The Sleazy Sales Guy

We've pondered a bit about the groovy little 32-footer we met over the weekend. (Imagine that! Us, pondering?)

From the very beginning, when this whole RV idea hatched, one thing we agree on was that we would know our RV when we saw it. And, when we saw it, we'd get it. The whole thing would be kismet!

While our vision of what we thought we wanted has definitely evolved, what we experienced during our Saturday shopping was something we had not experienced before. For the first time, we found ourselves sitting in an RV that we could see ourselves in...right now. It had everything that we needed to head out on weekend excursions with all the comforts of home and get into any tight little campground we chose. It was a brand we trust. At a price we could more than comfortably afford.

So, what stopped us?

The sleazy sales guy.

I read once never to trust anything that comes out of the mouth of an RV salesperson. So, I approach every big-grinned one we've met with a bit of trepidation. Surprisingly, the half dozen or so we've met have actually been very helpful. We've explained to all that we're newbies who are just looking, and we don't want to waste their time. Some have responded with a friendly hands off approach and encouraged us to peek in and around anything we wanted. Most have chosen to graciously focus on helping us with our research rather than on closing a deal. Except this one.

While our mission on Saturday afternoon was, as always, to make sure any decision we made would be the right one for us, his was simple: Sell this damn RV...TODAY!

I've already touched on his tactics. They bugged us a bit on Saturday. After all, we thought, he's just trying to do his job. But, today we have a different opinion. Today, we'd really like to buy that RV. But, we don't want to buy it from him or his dealership.

We don't want to reward that kind of sales behavior. It's not a behavior that builds the kind of trust it takes to make a six-figure decision. It does nothing to build a relationship. We can't imagine taking our "home away from home" to a place like that for service. And, frankly, with sales techniques like that, we're wondering how long this dealer might be around anyway.

Like I've said, we've met two very helpful, low-key salespeople at a competing dealership with a comparable model. It won't be exactly the same RV, but it may be close enough. And, if it is, it'll be a pleasure to strike a deal with the good guys.