The Waiting Game: Why Car Salesmen Keep You Hanging and How to Beat Them at Their Own Game

Why do car salesman make you wait

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Why do car salesman make you wait ?

This is primarily a marketing strategy, I mean, marketing ideas for car salesmen—because the longer you stay in that dealership, the more you get the impression that you “need” to make a purchase because of the amount of time you’ve already invested there. This is because of how much time you’ve already spent there. 

The “sunk-cost delusion” refers to the illogical perception that your prior investment of time is worth recovering in some way by ultimately resulting in a closed purchase of the vehicle being discussed rather than simply walking away from a bad deal, even if you’ve spent two hours discovering that the dealer can’t meet your expectations. 

This is the case even if you’ve discovered that the dealer can’t meet your expectations after spending two hours discovering that the dealer can’t meet your expectations.

By the way, if you go to different dealers at different times of the day, on different days of the week, or at different times of the month, you’ll find that the amount of time it “takes” to get an answer from the various managers and decision-makers at the dealership is always approximately the same, regardless of what else is going on…whether it’s a busy day or even if you’re the only customer in the entire store. 

The reason for this is not because it takes them that long to determine whether or not they can complete the transaction or if they even want to, but rather because it is part of their sales strategy to purposefully leave you waiting around as part of the process.

They slowly wear down a client to the point where the majority of people will accept pricing and/or terms that they probably would not have accepted right off the bat by leaving a customer waiting for minutes on end without providing any form of communication…

because they are growing increasingly frustrated with all of the waiting…

In addition to this, they give the impression that the solutions they come up with are difficult to arrive at because of the amount of time that is required to come to such conclusions. 

When you turn down these prices and terms, you might think that you won’t get a better deal as a result.

Because you cannot be in two places at the same time, it is obvious that you could not have shopped around at other dealerships while they had you “locked up” for hours in theirs. Furthermore, they have effectively kept you “captive” in their dealership.

The only way to turn this situation around and combat car salesman marketing ideas so that YOU are in control is to tell the salesman right away that you only have x amount of time, and then continue to remind them that you need to leave by x o’clock as that “deadline” slowly gets closer. 

How to deal with this situation

1. You Take Control

This is the only way to turn this situation around so that YOU are in control. Then make sure you are completely ready to cut off the conversation and leave when you said you would… and actually do it.

They will have lost you as a customer if the transaction hasn’t been finalised by then. 

While you are leaving, you should tell them that you will return in a few days and that you hope they can come to a decision in the time window that you will have THEN to make a decision.

The vast majority of dealers will eventually realise that their standard strategies of time-delaying and wearing down won’t work on you… 

Therefore, they will shift gears and at the very least try to close some sort of a deal with you rather than having you walk out again, because if you walk out twice, it’s likely that you won’t be back.

Last but not least, if you use this strategy, you will always be in a better position if you enter the market at the end of a quarter, such as on March 31, June 30, or September 28-29.

…and make an effort to purchase the vehicle on the same day because dealerships all have quarterly sales targets and inventory to move, which means they are most highly motivated to do the deal YOU want when THEY are out of time….and make an effort to purchase the vehicle on the same day because dealerships all have inventory to move and sales targets to meet.

2. Do you Homework on Car prices

Do your research and look up prices online, both those that are being asked for and those that are being offered. 

Do your research, have a clear idea of what it is that you want, find out how much your trade-in is worth, and get the financing you need approved from your local bank or credit union. 

When you find the vehicle that you want, make an offer by saying something like, “I will buy today for XXXX.” 

Then you can be quiet. When the salesman comes back with a counter offer, you should tell him “Thank you, we’re done here” if you don’t like it (which you won’t). Leave. 

You should put the second set of keys in your pocket before getting in your vehicle and driving away. 

They are going to pursue it and possibly improve the offer. Keep going. 

As soon as you get in your car, the deal will become more attractive to you. After that, you will choose whether or not to accept their offer. If they don’t want you there, then it’s their loss.

