I wasn't planning to. It was late, I hadn't ate anything at all, and I definitely wasn't in the mood to hear any sales pitch. However, since my wife is traveling and I had nobody waiting for me at home, I decided to make a quick stop at dealership just to have a glance on the new 2007 models.
Like most men, I love cars and I hate dealers. So, I silently entered the dealership premises, inconspicuously walked to the exposed cars, and was undoubtedly interrupted by a grinning salesman. Like fish caught in the hook, I resolutely tried to break free, but it was already too late. The more I squirmed the more I entangled myself. When I finally realized it wasn't possible to escape (at least not without seeming a bit crazy), I grinned back and lied that was considering to trade my car.
Almost 3 hours later, still without food and with no customers but me in the store, I was still happily chatting with the salesman (and his manager) about life, travels, work and, of course, cars. By then I had already done a couple of test drives, filled out an application to calculate loan and lease rates, appraised my old car, and considered several scenarios in which I explain the sudden purchase to my wife.
I had my credit card in one hand and a pen in the other when I stopped myself to think that I didn't want to buy any car in the first place. I excused myself, explained that my wife was traveling and I would rather not make that kind of decision without even talking to her first, and that I would give some more thought to it and get back to them.
Usually that would be the beginning of a enticing speech about the uniqueness of the car and how it might not be available for long, but they didn't even budge. They expressed their solidarity to my feelings and the salesman promised to keep the car for a few days, so I could talk to my wife. He got my email and gave me his card. We were the last ones to leave the store.
I got back home thinking about what I experienced. Realizing my initial weird reaction, the guy quickly dispose of the sales role and acted more like a friend showing off his new car. He understood my curiosity and fed it with even more information than I hoped for. He led me with the right actions and attitude to a point where I was really considering the inconsiderable. For a minute there, I was ready to buy…
Luckily, I was able to resist the temptation and buy some time to think about what I’ve almost done!
Now, if you excuse me, I have to end this story and call my wife. I must talk to her before coming back to dealership tonight…
Haha, what an experience. So are you still open to buying a car? Don't stick to just one dealer. Try asking many. Then pick what is best for you. It may take a while, but it will be worth it.
Posted by: Jolandi Kerstetter | October 21, 2011 at 12:40 PM