The Best Gift Of All…Respect!

By Susan Allred

This last weekend my husband and I went to a car dealership to purchase a car.  We had decided ahead of time how much we wanted to pay, exactly which car we were looking for, and how far we would negotiate.  We’ve been through this process a few times, so we knew what to expect from the salesmen.

When we got to the dealership, it didn’t take more than, say, 2 ½ seconds before we were greeted by a salesman.  We were immediately shown the car we desired to look at, taken for a test drive, and immediately ushered into the “cubicle of death” to begin the transaction process.

At first, things went well. We had planned to trade in our old car for another used car we found on the lot. So, the salesman was nice enough to get out his NADA book and tell us exactly what the wholesale and retail prices were on the vehicle we were looking at, and the vehicle we were trying to trade off.  Then, the process began. 

After about an hour of waiting and negotiating, the salesman brought in the “sales manager”, who told us that the amount of money we wanted to finance wasn’t feasible.  Why?  Because our sweet wonderful salesman had forgotten to mention that the car we were looking at was valued $1800 less that what we had been quoted due to mileage!!!! 

BAM!!! A red flag shot me in the head.  I was ready to leave.  The salesman had been lying to me.

 Then, the sales manager proceeded to tell me of a different car on the lot that would probably work for us.  He mentioned how it would cost a little bit more, but the miles were less, and it was a better value. 

The problem?  This car was NOT what we wanted, was MORE than we wanted to pay, AND, we’d already been lied to before!!!!  So, I told him my concerns.

He wouldn’t take no for an answer.  We spent 25 minutes telling this man that we didn’t want to look at his car and we would not consider purchasing it. And he spent 25 minutes trying to tell us that we shouldn’t say no before we at least LOOK at the car, and consider the value. Finally, we got out of the car dealership in tact. ONLY by agreeing to at least LOOK at the car, which we did in passing as we headed for our car. 

Then, ten minutes after we had left the dealership, we found the exact same car (the VIN numbers matched) the “sales manager” was trying to sell us in a picture ad from their company.  Guess what?  They were advertising the car for $2000 less than what they were offering it to us for.

The moral of the story?  Actually, there are several. 

First off, don’t EVER lie to your customers or potential clients.  They are smarter than that.  And, even if you think you are getting away with your lie, the lie will catch up to you and you’ll lose them as customers forever.  And, if Murphy’s Law is in play, they’ll probably do as I am doing, and write an article about their experience with you.

Secondly, Respect their decisions.  Don’t EVER try to force your opinion on them.  Even if your customer is absolutely positively wrong, resist the temptation to force your opinion on them. They will only find it offensive and rude.  Make polite suggestions and even provide one or two tidbits of information supporting your suggestion, but let them be the boss over their opinions.  Let them make the ultimate decision.

And third, don’t EVER try to change their minds.  Many people have already put a price limit in their minds as to how much they are willing to pay.  Go ahead. Suggest a higher priced item.  But remember to only SUGGEST it.  Don’t try to force the sale.  And, if they came in looking for a purple polka dotted doily, don’t try to sell them an orange recliner as an alternative.  This is NOT what they are looking for. 

Follow my suggestions and learn from the mistakes of the pushy salesman I came in contact with. Remember that customers are more than just customers.  They are people first. They don’t like to be lied to, swindled, told that their opinions are wrong, or pushed into something they don’t want.   You will find that your courteousness and foresight will bring them back to you when they ARE shopping for exactly what you have to offer – and they will tell all their friends, relatives, neighbors, and any other person they come in contact with too! 

This article was written by Susan Allred of AC Bouquet located at http://www.acbouquet.com These articles may be forwarded onto friends provided that they are forwarded in their entirety and credit is given where credit is due!

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