Discover how to conclude the
best new car deal

Judging the salesman

There is such a thing as gut instinct in working on a new car deal, which tells you on first meeting whether or not you like someone. There is usually a reason why you may have a first and immediate bad impression of a salesman before a full sentence is spoken. It may be subconscious feedback: the salesman reminds you of someone with whom you once had a bad experience or, for whatever reason, did not like. These are feelings that must be recognized and set aside. Let the salesman prove himself to you before you pass judgment.

The two most important assets of a good salesman in working a new car deal are the ability to communicate and product knowledge. If the salesman does not know what he is selling, he is no good to you. Likewise he is no good if he knows what he is selling but cannot convey that message to you.

A salesman should sell a new car deal in a relaxed manner, for his job is to make your purchase comfortable, not tense. If the salesman is making you feel uneasy, is not alleviating your fears, and is not relaxing you, he is not doing his job well at all. And it all begins with the approach.

A salesman is taught to be friendly, courteous, and prompt in his approach to you when you walk onto the showroom floor. The two of you are total strangers, so the salesman must become "old friends" with you as quickly as possible. The first few minutes are critical. This is when you decide whether or not you like the salesman and can trust him, and whether or not you want to put your money in his pocket.

In the process of negotiating a new car deal you are deciding about him while he is deciding about you. It is imperative that you realize it is to your advantage to make a favorable impression on the salesman. It will make a definite difference in the deal you are offered when you sit down to negotiate.

Your approach to a new car deal with the salesman should be enthusiastic and friendly. Never be withdrawn, bashful, reticent, or hesitant. The enthusiasm you display can ruin a salesman's timing and throw his procedure completely off track. He will hesitate to do anything which might turn your enthusiasm off. If you want to buy out of procedure and rearrange the normal order of presentation, that is all right with the salesman, provided you continue to display an interest in buying his product. Quite frankly, you can do almost anything you want to do as long as you act as if you are going to buy.

The salesman must find out, as quickly as he can, where you are from, where you were born, where you work, whether you are single or married, and how many children you have. Why is it so important in concluding a new car deal and how does he go about it?

A salesman will usually begin by casually asking, "Are you from this area?" You reply, "No, I am from Hometown." And the dialogue continues, "Oh, were you born there?" "No, I was born in Nextown," you answer. "Where do you work?" "1 work for Big Corp, Inc. I am an engineer." "Have you worked for Big Corp very long?" "Well, going on 11 years now, if you consider that a long time." "Are you married:'" "Yes, I am." "Do you have any children?" "Yes, we have three." And so on--question after question. A salesman will not machine-gun the questions as above but will space them out and make appropriate comment as he goes along. And all the questions and answers do mean something.

The direct approach for the best new car deal

There is an approach known as the direct approach that, when used properly, saves everybody a lot of time and effort and eliminates a lot of wear and tear on the nervous system. The direct approach can be used only on a straight, no-trade new car deal (or used). It is literally impossible to lay it on the line if a trade is involved, for it is too easy for a salesman to juggle and switch figures around. Never attempt to use the direct approach on a factory-order purchase.

Here's what to do: Walk onto the showroom floor, make a general approach or introduction to the salesman, and tell him, "You have a sale if you will take a $200 gross profit deal. Will you take a two-buck deal?" And then shut up.

The ball is in his lap and he must now say yes, no, or maybe. If he says maybe, continue with, "I know exactly what I want, and I have no trade in, no tricks, no games. If you will take my deal, fine. If you will not, then say so and I will find someone who will. I'11 figure my own deal and I'11 compensate for your floor plan charge if necessary. I'll finance it through your dealership, so you will make the finance profit also. Fair enough? Will you do it?" Do we have new car deal ?

If he says no, you have the option to leave or try back-up Plan A. Plan A is to find out what kind of deal the salesman will take. "If you will not take a $200 deal, how close will you come?" If the salesman still balks, still does not seem to want to play, then leave. If he does give you a gross profit figure, decide at that time whether it is close enough to satisfy you. You might get lucky and select a car that has just come off the truck, so you will not have to pay a floor plan charge and can afford to give a little on the gross.

