I had a conversation a couple of days ago with a lady who had… let’s call it a less than stellar opinion of salespeople in the automotive industry.
Now, while I believe everyone has a right to their opinion, I am always interested in learning about the minds of others, so I asked her why.
Without hesitation, she dropped this beauty:
“You’re all manipulators.”
…..
Okay, then.
To illustrate a point, I asked her how she felt about shopping malls.
Needless to say, she was confused.
I went on to point out that every single aspect of the mall was designed to manipulate her into buying. The colours on the walls in the hallways, the light placement, the music level, the windows… all were all tested over months and decided on by a panel of people to MAKE her want to buy by manipulating her psychology. (This is not to mention the displays IN stores and in windows.)
She stuttered for a second, and then said “Well, nobody’s trying to FORCE me to buy things at the mall. If I go to the mall, it’s because I already know I WANT to buy something.”
She clearly didn’t realize she’d just handed me the hammer, so when I said…
“When has a car salesman ever tried to “sell” you OUTSIDE of a dealership that you walked into on your own two legs?”
…..
…..
…..
Nothing.
My point was made, so I left her with this – instead of leaning into old stereotypes, reframe your own thought process. If you sit down with us, we are aware that you want to buy a car, and you are aware that we want to sell you that car, the rest is just process.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it doesn’t get any more transparent than that.
Buy hey….
I’m just a sales guy. 