 You can choose to do business with only those dealers who refuse to barter and who publish their best deals on the internet. It’s a lot simpler, a lot quicker, and a lot less stressful.

3. Remember : Not all sales people can Negotiate well

When shopping for a new vehicle, it is important for a customer to keep in mind that salespeople at new car dealerships have very little room for negotiation. 

It is the sales manager who is doing the actual negotiating, unless the buyer is a complete fool and agrees to pay the initial price offer made by the salesperson.

In the vast majority of cases, the role of the salesperson is limited to that of a mere go-between for the customer and the sales manager.

When a salesperson suddenly vanishes, it’s because they’re having a conversation about the customer with the sales manager. 

The sales representative has made an evaluation of the buyer (for example, what are the buyer’s goals, is the buyer educated, is the buyer serious, etc.) and is now communicating this evaluation to the sales manager.

The sales manager will then attempt to determine what price and trade value will pique the buyer’s interest enough for them to make a purchase.

Therefore, a savvy buyer will tailor his or her offers and comments in the knowledge that those offers and comments are actually being addressed to the sales manager. 

This is true whether the transaction in question involves purchasing or leasing (recognise that a lease is a sale to the dealer, a sale to the leasing company at the price the buyer negotiates).

On the other hand, a shrewd purchaser can make use of the salesperson as a tool. 

As long as the buyer’s price offer is reasonable (that is, based on factual information such as invoice, hold back, and incentives), the sales person will be an advocate for the buyer (to some extent). At the end of the day, the goal of the salesperson is to make a sale.

How to avoid the “Waiting Game” at the dealership? here is my Strategy to Deal with it

The primary goal of car dealers is to turn a profit. Others are not honest at all, while others are. 

This is where I will share my strategy, which I have found to be fairly effective. With this strategy, you can avoid participating in many of the games that the dealers play.

With this method, you will be able to get a price that is lower than what you could get with a military discount, Sam’s Club membership, or Costco membership. 

This is something I am aware of because I was the one who initially obtained all of these allegedly deeply discounted prices, and then I was able to purchase my car for a price that was thousands of dollars lower than these prices.

Fortunately, over the course of my life, I have bought and sold a few different automobiles. After being rear-ended by someone and having my 2005 Audi —which was in pristine condition—totaled, I needed a new vehicle. This was my plan all along:

Visit the car dealerships in your area to make your selection and finalise the deal. You can choose the MAKE, MODEL, TRIM, ACCESSORIES, and COLOR of the car that you want—absolutely everything. By doing it this way, you are comparing like things to like things.

CALL (never go in person) all major car dealers within a driving radius of four to five hours and ask for a BID PRICE – (If the car is for business, you can ask for FLEET SALES) – the out the door price with tax, title, and licence included in the total cost.

Talk only to the Sales Manager and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES to a salesperson, or you will be obligated to pay the commision to the salesperson.

Use a spreadsheet to keep a record of all the retailers, the names of the sales managers at each one, and the prices they offer. You should consider recording all of your calls just in case the sales manager decides to change their story or if you want to continue refining your strategy. NEVER reveal the prices that you have been offered, and NEVER tell the dealer who offered you the best deal.

No matter what price the dealer offers you, you should always tell him that his price is too high and that he needs to do better than that. This is true regardless of the price the dealer gives you. Repeat that statement to him until he either matches or beats the lowest price you already have by a few hundred dollars (or more), or he decides not to participate any further in the bidding process.

Continue on, and if you want, you can go back to the top three or five most aggressive dealers and play them against each other. This is perfectly acceptable. Once more, you should never reveal which dealer provided you with which price.

Take care of everything over the phone, and DO NOT step foot in the dealership until you have the winning bid price written down and are ready to buy the vehicle.

You now have a choice: you can either go back to the most pushy dealers one more time to see if they will beat the lowest price, or you can buy the car from the dealer who currently has the lowest price.

When I went to buy a car in Orlando at the end of May 2016, I was able to get pricing on a brand new BMW 2 series and Merc E Class  for less than $24,500, and that price included tax, title, and licence. 

