, especially when things they're emotionally invested in like sports teams are involved.  Like Chris said, picture someone trying to sell Bostonians something while wearing a Laker tie the day after Game 7.  Maybe that wouldn't affect you, but it's a major stretch to say it wouldn't affect anybody, and a bigger stretch to say businesses shouldn't worry about losing those customers because they're being irrational.

Ideally this stuff shouldn't matter, but in reality it probably would, especially if the dealership has actively linked itself to the Bears through promotions.

[soap07]

Have you ever tried to buy a car?  So many of those guys are sleezy as hell, and they have a ton of power to screw over the customer.  Enstilling an environment of trust is absolutely essential to selling cars, and if a guy does not respect the customers enough that he will openly taunt them, it is a major red flag.

I don't know if wearing a tie of his favorite team is openly taunting or disrespecting the customer. At least he's being honest about who he's rooting for.

[fairweatherfan]

Fair enough, I never have worked in sales, but wouldn't the proper action be "hey buddy, lose the tie"?

According to the article, they asked him five times to remove it and he refused. 

[Chris]

Have you ever tried to buy a car?  So many of those guys are sleezy as hell, and they have a ton of power to screw over the customer.  Enstilling an environment of trust is absolutely essential to selling cars, and if a guy does not respect the customers enough that he will openly taunt them, it is a major red flag.

I don't know if wearing a tie of his favorite team is openly taunting or disrespecting the customer. At least he's being honest about who he's rooting for.

It absolutely is.  Again, would you think its a little off if you walked into a car dealership (or insurance office, or anything like that) in Boston the day after game 7 last june and the guy was wearing a Laker's tie? 

[Chris]

Kind of see where the owner was coming from - if your customer base are Bears fans, you don't want to tick them off by seeming to rub the loss in their face.  Firing might be excessive but the guy should've understood that's not a good idea in a customer service position.

It's a car dealership. No rational customer  would truly get "ticked off" to the point that they wouldn't come to the dealership to buy a car because the guy is wearing a necktie of a team that is going to the Super Bowl.

And by the way, there are a LOT of irrational customers out there.  A huge portion of the population is a bit unbalanced, and not always rational.  And I think that goes up a few levels when you are asking them to shell out $30,000. 

And those "irrational" customers still bring in a lot of money to a dealership.

[pearljammer10]

The firing is justified... Not for the guy wearing the tie, but simply because the boss asked him to take it off over five times. If he was simply fired for wearing the tie then I could see where that would come across as ridiculous, but, if the boss asked him to take the tie off and gave him the reasoning as to why and he still refused, then i see nothing wrong with the boss terminating his position.

[RAcker]

Being a packer fan is cause for termination on its own.

Easy now (putting on my cheesehead).   

[GreenEnvy]

Fair enough, I never have worked in sales, but wouldn't the proper action be "hey buddy, lose the tie"?

According to the article, they asked him five times to remove it and he refused. 

OK, I guess if your superior is requesting you do something and you refuse, that can lead to problems, such as termination.