getting car quotes via email negotiation
- Thread starter Joe1
- Start date
You can shake your head all you want, I am genuinely reflecting on my experiences from as a consumer that has purchased a lot of vehicles and as a professional in the car business that has sold a lot more vehicles and became one of the most top people representing my brand on earth.
Too many people just want to bash the car business and people within it without making any effort to look at the reality of what THEY do which often times serves to hinder whatever it is they are seeking to accomplish, that is if they even have any idea of what they are seeking to accomplish in the process with the end of acquiring a vehicle. Coddling an anonymous car shopper on a web forum with talk of how the boogeyman zeitgeist of the car business is out to take advantage of them somehow, some way never benefits anyone in my experience on either side.
+1
This is a fact. Most dealers will give you a verbal quote over the phone, but very few will give you a quote in writing by e-mail. This is "Car Sales 101" at most dealers. Many/Most of the things that dealers do are driven by what the customers do.
I have no problem with a salesman asking me questions. I will answer them as best as I can.
I expect the same from them.
I always make it clear where I am in the buying process.
One of the few questions I don't like is, "What number will earn your business today?"
But it's OK; I understand they are just trying to do their job.
Written quotes are nice but not necessary. I just keep a spreadsheet and keep everyone in the loop.
That puts the ball back in their court.
I had a very easy purchase at EchoPark, which is nationwide. They don't mess around and fit what you're looking for. You will need to use their lender, however they matched the rate I brought them.
I played that game one time. He goes, "what can I do to make this sale happen today?" I stupidly said, "knock $1,000 off the price." He smiles and goes, "if we can make that happen, you'd buy?" I go, "yeah."
I bought it.
Dude was similar to my age and pretty cool/laid back so I ask him, "I could have gotten more off the car, couldn't I have?" He smiled and basically was like, yeah, we could have come down a little more to get the sale. I said, "touche' good sir, touche'."
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- Dec 30, 2006
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Has anyone ever noticed the chat window on dealership websites? It’s always this HOT chick who looks like a model. Who’s willing to bet “she” doesn’t work there
Sometimes she does indeed work directly for the dealerships. But yes-sometimes it's a contracted call center.Has anyone ever noticed the chat window on dealership websites? It’s always this HOT chick who looks like a model. Who’s willing to bet “she” doesn’t work there
Of the dozen or so emails I've sent to dealers, I've never once had them answer any question I asked. Never. Any question. At all.
It's basically resulted in me banning every dealer I've ever emailed.
I wonder if that's what their intention was?
It's basically resulted in me banning every dealer I've ever emailed.
I wonder if that's what their intention was?
Of the dozen or so emails I've sent to dealers, I've never once had them answer any question I asked. Never. Any question. At all.
It's basically resulted in me banning every dealer I've ever emailed.
I wonder if that's what their intention was?
FWIW at this point I would not be surprised if many dealerships are in revolt to the E-Price revolution as it were (for lack of a better way of putting it right off hand). If a customer is not willing to make the effort to come to their dealership they are not willing to make the effort to communicate with said customer. Frankly I am aware of many dealerships that do quite well taking walk-ins ("ups" in business speak) because they likely have more than enough to work with. The way I see it, if a dealership is not responding they don't immediately need your business which is not to suggest that they do not want it but rather that they want you to come into the dealership to work out a mutual agreement that is intrinsic to every business deal.
To be perfectly honest communicating with a dealership without showing up in person allows them to collect information on you and their potential customer base at large. Even if you never show up there is meta data that you provide to them that they can use for analytics, that data is quite valuable in the grand scheme of things believe it or not. When I was in the business I was happy to collect as much of that data as potential customers were willing to send me so I could retain it in a database for future potential usage. It is nothing nefarious, no Edward Snowden is going to be a whistle blower against this practice as the customer is the one volunteering this data with willful consent, but like I said it can be put to use for business purposes in some way.
My throwaway email account is spammed with emails from dealers that wouldn't provide pricing via email.
Reminds me who not to contact the next time around.
My throwaway email account is spammed with emails from dealers that wouldn't provide pricing via email.
