Resisting Sales Pressure

When Larry and Chris walked into the car dealership, they never expected to walk out-hours later-owning two new vehicles. "I don't know how that happened," Larry said, shaking his head months later, still confused by his actions. "We were just looking around for a car for my wife. We weren't ready to buy even one vehicle right then, let alone two."

Larry's experience is not unusual according to Robert Gass and John Seiter, authors of Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining. "Buying a car," they wrote, "is a great American ritual in which the car dealer has the upper hand." Unless the consumer does extensive research, only the dealership knows the actual cost of the vehicle. Moreover, they sell cars every day. You, the consumer, only buys a car every few years. "Who do you think," Gass and Seiter asked, "has more experience with persuasion in this setting?"

"They do," Dana de LaGrange, a former car salesman said, laughing. "Not only that, they are continuously trained in persuasion techniques." Such skill, however, is not limited to car sales. Every time you open your door to a salesperson, every time you walk into a store, every time you watch television, every time you drive down the street-you are exposed to persuasive influences. In fact, competition for our money is so fierce, and so subtle, that most of us barely see how we are being manipulated to part with it. With a little thought, however, you can see through most persuasive attempts, and that's the key to getting a better deal.

Certainly, Larry and Chris could have used this knowledge. They didn't resist any of the salesman's techniques. After all, they liked the salesman, Louis. He was friendly, used their first names a lot, was genuinely interested in them. He seemed to know instinctively what kind of vehicle they wanted, leading them to the perfect SUV for Chris. They loved it, particularly after they took it out for a test drive, at Louis' urging. The price? Well, it didn't really matter. Louis promised to meet their payment requirements. Now, it was time to work on Larry...