Used car salesman personified
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I've been car shopping for the last few weeks.
Which is rather novel considering it's been nearly a decade since I last owned a car.
Yup, I just looked it up and I sold my raspberry blue Dodge Neon at the end of 2011 🤯
In the last 10 years, I've lived abroad, traveled like a digital nomad, and hunkered down in cities with great public transportation or an abundance of car-sharing programs.
I hadn't really needed a car.
But now, I want more freedom to get up and go where I want, when I want.
I guess that's the freelance life right?!
So, my partner and I have been scouring dealer websites, car reviews, and Craigslists ads to find the perfect fit.
And we found it!!
A used Toyota Prius from a local dealer in a lovely pearly white that can trek out to hiking spots, cruise around grid-locked cities, and quietly hum along on cross-country road trips.
✨ hello, dream car
But in the process of trying to actually buy the car, we had the most aggressively stereotypical experience with a used car salesman.
It actually wasn't too far off from this scene from The Office *cringe*
In fact, the whole exchange we had with the sales manager so perfectly encapsulates what I think is WRONG with typical sales strategies that I had to share it with you.
Here's what went down:
We rocked up to the local Toyota dealership on a Saturday evening after checking out a car at another lot that we didn't love.
We were greeted by a lovely gent named Leo (don't worry, he's a hero in this story) who showed us the dream car we had researched online earlier that day.
We went for a COVID-approved test drive and fell in love with the car. I was already brainstorming names because I'm *that* person.
In other words, we were ready to buy.
... but we weren't interested in financing — we have a no-debt policy in our household — which meant we would need to wait for the banks to open on Monday morning, so we could go pick up a cashier's check.
Leo was totally cool with all of this. In fact, he was a real sport answering all our questions about the total cost including taxes and fees, who to have the cashier's check made out to, etc.
All questions which indicate a high intent to purchase btw
We gathered that Leo was a bit new to the job, because he needed to politely excuse himself to go ask a manager for the answers to our questions. No biggie, since it gave us a chance to figure out the best time to come back on Monday.
But after the third question, his manager followed him back.
Prepare to cringe, 🤦♀️
This manager never introduced himself, so we'll call him "BRO" — as a not-so-subtle nod to the bro marketers who employ the same smarmy sales tactics this guy used.
His tone and body language was so different from Leo.
Where Leo was soft spoken and agreeable, BRO was thundering and staccato. Where Leo's body language was relaxed and open, BRO looked like he was preparing for a fight: chest puffed out, tense muscles, clenched jaw, and an intense gaze that felt like he was looking right through you.
It probably didn't help much that BRO is built like a linebacker and loomed over us all.
The first thing BRO said when we walked over:
"You have to put down a deposit in case the check doesn't clear."
→ This was such an immediate tone difference that I think Alex, Leo and I all just paused for a moment. Silence hung in the air for something like 6 solid seconds while we all adjusted to this new type of conversation:
Us: "Oh, it's not a personal check. We're getting a cashier's check on Monday."
BRO: "No, we need a deposit in order to accept any check."
Us: "Really? Even though the funds are certified?"
BRO: "Oh, well, we need a deposit to hold the car. We can’t just hold it for free. This is a business. We need to make money."
→ Ah, so this deposit isn't about us at all. It's only serving the business, got it.
Us: "Oh hey, we both run businesses too, so we get it. We'd prefer to pay all at once with the cashier's check on Monday, so if you find someone who wants to buy the car during the next 24 hours, you should totally sell it."
→ We weren't really worried about someone swooping since they were closing in an hour, would be closed on Sunday, and we'd be coming back in on Monday.
BRO: "You should really be putting down a deposit. You could lose this car."
Us: "That's okay, we’re not worried about that since we're coming back on Monday. Honestly, if you have someone who wants to buy it before we come back in then you should sell it to them."
BRO: "Why don’t you sign some paperwork, so we know that you’re coming back."
→ We've now explained 3x that we want to close this deal on Monday. Now, it feels like BRO is just using different tactics to subvert our decision, and close it today — which serves the business, but not us.
Us: "Seriously, we will be back on Monday. Everything is closed tomorrow, including you, so it’s not like we’ll buy something somewhere else in the meantime."
