How Car Salesmen See Car Buyers
01-02-22, 05:03 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
How Car Salesmen See Car Buyers
Like many professionals, car salesmen have their own patois. Here are a few terms they throw around in the showroom.
1. Up
Any potential buyer.
2. Laydown
A customer who offers little resistance and purchases a car at the list price or more. Also known as an “ace.”
3. Paperboy
A buyer who comes in with an advertisement or printouts from the internet. Also known as a “nerd.”
4. Stroker
A shopper who acts interested but has no means or intention of buying a car.
5. Be-back
A shopper who claims he’ll come back, but may or may not return.
6. F.D.R.S.
These initials stand for “filthy disease-ridden swine.” Used to describe a buyer with horrible credit. Often used as inter-salesmen code to name the type of loan, as in, “You qualify for our F.D.R.S. loan!” Such a customer is also referred to as a “roach.”
7. Third baseman or third-base coach
The “expert” a buyer brings along to provide advice on the deal. Also known as a “lawyer.”
8. Gold *****
A customer with excellent credit. The opposite of an F.D.R.S.
9. Slasher
A temporary salesperson brought in for his high-pressure sales acumen during a short-term or weekend sale.
10. $500 Sandwich
Sales lost to a lunch break.
11. F&I
It stands for “finance and insurance,” the dealership department to which customers are handed after the sale, and where “back-end” products such as financing, extended warranties, and other soft add-ons get pushed on the buyer. Often the place where dealerships rake in the most profit.
12. Lot lizard
A salesperson who stalks customers as they pull into the dealer’s lot.
13. 040, 149, etc.
When salesmen want to indicate a customer’s race to another employee, they use the brand’s paint codes.
14. Home run
A salesman’s extremely profitable deal that includes a car sold at full list price or more. It may include a lucrative financing kickback and a trade-in purchased for less than its value.
15. De-horsing
Taking the keys and driving away the trade-in “to assess its value.” This leaves the buyer with no means of leaving the dealership.
16. A key and a heater
A car with no options but an enticing price. Also known as a “stripper,” “teaser,” or “loss leader.”
17. Mop and Glow
An extra-cost paint sealant or fabric protector of dubious value.
18. Spiff
Any bonus or incentive paid by the factory to the salesman or the dealership for moving a slow-selling car. Generally not disclosed to the buyer.
19. Whack ’em
When the F&I department successfully loads the buyer down with window waxing, paint sealant, nitrogen-inflated tires, dentless paint-removal package, etc.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/car-...153200005.html
1. Up
Any potential buyer.
2. Laydown
A customer who offers little resistance and purchases a car at the list price or more. Also known as an “ace.”
3. Paperboy
A buyer who comes in with an advertisement or printouts from the internet. Also known as a “nerd.”
4. Stroker
A shopper who acts interested but has no means or intention of buying a car.
5. Be-back
A shopper who claims he’ll come back, but may or may not return.
6. F.D.R.S.
These initials stand for “filthy disease-ridden swine.” Used to describe a buyer with horrible credit. Often used as inter-salesmen code to name the type of loan, as in, “You qualify for our F.D.R.S. loan!” Such a customer is also referred to as a “roach.”
7. Third baseman or third-base coach
The “expert” a buyer brings along to provide advice on the deal. Also known as a “lawyer.”
8. Gold *****
A customer with excellent credit. The opposite of an F.D.R.S.
9. Slasher
A temporary salesperson brought in for his high-pressure sales acumen during a short-term or weekend sale.
10. $500 Sandwich
Sales lost to a lunch break.
11. F&I
It stands for “finance and insurance,” the dealership department to which customers are handed after the sale, and where “back-end” products such as financing, extended warranties, and other soft add-ons get pushed on the buyer. Often the place where dealerships rake in the most profit.
12. Lot lizard
A salesperson who stalks customers as they pull into the dealer’s lot.
13. 040, 149, etc.
When salesmen want to indicate a customer’s race to another employee, they use the brand’s paint codes.
14. Home run
A salesman’s extremely profitable deal that includes a car sold at full list price or more. It may include a lucrative financing kickback and a trade-in purchased for less than its value.
15. De-horsing
Taking the keys and driving away the trade-in “to assess its value.” This leaves the buyer with no means of leaving the dealership.
16. A key and a heater
A car with no options but an enticing price. Also known as a “stripper,” “teaser,” or “loss leader.”
17. Mop and Glow
An extra-cost paint sealant or fabric protector of dubious value.
18. Spiff
Any bonus or incentive paid by the factory to the salesman or the dealership for moving a slow-selling car. Generally not disclosed to the buyer.
19. Whack ’em
When the F&I department successfully loads the buyer down with window waxing, paint sealant, nitrogen-inflated tires, dentless paint-removal package, etc.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/car-...153200005.html
Last edited by bitkahuna; 01-03-22 at 06:46 AM.
01-02-22, 06:55 AM
#2
Note: I am not a car salesman. But whiie I believe this story is true, nothing in it is remotely news. If anything, I suspect it's resurfaced because the high prices for cars caused by product shortages are stoking public anger and the search for scapegoats — in this case, the person in the chain whom the customer personally contacts, the salesperson. It's like eating food from a poisoned supply and blaming your waitress.
