The Best Used Car Advice…Avoid The Scream

Car Dealer Confessions: The Scream

Guest blog post by Jason Lancaster of AccurateAutoAdvice.com.

There’s a sales trick known as “the scream” that’s quite popular in the car business, and for good reason – it works. Not quite dishonest (but not quite honest) and not quite lying (but not quite telling the truth), the scream can best be described as leading someone to believe you’ll do something that you really aren’t willing to do.

Here’s how it happens:

Customer: “I’m not ready to do a deal right now – I’m still looking – but what kind of deal can I get for my trade-in?”

(FYI – this technique doesn’t just apply to the trade-in, it can be used for any aspect of the deal like the finance rate, the price of a new car, etc. I’m just using the trade as an example.)

After a little maneuvering, a smart car salesperson will say: “Since you’re not doing anything right now, it doesn’t really matter, but what if I could do blank?”

Here, “blank” can be anything from a reasonable offer (like average trade-in value) to an absurd one (like more money than the car was sold f when it was new). Salespeople will often refer to this as “trying the customer on,” and it’s a good sales tactic. Often times a customer will hear the number being offered and decide to get serious about negotiating.

Sometimes, however, customers are determined to wait regardless of the “what if” offer. This is where the “scream” comes in. The salesperson will keep increasing the “what if” offer until it becomes too good to be true. It the customer still refuses to bite, some salespeople (or their managers) will leave the customer with the impression that the “what if” offer was actually legit. Saying something like “don’t make a deal with anyone else unless you can match that offer” is a great way for a crafty salesperson to make a customer think they have a legit offer when they really don’t.

At this point, the customer is now officially “on the scream.” They’ll drive from dealer to dealer looking to meet or beat the “what if” number they were given. Unfortunately for the customer, the offer they’re trying to beat isn’t a real offer – it’s just a “what if” number.

After the customer has exhausted themselves trying to find a better deal (which doesn’t exist), they will return to the dealership where they were given their unrealistic offer. At this point, the salesperson will explain that the offer was actually just a “what if” number. Sometimes, the customer will get very upset and vow never to return. More than half the time the customer will negotiate and a deal will be made.

If you want to avoid the scream, here’s what you need to know. One of the basic rules of negotiation is that you shouldn’t negotiate until you’re ready to act. To do otherwise is foolish (for this very reason). In other words, don’t waste your time asking for a deal until you’re actually ready to make a deal. That way, when you’re given an offer that’s too good to be true, you can take advantage (or at least find out right away that it’s not legit).

Visit AccurateAutoAdvice.com for more car negotiation tips.

Thanks to Jason Lancaster for his first guest contribution to Why Buy Used Cars; he brings a wealth of quality experience to help online automotive shoppers. We look forward to more of your insight.

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