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I'm surprised you didn't mention the back end of the finance deal. Dealerships send your financials to the bank who then offers a rate. Sometimes the finance guy bumps that rate a point or two and presents the altered deal to the customer. If said customer signs, then the finance guy/dealer splits the extra interest with the bank. It's called "holding points" and it's definitely something to watch out for. It can be worth $500-1500 to the dealer and $4000 to you over the life of the loan.
A favorite trick of San Antonio area dealerships is to load up the car with dealer add-ons. Window tint, protective film, aero kits ($$$). All those add to the dealer's bottom line.
Anybody have experience with Carlypso? They offer a car price that falls between attending an auction AF style and having to haggle with a used car salesmen. This was the traditional realm of brokers, but they seem to have added an overlay with more transparency.
How different is selling used vs new cars?
At a "new" car dealership you maybe get a better deal on a new car. Relatively speaking - the dealership itself makes more on the used cars. They'll also sell the experience better with the new car. Demonstrating all of the features right before you drive away like folding down back seats etc. This is because the MFG may call you soon after your purchase and ask how the experience was. When dealerships get too many (I heard it didn't take much) bad reviews the MFG pulls their franchise and they are then just a used car dealership or trying to switch to an alternate name.
Update: I worked for around 3 months until I finally was fired today for not pressuring customers into buying cars that were unaffordable for them. I sold a total of 7 cars.
Here is what I learned working at a dealership...
The workplace culture is very twisted. Sales managers are power-hungry assholes and psychopaths. The finance managers are also power-hungry and snakes.
A lot of the salesmen are also snakes although a few of them are genuinely taking the best interests of the customers in mind. The Finance managers and sales managers oftentimes steal the newbie salesman's commission and give them the crumbs.
One salesman was fired because he exposed that the finance manager was undercutting the commission of other salesmen. Managers try to take advantage of newbie salesmen.
2 of my coworkers were convicted felons. One for dealing cocaine and they other for a bank robbery. Apparently, the dealership actually prefers convicted felons as a veteran salesmen there told me since they are more likely to be willing to lie and be dishonest with customers.
The honest good salesmen get abused by both the customers and management. Customers think all the salesmen are scum.
While I agree that the majority are scumbags, a small minority of good honest salesmen are genuinely just trying to make a living but do not want to screw people over at the same time.
Some customers are real assholes. I had this one Indian guy who didn't get his unrealistic price, so he left. Calls me a day later but I was with other customers. I call him back, he gives his offer, I present it to my sales manager, it doesn't get approved and I tell him accordingly.
He than says "Why the hell are you calling me than? Don't call me unless you can get my price!" in a rude tone.
I tell him that I called him to return his phone call as a courtesy after which I just hanged up on the asshole once he get got on a boring rant about how he will buy elsewhere.
A car salesmen job is very stressful. Everyone of the salesmen there are stressed and workaholics. You must work 12 hours a day 6 days a week including weekends if you want to make any money. You will not have a enjoyable life with this kind of career. None of my coworkers had any work-life balance.
The salesman at my dealership were on commission only. So they have a lot of pressure to sell is why they do only commission as the dealership only cares about the bottom line - neither the salesmen nor the customer is important.
We are not allowed to tell a customer that buying the car we are selling to them will financially wreck them and it is not in their best interest to buy it. One salesmen was actually fired a week ago for doing just that.
I will reveal the dealership I worked for. It is called the "New York Auto Giant Group" & also has a name of "Atlantic dealership"
To provide a verifiable example of how fucked up the management there is and how fucked up the company culture is....
Below is a news article about a woman who donated a kidney of hers to her boss at the dealership and was shortly fired because she had to take a few days off after getting her kidney removed to be donated to her boss.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/woman-fired-kidney-donation-sues-ex-employer-article-1.1384677
Cars at the dealership are also abused a lot. The lot attendants and the salesmen drive the piss out of the cars - redlining it regularly that is later sold to their suckers.
One of my sales managers even said "Well I don't think it's right that we give a very big price difference to certian customers who we think are clueless idiots but it is what it is..."