This was even before I really pushed the dealers on the final go around to get a better deal. After much deliberation, I decided to purchase a new BMW. 

The out-the-door price, which included taxes, titles, and licences, was less than $20,825 (the list price, which included taxes, titles, and licences, was over $29,000). 

By the way, I did not purchase any other add-ons, and I paid cash for the vehicle, so the dealer did not make any additional profit from the financing because there was no need for it.

Pro NOTE:

Under no circumstances should you ever trade in a vehicle at a car dealership… You should sell it yourself… Unless you want to settle for the wholesale price for your old automobile.

Put Kelly Blue Book( KBB.com) and all the other guides to purchasing a car out of your mind. 

These sources will provide you with the standard retail prices as well as the regularly published prices of the dealers. These are not for car experts but rather for the average person who walks down the street looking to purchase a vehicle.

NEVER, EVER bring up the subject of dealer invoices. 

Do not bring up or believe anything that the dealer invoices say. 

These invoices have high prices, and that is before taking into account any incentives or the numerous other discounts that a dealer receives. Never discuss anything other than the final price. You couldn’t care less about the amount that the dealer charged you!

Always keep in mind… You have decided to purchase a car… You are NOT there to make friends with the other people. This has nothing to do with you personally… 

Only your ambition to purchase something at the lowest possible cost! Be courteous. Maintain your level of objectivity and your concentration.

Pro NOTE:

NOTE: Once you have found the best price available, make sure to ask your local dealers to either meet or beat that price. You will have access to local service in this manner. That is exactly what I did, and now I cannot praise my automobile or the price that I paid for it highly enough.

I hope you have success in purchasing your new car! If you follow this strategy, I have no doubt that you will be able to save yourself thousands of dollars! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me a message or give me a call….

I was able to complete this entire process of calling the dealers in only a few days and approximately four to six hours total, despite the fact that I was suffering from a concussion at the time.

What are the other tricks that Car sales men plays

There are a wide variety of salespeople, and each of them will use a unique tactic to trick you into buying. 

So allow me to tell you some of the tricks that they play and how you can avoid falling for them.

According to a study, fifty percent of customers who enter a dealership are male.

1.They do not disclose the initial payment amount to you. 

The dealers will make every effort to avoid asking you for a down payment and will instead inform you of the monthly payments.

If someone tells you that the car costs $40,000 but that the monthly payment is only $445, you might think that the car is more affordable if they told you the downpayment rather than the monthly payment.

2. They will reduce the value of the cars you trade in.

If you are trading in a car, the salesperson will point out the vehicle’s minor flaws, which will make you feel less confident about your vehicle. In addition, the salesperson will offer you a lower trade-in price and convince you that the lower trade-in price is actually a better deal than the vehicle’s actual price.

3. They won’t tell you how the driver has been handling the vehicle in the past.

They won’t provide you with the whole truth about the vehicle and the places it’s been before.

They won’t tell you anything about the previous owner, including how he drove the car or treated it.

4. They Emotionally manipulate you

They either compliment you on how you look while driving the car or show you in a mirror how you appear while seated in the driver’s seat and describe how you look while driving.

5. The greatest car sales-tricks of them all

You go to a dealership, search for a vehicle, test drive it, and then negotiate the terms of the sale. 

Even before the financing has been approved, the dealer will let you take possession of the vehicle. 

After that, the ball will fall. 

You’ve only had your brand-new automobile for a few days when you get a phone call from the dealership informing you that the original offer has fallen through. 

You will either need to agree to pay a higher interest rate or come up with a larger initial payment if you want to keep the vehicle you currently have.

A person who sells used automobiles is sometimes referred to as a used car salesman.

If someone uses that phrase, it indicates that they are dishonest.

I simply thought that was something you might find interesting to know.

But in any case, Ao, make sure you keep an eye out for these cons when you’re shopping for a car because they are widespread and a lot of people fall for them..

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