Most car dealerships train their salespeople in a
"Selling System" that is designed to lead you - the customer - through the selling process in such a manner that you don't realize that you are being manipulated
and led down the "Yellow Brick Road" to the sale!
Their professional team - which includes the
Salesperson, the Sales Manager, the Finance
Manager, the Used Car Manager and often a Floor
Manager who is the "Closer" - go to work on you,
using a professionally designed selling system in
which they are all well trained and rehearsed.
You're not up against just a Car Salesperson!
When you walk into a well run, professionally
organized dealership, you're up against a
whole team of pros who go through their act
numerous times a day!
So beware, and get prepared before you ever step foot into a car dealership!
This system takes on different variations. For
Example, the "Ten-Step," the "Eight-Step," the
"Four-Square" and so forth, but the end result is always the same; To get you to make an emotional buying decision right on the spot.
Basically, the salesperson will greet you, try to
put you at ease with some small talk, and then try
to find out what you're looking for.
The salesperson will ask you if you're trading, if
you owe money on your trade, if you're financing
the new car, what kind of monthly payment you want, how much money you can put down, and who the decision makers are.
He or she will try to get as much personal
information from you as possible, certainly your
name, address and phone number. This is so they
can follow-up with you if you leave without
buying. Or more accurately, bombard you with
phone calls in order to get you back in to buy.
Car Sales Managers have a saying for this situation, "Keep
calling them until they buy or die!"
The salesperson may ask for your Social Security
number. Don't give it to him or her! He or she wants to run a credit report to make sure you are credit worthy and can buy. If they find out you have credit problems they will blow you off, or T.O. (turn-over) you to the Special Finance person (if that particular dealership has one) who handles people with credit problems.
In any event, your credit report contains a great deal of personal information, and you don't want the Salesperson, the Sales Manager and the Finance Manager in the dealership reading it!
Once the salesperson has all this information he or she
will try to get you landed on a car or truck.
They will go to great lengths to get you to test drive
it.
If the salesperson can't get you to test drive the vehicle that you are considering, he or she is going to get an earful from the Sales Manager! There are some Sales Managers
who won't let the salesperson begin negotiating price until you take a test drive!
They want you in the car. They want your senses
stimulated. They want you emotionally involved
with the car! Their theory is that the more
emotionally involved you get the easier you will
be to close, and the more money they can make on you.
The salesperson may ask you something like "If we
can get together on price will you buy the car
today?" Once you signal that you are
willing to make a deal "today," the salesperson and the manager will pull out all the stops to
close the deal with you.
If you are financing they will try to close you on
a payment. This is bad for you, and good for
them, because you have no clue what the selling
price is.
If you have a trade they will offer you peanuts
for it, and then very grudgingly increase their
offer as you fight for every penny.
Understand that every move they make is calculated
and deliberate. They have all the angles covered,
and they're going to come at you with every trick
in their arsenal.
The good news is that you Can Turn the Tables on
Them. Here are a few tips to remember:
Always research the car or truck you are interested in before you step foot on the car lot. You can easily do this by going to New Car Price Quotes! Not only can you get free price quotes, but you can research invoice price, models, equipment and so forth.
When it comes time to negotiate price don't negotiate payment. Always negotiate the selling price of the vehicle.
Don't tell them you have a trade until after you have negotiated a firm selling price. Then negotiate the trade-in price separately.
Go to The Used Car Guide for more insight into how to deal with a trade.
Arrange your own financing ahead of time. If you let the dealer arrange financing for you it will cost you dearly. For more information on this subject go to Car Finance Tips!
Consider purchasing your next vehicle right
over the Internet. You can save yourself money, time and a lot of aggravation. Click Here to Get Free New Car Price Quotes from a variety of sources, then either purchase right online or use the quotes to strengthen your negotiating position.
....And Please Remember....There is no 3 day right of cancellation when buying or leasing a vehicle! I've lost count of all the people who have e-mailed me about this. Once you buy the car it's yours!
The bottom line is Be Prepared when you go to a
car dealer, so you don't get caught up in their
"Selling Trap!" You can get all the information you need to beat the car dealers at their own game right here on this web site!
One more point just to be fair; Not all car dealers adhere to such a strict selling system. Some give their salespeople a little more latitude when dealing with customers. Nevertheless, even if the dealership itself is not that organized, an experienced salesperson knows that if you leave without buying a car he may never see you again.
The reality is that a customer will go from dealer to dealer until they run into a salesperson who will take control of the sales process and sell them a car. So, even if the dealership has a loose system, a good salesperson will look at the customer like a dog looking at a juicy pork chop!
When I was selling there were countless times when after the sale was complete the customer would say with a sense of bewilderment "I had absolutely no intention of buying a car today!" If you find yourself saying that after buying a car rest assured that you've been victimized by a car dealer's selling system!
Prepare yourself by following the tips on this web site so that you are the one taking control of the buying process. Then have some fun, buy the car of your choice, and be secure in the fact that you are getting a fair deal and not just needlessly lining the pockets of the car dealers and the salespeople.
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