Wouldn’t you like it if a customer just sent you a calculator and said “Hey can you do this on this car?”
Of course, but I have never, not once, had that work years ago when I was hacking deals for myself.
LH calc appears, the dealer disappears
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I’d also add that one of the most disappointing business classes was Negotiations. Because “Getting to Yes” focused entirely on what to negotiate but mostly ignored how you did it.
As already mentioned, DBAA (don’t be an asshole). Don’t be too smart. Be literally anything else. Be a likable doofus like Kramer from Seinfeld. Be a self-deprecating type like Tyler from Hoovies Garage. Be down on your luck and they’d really be helping you out. Many right ways to do it and a couple wrong ways.
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Good advice.
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I guess this site’s reputation for being a CSI killer is real 
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I’ve had a screenshot of my own excel work before. Or email with the 7-8 variable line items typed out.
IMO it will work 1 out of N times (the more aggressive you are, the higher N will be).
And ofc timing matters. Model year changeover, end of a fiscal reporting period, etc.
And targeting matters. There are makes and models that just don’t have much space between sticker and a dealer’s bottom line. There’s no way to really compress the depreciation portion of cars like that.
I think the OP needs to couple his psychology insights with something resembling a slickdeals mentality. Is it on sale (discount and high RV compressing the depreciation)? How many coupons can I stack?
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Imo, if youre asking the dealer to make very little money on a deal, the only value you offer is being the absolute easiest, quickest, hassle free deal they have ever had. To me, that means no beating around the bush, no back and forth, no games, etc. “Heres the number i need for me to close right now”
The more you play the games of tip toeing around what you want, the more you remove your only value.
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This THIS 100x THIS. Please do this
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Listen, pal, these are rare farts you got here in this car. We sell every one that we can get before we can even change the air freshener.
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Problem with that approach is some dealers think it’s worth a squeeze (or five squeezes) to try and get the buyer to come up a bit.
At least here in NorCal, many dealerships won’t provide feedback to an offer unless the buyer steps into a showroom. And of course once you’re in the showroom they do their protracted script and dance routine trying to maximize the price.
You can easily waste 3 hours to ultimately transact at the original offer value. But the dealership won’t transact at that value up front… they need to waste the 3 hours to make sure they didn’t leave anything on the table.
If a dealer wants to play games like that, I just move on to the next.
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I’m sorry but that is tremendous waste of time.
Here is the number sign here here here and here
get off my desk in less than 15 minutes and spend as much time as you want with our delivery coordinator. Ive got other cars to sell
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Yeah the dealerships with a presence on LH work like what you’re saying, but they’re definitely the minority. It’s easy to say “move on” but it’s not that easy in practice.
Most have learned to basically collude to prevent someone from just “moving on to the next” to cut a deal.
In 2019 we targeted a XC60 inscription because at the time it seemed to be the right car. Hit up 4 Volvo dealerships and none would provide an online quote. Went in to the showroom to offer on a made in China lot anchor off their hands. Needed 3 hours to transact at my original offer purchase amount.
When I wanted a ICE 7 passenger (non Volvo this time) the dealers near me were firm on ADM. and the more distant CA dealers without ADM wouldn’t even entertain talking to me since I wasn’t local.
Then when I was looking for a EV BMW last year, only one norcal dealership would even negotiate off the national offer. I wouldn’t even be in a EV Mercedes if not for a LH dealer.
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This^^^
Where do you come up with the number?
- My friend/neighbor/uncle etc. anything but internet
it’s worthwhile to have a lease calculator spreadsheet on a laptop to plug in numbers when negotiating. That way you can riff through possibilities real time without putting up the LH calculator.
I came to thinking about Cialdini when I read through the whole “Wording Emails for the Deal” thread and saw a lot of different points of view (most brokers suggest a “keep it direct and simple” approach) but I expect a low initial response rate if I do this down here in Florida and others seem to concur. Last time I used a broker I’m going DIY this time.
Here’s how I’m thinking about it:
Option 1:
Me: Hey Mr. Sales Manager, I’m interested in your 2023 EQE SUV 350+ loaner, stock number M3457. I’m ready to come in tomorrow and sign if we can do the deal at 20% off MSRP, on a 24/10k lease. I have Amex, so including rebates, we can get to $472/month pre-tax ,with only the first month’s payment and standard fees up front.
Dealer: this idiot expects a $472/month lease on an EQE. Ignore.
Option 2:
Me: Hey Mr. Sales Manager, can you confirm that the 2023 EQE SUV 350+ stock number M3457 is a loaner and is leasable with the subvented new vehicle lease and standard incentives?
Dealer: Yes, would you like to come into the dealership and see it?
Me: I’m traveling right now but able to take delivery this weekend if you’ll do it at a 20% off (pre-incentive), buy rate on 24-month/10k lease, and I have Amex for the $2500 fleet discount and we can work through the lease spreadsheet in advance.
Dealer: Let me check with the finance manager… [still is a yes or no, timing is a factor, etc. but at least I got past the first stage of him perceiving the deal as ridiculous to something that may be doable]
Not sure if this applies as much to EQEs and EQSs since everyone knows about the leaseability with the EV rebates and Amex/Penfed/FoundersCard.
But there are other vehicles where, with the right stack of incentives and picking the right program for trim, lease term, etc., may seem unworkable for the sales manager until they actually run the numbers, so better to keep them on the hook for a bit to give them a chance to say “no”, no?
Another Cialdini principle. People like to do business with people they like (of course). But it goes beyond that. People will also respond to people that they think are “one of them” and even more likely to do business with people who wear similar clothes, have similar eyeglasses, have similar accents, etc. etc. [This really only works with face-to-face interactions].
But my favorite Cialdini principle is that of reciprocity: doing a very small favor for someone puts them subconsciously in debt to you… forever… even if they’ve “repaid” it, they still want to keep helping you out. Not sure how I would use this on the buyer side of a vehicle purchase, but salespeople use this tactic a lot even if they don’t know it.
Yeah that’s also known as the Buddhist monk scam ….
Anyway this is quickly devolving into an overthinking exercise. Whatever insights you got from that book might be useful in person but it’s not scalable. I actually don’t see how it applies to your hypothetical EQE negotiation either.
The most important principle any car negotiation strategy needs to adopt is scalability
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Honestly, I don’t see any way that option 1 vs 2 makes any difference in an email, just because you typed a more favorable outcome, doesn’t mean it will happen.
Also, SM’s don’t need to check with FM’s to see if they can do a deal.
For the record, I’m not replying constantly here to be a dick, I’m trying to help you.
The best way to actually do this is to diffuse ahead of time and have them ask you for your ridiculous offer. Simply say, “Hey, thanks for confirming availability and that it is lease-able, I’d like to make an offer on this but I’m worried it might be a little ridiculous given that I’m not sure how aggressively you can price this given it’s a former loaner.”
Now, they can either not reply, or ask you for your offer, in which case, they cannot be mad about it, because they asked for it.
A truly skilled negotiator can make the other person present your deal as if it is their own
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