Filed under: Car Buying, Euro, SEAT
Would you buy a car from this woman?
Audra Baltrukonyte, salesperson at MK SEAT. Click to enlarge.
Meet Audra Baltrukonyte. She's a 21-year-old Lithuanian model and student, who also happens to be a salesperson at MK SEAT in Milton Keynes. As the photo attests, Audra's a pretty girl, and according to the PR folks at SEAT UK, she is an effective salesperson who frequently outperforms her compatriots at the dealership. Somehow, this does not surprise us.
A self-professed car nut (the 'thud' you heard was thousands of male readers collectively swooning and then hitting the floor), Audra says that she finds women are more comfortable dealing with her, but that most of her sales are to men "who only commit to buying the cars long after they've stopped caring what I look like!"
The "stopped caring" strikes us as being a bit of a stretch. Men may commit to the sale and be ultimately swayed by her knowledgeable approach, but we'd gamble that the looks never stopped being noticed. In fact, we're quite sure we know some guys who'd buy a car with no engine from this woman. Moving the wretchedly ugly Altea Freetrack should be a piece of cake.
The press release SEAT issued (yes, you read that correctly -- a press release -- its pasted in full after the jump) is priceless, too. Think a line like the one below would ever make it past legal here in the States?
"...not only has the 21-year-old set pulses racing among customers and colleagues, she's also set sales figures alight..." (Emphasis added.)
You can't make this stuff up...
[Source: SEAT UK]
PRESS RELEASE:
SALES STUNNER IS A MODEL PERFORMER
A Lithuanian catwalk queen is proving she's also a model saleswoman, after joining the team at a SEAT car dealership.
Stunning Audra Baltrukonyte's glittering modelling career has seen her travel the globe and land glamorous assignments in Paris and Milan. But since taking a part-time post at MK SEAT in Milton Keynes to help fund her university studies, she has proved she's much more than just a pretty face.
Because not only has the 21-year-old set pulses racing among customers and colleagues, she's also set sales figures alight. The six-foot model, who is working towards an honours degree in marketing at nearby Northampton University, regularly sells more cars than many of her full-time colleagues.
However, she claims her good looks hide the real secret for her sales success: a long-standing love affair with cars.
Audra, who still accepts modelling bookings when her studies allow, said: 'A lot of people take one look at me and see a young and pretty girl, and think I couldn't possibly know what I'm talking about. But I've loved cars since I was a little girl and actually know a lot about them, which our customers appreciate.
'I do find that many female customers come to me for help because they prefer dealing with another woman. But most of my sales are to men who only commit to buying the cars long after they've stopped caring what I look like!'
Cliff Freeman, Dealer Principal at MK SEAT, is certainly glad he saw past Audra's attractive exterior and recognised the gifted sales person within.
He said: ' Audra's been a fantastic addition to our team and we're delighted to have her on board. She's a very bright and natural saleswoman.'
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
yusuf 9:08AM (6/14/2007)
no , I don't like SEAT
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Quattrofan 9:16AM (6/14/2007)
Sweet Jebus! This is a NEWS how?
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bmoredlj 9:20AM (6/14/2007)
I guess this is a challenge to find a better-looking salesperson in the states, which is perfectly doable.
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MaroonSky 6:04PM (6/14/2007)
And if you read the article instead of glaring at Audra, you would have noticed that it talks about Seat UK, not US.
bmoredlj 3:28PM (6/19/2007)
I meant "...in the states [as opposed to in the UK]. "
Elf shoes! Alice in Wonderland floor! Gahh...
Christopher Watts 9:23AM (6/14/2007)
I can't trust her. Her eyes are following me like a Jesus painting. Besides, her shoes look silly.
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Phred 5:38AM (6/15/2007)
You noticed her shoes???
Somehow I must have been distracted from them....
emtp82 11:59AM (6/15/2007)
She's wearing shoes?
Mike 9:24AM (6/14/2007)
I was expecting her to be super hot, shes just average. I have seen way better looking sales women here.
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Don 2:52PM (6/14/2007)
Wha? Oh, you've got to be kidding!
Rich 7:47AM (6/15/2007)
I wouldn't give her a second look, she's average, border line ugly. She's selling cars to old desperate men with a lot of money. Any female could flirt with them and they get stupid.
Don 4:54PM (6/15/2007)
Mike, you are so correct.
geo.stewart 9:42AM (6/14/2007)
If she can spell VW, she'll be far ahead of half the trolls that try and pin you down when you walk on a lot. I was in a Toyota lot the other week, the guy didnt know squat about the trucks, the test drive consisted of him trying to figure out the 5 speed for a mile and a half, and me driving it the remaining .5 mile. Then when I asked for a brochure, he had to go get a manager because they dont just leave those laying around for anybody...
They dont try and provide customer service, they put you through their meat grinder of a process.
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CJ 10:37AM (6/14/2007)
I agree.... I'm no car expert, but it's fun to put the salespeople through the ringer asking them questions (I already know the answer) and they have no clue about what they are selling. Go home and study for a night for pete's sake. Even my MINI salesman, nice guy, fairly knowledgable, said he thought it was a new thing to put cruise control on a manual tranny car. *sign*
Tom Dietrich 9:44AM (6/14/2007)
Great double standard there- an attractive woman being effective in her job is a news-worthy item, while an attractive man being effective in his job wouldn't make anyone blink.
That's right GUYS! Not only is she attractive, she's also not completely retarded! SHE CAN ACTUALLY PERFORM HER JOB!
meh.
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Todd 9:50AM (6/14/2007)
Anyone stupid enough to:
1) Think that by buying a car from this woman, means she will have sex with you.
2) Allowing the physical appearance of any salesperson to influence your purchasing decision.
Deserves to pay too much and then be laughed at.
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DAVID 9:58AM (6/15/2007)
I agree. When purchasing an automobile, and a fairly expensive one at that, One must think with the BIG headand not be swayed into LaLa land by some attractive looking female, wos is trying to lure you in because the thought of banging her turns your brain to mush. It's just like every bozo in a bar thinking he'll wind up with the bar maid at closing time.....he's charming her with BS and a good tip....She's charming you with some pseud knowledge and a little leg and cleavage. GET THE DRIFT!
Den in IN 9:50AM (6/14/2007)
I'm with Tom, what is the point of this? If this site keeps increasing the number of posts that focus on women rather than cars it will be blocked all over and NSFW.
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John Neff 10:00AM (6/14/2007)
You do realize this post is based on a press release from an automaker, right? It's not like we went out and tried to find a hot salesperson to post about. SEAT issued a press release saying it has a hot salesperson on staff. I think that's the point of the post, not that there's a hot car salesperson somewhere in the world, but that an automaker would actually want you to know about it.
RB 10:02AM (6/14/2007)
I think the point of the post is that there's way more to cars then just, well cars. Because culture shapes cars. So a woman who happens to be a car nut, well that's car news... naw mean? :)
PS - I had posters all over my bedrooms of Porche 911 Turbos when I was a little girl!
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