Mark of the Marque: Attention to Detail

Yes, says Alex “The Greek” Livadas, one of the top Mercedes-Benz salesmen in the nation, it does happen now and then.

A rich Texan visiting Disneyland sees the showroom along the freeway, drops in, writes a check for a very expensive Mercedes and has it shipped home.

But that has happened to him only once in his five years selling Mercedes cars, says Livadas, 47. The truth about selling cars that can cost six figures is a lot less spectacular.

Livadas should know. He sold about 250 of them last year here at House of Imports, which altogether sold 1,471, the best Mercedes new-car sales record in the nation.

Livadas sold 33 in January alone. He says the typical salesman selling the typical car “makes something in the 70s,” and that his own sales record would earn three to four times as much a year.

His Mercedes customers must be romanced, Livadas says. Typical auto shoppers buy within 48 hours once they start shopping, but Livadas’ buyers usually take three months. It’s the difference between spending $18,693 on the average car and $40,242 on the average Mercedes.

Customers must be befriended, he says. Most car shoppers are trying to decide between two or three makes, but Mercedes shoppers are pre-sold on the car. “They know the car they want,” Livadas says. “They’re shopping for a salesman. If they have a good experience with me, I own them for life.”

That is the reason Livadas hires his own backup staff to court and then fuss over his buyers.

It is the reason he sends a slick, eight-page newsletter to 5,000 past and prospective customers every few months. The newsletter doesn’t tout cars; it recounts the wedding of Livadas’ cousin in New York or the catered birthday party for Livadas’ daughter. Friendly, but respectful. It says, “I’m one of you,” and he has his University of Wisconsin MBA diploma hanging on the wall to prove it.

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His small showroom office is no closer’s cubicle. It is decorated to remind you of the dim, tasteful rooms on the executive floor. Bottles of wine and champagne, gifts from customers, are displayed where you can’t miss them.

A computer flashes images of happy Mercedes owners, but the telephones are the main appliances here. A console with multiple lines, a wireless headset, a wireless phone on his belt, a cell phone and pager in his briefcase, all combine to ensure that he never, never, never misses a phone call. “I can’t afford to,” he says.

According to AutoPacific, an automotive consulting firm in Santa Ana, the average Mercedes owner has an income of $130,734, about 83% higher than the income of the typical car owner. The Mercedes owner differs in other ways too.

A larger percentage of Mercedes buyers are women--45% compared to 38% industrywide. More have college degrees (77% compared to 48%), are 51 or older (50% compared to 37%) and are managers or business owners (33% compared to 20%). A fifth of Mercedes buyers are retired, nearly twice the industry average.

“They are, of course, very affluent, and in a lot of ways they’re very conservative,” says George Peterson, president ofAutoPacific.

They are not the “enthusiastic driver” who buys a BMW, Peterson says. “They are not the Rolex watch and gold chain people they used to be. They are much more conservative and mainstream. They’re not really into flashing their wealth.”

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Unlike Europeans, who keep their Mercedes for many years, most Americans turn them in after four or five years. The reason, Livadas says, is that about 70% lease their cars.

Livadas’ computer tips him off about three months before the lease is up, and he sets Natalie Wollman to work. As she does with new prospects, Wollman begins calling to chat or leave voicemail to try to set up an appointment with Livadas.

Old customers can cut a deal over the phone. New customers come in--or Livadas will go to them.

Once the deal is signed, Leciana Simas takes over. She delivers the car, driving as far as Las Vegas for one sale, often to movie studios or locations. She takes the new owner for a spin and keeps contact for months to assure “the good experience.”

“We have an advantage,” Livadas says. “People who contact me are already pre-sold on the car.”

But it takes awhile to spend that kind of money, he says. “People will think about it a lot more and plan ahead.”

Yet once they sit down to deal, “the method is exactly the same [as any automotive deal],” he says.

“These super-wealthy people will grind you over $100 more than someone buying a Ford.”