Here's something you might be interested in.
A friend of mine owns a used car lot in Escondido called "Dig's Wheels".
The first time I was there talking to him, I was amazed at how he didn't push customers when they came onto his lot. A guy was looking at a Camry he had. The guy didn't seem so sure he wanted it, and Andy didn't pressure him. He smiled and said, "It's a good price for that car, with so few miles." The guy said he'd need a few days to think about it. Andy said, "Okay, hopefully I'll see you in a few days."
I asked at the time, why he didn't say "The car might not still be there then," or any of those other techniques. Andy said, "The car really is a good price. And, if he waits a week, it probably won't be there. But I don't use those sales tactis. If they don't want the car, I'm not going to try to talk them into it."
I wish every car dealer were like this.
When working on a YO DJ piece with Madison, from KPRI, we had talked over the phone numerous times. And emailed a few times. I needed a photo of him, and he mentioned that he'd be at a car dealer in the Auto Parkway area of Escondido.
As we talked for an hour, I made the mistake of telling one of the dealers there I loved a BMW they had on their lot. He ends up talking me into going into his office. And, the tactics he used were like something you see in a bad movie. He said if I waited it wouldn't be there tomorrow. He came down $7,000 on the price. When I asked why the convertible top was so dirty looking, he said "We tried to wash that out and couldn't. But you could by a compound for $40 and it would be good as new." I seriously doubted that, or the dealership would've already done that.
When I told him I'd have to Google, or check an Auto Trader first, because I had no idea how much those make and models go for, he got insulted. He started yelling.
He said, "I won't offer you this same deal in two days. I'm giving it to you now, because it's a Sunday, and we want that car off the lot." I smiled and said, "Oh, that old tactic." He then screamed, "I don't do tactics! It's the truth! I'll bring my boss in here and he'll tell you."
I apologized for insulting him, but at that point, I knew I'd never buy the car from him. A person that runs a business like that, is someone I don't want to deal with. Even if he is giving me a good deal. I don't want him getting the commission.
My friend Andy had a few customers, and the fact that he's a nice guy, comes thru. Although, I have to think some customers think that's part of his sales trick. Smiling and acting nice.
Even when they mention his wife and kids in the photos behind him, I wonder if they wonder, if he puts them up to look like a nice "family man". Which he is, but still.
When he went outside to show a woman this minivan, the ladies mom said to me, "So, you're his friend. Do you trust him?" I told her I did. But, I wanted to say "Hey...he's my friend. So if I thought the car was a lemon, I doubt I'd tell you that."
I then started thinking about the time my stepdad took me to look at cars. I think it was the second or third Mustang I was going to buy. We went to National City and their mile of cars.
We got the guy down to a good price. I told him I'd cash a savings bond I had and be back with the money.
We showed up an hour later, and he said "I made a mistake. I cannot sell the car for the price we agreed upon." We raised a stink, the manager came over, and they wouldn't budge. So we left the lot.
I called the next day, and told the manager that it cost me $73 to cash that bond, and I wanted that money from him, since we had a deal. He laughed and said "Are you some kind of idiot? Why would I pay that?"
I calmly explained why. He hung up on me.
I think I crank called him a few times after that. Hey, I was in my early 20s.
Andy told me how sometimes people call after seeing a car online. They'll then say, "I'll be in this afternoon. Please, save that car for me." He says something along the lines of, "Well, you can look at it if it's still here."
And, 90% of the time, they never show up. A few times, they do. And once, the car had been sold. The woman was screaming at him, saying "Is that how you do business?!" She then threatened to do something to the cars on his lot, before storming off.
I bet, even if you could explain the amount of times that people call and then don't show up, the odds were that she wouldn't either. Or, how do you turn a customer away that's going to buy a vehicle, just hoping that someone else will show up?
And, what happens if this lady called Andy for the car. Then she found another one online and bought that instead. Would she call him back and say, "Hey, I told you to hold a car for me. Well, you don't have to. I bought something else." I'm betting she wouldn't.
