You catch more flies with Honey than Vinegar
Last July I walked into a dealership to buy a hybrid. I was assigned a salesman and after some friendly banter he got down to business and we started to look at trailers.
After we discussed my needs and started to talk price he politely asked for my contact info, which I gave in full. Why? I wanted him to take me seriously and give me his best price. I am a very hard negotiator but I also know that when I turned down his offer, he would have to go to his sales manager, who would not have taken me seriously if I refused to give information.
We worked together for a while and I eventually decided against the trailer he had. I bought a travel trailer elsewhere and wrote him a nice email thanking him for his time and explaining what I bought and for how much.
Whatever you think of salespeople, they are human and you need to turn that to your advantage. While there are many sharks, I generally show them all the same respect I show everyone.
My approach is to sell the salesperson on the possibility of a sale. Your first reaction might be to say "I'm the customer, they should do what I ask!". I find that approach a bit shortsighted.
If I have done my job properly, the salesperson will "buy in" to the opportunity I represent and fully vest in trying to close a deal. The more he believes in it, the harder he will work. Not only that, they are really unprepared when I play hardball at closing.
Conversely, if he does not believe in it, he will start to look for reasons to disqualify you and move on. You do not lose any negotiating advantage this way because in the end, you can choose not to buy.
I have seen very competent sales people instantly disqualify a customer and move on to another based on their bull**** detector. You know what? I don't blame them.
All that being said, this approach does not work for everyone. You have to be very comfortable telling someone "no thank you" in no uncertain terms. I have no problem replying to a solicitation email or pitch with a firm no.
I will close with this anecdote:
I was looking for a very particular car that only one dealer had. I walked in and let the salesperson 'sell me' on all the virtues of the vehicle, which I already knew inside and out. I patiently listened to her pitch and made sure to respond like an immediate buyer.
When we sat down I gave her all the information she asked for so she knew I was able to buy then and there. Finally, having done my homework, I made her an offer of 5% below dealer invoice. My wife worked for a car manufacturer so I know what they really pay and need to make, among other factors.
She said she could not accept but would ask her manager. She claimed she needed a deposit to do this. I pulled out my credit card and gave her a $1,000. She thought that once she had my money, I was 90% closed. What she didn't realize, was that she just got closed.
After preparing the paper work she got ready to go see the manager but I sat her down and politely said:
"I want you to understand that I am ready to sign for this car but have no patience for the back and forth. Come back with the keys or a refund"
She smiled and left. She kept me waiting for 20 minutes, surely having a coffee with the manager in the back remarking on the easy sale. She finally came back and started this whole explanation and that's when I played my hand. I said:
"Please stop, I am not interested in all the reasons for which you can't sell me the car for the price I offered. It is also very clear you didn't listen to me, so let me reiterate, I told you to come back with the refund or the keys and you have done neither. Now go get my refund because I wasted enough time here."
The look on her face was priceless, she thought I was truly crazy. My wife died of embarrassment and later accused me of being an ******* after the lady was so nice. The lady goes to see her manager and after 5 minutes he returned with the keys.
Moral of the story, play their game, reel them in, then do something unexpected.
