When Buying a Car, Get the Deal in Writing!
Steve Hague, author, speaker, and Certified Purchasing Manager
Editor’s note: Steve Hague is a frequent contributor to this blog.
The old adage that, “if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is” was undoubtedly born in an auto dealership. In order to increase business, car dealers are infamous for trying to hook and entice you to get you to visit their dealership. Once you’re there, you’re playing by their rules on their home court.
One way to prevent or discourage this type of over-zealous gamesmanship is to ask, no, tell them you want the promise they just made to you in writing. Have them write it on their company’s letterhead with their signature. If they fail to do so, walk out of the dealership and don’t go back.
Too often consumers give their trust to those they are preparing to do business with only to be burned in the end. It’s natural to take people at their word and believe that what they say they will do gets done, but too often these salespeople promise what they no they can’t deliver or what they hope that they may be able to deliver.
When you hear something that you like at a car dealership such as, “free oil changes for life, car mats, detailing, upgraded stereo or warranty” or most importantly the price that you like, you expect that it will be honored if you hold up your end of the bargain which would be purchasing the vehicle.
Steve Hague How To Buy Your Next Car ebook
In order to prevent disappointment and possibly anger that can lead to a broken deal after you’ve spent so much time and effort, make sure that what they promise verbally gets transmitted to paper by them.
Watch out though as that same pen can be used as a weapon; figuratively speaking of course. No, you shouldn’t have to worry about being physically harmed with a pen, but beware of the psychological power that a pen yields.
When the salesperson writes “the number” that you would like to buy the vehicle for in standard blue ink, did they go “back” to speak with the manager? If so, when they came out of the office and placed the same piece of paper on the desk in front of you with the sales manager’s writing on it, did you notice anything different about the sales manager’s writing?
Is the manager’s writing much larger than yours or the salesman’s? Is the color of the ink or marker red or another bold, bright color? Is there a large circle around the figure he has written? If so, it’s no accident. This is a psychological message that HE or SHE is the authority figure and what he says, goes!
Don’t be intimidated and fall for this trick. Simply get up and walk away. They’ll understand the psychological message that you’re delivering and most likely begin to deal with you fairly.