But, she doesn't want to hear that. She just wanted to complain.
It's one of the reasons why, when I get really good service in a restaurant or business, I'll sometimes write a letter to the manager and tell them. I figure, they only hear from the people that complain. So if I think someone went above and beyond, I jot an email or a letter, to their manager.
Although we talked about many topics, the stories about customers were so interesting. I always love hearing peoples work experiences.
He sold a car to a guy once, and the engine blew out 6 months and thousands of miles later. The guy called back saying "How could you sell me a car with a bad engine?" As if he knew it would die 6 months later. When you buy a used car, sometimes there are things that can't be seen or found by a mechanic.
I listened as Andy told me about a neighbor with an SUV that he thinks he'll sell for a lot more than he'll get. And how he didn't want to tell the guy what it was really worth, because that would just be an argument. Or make him look like the bad guy.
The one thing though, that I can't figure out about buying a car, is why there's still the haggling over a price. Everyone can Google. Everyone can buy an Auto Trader. So, you know what the price should be.
I read a story about 10 years ago, where Steven Spielberg went in to buy a car from a dealership. When he left the salesman said "I love rich Jews like that. They come in and buy the car, and I totally ripped him off. He didn't even question the price I was charging."
Another customer heard this, contacted Spielberg's office. And, Speilberg went back to the dealership and canceled the order. I wonder, if you're him, why you even go buying your own car.
Jay Leno collects classic cars. If he shows up to buy one, you think he's going to be able to have them knock 10 grand off the price? Not when the seller knows the host is pulling in $20 million a year.
If a used car of a certain model is being sold most places for $15,000...and some used car lot is selling it for $23,000...why even bother? Even if you show them an Auto Trader and they say "Okay, well...I'll sell it to you for $18,000. But only because I like you."
I'd walk away laughing.
But, lines like that must work. There are a lot of dumb people in the world.
A friend of mine owns a used car lot in Escondido called "Dig's Wheels".
The first time I was there talking to him, I was amazed at how he didn't push customers when they came onto his lot. A guy was looking at a Camry he had. The guy didn't seem so sure he wanted it, and Andy didn't pressure him. He smiled and said, "It's a good price for that car, with so few miles." The guy said he'd need a few days to think about it. Andy said, "Okay, hopefully I'll see you in a few days."
I asked at the time, why he didn't say "The car might not still be there then," or any of those other techniques. Andy said, "The car really is a good price. And, if he waits a week, it probably won't be there. But I don't use those sales tactis. If they don't want the car, I'm not going to try to talk them into it."
I wish every car dealer were like this.
When working on a YO DJ piece with Madison, from KPRI, we had talked over the phone numerous times. And emailed a few times. I needed a photo of him, and he mentioned that he'd be at a car dealer in the Auto Parkway area of Escondido.
As we talked for an hour, I made the mistake of telling one of the dealers there I loved a BMW they had on their lot. He ends up talking me into going into his office. And, the tactics he used were like something you see in a bad movie. He said if I waited it wouldn't be there tomorrow. He came down $7,000 on the price. When I asked why the convertible top was so dirty looking, he said "We tried to wash that out and couldn't. But you could by a compound for $40 and it would be good as new." I seriously doubted that, or the dealership would've already done that.
When I told him I'd have to Google, or check an Auto Trader first, because I had no idea how much those make and models go for, he got insulted. He started yelling.
He said, "I won't offer you this same deal in two days. I'm giving it to you now, because it's a Sunday, and we want that car off the lot." I smiled and said, "Oh, that old tactic." He then screamed, "I don't do tactics! It's the truth! I'll bring my boss in here and he'll tell you."
I apologized for insulting him, but at that point, I knew I'd never buy the car from him. A person that runs a business like that, is someone I don't want to deal with. Even if he is giving me a good deal. I don't want him getting the commission.
