There are two components to any good advertisement or sales pitch: an emotional appeal and a rational appeal.
A good advertisement or sales pitch plays to both.
Heres an example: lets say your child cant read very well, and youre considering buying one of the many reading programs available.
Check out an ad for any of them, and youll find they can be boiled down to two basic premises:
Your child can improve their reading skills. (Thats the rational appeal he or she will do better in school, better in life, etc.)
You need your child to read better. (Thats the emotional appeal youre the parent, its your role in life to raise your children well, if you dont youve failed them.)
Most car dealers, once youre in the showroom, will play on your emotions to help make the sale. (Sure, theyll discuss fuel mileage and safety ratings but if you think about it, most cars are very similar in terms of performance.
Styling varies a lot but styling appeals to your emotions, not to your rational side.) To play on your emotions, theyll often say things like:
We only have two of these left I cant believe how fast theyve gone.
The sale ends this Sunday you better act now.
We have special factory prices but just for this week.
And my favorite: If I sell one more car this month Im over my quota so Ill do anything to get you the best price.
What the dealer is doing is simple: by creating a sense of urgency theyre making you afraid youll miss out on a great deal, or a special price or even make you worry that if you dont act now all the cars will be gone.
Just keep this in mind: in 2004 alone over 15 million cars were sold in the US there are always plenty of cars for you to choose from.
So how do you keep from falling prey to emotional sales tactics?
Take away their edge. Educate yourself about the vehicle you would like to purchase and then make your decision before you buy a car. This will eliminate any emotional buying decisions and save you money.
Gus Skarlis is a former car dealer and founder of Before You Buy A Car. His Book 10 Things You Must Do Before You Even Think About Buying A Vehicle has helped thousands of consumers save money and time when purchasing a vehicle. This FREE resource takes you step by step through the car buying process. The site is located at: http://www.BeforeYouBuyACar.com
