What're you doing here anyways?
Too many times have we all been to a dealership and felt as if something just happened; as if we just got "took" by the Sales Person; and if you didn't feel this way then more than likely, he/she was good at what they do... The whole purpose of this blog is to let you know, straight from a salesperson, what to look out for when you're ready to purchase your new Machine. I worked in the power sports industry for quite a long time selling machines for a major dealer (who's name I wont mention of course) and I thought that as a smart consumer it would behoove you to read this blog; and as an ethical sales person (yes there is such a thing!) I would write this.
So you're ready for a new machine, and that's awesome!
So you're going down to the dealership right now to purchase your new machine, and that's a step in the right direction. There's a few things you will notice about the dealership the moment you walk through the door. Any guesses? probably had a few but quiet down, and I'll tell you what I'm looking to hear. The answer is that when you first walk in you will either have a dealership where the sales persons are either going to jump down your throat, or you will have a laid back approach where they'll greet you and leave you alone until you find something that interests you. If they jump down your throat then they already know that they're going to get the general "I'm just looking" answer, unless of course you want to get straight to the point with them and walk right to the machine you're looking for. Either way, you'll find the sales people stumbling over themselves to insist you get on the machine in hopes of sparking enough interest to get you to buy that day. Reason why they want you to buy that day is because A. you may shop around and get better prices elsewhere if you walk or B. you may never come back as the "be backs" have around a 5-7% chance of ever returning. So a very popular question once you have sat on the machine and shown interest in it is if you are going to buy today provided everything meets your standards.
Yes, I'm ready to buy; Please take my money!
So you agree that you will buy today? that's awesome. Good news. Lesson 1: Always say you'd be ready to buy today, otherwise if the price isn't listed on the machine the sales person will just give you MSRP instead of what they'd actually sell the bike for. So of course you just told him you'll buy today and he asks you to sit down (and he WILL ask you to sit down) and talk over the figures. In many dealerships one thing is certain, they will either tack on Freight, documentation, and prep. Or it will already be included in the cost of the machine. One money saving tip is to see if they can charge those costs separate from the cost of the machine so that when you go to register it, the taxes will be cheaper. The other MAJOR way that dealerships make back what you just talked them down on the price, is the cost of shipping. Out west some dealerships are charging upwards of $1050.00 for shipping. While on the east coast its usually a more (seemingly) reasonable $499-699. Immediately talk about getting the cost of shipping reduced or removed because its never nearly as high as they tell you, ESPECIALLY if they are running a sale that month such as "X-amount over invoice" etc. Also, if they are running a sale like what I just mentioned, for example, "$89.00 over invoice" make sure to tell the sales person you'd like to see their invoice cost and watch him or the manager sweat. Also, I hadn't mentioned above to make sure you beat down the price of the machine itself.. any dealership has around $700 - $1,200 to play with on the cost of a larger machine. The smaller machines (50cc etc) have a smaller margin to play with. Also, ask about any rebates on the machine.
Delivering the knock-out punch!
Finally, you've agonized over numbers and beat up the sales person(s) until you get a reasonable price. What do you do before you sign anything? Free or reduced prices on accessories of course! In the power sports industry many times a dealership will make an additional $400 to $3000 on just accessories alone after the cost of the machine is settled. It is certainly an awesome idea to purchase things such as gloves, a helmet, a jacket, boots etc. for safety purposes; so see what you can do about getting a great discount on these accessories.
After-math
You are now free to ride and at an unbelievable price. I thank you for reading this blog and I hope I have prepared you enough to make educated decisions about your next machine. Enjoy and you are free to ride!
Too many times have we all been to a dealership and felt as if something just happened; as if we just got "took" by the Sales Person; and if you didn't feel this way then more than likely, he/she was good at what they do... The whole purpose of this blog is to let you know, straight from a salesperson, what to look out for when you're ready to purchase your new Machine. I worked in the power sports industry for quite a long time selling machines for a major dealer (who's name I wont mention of course) and I thought that as a smart consumer it would behoove you to read this blog; and as an ethical sales person (yes there is such a thing!) I would write this.
So you're ready for a new machine, and that's awesome!
So you're going down to the dealership right now to purchase your new machine, and that's a step in the right direction. There's a few things you will notice about the dealership the moment you walk through the door. Any guesses? probably had a few but quiet down, and I'll tell you what I'm looking to hear. The answer is that when you first walk in you will either have a dealership where the sales persons are either going to jump down your throat, or you will have a laid back approach where they'll greet you and leave you alone until you find something that interests you. If they jump down your throat then they already know that they're going to get the general "I'm just looking" answer, unless of course you want to get straight to the point with them and walk right to the machine you're looking for. Either way, you'll find the sales people stumbling over themselves to insist you get on the machine in hopes of sparking enough interest to get you to buy that day. Reason why they want you to buy that day is because A. you may shop around and get better prices elsewhere if you walk or B. you may never come back as the "be backs" have around a 5-7% chance of ever returning. So a very popular question once you have sat on the machine and shown interest in it is if you are going to buy today provided everything meets your standards.
Yes, I'm ready to buy; Please take my money!
So you agree that you will buy today? that's awesome. Good news. Lesson 1: Always say you'd be ready to buy today, otherwise if the price isn't listed on the machine the sales person will just give you MSRP instead of what they'd actually sell the bike for. So of course you just told him you'll buy today and he asks you to sit down (and he WILL ask you to sit down) and talk over the figures. In many dealerships one thing is certain, they will either tack on Freight, documentation, and prep. Or it will already be included in the cost of the machine. One money saving tip is to see if they can charge those costs separate from the cost of the machine so that when you go to register it, the taxes will be cheaper. The other MAJOR way that dealerships make back what you just talked them down on the price, is the cost of shipping. Out west some dealerships are charging upwards of $1050.00 for shipping. While on the east coast its usually a more (seemingly) reasonable $499-699. Immediately talk about getting the cost of shipping reduced or removed because its never nearly as high as they tell you, ESPECIALLY if they are running a sale that month such as "X-amount over invoice" etc. Also, if they are running a sale like what I just mentioned, for example, "$89.00 over invoice" make sure to tell the sales person you'd like to see their invoice cost and watch him or the manager sweat. Also, I hadn't mentioned above to make sure you beat down the price of the machine itself.. any dealership has around $700 - $1,200 to play with on the cost of a larger machine. The smaller machines (50cc etc) have a smaller margin to play with. Also, ask about any rebates on the machine.
Delivering the knock-out punch!
Finally, you've agonized over numbers and beat up the sales person(s) until you get a reasonable price. What do you do before you sign anything? Free or reduced prices on accessories of course! In the power sports industry many times a dealership will make an additional $400 to $3000 on just accessories alone after the cost of the machine is settled. It is certainly an awesome idea to purchase things such as gloves, a helmet, a jacket, boots etc. for safety purposes; so see what you can do about getting a great discount on these accessories.
After-math
You are now free to ride and at an unbelievable price. I thank you for reading this blog and I hope I have prepared you enough to make educated decisions about your next machine. Enjoy and you are free to ride!
