Green Pea (salesman): "Hi, I'm Todd. What's your name?"
[And phone number?]
Easy Mark (customer): "Steffani.
My rear window defogger is broken
and I saw on TV you have zero down
on the new model and the payments
are even lower than mine."
[Do
they have a pink one?]
Green Pea: "It's a great deal if your credit is good. Do you plan to trade yours in?"
[Is
she as clueless about the value of
her own car?]
Easy Mark: "Well duh. I mean, the defogger doesn't work and everything."
[I
wonder if they'll still take it?]
Green Pea: "We're offering some great incentives with our 72-month lease package right now. Would that interest you?"
[Ca-CHING!]
Easy Mark: "Sure. Can I drive it home today?"
[Bills,
schmills. I can't wait to show off
my new ride.]
Where
she went wrong:
•
Or
should we say right? In order
of missteps, Ms. Easy Mark
1) expressed displeasure with
her current car, 2) indicated
she would be leasing from
the dealer instead of buying,
3) revealed she would be trading
in her current car, 4) bought
into an extended lease term
sight unseen and 5) indicated
she was in a hurry to close
the deal.
•
Even
a Green Pea (rookie salesman)
can easily pack on extra
profit when he's seen your
full hand. Remember: Buying
a new car involves three
separate transactions --
the car price, the trade-in
value and the financing.
•
If you know before you hit the lot the price you're willing to pay, what your trade-in is worth and the financing terms you can live with, you won't be anyone's easy mark.
