Last night, I had a customer—let’s call him Ortiz. Late 30s, works for the sheriff’s department, recently divorced, and, in his words, "going through it." He walked into the dealership with a mission: buy a car for his teenage daughter. I get this scenario a lot—parents looking for their kid’s first car. It always takes me back to when I took my own son to get his first ride. Everyone’s financial situation is different, and I try to be as empathetic as possible.
Ortiz introduced himself at the door and laid it all out: “I’m not financing. I want a car for 10K out the door. An Altima.”
The more information a customer gives, the better—it helps me find the right car for them. But, as a salesperson, there are moments when you hear something that makes you wince a little. An Altima for 10K out the door? I knew that meant high mileage, an older model, and probably way out of warranty. It reminded me of my son’s first car—we got one for around 10K, no warranty, and it broke down three times in the first year.
Ortiz had already done his research and found a few possibilities on our website. The cars were labeled "Coming Soon," meaning they were on-site but not yet inspected for sale. We took the long walk to the back of our massive lot to check them out, and on the way, he opened up a little more. His divorce had been rough—financially devastating. His credit had taken a hit, and he was convinced financing wasn’t an option.
As a sales consultant, my job isn’t just to sell cars—it’s to help customers make the best possible decision. I wanted Ortiz to understand that. Many customers think all we care about is commission, but that’s not how I work. So, I gave him something to consider:
“If you’re planning to spend 10K, why not put that money down and finance a small amount? You’d get a much newer car with fewer miles and a warranty. With 50% down, approval should be easy, and your payments would be low.”
He shut me down immediately—swore he wouldn’t get approved. He said it so many times, I started to worry he might be right. But by the time we made it back to the main lot, I could see the wheels turning in his head.
“You know what? Let’s see what you have that might work.”
That was a win. One of the biggest challenges in sales isn’t just convincing someone—you have to present an idea in a way that doesn’t make them feel like you’re dismissing their own logic. People want their thoughts to be respected, and rightfully so.
We found a car he liked and took it for a test drive—something I always recommend. Test drives aren’t about "falling in love" with a car; they’re about making sure you’re not buying something with noisy brakes, a funky smell, or alignment issues. If a dealership can’t fix obvious problems, imagine what else could be wrong under the hood.
Ortiz loved the car. When we sat down and ran the numbers, he was still skeptical about financing, but the payments looked good. Nervous but willing, he agreed to submit a credit application.
Ten minutes later, we had bank approval. The numbers made sense, and I reached across the desk to shake his hand.
“Congratulations, you just bought your daughter a car.”
Ortiz walked out with a 2023 Nissan Altima, complete with a 100,000-mile engine and transmission warranty—at an incredible payment. The whole team at Universal was eager to help. Here was an officer and a father trying to do something special for his daughter. We were all rooting for him to get a fair deal and a great car.
Mission accomplished.
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