What's Your Best Price On That Car?

The above line can make a car salesperson laugh, cringe and sigh at the same time. We hear it almost every day, and it’s not always spoken politely. It’s sometimes uttered as a modest threat, as in “Give me your cheapest price on that car and don’t try any tricks, you hear?” More often it is delivered with a little bit of a sneer, as if to say “I’ve already talked to your competitors/spent hours reading Consumer Reports/talked to my brother-in-law who sells cars in Memphis (or whatever) so I’m holding all the cards here. Give it up!”

My friend Ronnie has a great comeback for “What’s your best price on that car?” He says “I’m happy to give you my best price,” and then proceeds to quote the MSRP. After sputtering and stammering in disbelief the customer cries out “That’s not the best price!” To which Ronnie replies, “Well, it sure is. It’s the best price to me. Do you have something else in mind? If so, I’m interested in hearing it. Let’s talk.”

It’s comical when you think about it; as the sellers of the vehicle, and as sellers with clearly posted prices, it is not our job to make an offer to sell. We already have! If the buyer doesn’t want to pay that price, it is his job to make a counter offer to buy. Those are the simple rules of the bazaar.

And yet it is not that simple because the retail automobile industry has for many years now dazed and confused the public with come-on rebates, sales, discounts, incentives, bonuses, prizes, giveaways and who-knows-what-else, all with the intention of exciting people into buying a car today. So people walk into our store expecting us to make an offer to them. It’s bass-akwards.