For a FT placed on consignment with MOT....how much marketing do they do? How long before one is listed on their website?
Have sold 4 coaches through MOT. 3 did not even make it to their website before being sold. The one that did not, took about 10 days to get on their website and on RVTRADER, and about a month to sell. They have a pretty big database of people looking for a particular motorhome, and they will send pics right after you consign it to prospective buyers. Not cheap, but probably the biggest consignors of Foretravel in the country. I am happy with their work.
Dave, marketing is via their web site if it evers gets these. As Jim said, some sell before getting to the selist left with them by a customer. I did that.
Marketing also includes their web site and magazine plus their special sales general flyer of most coaches. They also develop a coach specific flyer for each coach.
I am told by others that look that their video reviews of certain coaches is among the best online. I used to know the cost of preparing these and it was a substantial drain on their consignment fee.
The other part of marketing is the substantial sevice organization that a buyer can later call upon. It is a significant factor to me as a buyer. I believe FOT provides similar.
Hope this answers you.
What is their consignment fee and does it ever vary? Jim 2002 U320
Talk to Jason, he is the business manager and will help you out.
if you price it right you can sell it on your own and save many $. No one is a miracle worker so why pay them??
JohnH
Actually selling through MOT, I received, after commission, about what I would have advertised it for myself. No tire kickers, no test drives with me in passenger seat praying for the drive to end, no "cash right now" offers for 1/2 of what the coach is worth, no hassles with title change and tax issues. They keep coach plugged in with ac and heat as necessary . They will supply pdi's if the buyer wants one, and of course do any repairs as necessary you and buyer agree on. They advertise nation wise and actually have customers from many states flying in to pick up coaches. Selling a cheap SOB through Craigslist is not too hard, have done many myself, but MOT knows Foretravels and knows a lot of potential customers that appreciate Foretravels and their value. Yes, you may get lucky and find a Foretravel savvy person that will pay you top dollar right now, but then again, you may be paying for that ad for a long time, and talking to some strange people, before you sell it.
Foretravel sells itself.
Having just bought one from MOT that never got cleaned up or had pictures on the web site I understand the selling power they have. After spending at least $2k going to look at multiple used FT from various sources I came to the conclusion that paying them a bit more to gather up a bunch of them to look at all at once was a good idea.
They sell +- 30 used coaches a month and have a large audience of potential buyers. Yes you can sell it yourself and probably net a bit more but at what cost? They are going to cover half their fee by getting more for your coach than you can.
I suppose if a person wants to have a few FT coach's in one place to look at and not want to do some due diligence with owners advertising their own unit, then travel to see it etc, then yes I gather you have to use these Consignment places.
I have bought from owners and had only one bad unit that I had more work to do than knew about (but did not lose any money after resale). Four coach's (which includes my Bro's) by checking online/forum.
Travelled to Seattle, San Diego, New Jersey, and Dallas for them.
I do know personally of one owner that had a bad experience at one of these places and cost him dearly, and a final low offer after things got fixed that were not his problem. enough said.I guess it is what you feel comfortable doing, or not doing, to find the right unit.
When we sell our 295 it will be thru this Forum and many other online advertising avenues.
JohnH
I will try my coach here first, then straight to NAC. Those places earn their commission - the reduced hassle of not selling it, and the likely faster sale at a higher price is worth it for me.
This coming from a lifelong sales executive and salesman, so take it for what it is worth.
YMMV
Tim Fiedler
Sure Start Soft Start (http://www.gen-pro.biz)
TCER Direct (http://www.tcerdirect.com) generator-gas-prod (http://www.generatorgasproducts.com) 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
my sales knowledge was only short-32 yrs in real estate sales and nearly everyone of the owners/buyers could have done it on their own but chose not to I guess. Usually time is the culprit. Anyone can be a salesman as long as they are willing to travel the ups and downs.
JohnH
I can guarantee you a Salesman is not born everyday. Some can sell ice to Eskimos. Me, I would not be able to sell ice water in hell, before going bankrupt. I forget names and faces, people come up to me at professional events, and start talking to me, asking me how I'm doing. I typically have no clue of who they are or where we met.
Thank you OPP for that comment about us not being born everyday.
One nice thing about the people I represented while in that business is that a lot of clients stayed on as friends to this day, and in fact make up the biggest part of my list of friends!! I must have done something right,or maybe it was me giving back 20 to 50% of the commision on fast sales!! I remember one secretary in the office asking if I was personally wealthy as no one else did that (out of 100 plus). I slept well at night.
JohnH
Dave, you still here?
You asked what MOT does for marketing. How long before goes on web site.
I answered the first. I think it significant (and how I would sell one, but that not your question).
As for the second part, I and others agree some never get on the web as MOT had a buyer already lined up.
I will add though....some take a month or more to get on the web, my impression is that some are held from the web while they fix something, even if only to simply cleaning. They are for sale but not pushed yet. I have known of a couple left to be sold that after being left there, the dealer did not want to have them due to some discovered issue that pricing could not support. Some arrive with a pre-arrival deal thought done but after a bit of time the deal falls apart. I imagine the press of other business too may cause a week or so to pass before goes into marketing.
Unfortunately I spent a lot of time pursuing the client's best interest who paid me to do so, instead of my own best interest. For that I sleep well at night. But it typically it wasn't something they wanted to hear due too first cost. Realistic 3 year return on investment was questionable, I guess I should have lied like everybody else.
I I would agree, to maintain a reputable business you have to be able to pick and choose what you sell. But I may be old school thinking.
Profit is the bottom line, and I can understand that. But some companies can temper that with treating the customer right and not gouging them. As far as I am concerned, Mot makes a profit and still treats the customer well.
Yep, still here, still reading.
Agree with Mike on the videos. By far the best presented by any seller I have ever seen. Coaches are staged with proper colors and knick-nacks, and even custom made bedspreads. Never thought of it, but as Mike said, probably a substantial chunk of their commission fee goes into making that video.
"Profit is the bottom line, and I can understand that. But some companies can temper that with treating the customer right and not gouging them." Companies that treat customers right will make more money because they have more customers.
This is my coach I bought for $45,000.00 MOT would have done much better. Circumstances left the motorhome in a trailer park just as in the photo. I drove from So. Cal. to pick it up.
Foretravel U320 rvs for sale in Irmo, South Carolina (https://www.smartrvguide.com/foretravel-u320-rvs-for-sale-in-irmo-south_carolina)