Car salespeople have a terrible reputation. No one seems to like them. And maybe that’s not fair. After all, think about this: car salespeople aren’t all that much different from you and me. They have families that they need to support. They have to make a living. And the way they do that is by selling cars to people like you and me.
Are Car Salesmen a Dying Breed?
Increasingly, people are buying cars without the assistance of the car salesperson. Many dealerships are foregoing salespersons entirely in favor of “greeters” like the ones you encounter at Wal-Mart. That’s because dealers don’t make money any more on new cars. You see the ads for ten thousand dollars off, or employee pricing. New cars more often go at the sticker price, and the real money is made on the used car lot, where you might actually find a highly-stressed salesperson.
So who’s left to hate? Take heart. There’s still a salesman or two that can invite your invective. And if you’re wondering why people hate car salesmen, here’s why.
He Pretends to be Your Friend
A car salesman will greet you enthusiastically, take you out for coffee, talk with you about your favorite sports and ask you to go to his kid’s dance recital. Here’s the thing – he doesn’t really want to socialize with you. All he cares about is selling you a car, and if you don’t buy, you’re nobody.
He Doesn’t Care if You Get a Good Deal
He’ll tell you that he’s going to go to bat for you with a financing company. Of course he will – if they finance the car, he sells it. Much of the time, though, you can do just as well arranging your own financing.
He’ll Try to Sell You a Service Contract that You Don’t Need
With service contracts, most of the time you won’t get back what you pay in. Read the fine print.
Avoiding Problems with Salesmen
The best way to avoid having trouble with car salespersons is to avoid them in the first place. They’re not your friend, they don’t care about your well-being or your satisfaction, and they will never help you if you have a problem with a vehicle that you’ve purchased from them because their focus is on getting to the next buyer.
You can bypass problems with car salespeople by avoiding the dealership altogether. There are plenty of other avenues available to vehicle purchasers, like online auctions. You can work with a proxy bidder who can get you a great deal at an online auction, and you’ll never have to deal with a salesperson who may not have your best interests at heart.
Explore our Vehicle Auctions, as well as finding more information about How These Auctions Work.
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