Thinking about selling your car? I’ve always been interested in the psychological side of things like this, so here’s a few tips I’ve compiled to help you convert that lead and close that sale. A few of these are done by almost all dealerships around the country, and in a business as competitive and tried-and-true as car sales, there is definitely advice to be learned.

• Treat everyone like a hot lead - Sometimes the most apathetic-seeming person turns out to be your buyer. Never let yourself slip into the mindset of “this person isn’t going to buy it,” because then subconsciously (or consciously) your sales pitch will lose momentum and you will almost definitely lose the deal. The only thing lost from putting 100% effort the whole time is a little energy, as you’ll most likely never see the person again anyway.
• Clean out “junk” in door trays, etc. - Anyone coming to see your car is looking to buy a new car for themselves. Sure it’s old and used to you, but to them it’s brand new. The entire time they’ll be trying to visualize themselves owning and driving the car, and your personal nicknacks scattered around the car will cloud their imagination. When they see someone else’s things all over the car, it detaches them from it on a personal level, and makes it harder for them to see them self owning it.
• Make the car seem new - Again, your prospect knows the car is used, however it’s still a new car to them. A few bucks and a little attention to detail can greatly increase your car’s new-vibe, which is huge in convincing someone who comes to look at it. Aside from a good wash (inside and out), here are few cheap, but necessary things to do:
  • If you have leather seats, condition them. It’ll cost you $10 and take half an hour, but afterwards you’ll admit it’s a night and day difference. Strongly recommended.
  • Condition the rubber strips around the door and window frames. Everyone looking at a new car will notice this, if only subconsciously. When they open the door and get in the car, if they see the old, gray, cracking weather strips, they’ll psychologically apply it to the whole car. They last thing you want them thinking is the car is old and falling apart. If you don’t want to spend the money on actual conditioner, vasoline works really well for this as an alternative.
  • Spray on tire shine. Tire shine costs a few bucks and literally takes seconds to apply, however it’ll triple the external appearance of your car.
• Get a car fragrance - I recommend the “new-car” scent, as it goes with the vibe we’re aiming for. These can be picked up at any gas station and will only set you back a dollar or two, however it’s another thing your prospect will notice, and it’ll work hand-in-hand with all the other suggestions to truly feed that person’s internal desire for a nice, new car.
• Show off your air conditioning / heater - One of the best impressions on a perspective buyer is a nice heater or air conditioning system. Before the arrive, sit in the drivers seat and turn the air vents toward the driver’s face with a solid, but not overwhelming blast (maybe medium on the fan control). If it’s winter, warm up the car all the way just before the prospect arrives so the heater will already be hot. When they arrive and look around the car for a bit, they’ll most likely want to do a small test-drive. When they sit in the car and turn it on, the refreshing cold or hot blast will trigger a “ooh, nice” reaction in their mind. As soon as that happens, you can immediately step in and turn it down pretending it was an accident, rather than looking like you were showing off. A quick sorry and a small smile should be all it takes.
• Read your prospects mind - This is a huge tip that could make your sale in itself. Play a little psychological warfare with your prospect and predict their personality type, then act on that to keep them in the right mindset. For example, on the phone if your prospect seems to be a high-energy, friendly, fun, youthful female, consider finding a cute teddy bear and strapping it in with the seat belt on the passenger side. When she sees it, you’ll probably get an “awe….” reaction, and immediately increase her overall psychological attachment to the car. Granted this might backfire on some women, but that’s up to you to read them accurately beforehand. Another example is a male buying a sports car from you. When the topic of a test-drive comes up, consider throwing a few jokes out there such as “Are you sure you can handle it?” always followed with a huge grin so they know you’re teasing. When making jokes, ALWAYS keep your car in a positive light. This injects good thoughts in their mind. If it’s a guy buying a sports car, he’ll probably want a fun, fast car… so joking about it being too powerful or handling too well is usually a safe strategy. However for jokes to work, it requires you to be able to seem completely natural and friendly when saying them, otherwise the prospect will see through you as trying too hard.

Now, if you use any of these tips and they help you successfully sell your car, I’ll obviously retain a 15% commission payable to be through PayPal.

Good luck and happy selling!

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