Savvy Car Sales Strategies…And How To Make Them Work For You
It’s not really fair to equate negotiating a car deal with doing battle. After all, salespeople on the showroom floor are just doing their jobs. But, when you’ve been looking at cars all day, and you’re tired …it can feel like you’ve been to battle.
Buying a car is a big decision. You’re spending a lot of money. It’s easy to become mentally tired in a situation like this. But do what you can to counter that. Before you go to a dealership, eat a good meal and make sure you’re well rested.
And tune in for these savvy sales techniques…
1. The "If I could get you …would you." This is a sentence construction meant to create in you a sense of commitment. Its most common form is: "If I could get you a great deal on this car, would you buy today?" (Our Buying Advice: In most cases, it’s best to remain vague in your response. For example, you might say, "If the price is fair, I’ll probably buy today." Or simply respond, "Possibly.")
2. The bump. A car salesman uses this technique in hopes of increasing his profits. For example, he might ask "How much can you put down on this car?" If you respond with "2,000 dollars," the car salesperson will casually inquire "Up to…?" You’re tempted to say "2500." If you do, you just "bumped" yourself by 500 dollars. (Our Buying Advice: The best defense is to recognize the bump and, again, keep the negotiations to the sale price alone.)
3. Creating a sense of urgency. Salespeople strive to turn you into a "today buyer" and keep you from leaving the dealership. This is often done by saying the car is at this low, low price "today only." (Our Buying Advice: Don’t be pressured into buying the wrong car, no matter how cheap it is.)
4. Planting seeds of doubt. When you make your opening offer, the salesperson might respond by saying "That sounds awfully low. How did you come up with your figures?" He’s trying to plant seeds of doubt to get you to raise your offer. (Our Buying Advice: If you’re sincerely offering a reasonable price, simply say "My research has shown me that this is the market price this car is selling for.")
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