A car-buying expert said the car salesperson you get matters. And he even shared how to pick which one to go with.
TikTok user Billy the Car Kid (@billythecarkid) is a car-buying expert. He helps his clients with the negotiation process at dealerships. Billy is also an avid TikToker. He posts videos with tips on what to know before going into the dealership and salesman tricks to avoid.
In a video posted last week, Billy reveals another car-buying secret. “Today, I’m going to tell you why it’s so important to make sure you get the top salesman at the dealership when you’re trying to get the best deal,” Billy says. The clip amassed 40,000 views as of Monday.
“Would he be the one that can negotiate better than anybody and rip you off the hardest?” Billy asks. “Actually, the new guy that has no idea what he’s doing—which most people think is the better option—is not. That guy has no idea what he’s doing, and he’s going to his manager with every question you ask. And the manager is trying to teach that new guy how to make sure that we save all the profit for the dealership.’
Therefore, Billy says, “They’re going to keep handing him rebuttals to give you. And reasons why we can’t come off the price. Whereas your top salesman—the best guy at the dealership—is always going to have some ins with the managers and the finance guys.”
Why is the top salesperson the worker you should go with?
The top salesman is also likely to sell a good number of vehicles every month. “So he’s not trying to make a home run on every deal,” Billy says. “Top salesman at any dealership is going to sell 20 to 30 vehicles a month. It’s OK with him or her if they lose a couple deals because they gave the deal away.”
@billythecarkid Is okay to haggle at a car dealership? Can you ask a car dealer to lower the price? Yes, you can negotiate on the price of a car. However, it helps to do your research on the vehicle’s fair market value and out-the-door price beforehand so that you know how much room you have to haggle. @austinpikket thanks again for the help! #carbuyingsecrets #carbuyingadvice #carbuyinghelp #carbuyingmadeeasy #carsoftiktok #dealership #negotiate ♬ KNOCKED OUT – Instrumental Version – Canon
In this case, not every deal needs to be a homerun. “Whereas the guy that’s only selling 10 vehicles really needs every one of them to count,” he says. “How do I know this? Because I was a top guy. Actually, if you’re a good salesperson, you have excellent relationships with all the managers there, which means they’re more likely to cut you a break.”
How do you get the top salesman on the phone?
Call the dealership and ask for the secretary. Billy says the secretary is the person who knows everything going on at the dealership. “Ask her, who is your top mover? Who’s the guy that sells the most cars? We want to deal with somebody that can really get us in and out fast and give us the best service,” Billy says. “She’s going to get you to that person ASAP. And that person, I promise you, is going to be your best and easiest way to get the best deal at the dealership.”
In the caption, Billy writes, “Is okay to haggle at a car dealership? Can you ask a car dealer to lower the price? Yes, you can negotiate on the price of a car. However, it helps to do your research on the vehicle’s fair market value and out-the-door price beforehand so that you know how much room you have to haggle.”
Viewers weigh in
In the comments, users weighed in on the advice and asked other questions about the car-buying process.
One user wrote, “How about the 2nd top salesman? Might be trying to rack up sales to be the top guy?” Billy replied, “Sure, your top three guys are probably in competition with each other.”
A second user asked, “Does “I’m a returning customer” get bonus brownies? Maybe a couple thousands off?” Billy responded, “Customers that are repeat generally just get the same deal they did last time.”
Someone else wrote, “I agree with you on the top salesman portion.. I have to ask my top guy daily if he works for us or the client!”
According to Edmunds, this might be a decent strategy. “Top sellers know that to make every deal, they will have to push management, too. They’ll push managers to pay more money on a trade-in, push for a faster deal or even push to take a deal the sales manager might not want to take,” Edmunds states.
The Daily Dot reached out to Billy the Car Kid via text message for comment.
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