Meeting 12: “The Other Dealer Is Throwing In Free Oil Changes”

Two people act out the bad version. Then the good version. Same grumble. Completely different outcome. 7 minutes. No prep. You play the customer.

How This Meeting Works

You need two volunteers. First pair acts out the BAD version. The salesperson panics when the customer mentions the other dealer’s freebies and starts negotiating against themselves. Then the second pair acts out the GOOD version. Same customer, same grumble, completely different response. Room votes on which “bad” version was more realistic, then you tell them what the customer was really thinking the whole time.

Seven minutes.

Why You’re Running This One

Customer is at the desk on a 2022 Chevrolet Trax LT. Used, 31,000 miles, $18,900 out the door. Credit score is 580. This is the car her lender approved. She came back for a second visit. She loves the car. And then she says: “The Kia dealer down the street is throwing in free oil changes for three years. Why can’t you do that?”

Your salesperson freezes. They hear “the other dealer” and their brain screams COMPETITION. They run to the desk. “Can we throw in oil changes?” Now they’re negotiating. They’re shaving $2,400 in front-end gross on a used Trax because a customer grumbled about $180 worth of oil changes.

That wasn’t an objection. That was a complaint. She’s not leaving. She’s buying THIS car. She just wants to feel like she got something. The fix is three steps called Hear, Test, Give. Hear the complaint without flinching. Test whether she’s actually leaving. Give one small gesture with confidence. When your salesperson skips straight to giving, they turn a complaint into a negotiation that didn’t need to happen. Customers who negotiate add-ons instead of price have 23% higher CSI scores. Everybody wins when you know the difference.

Wake Up the Room (60 seconds)

What’s It Worth? Name a dealer add-on. “Window tint. What does it actually cost us?” Room guesses. Not the retail price on the menu. What it costs the dealership. The actual number. Closest wins. Then do another one. “All-weather floor mats.” “Paint protection film.” “Nitrogen tire fill.” Everyone’s always shocked at the margin. The room needs to know these numbers because the stuff they’re throwing in to close deals costs almost nothing. And the stuff the customer is asking for costs even less than that.

Set It Up (60 seconds)

Read this out loud:

“Two rounds. Here’s the scenario. Customer came back for her second visit on a 2022 Chevrolet Trax LT. Used, 31,000 miles. Credit score is 580. This is the car her lender approved. She loves it. She’s buying it. And then she says: ‘The Kia dealer down the street is throwing in free oil changes for three years and a full detail. Why can’t you do that?’

First round: the BAD version. Two people. One’s the salesperson, one’s the customer. The salesperson panics, starts giving stuff away, and turns a done deal into a negotiation. Act it out.

Second round: the GOOD version. Same customer, same complaint. But this time the salesperson hears it, tests it, and handles it without giving away the store. Show me what that looks like.

Pick your people. Go.”

First pair acts the bad version. Panicked, over-giving, self-negotiating. Second pair acts the good version. Calm, confident, one small gesture. The room needs to FEEL the difference.

The customer’s line in both versions: “The Kia dealer down the street is throwing in free oil changes for three years and a full detail. Why can’t you do that?”

Let Them Go (3 minutes)

Bad version goes first. 60 seconds. The salesperson hears “other dealer” and their eyes go wide. They start giving stuff away before the customer even asks twice.

How to play the customer in the BAD version (keep this in your head):

You said the line about the oil changes. That’s it. You’re not pushing hard. You’re just sitting there
If the salesperson immediately says “let me see what I can do” and runs to the desk: Look confused. You didn’t ask them to run anywhere. “I mean, OK…”
If they come back with a package of freebies: Look pleased but slightly suspicious. “Really? That easy?” Now you’re thinking there’s even MORE room. “What about floor mats?”
If they throw in floor mats too: Raise your eyebrows. “And the window tint?” Each thing they give away makes you ask for more. You never intended to negotiate. They taught you to
By the end, the salesperson has given away oil changes, a detail, floor mats, and tint. Your expression: “OK, I think we have a deal.” You got a stack of stuff you would have been fine without

Stop. Reset. “That was round one. Now watch what happens when the salesperson doesn’t panic. Same customer. Same grumble. Different response.”

Before Round 2, take 20 seconds. “Turn to the person next to you. What was the mistake? Twenty seconds. Go.”

“OK. Round two. Go.”

Round Two: The Good Version. Same customer.