My friend Andy had a few customers, and the fact that he's a nice guy, comes thru. Although, I have to think some customers think that's part of his sales trick. Smiling and acting nice.
Even when they mention his wife and kids in the photos behind him, I wonder if they wonder, if he puts them up to look like a nice "family man". Which he is, but still.
When he went outside to show a woman this minivan, the ladies mom said to me, "So, you're his friend. Do you trust him?" I told her I did. But, I wanted to say "Hey...he's my friend. So if I thought the car was a lemon, I doubt I'd tell you that."
I then started thinking about the time my stepdad took me to look at cars. I think it was the second or third Mustang I was going to buy. We went to National City and their mile of cars.
We got the guy down to a good price. I told him I'd cash a savings bond I had and be back with the money.
We showed up an hour later, and he said "I made a mistake. I cannot sell the car for the price we agreed upon." We raised a stink, the manager came over, and they wouldn't budge. So we left the lot.
I called the next day, and told the manager that it cost me $73 to cash that bond, and I wanted that money from him, since we had a deal. He laughed and said "Are you some kind of idiot? Why would I pay that?"
I calmly explained why. He hung up on me.
I think I crank called him a few times after that. Hey, I was in my early 20s.
Andy told me how sometimes people call after seeing a car online. They'll then say, "I'll be in this afternoon. Please, save that car for me." He says something along the lines of, "Well, you can look at it if it's still here."
And, 90% of the time, they never show up. A few times, they do. And once, the car had been sold. The woman was screaming at him, saying "Is that how you do business?!" She then threatened to do something to the cars on his lot, before storming off.
I bet, even if you could explain the amount of times that people call and then don't show up, the odds were that she wouldn't either. Or, how do you turn a customer away that's going to buy a vehicle, just hoping that someone else will show up?
And, what happens if this lady called Andy for the car. Then she found another one online and bought that instead. Would she call him back and say, "Hey, I told you to hold a car for me. Well, you don't have to. I bought something else." I'm betting she wouldn't.
But, she doesn't want to hear that. She just wanted to complain.
It's one of the reasons why, when I get really good service in a restaurant or business, I'll sometimes write a letter to the manager and tell them. I figure, they only hear from the people that complain. So if I think someone went above and beyond, I jot an email or a letter, to their manager.
Although we talked about many topics, the stories about customers were so interesting. I always love hearing peoples work experiences.
He sold a car to a guy once, and the engine blew out 6 months and thousands of miles later. The guy called back saying "How could you sell me a car with a bad engine?" As if he knew it would die 6 months later. When you buy a used car, sometimes there are things that can't be seen or found by a mechanic.
I listened as Andy told me about a neighbor with an SUV that he thinks he'll sell for a lot more than he'll get. And how he didn't want to tell the guy what it was really worth, because that would just be an argument. Or make him look like the bad guy.
The one thing though, that I can't figure out about buying a car, is why there's still the haggling over a price. Everyone can Google. Everyone can buy an Auto Trader. So, you know what the price should be.
I read a story about 10 years ago, where Steven Spielberg went in to buy a car from a dealership. When he left the salesman said "I love rich Jews like that. They come in and buy the car, and I totally ripped him off. He didn't even question the price I was charging."
Another customer heard this, contacted Spielberg's office. And, Speilberg went back to the dealership and canceled the order. I wonder, if you're him, why you even go buying your own car.
Jay Leno collects classic cars. If he shows up to buy one, you think he's going to be able to have them knock 10 grand off the price? Not when the seller knows the host is pulling in $20 million a year.
If a used car of a certain model is being sold most places for $15,000...and some used car lot is selling it for $23,000...why even bother? Even if you show them an Auto Trader and they say "Okay, well...I'll sell it to you for $18,000. But only because I like you."
I'd walk away laughing.
But, lines like that must work. There are a lot of dumb people in the world.