That should tell you enough.
My suggestion for getting a good deal? Be willing to buy a used car and get it from a private seller. Fuck the dealerships, unless you work there, they will not give you a good deal at all.
I worked for around 3 months until I finally was fired today for not pressuring customers into buying cars that were unaffordable for them.
***
2 of my coworkers were convicted felons.
Your next job should be selling subsidized medical insurance. It's mandatory so the customer can't say no, and it's always "affordable" because the legislation says so. Be sure to mention your experience working alongside convicted felons, because that will further prepare you for a new career as an Obamneycare Navigator.
Your next job should be selling subsidized medical insurance. It's mandatory so the customer can't say no, and it's always "affordable" because the legislation says so. Be sure to mention your experience working alongside convicted felons, because that will further prepare you for a new career as an Obamneycare Navigator
LOL....
+1
So what's the bad part?
The long hours, the sleazy tactics you must do and the asshole managers who undercut your commission and lie to you about how much commission you really should be getting. Along with many plentiful asshole "customers".
Update: I worked for around 3 months until I finally was fired today for not pressuring customers into buying cars that were unaffordable for them. I sold a total of 7 cars.
holy shit dude, you should write a book. really.
a good book on the details might sell well. you have to polish it and target it right, but it would be a public service and a money maker at the same time.
Update: I worked for around 3 months until I finally was fired today for not pressuring customers into buying cars that were unaffordable for them. I sold a total of 7 cars.
Here is what I learned working at a dealership...
Dear Robber scum,
You really are scum. We were hoping for a weekly update and examples of poor screwed buyers.
Congratulations for being fired by your kind. We look forward to your next adventure.
What will it be?
holy shit dude, you should write a book. really.
a good book on the details might sell well. you have to polish it and target it right, but it would be a public service and a money maker at the same time.
Thanks man for the inspiration! I think I will write a book actually...
I will post it on here once I am done writing it and it is published.
Cars at the dealership are also abused a lot. The lot attendants and the salesmen drive the piss out of the cars - redlining it regularly that is later sold to their suckers.
you should see what they do at carmax after hours... if you buy a sports car from them, just know that around a thousand miles have been recently added by the staff during the nightly street racing challenge.
car dealers are thieving bastards. did you meet the owner? if not, he was likely taking his ferrari from his mansion down to his yacht.
please post one excerpt at a time, with a link to your self-published sales page on amazon each time. i used https://www.createspace.com/ (owned by amazon) and still make about $50/month from that little book i wrote summarizing my views on the housing market:
http://www.amazon.com/Housing-Trap-Buyers-Captured-Yourself/dp/1479156213/?tag=patricknet-20
also, you get good feedback that way to improve the writing.
to really make money, you'll need an agent, a big name publisher, a publicity tour, etc, but createspace seems like a good way to get started if you're serious. agents and publishers are more likely to pick up a book which has shown some traction in the self-publishing market.
Hey Robber Scum....I have an idea.
Start an online service that guides car buyers while negotiating in real time.
Call it....Screw the car dealer at his own game.
If the car dealer knows a scum used car salesman like you is there to guide buyers, they will cut to the chase and go for the bottom line.
Some more observations from my experience...
If you don't get the customer to test drive, you get berated by the manager. If you don't get a credit card held hostage, you get shit from the manager. If you let the customer leave with your business card without telling manager coming to hold them hostage in the dealership, you get berated as well.
"We don't want to hear that the guy is a tirekicker or not buying, nobody walks into a dealership just for the heck of it." - Actually tons of people walk into a dealership just so they can drive the cars. One customer even told me he used to go into dealerships with just the intention of being able to ride the cars.
What the dealership doesn't realize is that people have their own free will. If someone defiantly doesn't want to do something, has made up their mind, finalized it in their head and has no intention of doing what you are asking - than no amount of your convincing will get them to do anything. You can't force people to do something, they have to want it as well.
Of course, you still need to be a salesman - but at a certian point no amount convincing can achieve what you want someone to do. By force? Sure!
