Clever Tricks Car Salesmen Use That You Should Know How to Handle
Buying a car is an involved process. For many of us, it involves months of research and planning. According to Dealer Refresh, 48% of us spend between one and three months shopping before we make a purchasing decision, and 83% of us conduct online research before buying a car. Sure, we come out of the whole deal with a shiny new vehicle (new to us, at least.) But the process of finding the right car can be frustrating. Consumers report that one of their top frustrations when buying a car is dealing with car salespeople
Sales is an art, a science, and some may even describe it as a game. The salesman’s object is to convince you that a product or service will improve your quality of life, make your daily life easier, save you time or money, or provide you with a set of benefits you cannot get elsewhere.
Car salesmen have received somewhat of a bad rep over the years. Some of us have come to imagine a man in a plaid suit, maybe with a mustache and a funny hat, who says to us, “Now see, this is the car for you,” while pointing at the lot’s lemon.
Many car salespeople use clever wording to persuade you into buying a vehicle. Instead of saying the words, “Can I help you today?” or “How can I help you today?” the salesperson may choose to ask, “Are you looking for a sedan or an SUV today?” or “What type of vehicle can I help you find today?” This leaves little room for you to respond with, “I’m just looking around, I don’t need any help right now.”
Around half of people don’t know the make or model they’re going to buy when they arrive at the dealership. While looking around the lot, you may see a model you like and ask the salesperson to tell you a bit more about it. He or she will highlight the car’s best features, painting the car in only the best light. “It had only one previous owner, an elderly couple” he or she may tell you. If that couple hated the car, he or she likely would not mention such information. When you ask about the price, you’re likely going to hear “fifteen, nine, nine, nine,” as opposed to “fifteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine dollars.” This makes the price sound lower in your head.
Things Car Dealers Don’t Want You To Know
If you are reading this article then you surely must be looking to buy a car. Well, for this purpose you need a good knowledge of two things – financing and costs proposed by other dealers. The aim will be to avoid paying high as much as you can
Bait and switch offers
Here you need to keep your eye open. Do not fall for the flashy deals you will be offered. In fact, go prepared. By this, we mean that most of the time dealers offer a 0% financing option. And one might wonder how do they make money out of it? They depend on the number of cars sold due to this offer. What happens is that not everybody qualifies for the 0% financing, and once the client has decided to buy, he/she is more likely to buy with or without the 0% financing. This how they recover the loss that can occur due to people who get clear for 0%.
Last-minute financing charges
This is the time when the dealers try to make the most money. Because at this time the client is completely exhausted after a day of testing and sale preparations. But this can be a really good time for you to think again and look out for second opinions. If a problem arises in the financing then you can ask the dealer to hold the selling and give you the offer in writing. Get yourself approved form the financial institution for your purchase and make the deal.
There are certain dealers that get rewards or commissions to arranging finance options from certain lenders to the client. The car dealer sends your information and the values of the car to a number of financers. And these financers are competing among themselves, but not to give you the best deal, but to earn the dealer’s loyalty. This they will be able to do by giving good incentives to the dealer. So the deal choices here might not be the best for you. To arrange finance from one of your own institutions.
No need to purchase GAP from dealer
GAP stands for guaranteed asset protection. With this, you will not be able to pay the loan for your car in case it gets totalled or stolen. This will be one of the tactics of the dealer to make some more money as they will try to make you buy this as well from their own financer but you should go with your financing institution. Not with the one that your dealer is asking for you to choose.
Buying a Car at the Dealership
Dealers are offering discounts to entice buyers, and financing options from financial institutions are very competitive. If you’re in the position to purchase a car, here are some things to consider:
Research cars online first: Know what you’re looking for before you go to the dealership. Research quality, safety, features, price and value so you are prepared when you arrive.
Compare protection plans and service options between the dealer and a financial institution: Financial institutions may offer options like warranties and GAP insurance that are significantly less expensive than coverage offered by dealerships.
Shop around between dealerships: Compare cars at different dealerships and determine the “drive off price” of the ones you’re most interested in. Drive off price includes the list prices, processing fees, taxes, registration and more. If you have an existing car that you’re trading in, compare what different dealerships will offer.
Maximize dealership perks: Dealers are trying to entice buyers to purchase right now and may offer the choice between 0% financing or a cash rebate. Compare that to financing offered by your financial institution. If your financial institution can give you a very low loan rate, it may be a better deal to choose the dealer’s rebate and finance with your credit union or bank. ACFCU offers a calculator to help you determine your best option. Some banks and credit unions may “rate match” if another financial institution quotes a lower rate.
Shop around if you’re considering a lease: Some credit unions or banks may offer lease-like products with more flexibility and features than the dealerships. Compare options to seek out the most competitive payment scenario.
What are some things that’s you can do to take advantage of what the car dealership has to offer?
I think the general public has made up their mind in regards to car sellers , and the perception seems to be , that there all out to get your money and will resort to all sorts of dirty tactics!
Bear in mind the dealers and the dealership must be licensed , and are bound by fair trading and ethics , they are the most scrutinised businesses and are audited regularly by IRS , dealer groups and associations , the manufacturer .
If i go to a supermarket , i go with an open mind that the grocer will not con me and their food is fresh , but i’m not there to take advantage of them , or what freebies have they got ! They too must be licensed , adhere to a code of ethics and are scrutinised by , grocery associations , government departments , product manufacturers . And at the end of the day they too are after your money! You could look at the “dirty tactics” supermarkets use eg. The smell of fresh bread or coffee at the entrance , more expensive items at eye level , candy at the checkout , giving more shelf space to a certain producer , for kickbacks .
A car dealer offers an item for sale. A customer chooses to purchase or not to purchase a desired vehicle at the price available from a specific dealer. It is not a game. If the customer doesn’t want to pay the price, the customer walks away. “Haggling” should take no more than 20 minutes.
Killer Article Ideas To Get Your Car Dealership Blog Started
For the purpose of this article, I am going to assume that you have already bought into why you should have a blog for your dealership. At this point you are just looking for some guidance on what to start writing about.
Don’t worry I’m not going to bore you with a bunch of search engine optimization mumbo jumbo that your website provider is probably ramming down your throat. I’ve been in your shoes. Starting a blog is the easy part. The problem is a majority of blogs do not make it to see their 1st birthday because of a lack of vision, process, and content ideas.
I often stumble across a dealer’s blog and see the same patterns time and time again. Their blog will have 3-5 posts and most of the time it is a limited time special sale or a current promotion (that is expired ). Don’t forget the last entry was one years ago. They failed because they weren’t bought into blogging and were not prepared. I won’t let that happen to you.
Answer your customer’s questions:
It’s simple. Your future car buyers are going to Google and typing in all the questions they may have about their next vehicle purchase or service. Once Google realizes that you are the authority on these topics you are going to make it rain with the search engines!!
Article Ideas for your Car Dealerships Blog
I know it seems like a real pain in the ass to come up with new articles but c’mon you are a car dealership, there are so many things to talk about. Hopefully this list will give you some inspiration and get the wheels in motion. Oh ya.. I haven’t worked in a car dealership since 2008 and I came up with these in about 20 minutes.