Any salesman knows that selling used cars isnt as profitable as it used to be. In the past you could drop out of high school and easily be making $100,000 a year, as long as you had a little personality and could get around moral roadblocks. I once heard a joke about used car salesmen. A parrot is flying around and lands on a rich looking guy.



The parrot inquires of the man, What is your IQ? The man answers, 170. The parrot wants to know, How many trials have you won this month? He flies away and finds someone who looks even wealthier. He lands on the shoulder of a woman dripping with diamonds and designer clothes. The parrot asks her, Whats your IQ? She answers, 180.

The parrot wants to know, How many operations have you done this month? The parrot flies off to find someone even wealthier. He spots a man in an expensive Italian suit, surrounded by bodyguards, next to his fancy sports car. Whats your IQ, rich guy? The parrot asks him. The man grins and answers, 80. The parrot has one question for the man: How many cars have you sold this month? Today, however, its rare to meet a salesperson making over $50,000 a year.

Even honest dealers are hurting the unscrupulous salespeople by allowing customers to purchase vehicles and do everything at once from their computer and over the phone. Dealers like Used Cars in Oklahoma are making it harder for high-grossing salespeople to earn their living. The Car Salespersonas Greatest Asset It is ironic, but in this age of information where consumers have access to just about everything that the car salesperson knows, there is still one major flaw that can be exploited. There is TOO much information out there! Everything has a spin. A salesperson who really wants to make money will find those websites that help them overcome the intelligent Internet shopperas objections.

These are ways you can deal with an online consumer who knows too much: 1) Look up the trade-in value of their old car on the trade evaluation sites. Find the lowest one and be prepared to show them the quote. 2) If they insist that your asking price is too high, look up the value of your car on the evaluation sites but this time print out the highest price and show it to them. 3) Send out a lot of emails. People love email from a car salesman, and theyre especially appreciative if you call to let them know you emailed.

4) If they search the cars history and dig up negative information, be ready with articles detailing the inaccuracies of vehicle history reports. 5) If the vehicle history report comes up clean but the customer doesnt believe it, assure him that Carfax guarantees accuracy. 6) If they complain that the cars Internet price is lower than the price you quoted them, blame it on hackers on the system. If they persist then its best to avoid the topic or steer them toward another car. 7) Ask someone to make a website with negative rumors about the competition, and refer customers to that site if they are thinking of visiting or already have visited the competing dealer.

8) Post on forums and blogs that aCompetitor Aa does something really bad. People will believe anything they read on the internet, so if you post (using a fake name) that Competitor A is a known drug dealer and that Competitor B helps to fund terrorism, people will stop going to them. 9) Find a free auto classified site and make up an account. Post a fictional car similar to one of yours but priced much higher. Print it out and show it to your customers. 10) If there is anything not covered here that is Internet related, tell the customers that there is a virus going around.

The battle isnt over yet, unscrupulous used car salesmen of the world. You can fight back with these tactics and continue to reap profits, even in the age of the Internet. If youre an honest salesperson or an outraged consumer reading this, please ignore what youve just read. Its only meant for entertainment purposes.