If the customer refuses to give up their information, you get yelled at by the manager. So the next time you shop for a car, understand that the salesmen are under a lot of pressure so just give them information even if it is bogus and just do the fucking test drive. You don't have to give real information.
Of course, don't give your credit card - the salesman get shit for it but not as much as they other things. They try everyhing in their power not to give you the card back and try to get you to leave a deposit on the car to reserve the car even if the customers wants to think about it.
If you only give the numbers to the customer, you will also get shit for it despite the fact that the customers said no several times to a test drive, demonstration and giving out their information.
Another thing I learned is that the summer months are the busiest while the winter & fall months are the slowest except during the holidays. So a commission only pay is completely absurd. Once septemeber and october comes around, business gets really slow.
I don't understand how the assholes at the dealership's management think commission only is fair to salesmen and customers' interest.
Truth is that the typical high pressure car business is doomed and ready to die once Apple comes out with their cars. I strongly doubt Apple will pay a commission. Instead the will pay a salary only just like Tesla Motors and be more like information givers and consumer orienited rather than trying to forcefully get sales from customers.
I would suprised if they would pressure customers into buying, lie, withhold pricing, give different numbers to each person and hassle the customers.
The car business is already dieing thanks to Tesla Motors but the final nail in the coffin will be once Apple comes out with their car. You will find the Apple stores to be the busiest and the dealerships will literally die a rapid epic death.
did you meet the owner? if not, he was likely taking his ferrari from his mansion down to his yacht.
This is the owner: John Staluppi
http://johnstaluppi.com/index.html
He is in the yacht business as well. He isn't self-made: his dad gave him all the equity in the house so he could go and start a business. His philanthropy is bullshit and mainly for tax benefits along with publicity.
I actually lost one sale when I told a customer that our dealership is owned by the New York Auto Giant and that owner of it is John Staluppi. The customer was a retired police officer and said that your owner is a scumbag and I am actually in the middle of a lawsuit with the New York Auto Giant.
He told me that I'm a nice guy and it's not you but its your dealership.
After the customer left, I was yelled at by management.
Hey... It's not my fault your owner is a scumbag. I actually also went to a car show in Oyster Bay, NY for the dealership. I had to take a Prius and advertise it to the foot traffic. I had a New York Auto Giant banner up and one guy with his wife actually told me "Sorry but we don't buy from John Staluppi."
The owner of the dealership himself is a crook from what I can see.
The owner has a huge yacht himself.
The owner of the dealership himself is a crook from what I can see.
All car dealers are crooks. It makes no difference which crook you buy from.
All car dealers are crooks. It makes no difference which crook you buy from.
Took the words out of my mouth!
+1
Please be sincere and truthful we are not kid, this is about
the most obvious and potentially dangerous scam to hit PatNet. The phone number is in Nigeria, and instead of merely asking for your bank account information they're asking for vital organs.
@Patrick, might there be some way to have a junk/scam link so that trusted users could delete obvious junk? There used to be something like that for threads.
might there be some way to have a junk/scam link so that trusted users could delete obvious junk? There used to be something like that for threads.
yes, good idea. i've got the thread spam mostly eliminated, so time to do the same for comments.
Doing the car sales thing again.
Chevrolet and Buick Dealership,
I am scum
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Got hired by a big new and used dealership. I only applied with the intention of learning how to get deals on cars and learn how they fuck you so I don't get ripped off.
So far 3 days of training. Total hours in the training: 24 hours.
Here is what I learned:
The job of the salesman is to avoid talking about price and not bring it up. The salesman is supposed to go over all the features you are getting on the car with the different packages.
The salesman should sneakily get the customer do a test drive without mentioning it directly... They are supposed to lure the customer into a test drive indirectly.
During a trade-in, you must mention to the customer all the flaws on their car if they fuss or disagree with the figure you will pay them.
"Cmon, with that scratch, dent on the rear bumper, cigarette buds, balding tires and that unpopular color, do you honestly think your vehicles is worth what you just said it is?"
