by Maura Schreier-Fleming
Do you ever wonder why some customers are happier with their automotive purchases than other customers are? You may think they work with better salespeople. That may be part of it. They’re also better customers. As a sales professional who works with thousands of customers, I can tell you that the best customers buy the best products. If you want to buy your best car, here’s how you to make it happen.   

Know what you’re looking for.
What kind of customer are you?  You may be a family of campers and your weekend activities include loading up your vehicle to the roof with camping gear. You could also be the queen of carpools and spend most of your waking hours behind the wheel of a car chauffeuring the under five Teletubbies set. Then there are commuters who need a comfortable ride that’s easy on the wallet. Each one of these customers would be delighted with very different purchases.  Your sales professional is there to help you identify the vehicle that will be the best match for you. You can help your salesperson by knowing what you need. So before you go to your dealer, think about how you want to use your car. Be prepared to tell your salesperson what your particular requirements are.  You’ll be even more helpful if you can prioritize what’s most important to you, too.

Do your homework.
Great salespeople know all about the vehicles they sell. They can tell you technical specs like which vehicles have the most horsepower. They can also tell you which colors you can choose from for the interior. So why not get a general idea about what you will be looking at by going to the websites of the car manufacturers that you’re interested in before you go to the dealer? Surf around and see what the manufacturer has to say about the car.  What if you don’t have a manufacturer in mind? Go to more websites and start a checklist of the characteristics of the vehicles so you can begin to compare vehicles. The options selections might steer you to one manufacturer over another.