Reminds me who not to contact the next time around.
Actually this is the best piece of advice I can give to online quote shoppers, use an email account you don't care about for contact purposes.
Dealerships who do not embrace internet sales are doomed.
Give it another 10 years and all the customers will have grown up with computers.
Going forward, I would expect more move towards a Tesla dealership-less model. Just think of the cost benefit alone.
I think Mr. Bezos and his little online bookstore have already shown us the future.
I understand the importance of E-commerce and have a track record of exceptional performance in internet sales. I was merely opining as to why someone may not receive communication in as timely of a manner as they might expect after submitting a generic price quote request (game playing notwithstanding).
I'm glad you mentioned Tesla because I was interested in working for Tesla in 2018. Aside from their base pay being decent (compared to minimum wage) their sales staff are incredibly limited in how much money they can earn compated to say what I did in the traditional business model.
Why I mention that is because this business is about profit, cost benefit takes a back seat to how profitable a car business is. You can reduce spending all you want but if profit/income is not healthy you'll be out of business soon enough.
Profit is a function of revenue minus cost.
I think you gotten in the habit of responding with hard conclusions without taking into consideration what I am attempting to explain.
I try to explain why a dealership may not respond to one individuals price quote request within a certain time frame. You respond by saying that, "Dealerships who do not embrace internet sales are doomed" which is not even following the context of what I was getting at.
Next we're talking about traditional car business versus the Tesla model, if Tesla is not profitable enough to be able to pay their staff more (like say to compete in compensation with traditional car salesman) than cost benefits don't really matter. To date Tesla and the Tesla business model has not had a particularly good track record of generating revenue.
In your post #52 you wrote "I would not be surprised if many dealerships are in revolt to the E-Price revolution"
My point is "Dealerships who do not embrace internet sales are doomed"
In #56, you wrote "cost benefit takes a back seat to how profitable a car business is"
My point is cost (aka expenses) is one of 2 variables in regards to profit. The other being revenues.
In #58 you posted "To date Tesla and the Tesla business model has not had a particularly good track record of generating revenue."
Since late 2018, Tesla has sold their cars as fast as they can make them. 2 more factories are being built, Berlin and Austin to supply demand.
Tesla is a profitable and is the richest car company in the world, by a bunch.
Tesla was just added to the S&P 500 and had another profitable quarter. I believe that's 6 consecutive, right?
You posted "Next we're talking about traditional car business versus the Tesla model".
I think we can agree Tesla is anything but a traditional car company. And they don't want to be.
Apologies if we are not understanding each other.
Here's the best writeup I have seen in remotely buying a new car. I'll use it if and when the time comes, plus, it's entertaining. If spending some time and effort to save thousands is worth it to you then this should work well: (Dude was looking for a Tacoma, but this will work for any vehicle)
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buyingnew said:Before we carry on, a few things I wanted to mention:
1. These tips will only apply to NEW vehicles - Read on, you will see why.
2. Know what you want - Dealers take advantage of people that don't know what they want. Most hate, absolutely hate people that walk into their dealership knowing what they want. I have had dealers turn me down when I approach them with what I want.
3. Do not settle for less, do not settle for more. What? don't settle for more? - WHY? - You will understand once you read thru the following process.
4. 95% of this process will be done online, so being internet savvy is a PLUS.
5. Think about how far are you willing to travel - Out of state? Across the country? Or to the opposite side of your state?
Now that I have this introductory nonsense out of the way, let's carry on.
First order of business:
Make sure you know what you want. Head out to the dealer, look at the different packages, colors, etc. Once you know what you want, do NOT change your mind. Take your time. It is here where it all begins and if you change your mind, you will have to start over. Don't worry about the price, you wont be buying from there anyway.
After you have decided what truck package/color you want, take a peek at the sticker. Yes, the nasty ass sticker.
Make a note of the following:
1. Stock number: Usually a four digit number - See where it says "year/model" on the sticker? - Number "7553C" is the stock number for this truck. That's the number that the dealers use to search for trucks with similar configurations at other dealers - If VIN is not available.