If he says yes, he will take a $200 quickie, tell him to check with his sales manager right now, to be sure he will be able to obtain approval on a $200 deal if you write one. Ninety-nine percent of the time a salesman will not be authorized to give a low gross deal to a customer without management approval. You must make it perfectly clear, from the start, that you mean business and that you expect him to also. Then let him show you his stock.

From the nature of your approach to this new car deal, the salesman and his sales manager must assume that you are a sharp trader. They may, however, take the chance that you are bluffing and try to sell you their car at their price. They may go along with you, start to finish, until you prove that you do know what you are doing. At that point they may put pressure on you to see it their way, or flatly refuse to give you the deal, or sigh in resignation and give you the deal exactly as you write it. Their final effort will be something like this: "Look, we simply cannot give you the deal you want; we can give you a $300 deal." From there they will work their way down, $10 at a time, until you finally yield and say, "Okay, I'11 take it." For the extra effort made to wear you down, they could make an extra $50. For the sake of a little patience on your part, you can save the fifty and get the deal you want.

Salesmen are cautious of the quickie new car deal, especially if the person walks in and starts talking buy, buy, buy before he has looked, touched, and driven. The person who tries to move this fast usually does his thinking after the fact. It can therefore be difficult for you to use this direct approach on a salesman, for he will not initially read you as a serious, educated buyer. He will read you as a quickie customer who plans to bluff his way through the sale. You must convince him you are indeed serious, that you are knowledgeable, and that you know what you are doing. How much convincing you must do depends on the individual salesman with whom you are dealing.

The implied approach for the best new car deal

The most effective approach to conclude a great new car deal, with or without a trade-in, is the subtle, implied approach. You lay nothing on the line, make no commitments, and give no ultimatum, yet you set the stage to write the deal you want. To lay it on the line is to say, "Look, I know you can take $800 off the sticker price. How much better can you do?"

To make a commitment is to say, "If you take $800 off the sticker price, I will buy the car today."

To give an ultimatum is to say, "If you cannot take $800 off the sticker, I do not want to do business with you; I will leave. How about it?" Any of these approaches will receive a response, but not necessarily the response you expect. To lay it on the line makes the salesman defensive and argumentative. He will say to himself and then to you, "Why should I take any more off the sticker, even if I want to take the $800 off?" The salesman may then decide that he will give no higher a discount than he absolutely must.

To make a commitment or give an ultimatum kills any chance for negotiating a new car deal. If the salesman says, "Okay, I can take $800 off the sticker; do you want the car right now or do you want to pick it up in an hour?" you just bought a car. You cannot say, "I just wanted to see if you would take that much off the price." The salesman will physically throw you off the lot. To use the implied approach is to say, "Are you running a special promotion this week or are you just giving your normal discounts?'' (Smile when you ask.) You automatically imply that, promotion or not, the salesman always discounts his merchandise and that it is a fixed (normal) amount. Now, no matter what he says, he loses negotiating strength. If he says, "We do not discount," he will lose you completely; you will go to a dealer who does discount. If he says, "No promotions, just our usual discounts," you may now come back with, "And what is your company policy regarding discounts?'' Or, "What are your normal discounts?'' and go from there. Implied approach is implied consent.

Any answer to an implied consent question benefits the person looking to close the new car deal. Regardless of the answer given, it implies consent, acceptance, and agreement. Implied consent always consists of a choice of two options. "Do you want to take the car home tonight or pick it up tomorrow?" Whichever answer you give, you just bought a car. The salesman implies that you have made the decision to buy, that there is no question about it, and that he just wants to clarify the details of delivery.

Since you will be using implied consent, you must always assume that the answer you want is already there, and that all you are doing is clarifying the details. This principle is particularly effective in the service department, but it can be used anywhere throughout your purchase activities, from approach through negotiations. "Are you going to give me floor mats for the front and back or just for the front?" "Are you going to give me another $100 off or a free rustproofing?" (On a used car: "Are you going to tune up the engine or change the oil?") Use your imagination on this one; it is wide open and you will indeed the best new car deal !!

Missed Part I of this article ? Click here.

Perhaps the best new car deal ... is to buy a used vehicle!
Try a free search at Bargain Motors.

The best new car deal includes the right financing