How to play the customer in Round 2 (keep this in your head):

You say the same line about the oil changes. Same tone. Same energy. You’re grumbling, not threatening
If the salesperson acknowledges it without panicking (“That’s a great offer, I can see why that caught your eye”): Relax a little. You feel heard. “Yeah, I mean, it’s just nice to get something, you know?”
If they then ask “other than the oil changes, is there anything about this Trax that isn’t working for you?”: Pause. Think. “No… honestly I love this car. It’s the right one.” You just told them it’s a complaint, not an objection
If they offer one small thing with confidence (“I’ll make sure we do a full detail and throw in a tank of gas. Fair?”): Nod. Smile. “Yeah. Yeah, that works.” You got something. You feel good. Deal’s done
If they still panic and start stacking giveaways: Same as Round 1. You keep asking for more. Because they keep offering
If they get defensive about the other dealer: Tense up. “I’m just saying what they offered me. You don’t have to get weird about it.” Now you’re annoyed

After both rounds: “OK, stop. Which version do you see on your floor? Be honest.” Let them answer. Then tell them what the customer was really thinking.

Who Won, and What the Customer Was Really Thinking (60 seconds)

No vote needed. Everyone saw both versions. Tell them what was going on in the customer’s head.

Then tell the room what was really happening:

“Here’s what she wasn’t telling you. Her credit score is 580. She applied at three dealers. Two of them couldn’t get her approved at all. The Kia store got her approved on a Seltos at 14.9%. YOUR store got her approved on this Trax at 11.2%. She knows the math. She’s not going to the Kia dealer. The rate difference alone costs her significantly more over the life of the loan.

She came back for a SECOND visit. She brought her mom this time to see it. She already picked a name for the car. She calls it ‘Blue.’ She’s buying this Trax today. The oil change comment? She heard the Kia guy mention it and thought it sounded nice. That’s it. She wasn’t comparing deals. She was grumbling. Like when you tell the waiter the steak is a little overcooked but you’re already eating it.

Those three years of oil changes the Kia dealer offered? That’s about $180 total. She would have been perfectly happy with a tank of gas and a detail. A small gesture to hold $2,400 in front-end gross. But in round one, the salesperson panicked. Heard ‘other dealer’ and started throwing things at the wall. Oil changes. Floor mats. Window tint. The customer never asked for any of it after the first grumble. The salesperson CREATED the negotiation.

That’s the lesson. Most objections aren’t objections. They’re complaints. And when you negotiate against a complaint, you turn it into a real objection that costs you real money. On a deal that was already done. Because nobody stopped to test whether she was actually leaving or just wanted to feel like she got something.”

What you’re looking for:

In the bad version, did the salesperson start giving things away before the customer asked twice? That’s the panic response. The customer grumbled once and the salesperson negotiated five times.
In the good version, did the salesperson hear her first? “I can see why that caught your eye.” Not “those oil changes aren’t worth anything.” Not “that dealer is playing games.”
Did they test it? “Other than the oil changes, is there anything about this Trax that isn’t working for you?” That one question separates a complaint from an objection. When the answer is “no, I love the car,” you’re done. It was a complaint.
Did they give something small with confidence? A detail and a tank of gas. Not oil changes, floor mats, tint, and a first-born child.

A customer who gets one small gesture from a confident salesperson feels better than one who gets a pile of freebies from someone who looked scared. That’s front-end gross on a credit-challenged deal where every dollar matters more than usual.

What You Say After (30 seconds, read this out loud)

“Three moves: Hear, Test, Give.

Hear: acknowledge what they’re feeling. ‘That’s a great offer. I can see why that caught your attention.’ You didn’t argue. You didn’t dismiss it. You didn’t say ‘those oil changes are worthless.’ You heard her. That takes the fight out of it before there is a fight.

Test: find out if it’s real. ‘Other than that, is there anything about this car that isn’t working for you?’ If she says ‘no, I love it,’ it was a complaint. She’s buying. You just confirmed it. If she starts listing problems, now you have a real objection and you handle it differently.

Give: one small thing, delivered with confidence. ‘I’ll do a full detail and a tank of gas before you pick it up. Fair?’ That last word is the close. You gave her something and asked if the deal is done. Not ‘what do you think?’ Not ‘does that help?’ Not ‘let me know.’ Just ‘fair?’ She got something. She feels like she won. And you kept your full front-end gross on a deal she was already going to do.

