I walked in to a Honda dealer in jeans and a tee shirt to buy an Accord for my wife, cash money. They told me they couldn't honor the USAA deal that's guaranteed on their website (they have a special agreement for a no hassle price) and said it would be $1,700 more. I put my checkbook back in the pocket and walked out. Should have seen the look on their faces.
It's one thing seeing it on the website, but something that really bugs me is when a discount is listed nowhere, and they just offer it out of the blue in the beginning of the conversation with no prompt whatsoever.
That's not a good sales tactic; it's a rookie move.
Sure, I'd like to pay less money, but if I've got a check for $45,000 written in my head already, what was the point of immediately offering me the product for $38,000? Of course I'll take the deal, but I would have taken the other deal, and you didn't hang in long enough to see if that was the case. It only takes a few sentences to determine whether it's a solid choice of action.
It shows me there's not enough supervision, and that management is ineffective. The sales team just doesn't care about the dealership, in that case; and that says a lot about the rest of the dealership, as well. The dealer I'm speaking with now offered me the price they had on their website; which is perfectly fine, and there are a few more incentives. That's different.
I'm talking about when a five to ten grand discount is the opening salvo. How long has that thing been on the lot?
If these buggers were actually good salesmen, I'd say the industry wasn't tired; but it's so rare to find someone that tries... Something's got to change.
I think Elon is right about how cars need to be sold, at this point.
Cheers,
Kennith