“Hi, welcome to unspecific car dealership! My name’s Tom! How can I help you today?”, I say as I put on a big, stupid smile. This is my favorite part for sure, the meet and greet.
I am very careful not ask yes or no questions. It gives the customer less opportunity to tell you “no” I get their name or names, where they’re from, and try to read any kind of body language they may let off. The goal is to get the customer inside the building for the next step. My go to move works like this; I wait for he right question asked by the customer. Whether I know the answer or not I turn around fast and say“follow me”.
Once inside I qualify them with a worksheet. It's just basic information as what you’re looking to do. I should have already gotten a first name at the meet and greet. I’ll get your last name, phone number, and trade information. Eventually I’ll go for your social security number , but it’s more sensitive to ask for than the other things. A lot of the time I’ll try to get a good feel for it by asking “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, how would you say your credit is?”. Usually anyone who says below six is someone who cannot get funding from a bank on their own. That’s not always the case, and when it isn’t, you can plan on making a paycheck that week.
After getting all the information on the worksheet, I’ll take it to the big desk where all the managers sit. From there, they’ll look at all of the info and find the car, in stock, that fits what the customer is looking for while also looking for the vehicle that they can make the most money on simultaneously.
Keeping control of the situation, I’ll find the advised vehicle and pull it up to the front doors, opening it as much as possible. That means the hood, doors, trunk, tailgate, and any kind of compartment gets opened up for presentation. I’ll start at the engine and pre-close work my way all around the vehicle, explaining facts and features, until I get to the driver side door. It sets the customer to hop in easily and take it one the road.
During the test drive, I am as polite as possible, and sometimes it’s tough. When customer don’t have the best driving skills, biting your tongue becomes a challenge. I once lost a customer to an uncontrollable “whoop” I would let out as he would hit and nearly hit curbs. He pulled over and threatened that if I had let out another “whoop” he would turn around and go home. Since then, I have tried to keep conversation to a minimum.
As soon as we get back to the dealership, I’ll try to pre-close the deal by asking the customer “Do you like this vehicle well enough to own it and drive it home today?” This just lets me know that they really like the vehicle and if not then we find another car in stock to test drive.
Once we find the vehicle that the customer is ready to purchase, it’s time for the official close. The numbers are never where the customer wants to be. In fact, in my 8 years of selling cars there’s only been one time that I have seen mangers give me numbers exactly where customers wanted them. From there I'll close the deal or negotiate the numbers to some point in the middle. If I have to haggle the numbers a deposits is required from the customers to show there are serious. I’ve taken items other then money as sometimes customers don’t want to put any cash down. Pieces like shoes, licenses, random expensive items in trades, are all things I have taken for deposit in-leu of money. Once i’ve received the deposit and written the vehicle up the close is out of my hands, as I have gotten all commitment from the customer available. Managers or closers will go in and finish closing the deal themselves. This is just so that they can go though the process and try to get more money out of the customer.
Next the vehicle goes into the shop to get prepped for delivery. If it needs any kind of work or a state inspection sticker now is when it will get done. It gets washed and the temporary plates get put on and the vehicle is ready to go.
The stress is finally lifted as you get to the paperwork. All of the focus on the customer’s stories and tending to theirs needs have now payed off. All you need to do is get the signatures on the prompts and explain it away as you go, kind of like the end credits to a movie. You follow the words down as the music plays and the car is delivered
The end.
About the Creator
Tommy Boy
I took my first english class this past summer and found that I enjoy writing.
Give me something to write about and I can make it interesting/fun.
The Invisible Hand That Rules
In the heart of the city, there’s a building that no one notices. Its glass walls reflect the sun, its elevators glide silently, and its corridors smell of polished ambition. Decisions are made here that shape millions of lives, yet outside, the city breathes, unaware. The air hums with traffic, the chatter of cafes, the distant wail of sirens, and life moves on as though the building’s influence is nothing more than an echo.
By Jhon smith6 days ago in Journal
Comments (1)
That's interesting, thanks! I'm planning to sell my car in the nearest future because I don't use it that often, and since I have to travel a lot, I just use car rental services most of the time.