01-02-22, 07:11 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Most of this "terminology" is not accurate, and isn't used. Coming from an industry where there also are all of these preconceived notions about how "we are", and none of it is accurate. Car salespeople are just people trying to earn a living, and when you do something day in and day out the "game" of it doesn't really exist. With that said, its stressful and there are big highs and lows and dealing with the public can be very frustrating...especially when you are on 100% commission and their decision process impacts your income. So, things get said behind closed doors that are cathartic...thats just human nature.
One example, a "SPIFF" is something that just exists in any sales operation. There are always goals and specific items or products that a salesperson or a manager gets bonused on selling at a specific time or during a specific time. When you go to a restaurant and the server gives you the specials...that is itself a kind of spiff. $500 Sandwich...thats also a reality of being in commissioned sales. Ask me about my many $20,000 vacations I've taken in my life, and that doesn't include the cost of the vacation.
One example, a "SPIFF" is something that just exists in any sales operation. There are always goals and specific items or products that a salesperson or a manager gets bonused on selling at a specific time or during a specific time. When you go to a restaurant and the server gives you the specials...that is itself a kind of spiff. $500 Sandwich...thats also a reality of being in commissioned sales. Ask me about my many $20,000 vacations I've taken in my life, and that doesn't include the cost of the vacation.
01-02-22, 11:04 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Yep, due to stereotypes, it's easy to think that salespeople are in a tainted buisness. Until you see some of the customers they actually have to deal with.
Last edited by mmarshall; 01-02-22 at 11:13 AM.
01-02-22, 11:04 AM
#7
Instructor
Maybe some of them are regional terms. I was in the car business for a long time and nobody ever gave their customers race much thought and not many salesman even know the paint codes. I am certain if you did and any manager recognized u being derogatory about a customers race, they would most like fire you for doing it. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen and plenty of bad publicity included. I never heard the term LDFS or whatever, roach may have been used to describe a person that failed to pay the bills. And a brick was a solid bill payer.
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01-02-22, 11:17 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
The issue is the dealer model is not geared for consumers at all. Sales guys work on commission so they don’t want to waste time with someone that is not immediate sale. I completely understand where they are coming from but for the brand its a huge disservice.
I wish there was a way for each company to have a “product showcase” within each dealership. Just educate ppl on the products without any pressure to buy.
Getting a test drive at most dealers is usually a painful process.
I wish there was a way for each company to have a “product showcase” within each dealership. Just educate ppl on the products without any pressure to buy.
Getting a test drive at most dealers is usually a painful process.
01-02-22, 11:21 AM
#9
Instructor
You can pretty much get any info you would want on the internet. And the manufacturers all survey the buyers on their experience. If a new dealer is making it difficult just to test drive some cars, they likely will hear about from the customers, the dealer reps don’t let any thing like that slide and the dealer principle will do what they are told. And if the survey scores are below a certain number, the manufacturer will penalize them to try and ensure the problems are solved
01-02-22, 11:40 AM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
You can pretty much get any info you would want on the internet. And the manufacturers all survey the buyers on their experience. If a new dealer is making it difficult just to test drive some cars, they likely will hear about from the customers, the dealer reps don’t let any thing like that slide and the dealer principle will do what they are told. And if the survey scores are below a certain number, the manufacturer will penalize them to try and ensure the problems are solved
I called my Subaru dealer as they got a new BRZ, they told me once we have signed agreement then i can test drive it lol. This is typical behavior for most new low volume cars.
You can’t read about how u fit in a car, how materials feel to the touch, how it sounds etc. A lot of it needs to be experienced especially for a performance car.
01-02-22, 11:56 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
One major event that caused BMW and Mercedes reps to start treating customers better was when Lexus and Infiniti were introduced in 1990, and the LS400, in particular, offered customers more reliable competition at less cost.
01-02-22, 12:06 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
I can’t say I’ve never had a bad experience, but I do typically have experiences for the reasons you mention.
01-02-22, 12:14 PM
#14
In general, I have to agree, although I did notice that, at least a number of years ago when the industry was substantially different from what it is today, and BMW was the status-symbol of the Yuppie (young/urban/professional crowd), BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes salespeople were distinctly more snooty and aristocratic than those in most other dealers. And, before that, in the 1980s and early 90s, Toyota and Honda dealerships were notorious for tough deals in their classic Sellers' Market.
One major event that caused BMW and Mercedes reps to start treating customers better was when Lexus and Infiniti were introduced in 1990, and the LS400, in particular, offered customers more reliable competition at less cost.
One major event that caused BMW and Mercedes reps to start treating customers better was when Lexus and Infiniti were introduced in 1990, and the LS400, in particular, offered customers more reliable competition at less cost.
01-02-22, 12:32 PM
#15
Instructor
Market conditions can definitely alter the salespersons attitude. When they are usually getting beat up over the best price on a new forester and only making $100, when you finally get a nice BRZ that commands MSRP or more, they feel like it’s time to get even or something. It’s just human nature. If your getting a big discount and the royal treatment, it’s a gimme that the car isn’t the hottest item on the market.