That’s the sequence. Most of us skip to Give. And when we skip to Give without Testing, we give away ten times more than we needed to. Multiply that by every deal this month where somebody on your floor panicked at the words ‘other dealer.’ That’s your month.”

Send Them to the Floor

“Next customer who mentions something another dealer offered, what are the first words out of your mouth?”

One person answers. You’re listening for the Hear step first. Some version of “that sounds like a nice offer” or “I can see why that caught your eye.” If they say “let me see if we can match that,” they skipped Hear and Test. Went straight to Give. If they say “those oil changes aren’t worth anything,” they got defensive. Insulted the customer’s intelligence. If they say “let me talk to my manager,” they panic-escalated a complaint into a desk negotiation. Hear first. Test whether it’s real. Then Give something small. Get on the lot.

Why You Bring It Up Tomorrow

Open tomorrow’s meeting with:

“Who had a customer yesterday mention another dealer or ask for something extra? What did you say first? Did you test whether it was a real objection or just a complaint? What happened?”

If you run a great meeting and never bring it up again, it was seven fun minutes that changed nothing. When your team knows you’re going to ask tomorrow morning, in front of everybody, they stop and think before they run to the desk. One meeting becomes a habit. That’s how you change a floor.

What good answers sound like: “Customer on a used Malibu said the dealer on Route 4 offered free oil changes. I said ‘that sounds like a nice perk, I get why that caught your eye.’ Asked if there was anything about the Malibu that wasn’t working for her. She said no, she loved the car. I told her I’d make sure it was detailed and gassed up for pickup. She signed. Full gross.” THAT’S what you want to hear.

Make It Harder (For Your Experienced People)

Your 20-year vet plays the customer. But this customer has done their homework. They’ve got the Kia dealer’s offer sheet printed out. Oil changes, detail, floor mats, AND a Visa gift card. Real paper. Real numbers. And the customer isn’t grumbling. They’re presenting evidence. “Look. Here’s what they’re offering. What can you match?”

Now the salesperson has to figure out whether paper changes anything. The offer sheet makes the complaint LOOK like an objection. The question is whether the salesperson can tell the difference when evidence is on the table. If they stay calm and work the framework without matching line items, you’ve got a closer who doesn’t rattle. If they start matching the stack, they just taught the room what panic looks like when paper is on the table.

Switch It Up

On the phone: Customer calls back after visiting yesterday. “Hey, I went to a Honda dealer after I left your place and they’re offering free maintenance for two years. Can you do something like that?” Same approach. Acknowledge it: “That’s solid, I can see why that’s appealing.” Check whether it’s real: “Other than the maintenance, how are you feeling about the car you saw here?” If she says “I really liked it,” it’s a complaint. Offer one small thing: “Tell you what, I’ll have it detailed and ready when you come in. What time works?” On the phone, checking matters even more. You can’t read body language. Let her voice tell you whether she’s leaving or grumbling.
Used cars, credit-challenged: This IS the scenario. And it matters more here than anywhere else. A 580-credit customer who got approved is not shopping for fun. Their options are limited. They found a car that works, a rate that works, and a payment that works. When they mention another dealer’s offer, they’re not comparing. They’re hoping. Every dollar of gross on a subprime deal matters because the backend is thinner. Same three steps apply.
Saturday afternoon: Customer has been at the desk for an hour. They say “you know, the dealer on Main Street said they’d throw in all-weather mats and a cargo tray.” Your salesperson is tired. Their instinct is to just say yes and move on. Don’t. “That’s a nice touch. Other than the accessories, are we good on everything else?” If yes, give one thing confidently and close. Tired salespeople give away the most gross because matching feels faster than testing.

If Things Go Sideways

What’s Happening	What to Do
Room is dead	Run another round of What’s It Worth. Pick weirder add-ons. “Ceramic coating. Actual dealer cost. Go.” “Nitrogen in the tires. Actual cost. Go.” The margins will shock them awake.
Short on time	Skip the opener. Describe the bad version yourself. Run one round of the good version. Straight to the teaching point. Five minutes.
Small team (3-4)	Skip teams. Each person responds to you directly. You’re the customer. Same complaint. Score each one: did they acknowledge, check whether it was real, or skip straight to giving stuff away?
Big team (12+)	Three pairs. Bad, OK, and great. Room ranks all three. More contrast, more learning.
Both versions look the same	GOOD. That’s the whole point. “Both rounds, the salesperson started giving stuff away before testing whether the customer was even leaving. That’s what’s happening on your floor right now. One question separates a complaint from an objection. ‘Other than that, is there anything that isn’t working?’ One question.”
Someone gets defensive about the other dealer	Don’t let it slide. “You just told the customer their offer is garbage. She didn’t ask you to judge the Kia dealer. She told you what they offered. When you trash the other store, the customer defends them. Now you’re in a fight about Kia instead of selling your car.”
Somebody nails it	Call it out. “Did you see that? Acknowledged the complaint. Checked whether it was real. Offered one small thing. The customer signed with a smile. Full gross. That’s the sequence.”

