New boat search beginning (with quesion at end)...

"Richard Liebert" wrote in message
...
Spring is a bad time of year to buy a boat.

Last day of month is a good day to buy a car and hopefully a boat. Your
salesmen might have to meet a monthly quota. In a large store with lots of
salesmen you may inadvertently pit the salesmen against each other.

If everything else fails, leave. Walking away is your most powerful tool.
Actually it's your only tool. Time is all you really have going for you.
The
one thing a salesman truly cannot handle is the customer getting up and
leaving. You really have to be prepared to walk.

No kidding. Salesman will get downright upset sometimes when you walk out.
Especially guys who work off a hard sell formula. But seriously. Having
bought boats, motorcycles, and trucks both new and used over the years I
have definitely learned that walking out is a valuable tool. One saleman
recently who was trying to sell me a motorcycle was screaming numbers at me
when I was headed out the door. If he hadn't been so unproffessional I
might have listened at that point. The numbers he was yelling at my back
were actually starting to get close to NADA price guide. To bad for him I
never buy from somebody I wouldn't feel comfortabel dealing with in the
future.

When you walk, mention that tomorrow is another day and maybe you'll
"start
over", that way you don't shut the door behind you but you will intimidate
the salesman.


I would not leave it that open. I would go for something a little stronger
like, "Is that really the best you can do?" pause for answer. "Thank you
for your time." Then if you are sitting down immediately stand out and
stick out your hand.

If you have to deal with a hard sell environment there are a couple tricks
to watch out for.

1. If you don't have the money I am sure we can work something out.
(means they are sidetracking you from the price)
2. Let me have your driver's license so I can do some preliminary
paperwork. (means they are going to hold your license hostage to keep you
from walking out. Call the police if they try.)
3. Lets go sit down. (Its a tactic to see how committed you are to the
purchase)

Absolutely do not say you plan to buy that boat with those feature until you
have a good price on the boat. Have some options open. Contact dealers all
over the country via interent. Most are afraid to give you a price, but
some will. Also, call all the dealers in your region on the phone. Never
make a deal over the phone.


Hopefully you'll get a phone call later in the day or the next day. If so,
continue to negotiate, they won't call with their best deal, but they will
be close, very close.


Maybe you will get a call. It will not necessarily be their best price, but
it should be better. You can still negotiate for options if it is a good
price with something like, "Thats an ok price, but there are some things I
need to put on right away and that price won't allow me to afford to do
that." Be very wary of this answer. At that point you will not be able to
budge them one penny on the price.


Good luck, please post your experience. I think everyone would like to
hear
what happens.


Boat dealers are salepeople. If you have ever negotaited a good deal on a
car or hada good or bad expereince with any kind of dealership reflect on
that and try to figure out what you could have done better.

I now have a guy at one of the local Chevy dealerships that has learned to
start at the bottom and figure out what I want. I already know what price I
will pay when I walk in his office so he doesn't waste either of our time.
I pay very close to GM employee discount price. I have purchased three
trucks at that dealership in the last 2 years for my business.

Good luck
--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com
All about fishing in Yuma, Arizona
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