2. VIN number
3. Take a picture of the sticker, make sure all the information is well focused and readable.
Go home - :bikewhoops:
Once you are at the comfort of your home - Create a new email. Do NOT use your personal email. Do NOT use your work email - I will explain why.
Once that email is set up, search for the Truck you wanted on the dealer's website - search it using the VIN or the stock number. Take screen shots, download pictures, save the link.
Remember the five tips mentioned at the end of the last post? - Numero 5 - How far are you willing to travel for the right deal? When I was shopping for my trucks, I was willing to travel ANYWHERE within Texas. If you are from Texas, you darn well know how large Texas is. Yes, I was willing to travel from Houston to El Paso if the price was right.
You are now at the point where you need to know where and how far - In my case, I picked anywhere in Texas - This will be your search area.
Fire up google maps: You will now need to locate EVERY dealer within your search area.
Zoom over metropolitan areas - in my case I did San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Victoria, Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, Corpus Christi
Take a note of all the dealers in this area. All of them. Here comes the fun part.
Make a list of alllll the dealers within your search area. All of them. Every. Single. One. of. Them. - I had 150 dealers on my list when I first started - USE EXCEL!!
Starting with the first dealer - visit his website - go to the internet sales section and look for anything that will lead you to contact email for the online sales.
It can be under "contact us" or in some cases you will have to pick a random Tacoma and select something like "Get today's price" or "I am interested in this truck"
The point is to reach out to the dealer and getting your email in HIS inbox. Whether if it is thru an ad that advertises Camrys or an ad for hookers and blow. Get your email to them.
In the body of the email - Let them have it - Give them the VIN, Link, Stock number and let them know exactly what you are looking for:
"Hello, my name is Ramon.
I am looking to purchase a brand new 2015 Toyota Tacoma - I am looking for stock number 5885C in the Silver Sky Metallic Color. This is a 4x4 truck with the offroad package.
Here is a link of the truck I am looking for: -copy paste link of the truck you looked at from the first dealer-.
I am looking for nothing more, nothing less. I want a truck just like this."
I did this 150 times. Yes. I sent that same email to 150 dealers across the Lone Star State.
Notes:
1. Keep a template of the body of the email - It's easier to copy/paste the email every time you send it vs typing it over and over again.
2. If you feel nudes will help you get the deal, this is the time to submit them.
3. Keep it all organized - things are about to get hairy rreeeeeaaalllly fast - In your excel sheet - organize dealer name, location, email information, special notes, etc, AS you send the emails.
4. Do NOT include your phone number. Do NOT - unless you want it ringing off the hook - Make up a phone number or give them a dummy phone number if it wont let you submit.
Once you are done - go get some coffee, grab a beer. Whatever.
After a few hours - check your email - It will be inundated with replies. - This is the reason you need to create a new email JUST for this. Don't forget, by sending them an email, you are also signing up for their junk mail. You don't want to spend the rest of your life unsubscribing from their junk mail, just because you didn't want to create a "dummy" email.
It will contain many variations of the following 5 types of email:
A. Automated Response: "Hello, thank you for submitting your inquiry, a sales representative will contact you shortly"
B. Automated Response: "Based on the information you submitted, we have the Camry you are looking for! For just $495, this Camry can be yours!"
C. Real Person: "Thank you for reaching out, when can I call you??, Please provide your phone number"
D. Real Person: "Yes, I can offer you that truck for $28k"
E. Real Person: "Yes, I can offer you that truck with a bull bar, steps, and a spacer lift"
Let's start shifting thru the emails:
A - Delete these, hopefully the dealer will reach out to you soon. Basic automated response.
B - A Camry? ***? - YES. Believe it or not, after inquiring about a TACOMA - they offer me a CAMRY. ***!? It WILL happen. How the hell do they offer you a CAMRY? I do not know. Reply to the dealer with your original inquiry - Copy paste your request -
C. - Finally, a human being - and he wants to talk to you on the phone. No. Reply to them - "thank you for responding to my email, I do not want to talk on the phone yet, lets arrange this via email - Can you get me the truck I want?"
