Cars for Sale Ireland Blog

Whenever I talk to various car sales men, it amazes me how many get insulted for being treated with caution from the start, and yet do things that make people want handle them with caution (or not handle them at all).

While the car industry  has been forced to be more forthcoming because of the vast amount of information and shopping power of the Internet, there are still those hanging on to the “good ‘ol days” by using lines that just don’t hold up in today’s car shopping environment.

There are certain phrases that emerge in the car selling industry that take on a meaning and stick in the minds and on the tongues car sales people. In the car business, if a line works a few times, it sticks. Even if it is no longer effective, it will still get used on customers more than once. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they make people mad. Sometimes they just make people laugh.

1) “I don’t know if I can do that it, but if I could, would you buy this car today?”

This is the classic non-committal, open-door, promise without actually promising anything that salesmen love and consumers don’t always understand.

2) “What’s it going to take to give you this car today?”

A good salesman goal is to find your soft spot  so they can push it. If you have a soft spot, they will want to find it and push on it as hard as they can.

3) “We knew it had that problem. That’s why it’s priced so low.”

They turn objections into positives. That is what a GREAT car salesman can do. The engine could be smoking, the gears could be grinding, and the radio may be stuck on rap music, but a great salesman handles it properly, and this is one of their favorite lines.

4) “I’ll even throw in new floor mats.”

Yippee!

5) “The price doesn’t matter. It’s all about the payments. It wont matter if mine is priced €2,000 more than the other guys if the payment is  less than than his.

They can make the most money if you are focused on how much your monthly payment is. Getting down to the right price or trade difference means only one thing to the Car Dealer – less money. It wont matter to them if it takes a year longer for you to pay the loan.
6) “I’ll even throw in a tank of petrol.”

Yahooo (I thought a tank of petrol was included on new cars?)

7) “It’s not just leather, it’s Corinthian Leather.” in his poshest accent.

This one was given to me by a luxury car dealer in Northern Ireland The definition of Corinthian is “playboy” a man devoted to the pursuit of pleasure.” Great if you ate a dictionary for breakfast.

8) “I need a sale today to get my kids some clothes for school.”

A struggling salesman will not use this line. If he uses this line, he already has his kids clothes – now he is going for the upgraded golf clubs. Not used very often but interesting anyway as to the salesman’s line of thought.

9) “Tell your friends where you got it, just don’t tell them what you paid for it.”

They are insinuating that you got a great deal. You may have. Then again, you may have been ripped off and they don’t want anyone to tell you so.

10) “I’ll even throw in a free Carwash.”

Whehey, Whats that a fiver?

Most of these lines came through a bit of research, Special thanks goes to those who I asked for help (who themselves would never or rarely use such lines with their customers). Thanks to the car dealers for these and many others I have not used, with a special thanks to Mathew in Derry who just made me laugh.