Industry Language.....Really,why do we still talk this way??????

An "Up" is someone who walks on the car lot. A customer!
A "Beback" is a customer who leaves without buying, and comes back at a later date.
A "Laydown" is a customer who buys at whatever price the salesperson quotes.
A "Roach" is how car salespeople refer to people with bad credit!
A "Get-Me-Done" is somebody who has borderline credit at best, and will take almost any vehicle at any terms just to get financed.
The "Bump" is where the Sales Manager sends the salesperson back out to get a higher price, or to "Bump" the customer for more money!
A "Lowball" is an unrealistically low price that the salesperson gives the customer before the customer leaves to shop price at another dealer.
"Upside Down" is when a person owes more money on their trade-in then the vehicle is worth.
"Negative Equity" is related to Upside Down above. It is the amount that you still owe on your car loan after subtracting how much you are actually getting for your vehicle.
"Positive Equity" This is when your trade-in is actually worth more than the amount you owe on it. Needless to say, this doesn't happen very often!
"Croak and Choke" pertains to the Finance Manager selling Credit Life Insurance and Disability Insurance on the car loan!
To "Brick" somebody, or to "Spot Deliver!" Car salespeople are so worried that you'll change your mind once you buy a vehicle, that they want you to take it NOW! Very often, the dealer will have the customer sign bank papers before the loan is officially approved, just to get the customer down the road.
"Buyers are Liars!" Every car salesperson is instilled with this belief!
"The T.O." If one salesperson can't close you he or she will T.O. you or turn you over to a Manager or a Closer, who in turn might T.O. you to someone else, and someone else again until you buy.
"A Packed or Loaded Payment!" Packing or loading payments is a slang term used to describe a practice used by the auto industry to get customers to agree to purchase additional products, such as credit insurance, service contracts, chemical protectants, and security devices, without revealing their true impact on their monthly payments.

Packing is played out when a customer finances their vehicle through the dealer. A customer agrees to a purchase the car at a monthly payment that is much higher than what is needed to cover the price of the vehicle. That creates a "pack" or room in the payment to add in the optional products....of course without the customer knowing he's actually paying more for the extra stuff!
"Buyers Remorse!" This is when a car buyer starts having second thoughts about the car purchase. Once the euphoria of getting a new or different vehicle wears off, a person begins wondering if they got ripped-off, did they do the right thing, can they really afford the payments and on and on it goes. There are countless reasons a person second-guesses themselves.

Car sales people call this "Buyers Remorse" or "Coming Out of the Ether!" This is the sales person's worst nightmare, because this is when the buyer starts looking for ways to back out of the car deal.
"A Today Buyer!" This is a customer who is prepared to purchase a vehicle the same day they enter the dealership. The large majority of buyers are not in this category. Most people want to think it over and look around before making a decision.

However, it is the car sales person's job to turn you into a "Today Buyer!" They are trained in techniques that do just that. They have a Selling System in place that is designed to take control of you, culminating in you taking delivery of your new or used vehicle before you leave the dealership. They will go to great lengths to put you in that vehicle "today" including doing a Spot Delivery! BEWARE!
"ACV" This stands for Actual Cash Value. This is what dealers use when referring to the amount of money they are actually putting in a trade. They have to differentiate this number from what they tell the customer. Very often the customer is led to believe that he is getting more for his trade than what the ACV is!
"Quarterback" Car salespeople hate it when you bring someone with you to to the car dealership to help you negotiate a deal. For example a young woman may bring her father to help her. Or she may bring another relative or even worse...a boyfriend. They call these people "quarterbacks!"

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brad Alexander on August 5, 2011 at 10:31pm

I thought being fluent in all these terms made me bi-lingual, dang it! Gotta change my resume.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 5, 2011 at 11:02pm

Now that's funny!
Brad Alexander said:

I thought being fluent in all these terms made me bi-lingual, dang it! Gotta change my resume.

Permalink Reply by Thomas A. Kelly on August 7, 2011 at 12:07pm

Greetings from downstate Tom....enjoyed the "stroker" story.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 7, 2011 at 1:06pm

lol.....

Tom Wilson said:

We talk that way because it's what we learned. As Thomas pointed out, we can use a term that we all understand to communicate quickly w/out a lot of unnecessary chatter. I know what a nickel over is and I understand when the trade's a sled. When I see the UCM smiling after an appraisal because the trade has knee-deep tread, skins and a h*** in the roof, I know he's got a nice trade on his hands.

