Understanding Car Salesman Lingo: 10 Phrases to Keep an Ear Out For
Have you ever been to a car dealership before and not had a single clue what the car salespeople were talking about? Trust me, you’re not alone. It’s no secret that just like many other professions, car salespeople have their own “lingo” if you will, that they use when they’re around each other in order to communicate messages and ideas without the consumer knowing exactly what they’re saying. However, the folks over at Edmunds.com are giving car buyers a jump start to becoming smarter consumers when they head out to the dealership. The following are 10 phrases that car buyers should keep an ear out for the next time they are at the dealership. You never know; it may just help you in your car purchasing decision! To see the full article at Edmunds.com, click here.
10 Phrases to Keep an Ear Out For at the Dealership [source]
- Be-back: A customer who leaves the car lot promising to return later, saying, “I’ll be back,” or some variation of that statement. “The guy was a be-back. But I think he meant it. I’ll see him again.”
- Bumping: Raising the customer’s offer for a car. “If Mr. Customer says he only wants to pay $250 a month, just say, ‘Up to — ?’ He’ll probably bump himself up to $300 without you doing anything.”
- “Buyers are liars”: Car salesmen know they have a reputation for dishonesty. But they counter with this claim of their own. [Salesman #1: After the test-drive, this guy tells me he has to leave 'cause he's got a doctor's appointment. Yeah, right."] [Salesman #2: "What can I tell you, man? Buyers are liars."]
- Closer: An experienced salesman who is brought in to “close” the customer by making them agree to a deal. “If I worked with a better closer, I’d have more units on the board.”
- Demo: This is the test-drive. “This guy comes in, demos the car, and I think he’s ready to buy, right? Then he tells me the car’s for his wife and he can’t make a decision without her. Same old line.”
- F&I: This stands for the Finance and Insurance office where the documents are signed. The F&I salesperson usually will push products such as extended warranties, fabric protection and alarms. “The wait for F&I is two hours. Better stick with your customer so they don’t skip out the back door.”
- “The feel of the wheel will seal the deal”: It is assumed that if you test-drive a car, you will buy it. “This prospect was on the fence, right? I get him in the car, he drives the thing, now he’s hot to buy. It’s like they always say, ‘The feel of the wheel will seal the deal.’”
- First pencil: This is the opening offer from the sales manager, usually written onto the four-square worksheet, so-called because it is highly negotiable, i.e. written in pencil, not ink. “I show my customer the first pencil and it’s so high he nearly dies. I scrape him off the ceiling and make a deal.”
- Four-square: As negotiations begin, the salesman pulls out a worksheet divided into four squares which represent the four elements of a car deal: selling price, trade-in value, monthly payment and down payment. “I started working the four-square and looked up at the prospect. It was great — they had no idea what the hell I was talking about.”
- Full pop lease: This is when a vehicle is leased at 110 percent of the sticker price — the highest amount allowed by most banks. “I got them into a full pop lease. I’ll get a nice voucher for that.”


pounder 1000.00 of gross for the dealer ship
so a 4 pounder is 4000.00 gross
Nice post… I learned a few new phrases I was un-aware of. Car dealers get a bad reputation sometimes but they are just making a living and most of them are honest.