Negotiation Skills Training Classes
With
over twenty-five years of proven industry experience, the
Negotiations
Training Institute of America is the recognized leader in negotiations
training, consulting and performance coaching. Through public open
enrollment classes and private on-session training sessions, we
have helped leading corporations, non-profit organizations and governmental
agencies improve their ability to
negotiate
better outcomes for their constituencies.
First-time
negotiators as well as those with the greatest
competitive
drive and amount of first-hand experience and
negotiations
wisdom can benefit from our time-tested classes. Whether focusing
on
negotiating
a contract with a vendor or jumping in to the often-stressful
car buying process to
deal
with a dealership, our classes provide useful skills, proven techniques
and various classroom role plays to help you
become
more aware of negotiations that you must face on a daily basis.
For more information on our negotiation skills training classes please
contact us.
Negotiations
Training
The Negotiation
Everyone Loves to Hate: Negotiating for a New Car
Negotiations
are a reality of life. On any given day, we must take part in one
negotiation or another. Some
negotiations
are obvious, such as the ones that take place in the business
world over contracts,
sales
order or joint ventures. Others are not as "noticeable"
when we have to negotiate with family members on where to take a
trip or deal with a neighbor whose tree limbs may be hanging precariously
over our house.
Most people
face a certain level of
discomfort
when negotiating but just about everyone can point to the car
buying process as the most uncomfortable negotiation situation possible.
Why is this so? For the most part, almost everyone who has ever
bought a car has had a bad experience. Whether dealing with
shady
sales reps, insincere sales promotions or hardball financing
departments, buying a car is, more often than not, quite unpleasant.
Who can blame people for this feeling? While some automotive industries
may beg to differ, the stark reality is that a great deal of those
individuals tasked with selling cars to the public do not act in
the most ethical or dishonest way. If that wasn't the case, the
industry wouldn't have such a bad image.
We've put together
some basic information that will help you when you purchase your
next car. Thanks to the Internet, valuable services like Autobytel
and Edmund's are now providing consumers with information they can
use to buy a car and, in some cases, eliminate
the negotiation process. Below are a few tips that will help
you the next time you step on the showroom floor:
Take
a Reality Check - This is the first step in
dealing
with a negotiation. You know you don't like to negotiate with
dealerships. That's fair and completely understandable. What you
can't do is continue to dwell on this and allow it to cloud your
judgment. Your goal when dealing with a dealership is to get the
best
deal possible. Accept this fact and walk in with confidence.
Stand Your
Ground Early - No one pays MSRP and yet dealers try to wrangle you
into paying sticker price all the time. If you're looking at a car,
make it clear to the sale rep that you are not willing to pay sticker
price. This can be done in a very considerate and
non-confrontation
manner. The sale rep should know that you do want to buy a car
if they are willing to work with you on a price.
-
Be
Ready to Buy - You have more power if you are ready
to buy a car during your discussions. If you are the proverbial
"tire kicker", you have less leverage. Dealerships are
more likely to bargain if they know you are willing to drive out
with a new car that same day.
- Dig
Before Shopping - As mentioned, web pages like Edmund's
and Autobytel are wonderful as they empower consumers with background
information on dealership costs, invoice prices, the costs of
options, etc. Spend some time researching the vehicle you'd like
to purchase. In many cases, you can enter a dealership equipped
with all the information you need to make the first offer on the
car you want.
-
Don't
Fall into the Payment Trap - Dealers love to get
people to tell them what they want their payment to be. Technically,
they can come up with any number with creative financing. Want
to pay only $300 a month? Sure... we can do that. Here is the
paperwork for a seven-year note...
- Don't
Be Afraid to Compare - Three Ford dealerships may sell
the same trucks but that doesn't mean they want to help each other
out. Don't be afraid to compare dealerships and play them off
of each other. If one dealership offers a better price than other
dealership, see if that second dealership will match or
beat
the price.
- Arrange
for Outside Financing
- You can often better financing rates on your own. Do some research
to find out if you can get approved for financing ahead of time
so that you can walk in with a "blank check" in hand.
This will provide you with more leverage when you're simply seeking
to
negotiate
based on the price of the car. Don't shut out financing as
some dealerships truly can provide you with 0.0% financing deals.
Simply check the fine print - some of them may require quick payment
or drastically high credit scores.
- Settle
on the Big Number First - It's best to settle on the
sales price before discussing financing or trade-ins. Negotiate
your drive-out price and then
deal
with the details. Simple tell them you're not sure just yet.
- Ask for Extras
- Most dealers will throw in low cost items like full-size spare,
tinted windows or other options. It never hurts to ask.
- Don't Be
Afraid to Walk Away - Never get emotionally attached to a car.
If you're about to get roped into a bad deal, feel free to walk
away from
the
negotiating table.
- Beware of
Tactics - Many of the sales reps you'll deal with have years of
experience using
shady
tactics like "Good Cop/Bad Cop". Read up on our
information on tactics to be able to counter dishonest negotiators.
For Negotiation
Skills Seminar information please
contact
us.
Related:
Negotiation Course
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