BRO: "You have to see it from our perspective, a lot of people say they’ll come back and then they don’t."
→ He's officially told us that he doesn't trust us. And yet, we are supposed to trust him?
BRO: "What needs to happen for us to get your business tonight? Is there anything we can do, like a crazy price or anything like that?"
→ Now, he's verbalized the feeling we've had all along. This conversation isn't about building a relationship, developing trust, or addressing our needs. It's about this business closing the sale right now.
Us: "Basically, no."
→ We weren't interested in haggling. We were interested in paying with a cashier's check as we had stated multiple times, which wasn't possible until banks reopened on Monday. But BRO wasn't listening to what we wanted or needed.
BRO: " BaSiCaLly no or NO?"
→ I wish I could exude the passive aggressive, condescending tone that he used. While before he was certainly aggressive, now BRO's tone had become patronizing as well. Clearly, our polite objections and explantations were not being taken at face value. We would need to be more firm.
Us: "No, we don’t do business that way. We will buy the car on Monday."
BRO: "You sure there’s nothing we can do to get your business tonight? "
Us: "We're sure. Have a great night."
As we walked out of the dealership, Leo apologized to us. Even he knew those tactics make people feel uncomfortable.
Yet, on our way to the car, a few salespeople waiting for customers shouted out to us:
Sales: "Oh you’re leaving without it?"
Us: "Oh, we’re coming back on Monday to buy it."
Sales: "Ah, why are you waiting?"
Us: "Banks are closed, we only buy in cash."
At this point, we're about 30 feet away, literally getting into our rented car — and they began *shouting* the benefits of buying now, using financing instead of cash and why we shouldn’t wait to buy on Monday.
Just thinking about this experience gives me cringe shivers
I like to take my time to process experiences and emotions before I make decisions.
But by the time we arrived home, I had decided I was not comfortable giving this company my business.
I didn't feel they had my best interests at heart.
I didn't believe that I could trust them with a purchase that was important to me.
I didn't feel confident that I would be treated with respect.
And my partner agreed.
So, we didn't buy our dream car.
And that company lost out on gaining a new customer because they:
Prioritized profits over people
Employed extreme scarcity tactics
Made fear-based bids
Used manipulative compliance techniques
Invalidated relevant objections
Focused on closing over connection
And while it's easy to poke fun at the stereotype personified, these sales tactics are more pervasive than we might think, albeit in a more nuanced presentation.
The truth is that predatory persuasion techniques and unethical sales tactics trickle down, which is how well-meaning freelancers and conscious creatives can end up using using fear, shame and manipulation in their sales without even realizing it.
Because when you feel like you suck at sales calls, why wouldn't you choose to follow someone else's sales script rather than risk the possibility of totally embarrassing yourself?
Or when you're tired of getting ghosted on proposals, it feels right to join the ranks of successful business owners using a proposal playbook rather than wasting more time on an approach that isn't working.
It seems like everyone and their copywriter is using the same persuasion techniques.
And when your goal is to level up to the big players’ table, how are you supposed to know to question the tactics of the people who are already seated there?
Which is why these sales tactics are not exclusive to bro marketers or sleazy sales stereotypes. They are so normalized as the 'industry standard' that it seems like something you *should* be doing if you want to be successful.
A script to follow. A playbook to use. A roadmap to take you where you want to go.
And while there is a wonderful new wave of courses, content and coaching focused on ethical marketing, I don't see the same unfolding around sales.
So, I created a sales mentorship program last year. And after seeing the amazing results of my beta members, I'm bringing it back in an all new fashion this year.
Sustainable Sales Accelerator is a 6-month program designed to develop your own ethical sales system to consistently convert your prospects into profitable paid projects with conversion conversations.
Because when you have a sales system that is aligned with your values, you can stop swiping sales scripts, downloading playbooks, and emulating other peoples' tactics.
And since you're reading this archive, I'm guessing you care about building intentional relationships with your clients based on ethical persuasion principles and sustainable sales strategies — which is precisely who I designed Sustainable Sales Accelerator for.
Best,
Bree
PS: This all happened nearly a month ago and that car is still sitting on the lot...
PPS: What's the worst sales experience you've ever had? I read all the comments.