I don't ever hear these terms used towards or in front of customers. I think we all understand that our internal communications are ours. We say what we say to each other because we understand the terms. If anybody has ever been in or around our honored members of the military, you'll understand that each industry / organization has its own form of communications. Talk to an I.T. guy/gal for any length of time and your head will spin. My brother is a computer architect. When he goes on about what he does, I check out completely.

When a customer uses one of our terms, it can be some funny stuff. I was at my Audi store yesterday when I heard a woman tell a salesman that he didn't have to spend any time with her since she was just a "stroker." I could see the look on his face and how hard he was trying to mask his amusement when he asked her, "where did you get that idea?" She told him that she has a close friend in the car business who explained to her what a stroker was, so she figured she'd save some time and let the salesman know right up front what, (or who), she was.

Permalink Reply by Mike Warwick on August 8, 2011 at 4:29pm

Come on, we all love car lingo but I do cringe when I hear new people throwing these phrases around without the common sense to make sure that no client ever hears them. I always got a kick out of "negative equity." There's no such thing as negative equity but we hear it every day in the showroom. you either have equity or you don't, you can't have negative equity : )

A few more for the list:

Rat
Credit criminal
Spiff
Flat
Money on the hood
Tire kicker
Flipped

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 8, 2011 at 5:00pm

lol....yes,in the wrong hands...."greenpea" in front of a client....danger zone....thanks for the additions!

Permalink Reply by Glenn Wilkins on August 8, 2011 at 5:34pm

Rosetta Stone should have a learning program for Car language.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 8, 2011 at 6:21pm

Now that's funny...and not a horrible idea....

Permalink Reply by Pete Grimm on August 10, 2011 at 11:24am

Nancy Simmons makes a wonderful point. This car jargon is NOT something we want customers to experience! We are unlikely to eliminate it (somehow every profession seems to come up with its own), but we can train our employees on what is proper to say (and NOT) in a retail environment. Customers should never hear our employees use bad language whether swear words of car jargon. Customer should never hear our employees bicker. Customers should never hear our employees criticize each other, or, God forbid, the dealership.

It is not enough to tell our employees what to say and not say when customers are listening. It is critical to establish "Retail Zones" where nothing is ever said that could not be said in front of a customer. These zones should encompass the vast majority of the dealership, from the showroom, to the lot, to the service drive, the waiting room etc. In fact it would be easier to establish the very few locales in a dealership designated as not part of the "retail environment" where it might be permitted for employees to let their hair down and scream once in a while.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 10, 2011 at 12:17pm

Couldn't agree with you more,Pete....thanks for your input

Permalink Reply by Michael Brown on August 10, 2011 at 2:59pm

I became a "green pea" after a 17+ year career in publishing. My experience in that field was devoid of jargon that can be viewed as offensive, condescending or just inappropriate. I appreciate Mr. Kelly's response about creating a shortcut lexicon for the business, but that certainly has to be tempered with common sense. If your Rhodes Scholar daughter has bad credit due to an error in judgment, due you want anyone calling her a Roach?

I believe that we can live with terms that are industry specific: ACV, T.O., Buyer's Remorse, an Up, etc. But let's work to eliminate the negative ones.

I read several comments about these being "OK to use when not around a client." I challenge all to take a look around you and see if you can ALWAYS be SURE that a client isn't walking by your desk, your sales office, sales tower, service entrance, etc. etc. and COULD hear you even if you think no one's around. It happens all the time. Voices carry.

OK, I've vented ...

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on August 10, 2011 at 3:32pm

Good "vent" Mr. Brown,appreciate your input

Michael J. Brown said:

I became a "green pea" after a 17+ year career in publishing. My experience in that field was devoid of jargon that can be viewed as offensive, condescending or just inappropriate. I appreciate Mr. Kelly's response about creating a shortcut lexicon for the business, but that certainly has to be tempered with common sense. If your Rhodes Scholar daughter has bad credit due to an error in judgment, due you want anyone calling her a Roach?

I believe that we can live with terms that are industry specific: ACV, T.O., Buyer's Remorse, an Up, etc. But let's work to eliminate the negative ones.

I read several comments about these being "OK to use when not around a client." I challenge all to take a look around you and see if you can ALWAYS be SURE that a client isn't walking by your desk, your sales office, sales tower, service entrance, etc. etc. and COULD hear you even if you think no one's around. It happens all the time. Voices carry.

OK, I've vented ...