D. - Ahhh now we're talking - Respond: "Are you sure it is exactly what I asked for?" - Copy and paste your request again - Don't want the dealer offering you Caca de toro when you want Caca de Chicken.
E. - Meh, - Respond: "No sir, I want this exact truck. If you want to sell me that truck, take off the bull bars, steps and spacer left. I will only accept the options shown on the link I provided"
Stand your ground.
Don't settle for less, don't settle for more. Dealers will want to sell you a different package or sell you a TSS model when you want a sport. Or offer you a Camry because they have a blow-out sale.
Stand your ground.
Got it?
Okay, good.
Once you start exchanging and responding to emails, you will notice three types of dealers:
1. the dealer that wants to work with you
2. the dealer that wants to upsell another vehicle
3. the dealer that doesn't care
After these dealers notice that you know what you want and you will not budge, they will start giving you numbers. Remember that excel sheet where you were organizing all your dealer information in a nice chart? Here is where it comes handy - place all your offers in those charts.
This process will take about 3 - 4 days - enough time for all the dealers to reply, get thru all the BS automated responses, etc.
Once you feel satisfied with the amount of offers you have, separate your entire list into smaller groups.
From my original 150 dealers I emailed, my list of legit dealers that had given me an offer boiled down to 50 dealers.
I split the list into groups of 25 - two groups.
Remember High School football? Playoffs are done in brackets - teams competing with each other on opposite ends of the brackets until only two teams are left for the state championship game.
In my case, I got the lowest price out of the first group, and emailed all the dealers within that group - "Thank you for making you offer, but Toyota from xxxx has offered $28,000 for the truck I want"
I repeated the process for each dealer in the second group, using the low price found in that specific group.
You will get four type of responses:
1. I will offer $27,500 - Yes!
2. Sorry, I cant do that - Bye Felicia
3. You are going to drive all the way over there for that price? - Yes sir, distance is not an issue.
4. No response - Good, weeds out the dealer that doesn't care.
Once I received everyone's response - My list of 50 dealers boiled down to 30 dealers that had replied with a lower offer.
Pick the lowest offer out of the 30 dealers.
Repeat the process again:
"Thank you for making you offer, but Toyota from xxxx has offered $26,000 for the truck I want"
You will get the same type of responses as shown above.
Repeat the iteration, over and over again. Let the dealers weed themselves out. You will get to the point where there will only be two or three dealers trying to get your business. These guys deserve a cookie. These guys are no BS dealers. Respect them. Really. If they've been responding to this point, they want your business.
That's how you get the lowest possible price!
The dealers will pretty much be on a bidding match to earn your business to sell you the truck you want.
Once you are down to the last two or three responsive dealers do a few more iterations - until you get the lowest price.
How do you know its the lowest price?
You will get the following responses:
1. That's below invoice.
2. I am losing money.
3. Is that with a trade in?
4. There is no way you are getting that price, send me the vin again.
5. Send me another round of nudes please.
The rest is self explanatory.
Here are a few final notes and tips.
1. Sometimes the dealer will offer the truck for less than what they paid for, in hopes that you will buy their extended warranty, paint protection program, or carpet protection stuff. Careful, don't fall in this trap.
2. Print out the email - you don't want to show up at the dealer and have them be like '"oh that wasn't us" - Happened to me.
3. Once you selected a dealer - Tell them to send you pictures of the truck. Proof that they have it.
4. When I bought my 2013 Tacoma, they tinted the windows AFTER I negotiated the price. I never asked for tinted windows. Remember when I said - don't settle for more?
Dealer - Thank you for coming in Mr. Ortiz, your truck is ready and here is your paperwork. We went ahead and tinted the windows, hope you like it.
Me - I didn't ask for tinted windows.
Dealer - I apologize, my tinting team didn't get the memo - its only $295 more. We can work it into the financing
Me - Rip it off.
Dealer - Sorry, we cant..
Me - Rip it off, I wanted no tint.
Dealer - Were in Texas, tint is a necessity Mr. Ortiz.
Me - I can install my own tint. Rip it off, or I'll take my business elsewhere.
Dealer - You can have the tint for free.
