Old School Outdated Verbiage NOT to use in 2020

[Jeff Kershner]

We've had many discussions here on DealerRefresh around what verbiage to use and NOT to use - whether it's via phone or email/text. What our industry used 30, 20, and even 10 years ago - DOES it still have a place in todays market? Is it still effective?

Just a few days ago @Alex Snyder posted "Your presence is your leverage" - Internet managers, BDC agents, and salespeople still sending "your presence is your leverage" emails & texts to customers.

@joe.webb has been talking about this for a few years now - 4 Word That Make Sales Managers Sound Stupid.

I'm curious - what verbiage have you used or heard (from those old Joe Verde VHS tapes playing in the break room) that would make you cringe today?

AND does it still have a place with todays shoppers OR is it time to change it up a bit??

BELOW - post what verbiage you've heard in past (including just yesterday) that you believe no longer works today and what we should replace it with today? OR maybe it still works and you're hurting profits IF you change it...

 

[mikesayre]

I read verbiage, so I thought this would be about car dealer slang maybe, so there's a list below. I've heard of some of those terms but alot are new to me. I wonder how many slang terms are out there, and how they differ across the country?

Anyway on the sales end and communicating with customers, either on or off site.. Reddit is a gold mine, just search for car sales related stuff, the insight and reality from dealers & customers perspectives is hilarious, and sometimes eye opening too. I'll admit, I'm addicted to it!



Link:
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Car Salesman Terms for Customers and their Trade-ins
Beback: A customer who doesn’t buy and swears they’ll “be back”.

Babysitter: A co-signer on a loan.

Blue Hair or Silver Hair: A senior citizen.

Bomb: An old car with no value.

Bunny: A customer who does not negotiate very well and is taken in for huge profits.

Buried: Describes a customer who owes far more than their trade-in is worth.

Crop duster: A car that blows smoke out of the tailpipe.

Deadbeat or Roach: A customer with a bad credit history.

A “Get Me Done”: A customer with bad credit that is more concerned with getting financed than the vehicle they buy.

Grinder, Short Arm, or Chisler: A customer who spends hours haggling over a small amount of money.

Lay down or Grape: A customer with no spine who says yes to everything. They “lay down” and get run over or crushed like a grape.

Maypops: Bald tires.

One Legger: Usually refers to a husband without his wife.

Player: A customer with a good credit history.

Quarterback, Second Baseman, or Third Baseman: Someone a buyer brings along to coach them or help negotiate a deal.

Sled, Turd, Clam, Toad, or Rat: An old trade-in which is banged up and worth little or nothing.

Slide Ruler: A customer who is a specification nut. He may even have a “slide ruler” or pocket calculator to calculate his own sales tax.

Stroker: A customer who gives the impression that he wants to buy a car, but doesn’t have the means to do so.

Tire Kicker, Blower, or Rubberneck: A customer who has no intention of buying.

UFO: U Frickin’ Own it! (PG-13 version) Said to customers that want to return a vehicle.

Squirrels: customers with no loyalty to one salesperson
Disneyland shoppers or bumblebees: customers that can’t decide between three or more cars
Strokes: time-wasting shoppers
Bogues: same as strokes
Ghost: customer with no credit score
Fairy: pipe smoking, folder carrying, internet customer
“RUNNER !!!”: This is what is yelled when a customer gets up from the negotiating table and proceeds to walk out the door. The customer gets up and the salesperson says, “We got a RUNNER.”

Link: https://www.findthebestcarprice.com/car-salesmen-slang/

 

[mikesayre]

Sorry these reddit comments are gold.. look at this one

 

[joe.webb]

Lingo is one thing. I think we're all accustomed to the vernacular of a dealership showroom. However, I think the question is what old school sayings need to get put out to the pasture. (Like "get put out to pasture". They're not even called pastures any more. They're fields or farms.
Alex brought up a good one with "your presence is your leverage". As was mentioned, my video beating up on the phrase "Just get 'em in" is terrible, but still used.
Here are some others that are long in the tooth...
"If I could, wouldya?"
Any dealership with the slogan "Whatever it takes"
Asking a customer on the phone "What questions can I answer for you?"
Leaving a voicemail, "I have great news. Call me back."
At the meet and greet, "Are you here for the big sale today?!"
After the test drive, "Park it in the sold line."
Asking a customer details of their vehicle of interest, "lighter shade or darker shade?" (They've researched for 14 hours. They not only know their preferred color, they may even know the OEM color code.)
Along those lines, "automatic or manual"? Considering about 7% of vehicles are made in manual at best, this is a dumb question.
Writing "Click Here" in any email.
Asking someone to "bookmark this website", or "add my email to your address book".
Telling someone a used vehicle is "in the wrapper".
Asking "How's your credit?"

Those are just a few that bother me. I'll try to come up with some more.

 

[john.quinn]

I actually heard this on the phone (verbatim) a couple of weeks ago:

"Well, we want to be sure you actually like the truck before we negotiate numbers."

 

[Marc Lavoie]

I actually heard this on the phone (verbatim) a couple of weeks ago:

"Well, we want to be sure you actually like the truck before we negotiate numbers."

It's not like people didn't know what a truck was lol. It's not 1894 anymore.

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

Leaving a voicemail, "I have great news. Call me back."

We still recommend the "Great news..." to try to get the call back. What do you recommend in it's place?