I've been ms'ing only since August and still consider myself a newbie. There are a few new car shops in my area but I have yet to take one because the thought of them just seems so intimidating! I'm not sure what it is about them. Anyone else have this problem with a specific kind of shop?

I am also intimidated by car shops and I wish that I was not because they sound kinda fun. I think it is because every car that I have purchased has seemed like a nightmare to me. I just cannot seem to get my head into the space where I am role playing at a car dealership.

Yes, I am intimidated by EVERY new shop. I've been MSing since 2007 and I still feel that way with new experiences. I think it's only natural to feel nervous. Just don't let that stop you. Click that button and get that shop.

New car shops are fun - especially the test drives.

OK - LauraJeanne you go first and then let me know! Maybe it will be one of my goals for 2015 - stop being scared and do the car shop.

Maybe after I do the dealership oil change shop I've got scheduled for Friday I'll feel better about it teriraia.

They probably seem intimidating because the idea of going to a car dealership to look at cars is just intimidating in general. Most of us have apprehensions about car salesmen and car dealerships that are vaguely similar to the idea of getting a root canal. I do lots of car shops and still dislike the idea of every one of them. I do know that when I am actually in the market for a new car, I will be a better negotiator and less stressed about the process, because I understand the process better and will know what to expect. Just like any shop, it is a good idea to sign up for one and see what you think about them. You will like them or not like them, and you will probably decide pretty quickly how much you need to be paid to do more of them. Relax, follow directions and under no circumstances allow them to sell you a car today, and you will be fine!

I've done those before. I was scared at first but after my first one it wasn't as hard as I made it out to be. Plus, getting paid and reimbursed for an oil change isn't bad, either.
Let us know how it goes!


LauraJeanne Wrote:
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> Maybe after I do the dealership oil change shop
> I've got scheduled for Friday I'll feel better
> about it teriraia.

LauraJeanne - I also have my first oil change next week. Here is the plan - we will do the oil changes, get our confidence up and then sign up for a car shop. Oh I get all nervous just thinking about it. Here is the crazy thing - I used to work in an inner city emergency room - why would I feel nervous about anything?

Here's another idea:

I once was very nervous about taking a shop that I had never done before. I emailed the scheduler and asked if she could send me the full shop guidelines before I signed up to be sure it was something I felt I could do. She did and I did.

Now, I'm sure schedulers wouldn't want to be bothered with a lot of shoppers doing this for every new shop, they simply don't have the time. However, if they have a lot of car shops to fill they may be willing to do it once and you'll feel better knowing up front exactly what you'll need to do before you say you'll do it.

My very first shop EVER, was a car dealership. I was looking for a new car and had to evaluate the salesperson.

I love cars so I was not bothered by having to check them out. Man, that new Camaro was nice and only $65,000! Yikes!

I was a bit nervous and that was because I didn't want to screw it up.

I did the report and got paid.

I like that.

The shop itself isn't so hard; ending the shop and trying to get out of the dealership is the big challenge.

And never, never, never do a new car shop the last few days of the month.

(heart)

Okay. Never, ever at the end of the month. Got it! (I can't remember when I did it.)

Really, these shops are not so bad at all. Go early on a weekday if you can. Don't forget to check the bathroom.

The first time on any type of shop is intimidating because you don't know what to expect. I find they're almost always easier than I anticipated.

I did my first Porsche shop on the 29th of the month...it was a lot easier than other car shops done in the middle of the month. Did it complete with a test drive and was out in under an hour.

When video shops need to be done we often have to work on days normally restricted. I had no choice but to start a new car route on the last day of the month a couple of years ago. That said, it is still best to avoid weekends and the EOM.

You're going to find that certain shops intimidate you when you're starting out (heck some still intimidate me now) but the best thing to do is just feel the fear and do it anyway. There were shops I put off because of fear and they are now my favorite shops to do. The car shops are pretty boring for me. Worst bit is getting out and then the endless phone calls afterwards.

The car shops are easy once you get over that hump. Come up with a story like an inheritance or something like that and just have fun with it!

I think the worst part of a car shop comes AFTER the shop, when the salesperson keeps contacting you to find out when you're going to come in and buy :-)

I'll be honest with you

I am NOT intimidated at ALL by car shops.

I go in with the same mentality than when I am REALLY buying a car: With my notebook, take charge attitude and my "leave this place and go to another dealership if you don't make me a good deal kind of face."

Works in the real world but on a car shop, depending on the client, you may or may not get to do what I do... But the point is: Go in there as if you were in a (drama) play. Be the buyer. Be prepared. Don't let them push you around.

The reason people are intimidated is because they go in without all their homework done. Do it. Research them. Read up on car salesman's tricks of the trade. They NEED YOU. You don't NEED them! Make them feel that way and turn the tables..

It's no different than ANY of your shops. If you prepare, get ready for your role, whether buying a house, a TV or a car, we have a role to play in each and every shop

So you have to give your real name and contact?

They're really not as bad as you might think. While there are some car shops that require you to negotiate for the best price, most of them do not have that requirement. Go in, do the shop, get a price, tell them no, get out. Get rude if you have to. One trick, if the salesperson leaves you at their desk to go talk to the sales manager for the price, grab a business card off the desk if they're available. That way you don't have to wait for them to give you the card, you can just get up and walk out if they get pushy or start the delay tactics.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2014 05:37AM by bgriffin.