What You’ll Actually See in the Room

Both versions, the salesperson panics. Most common outcome. Even in the “good” version, your salesperson hears “other dealer” and the survival instinct kicks in. They start matching before they even test. That’s your opening: “Two rounds and nobody asked whether she was actually leaving. Nobody tested the complaint. You all assumed it was an objection and started negotiating. She was buying either way.”
Someone in the bad version gives away everything and the customer keeps asking for more. The room laughs because they’ve watched it happen. That’s the lesson in real time. “Did you see that? Every time the salesperson offered something, the customer asked for something else. The salesperson TRAINED the customer to negotiate. She wasn’t negotiating when she walked in. She was grumbling. Now she’s negotiating because you taught her she could.”
Someone acknowledges but skips the check. They say “that’s a great offer” and then immediately go to “let me throw in a detail.” Close, but they still didn’t test whether it was real. Point it out: “You heard her. Great. But you offered something before you checked. What if she’d said ‘actually, I’m also worried about the payment’? Now you have a real objection you missed. You jumped to the gesture.”
Someone checks and the customer confirms it’s a complaint. When this happens, the room gets quiet. The customer says “no, I love the car” and the salesperson realizes the whole thing was noise. “That’s the moment. She just told you she’s buying. The oil changes were a grumble. One question and you found out. Now your gesture can be small and confident instead of big and scared.”
Someone handles it perfectly but sounds apologetic. They acknowledge, they check, they offer something. But they say “I can probably do a detail and some gas…” like they’re asking permission. “The words were right. The tone was wrong. ‘I’ll make sure we do a full detail and a tank of gas before you pick it up.’ Period. Confident. Not ‘I can maybe see about possibly doing…’ The customer reads your confidence. If you sound unsure, they push harder.”
The vet in the room says “just give them the oil changes, they’re only thirty bucks each.” Let it play out. “That’s true. But zoom out. What happens NEXT time? And the time after that? Every time your salesperson offers something without checking whether the customer was even leaving, they train themselves to negotiate against complaints. Oil changes today. Floor mats tomorrow. Window tint on Saturday. The cost is small. The habit is expensive. Check first. Every time.”

What’s Really Going On (Your Eyes Only)

Here’s something your salespeople don’t understand about the customer who grumbles. When you throw in extras to close a deal, you actually reduce the perceived value of the deal. The customer thinks: “If they can give all that away, how much were they overcharging me?” But hold the line and offer one small gesture with confidence? You increase the perceived value. The customer thinks: “They believe in their price. They gave me something because they wanted to, not because I pressured them.”

That’s the add-on negotiation paradox. More giveaways equal less trust. Fewer giveaways, delivered confidently, equal more trust.

This deal is a credit-challenged buyer on a used Trax. That matters. A 580 credit score means limited options. This customer doesn’t have the luxury of walking across the street and getting approved on whatever she wants. She found a car that works. She found a lender that works. She found a rate that’s three points better than the Kia dealer’s. When she mentions the other dealer’s oil changes, she’s not threatening to leave. She can’t leave. She’s asking to feel good about a purchase she’s already committed to.

And that’s where your salesperson’s job shifts from selling to serving. This customer doesn’t need a negotiation. She needs a gesture. Something that says “you matter to us.” A full detail and a tank of gas cost the store almost nothing. She’ll remember it for months. She’ll tell her cousin who also has a 580. She’ll leave a five-star review. And you kept your front-end gross on a deal where every dollar counts because the backend on a subprime deal is already thin.

Those three steps separate a complaint from an objection, and save your team from negotiating against a problem that was never real. The most expensive habit on your floor isn’t bad closing. It’s good salespeople panicking at the word “other dealer” and giving away gross on deals that were already done.

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