If they mention Kelly blue books, Edmunds or any other reputable appraiser - you are supposed to say this "Would Kelly blue books buy your vehicle for that much or anyone else? If so, than please sell it for that figure and than come back to the dealership with that money for your new purchase. But if you are unable to sell it for that figure, than you can always come back with our offer. I am confident you will be back as we are the biggest dealership and we didn't get that way by short-changing our customers."
When you are doing either a trade-in or financing.... NEVER is the salesman to ask the customer how much they can put down and their monthly payment. Nor is the salesman EVER supposed to ask the customer how much they are looking to get for their car.
You are supposed to start with for example a $10,000 down payment on $20K car and with around you can say a $300/month payment. You are supposed to tell the customer these are the numbers you were able to work up with the sales manager.
Around 10-20% of people will accept these numbers and close a deal with them. If they (the 90-80%), fuss about it....
This is what you are supposed to say... "I'm sorry. Let me apologize to you. This is a financing program I do for my regular customers because it is better for most of my customers. You start with more equity from day 1 with the car, your financing term is much shorter, your payments are lower, your interest is very little and you are exposed much less to leverage. It is simply better for you. But the goods news is that it's not a requirement nor is it for everybody."
"What are you able to put down?...9k? 8K? 7K? What are you able to go up to?"
Customer offers...
"That's the best you can do? Because you may have to offer $6500... you just may have too"
The truth is the dealership will take no money down if really pressed by a customer.
But they much rather just have you give them a large down payment because they make more that way through the financing lenders they work with and they also would prefer to have their money faster.
No money down terms are just more riskier of default and the financing lenders do not offer as high of a backend kickback to the dealership.
Another thing: When a customer asks to talk numbers... You are supposed to say... "Well before I get to the numbers let me just check to see if the car is still available..."
That's a lie to instill scarcity. And than once back... "Goods news... the car you want is in stock and I also brought the numbers you asked for..."
During test drives, you are supposed to shut the fuck up and let the car drive do the selling.
Once done with the test drive, you say...
"So that V6 was very smooth and powerful, wasn't it?"
"That leather was very comfortable, wasn't it?"
"That sports package gave the car extreme handling, didn't it?"
Than you go inside and say...
"So you will do it with the leather, right?
"You will do it with the V6... right?"
"You will do it with the sports package... right?"
And than finally you have to say... Would like any coffee or anything cold to drink while I get the papers to wrap this up?
If they object to closing the deal... They make you divert them from the price and talk about the features... "Building value..."
You are not supposed to focus on the price for negotiation. But rather on the "value"... But that is a fallacy in my opinion because "value" is completely dependent on the price. It's basically just being devious, clever and putting high pressure on the customer.
Consumer advocate salesman make around $70,000 a year. While profit-driven salesman regardless of the consumer satisfaction, makes $200,000 a year with the same number of sales.
Regarding the total price... You are never supposed to go down more than $2500-$3000. The sticker price or MSRP is supposed to be called the "market value" by salesman.... Selling price the discounted price.
The warranties are dog shit. Do not buy them.
If you are doing financing, get your own financing! Tell them you are paying cash and than once the papers are signed show them your financing. Do not ever tell them the timeframe you will buy!
Tell them you will only buy if the price is right... and be aggressive!
Aggressive customers in my dealership are eventually cut the slack on all the games and given the numbers and more easily and quickly negotiated on the price.
In my dealership, a credit card is necessary to secure a commitment to buying the car. They do not run the credit card they say to the customer but they ask for it to prove to them that you are serious in the deal.
They tell you, we can only do the deal with current numbers if you are able to commit now with your credit card because we can't offer these kind of deals all the time. If they refuse, tell them I can maybe add-in an extra option - the sports package if you let me talk to my sales manager...
in most cases, they add some of it's features partially.
Some other things:
-Never tell a customer they are upside down on their current trade-in car's financing term. Even though they are and it makes no sense to trade-it-in for a newer car with another financing deal. In other words, don't mention what is good for the customer or because they might get very offended.
-Never ask about credit score or reports
-Talk to the wife and the kids... Get the man pressured by the wife and kids.
My dealership is all about hard selling...