I was recently a sales person at a Dodge dealership. I now will impart all the things I learned about the "dark side" of the force.
1.They have a sneaky system, dont go along with it. They want to get you in the office then in a car and make you love the car then put you back in the office filling out paperwork so they know what kind of credit you have.
Make sure you dont listen when they say follow me. There is nothing inside for you to see.Make sure You alone select the vehicle you demo drive.
2. Overcomming your objections. This is thier number one goal. Anything you say negative they are going to isolate and redirect. If you cant keep an airtight mental list make one and paper and dont allow yourself to be overcome. If it is the price you dont like they will come down but they dont want to cause they work on commison. If its down payment they are gonna ignore it first then keep asking you for more than you want to put down. They are gonna tell you it will raise your payments and intrest rates. They just want more commision. Decide a number your gonna put down before you go and dont change your mind no matter what.
3.The big dogs- this is the horrid part. If they cant close you on the car, they are gonna call in thier manager. They will lie about why thier manager has to talk to you before you go. Its for one reason only. TO CLOSE YOU. If this happens you might find out hes not even nice to you (kinda a good cop/bad cop scheme) Stick to your guns. Stick to what you want in a car and down payment and payments. The only person in the dealership that can do anything about payments is the finance guy.
4.Go informed. Get a few ideas about what you like.If its used then know what milage you will accept and find three comperable prices online.Dont budge after that.Know this that if they car has a 30 point inspection (used only) or any type inspection list this doesnt mean they fixed it it just means they inspected it. It is a scam! For new cars get a control number. This is what they paid for it and it doesnt change. Like mcdonalds even though its a franchise a patty cost what it does.If your armed with this you will save thousands.
5.M.S.R.P. Rebates and trade in scams...Most of the time they are gonna show you a sheet and on it its going to have one line with an amount for both your trade in value and rebates they are offering totaled together (NOT!) they will deduct your trade in from the rebate if you dont watch them.Take a calculator and ask for the individual rebate and trade allowance. The number you get is the one you can make them give you. M.S.R.P. means nothing.NADA.Its a big lie to make it look cheaper. The manufacturer of any product always suggest a retail value and no one ever sells it for that not ever.Dont even think about this number.
6.Stay in control the moment you let the salesperson take the lead your closed,dont think they are your friend no matter how nice they are beccause they are not they are thier to make money. Its an ugly business but they do really want to rip you for as much as they can. Its a power struggle and whoever wins is the one that comes out with the money. Your savings or thier pay. Do everything on your terms and dont be afraid to be firm and even harsh.They are trained into the ground to take advantage of you there are books lots of them and they are gonna use every trick in it to sell you.
To learn more about thier sales strats visit the Joe Verde website or any other car sales websites and learn thier closers and stuff. The more you know the better you deal.