Some you do have to give a contact. I have google voice, I can change my message to anything I want. If you call my google voice, you sometimes gets generic. Hi you've gotten my voice mail, leave a message. Some days you get "Hey you've reached John leave a message and I'll get back to you." and other times you get "Hey you've reached Vincent, if you're calling to sell me something leave me alone."

If you're in my contact's list and in the group friends, you get "Hey You've reached Steven. So sorry I can't take your call right now, I'm likely at School - work - ect (Depends on time of the day). I add the main number of the location to my "John.", "Vincent" group and that's the voicemail you get from me. When I get a business card I add a mobile to the contact.

If I can't you get the generic no name, You have to give me your name to be connected to my phone otherwise you never get through (I don't do robo calls) If I choose not to accept the call. You get my voicemail.

As long as I don't suspect I have to show ID.. (Sometimes you do).

That's my system.

Google voice is your friend here. I actually made up business cards to give to car salesmen with my google voice number, a po box number, and an email address i can check but never use. I have my real name on it, because they ask for your drivers license if you take a test drive.

Saves me from having to remember my "fake" information on the spot, I just whip out a card and give it to them. Any time someone asks for a phone number from me and I don't want them to call me, I cheerfully give out my Google Voice number and never answer the calls. They forward to me, so I know I was called, but I "reject" them to voice mail and if they leave a message I get an email and a text message with an often-amusing voice to text transcription of what they said (some are hilarious). So I can accurately report the date and time of the contacts they tried to make without having to talk to them.

When they become a nuisance I answer one and tell them I decided to keep my old car, or bought somewhere else (depending on how much they pissed me off when I tried to end the interaction) and tell them to stop calling. Ironically the one that called me the most after I left is the one that refused to budge on price (quoted me sticker price and not a dime less) when I was in the showroom. Within a day the offer was $500 under invoice. Rudest sales manager I've ever met at that place; I'd take the bus before I would have bought a car from him.

I also use bgriffin's tactic of snagging a card when the salesman left the room. Slip it in my pocket and get ready to turn him down and make my escape as quickly as possible. It avoids encouraging him falsely by asking for one.

The first one will be rough; they'll get easier as you do more of them. Just don't shop a car you really would like to buy unless you're sure you can't qualify for the loan. You might be tempted because those offers do get sweet at times. I was on one shop where I liked the sales manager's approach so much I really wished I'd been in the market for that Nissan Sentra. He offered me a great deal out the gate, offered to deliver the car to my town (90 miles away), and was respectful of me and accepted my rejection. I find the best ones are the 50+ year old ones. They've learned that high pressure drives people away. The gung-ho 25 year olds are the worst. They usually quit before they learn what the 50 year old knows.

I use Voicenation follow-up phone numbers so that I can record the outgoing message in my own voice, VN then emails the messages to my emil and i can listen to them there.

I have found that the aggressiveness of car sales persons varies geograpically and also by brand/price level. If I never do another route of new car shops in Jersey or Brooklyn/Bronx, that will be soon enough. (I did that route three times and then swore it off, to protect what little sanity I had left.) But the ones in MD, VA, NC and SC were mainly (but not entirely) with much less aggresive sales tactics. Similarly, very high end auto shops are usually a piece of cake, with low key, collegial, sales approaches. (But, refer to JB's infamous high priced sports car test drive adventure for the ultimate exception to this "rule."

All that aside, after nearly 10 years, I too get a bit nervous when anticipating a really new sort of shop. And, yes, the great thing is that after that long, you can still find entirely new adventures in MSing.

I have three reasons I don't like car shops.

1. You take up 60-90 minutes of a salespersons time when there is no chance of a sale.

2. They expect you to report on every single thing they said. Last time the salesman went through every single button on the dashboard. The report was horrible.

3. I can't do a test drive on a big vehicle and most of them are BIG. I am so scared to drive those big vehicles the salesperson would know I was faking it.

The only reason I cringed in the past about doing these shops is because of the questionnaire. I think my first "more than four a time" series of shops when I started out was car shops. I did nine shops in a few days time.. It is a waste of a sales persons time but at the same time, businesses want to know whether their employees are up to par. What if I had actually been looking for a car?

Definitely picked up some tricks like with waiting for the sales rep is out of the room to grab a card but will wait another year or so before doing any again. One sales person actually took transit and saw me on the subway. If I hadn't of known better, he was hitting on me both at the dealership and on the train.

I'm laughing at the idea that it was a waste of the salespersons time.
They either got a good report or a bad report and therefore it was time productively spent.
More importantly I get paid.

The time with a mystery shopper is at least as productive as those whole or half day training sessions associates are required to attend. The shopper visit is way more productive than the hours associates spend with the browsers who enjoy visiting a car lot, taking a test drive and have no intention of buying. A good shopper will minimize the time taken, give them a chance to hone their sales skills in a real world setting and provide feedback the associate can use to improve.

I haven't tried a car shop yet almost entirely because of the required test drive. Having (adult) passengers to judge my driving makes me nervous and distracted, and driving a car that isn't mine and I'm not familiar with the placement of everything is even more nerve-wracking for me. I've never had an accident in 13 years, so I'm not sure why it makes me so nervous. Just the possibility of an accident on a test drive freezes me with terror!