February 2, 2016
As a car sales consultant, I am still very new to the
business with only nine months under my belt, but during that time, I have had
many different sales. Some customers
seem to think that because they are paying cash, they are entitled to deep
discounts.
On several occasions, I have had customers sitting across my
desk gleaming and beaming like they are holding a trump card. I have done my due diligence and assisted them
in finding the perfect vehicle that will meet all of their needs and now we
have come to the negotiations. They know
the vehicle’s price, but they insist that I take an offer to my manager that is
hundreds or thousands of dollars off of the listed price.
At this point, I cringe and bring up the fact that the
internet has changed car buying. The
internet has leveled the playing field and if a dealer wishes to stay in
business, they can’t over-price their vehicles.
Car buyers can search every dealership within 100 miles of their home
and are willing to travel to get the best deal.
Gone are the days of hundreds or thousands of dollars of wiggle room in
negotiations. We have moved closer to no
haggle pricing instead of arguing over the last nickel.
At this point, my customers tend to look a bit confused and
burst out “but we are paying cash”. Paying
cash or financing makes no difference.
We come to an agreement and the customer beams, feeling like they have
made the best deal possible. Yes, they have
made the best deal possible, but it is not because they are writing a check. They made the best deal possible because the
internet has made another dealership 75 miles away our direct competition.
I wrote the above article earlier this year. Contains a lot of valuable information.
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