|
The Greeting and Test Drive
The salesman attempts to lead you through a series of specific steps that ultimately will lead him to his goal. Here's how his game plan works:
First, the car salesman greets you warmly. From the start, he tries to create a bond with you. He wants to gain your trust so that you'll follow him as he leads you through his steps.
Then he asks you a few innocent questions. Thinking nothing of it, you answer these questions honestly, hoping that the information you give will help him to help you. In reality, the information you give him can -- and will -- be used against you in later negotiations. LEARN MORE!
He determines which car is best for you. He'll do this based on the information you shared with him regarding your needs, your budget and so on. Or it may be that you simply told him which vehicle you want to buy.
Now he does the "walk-around" - a presentation of the vehicle, from front to back, top to bottom. As he does, he talks about the things - safety, comfort, performance - that he feels are important to you in the hopes of raising your "emotional temperature".
He invites you to sit in the car. He tells you to feel the plushness of the fabric and to flip the various switches. Why? Because it's a well-known phenomenon of the car business that the longer you sit in the driver's seat, touching its interior, the more you're subconsciously convincing yourself that this car is yours. It's called "taking mental ownership."
Now he asks you an all-important question: "How about a test drive?" Or if he's really pushy, he may simply put you in the passenger seat and drive off the lot without even asking. But why is the test drive so important to the car salesman? Because he knows that everyone, even the most jaded car shopper, gets at least a little emotionally charged by test-driving a car. And that's important because:
The car salesman can't make the profitable deal he wants unless the buyer is emotionally charged.
The fact is that the emotionally charged buyer is usually not thinking clearly at all. And that's exactly what the car salesman wants. So to achieve his goal, he must get you to take that test drive.LEARN MORE!
So now you're zipping down the road behind the wheel of this vehicle. As you're driving, he's watching you and listening to you and determining how high your "emotional temperature" is rising. Along the way, he tells you how easy it is to own this awesome car. He may tell you how desperate his boss is to sell it. And he may tell you about the big "limited time only" sale the dealership is having today.
In other words, now that you're getting emotionally charged, he's creating a sense of urgency - the feeling that you'd be foolish if you didn't jump at the chance to own this beautiful new car right now.
You arrive back at the dealership and now the salesman's do-or-die moment is at hand. He's got to get you inside the office and seated at his desk while you're still pumped up from the test drive. How he does this depends on his style. If he's straightforward, he may invite you to go inside and make an offer to buy the car. If he's sly, he may invite you to go inside and "talk about numbers" or have some coffee. If he's pushy, he may simply say "follow me" and march inside with you following like a puppy.
If none of these work - if you simply say "no" - then he tries the car salesman's classic line - his magic words: "What can we do to earn your business today?" This is your invitation to lay it on the line. And the salesman knows that, for most customers, it usually comes down to price. So if you say, "Nothing. I'm not buying today," then he responds with his ace-in-the-hole: "You mean you wouldn't buy today even if the price was right?" Or even better: "If I could sell you this $22,000 car for $16,000 (or whatever price he dreams up), would you buy it today?"
Note that he didn't offer to sell you that $22,000 car for only $16,000. He merely asked, "If I could, would you?"
"If I could..., would you...?" is one of the car salesman's favorite techniques. It is not a real offer. It is merely a ploy.
By making an "offer" that is outrageously great, he knows that you'll probably say "yes". And he knows that if he can get you to say "yes" to any offer, then he has a chance of getting you to say "yes" to buying that car.LEARN MORE!
Now he's got your curiosity peaked. You think this may be the opportunity you're looking for. Besides, car shopping is a hassle; it would be nice to get it over with. The salesman knows this more than anyone so he says, "Let's end your shopping misery right now. Let's see if we can work something out." You sign and nod in agreement. And it's in to the sales office you go . . .
Avoid the car salesman's games. Get a free price quote.
Home | Free Price Quotes | Hot Secrets | Car Buyer's School
Car Buyer's FAQ | Resources
About Michael Royce | Testimonials | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Copyright © 1996-2008 Powersource Press LLC. All rights reserved.
Material on this site may not be excerpted, published or redistributed in any manner or form whatsoever without written consent. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Beat The Car Salesman is a trademark owned by Powersource Press LLC. |
 |
