The phone rings. Your heart rate picks up just a fraction. You know what’s coming. After the standard greetings and the confirmation that, yes, the 2024 SUV is still on the lot, the hammer drops: “So, what’s your best price on that vehicle?”
For decades, the automotive industry was governed by a single, unshakeable commandment: Never give the price over the phone. The logic was simple—if you give them a number, they’ll just use it to shop the dealer down the street. Your only goal was to “sell the appointment,” using every linguistic gymnastic move in the book to dodge, duck, and dive around the actual cost of the car. We called it the “Price Dodge,” and for a long time, it worked because information was a scarce commodity held only by the gatekeepers in the showroom.
But we aren’t in the 1990s anymore. We are in the era of the hyper-educated consumer. Today, the Price Dodge isn’t a clever tactical maneuver; it’s a trust-killing paradox. By trying to protect your gross by withholding information, you are actually ensuring you never get the chance to earn that gross in the first place. When you refuse to discuss giving car price over the phone, you aren’t being “old school”—you’re being an obstacle.
The Death of the Secret
The fundamental shift in modern car buying is the death of the “secret.” In the past, the MSRP and invoice were closely guarded secrets. Today, a customer can find the invoice price, the average paid price in their zip code, and the value of their trade-in before they even finish their first cup of coffee. According to recent industry studies, roughly 90% of buyers expect price transparency before they ever set foot in a dealership. They aren’t looking for a fight; they are looking for validation.
When a customer calls and asks for the price, they aren’t just asking for a number. They are testing your transparency. They want to know if the person on the other end of the line is a consultant or a gatekeeper. If you respond with, “Well, that’s a great question, when can you come in so we can discuss it?” the customer hears, “I’m going to hide the truth until I have you trapped in my office.”
This is where the paradox lies: The more you try to “save” the deal by withholding the price, the faster the deal dies. Trust is the currency of the modern sale. If you cannot provide a basic piece of information like the price of a product you are advertising, you have bankrupted the relationship before it even began. To survive in this market, we must move away from the “Price Dodge” and toward a model of “Contextual Transparency.”
Why ‘Just Get Them In’ is Failing
The mantra of “just get them in” has been the downfall of many talented sales teams. While the showroom visit is still the ultimate goal, the path to that visit has changed. In the past, the dealership was the first stop in the journey. Today, it is the last. Customers do 15 to 19 hours of research online before contacting a dealer. By the time they pick up the phone, they are 70% of the way through their buying journey.
When a salesperson uses the old-school dodge, they create friction. Friction is the enemy of the modern retail experience. Think about any other high-ticket purchase. If you called a contractor to ask about the cost of a deck and they refused to give you even a ballpark range until they stood in your backyard, you would likely call someone else. Why? Because your time is valuable, and you don’t want to engage with someone who feels evasive.
By refusing to engage in giving car price over the phone, you are essentially telling the customer that their research is irrelevant and their time is secondary to your “process.” This creates an immediate adversarial relationship. The customer becomes defensive, and the “appointment” you worked so hard to get becomes a high-no-show-rate statistic. As we discuss in our deep dive on why the ‘Price Dodge’ is dead, hiding numbers doesn’t protect the sale; it kills the invitation.
| Tactic | The ‘Price Dodge’ (Old) | The ‘Contextual Price’ (New) |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Asks | “What’s the price?” | “What’s the price?” |
| Rep Says | “Come in and we’ll talk.” | “Depending on rebates, it ranges from X to Y.” |
| Result | Anger/Hangup | Engagement/Appointment |
The ‘Range and Reason’ Technique
If we shouldn’t hide the price, does that mean we should just blurt out the lowest number and hope for the best? Absolutely not. That is “giving away the farm,” and it’s just as dangerous as the Price Dodge. The middle ground—the professional ground—is what we call the “Range and Reason” technique. This approach fulfills the buyer’s need for transparency while protecting the dealership’s need to manage variables.
The “Range and Reason” technique works by providing a realistic price range based on current inventory and immediately following it with the “Disclaimer”—the logical reasons why that number isn’t “penny-perfect” yet. This isn’t dodging; it’s educating.
For example: “I can certainly help you with that. Depending on the current manufacturer rebates you qualify for, such as military or loyalty programs, and where we land on your trade-in, this specific model typically ranges between $42,000 and $45,000. To get you the absolute lowest ‘to-the-penny’ number, I just need to see your trade and verify those rebates. Does that range fit within what you were expecting?”
Why is this effective?
- It provides immediate gratification: The customer asked for a price and they got one. The “itch” has been scratched.
- It establishes expertise: By mentioning rebates and trade-in variables, you show you know your business.
- It creates a logical bridge to the appointment: You aren’t asking them to come in because “that’s the rule.” You are asking them to come in so you can finalize the variables they want finalized.
This is an evolution of the core philosophies taught by pioneers like Alan Ram. We are still aiming for the appointment, but we are using logic and transparency as the vehicle to get there, rather than evasion and mystery.
Scripting the Pivot
Providing the price is only half the battle. If you give the price and then stop talking, you’ve lost control of the call. The goal of giving car price over the phone is to use that information as a lever to pivot back to the value of the vehicle and the necessity of the visit. The “Disclaimer” protects your gross, but the “Pivot” secures the appointment.
The pivot should always move from the cost of the car to the availability and options of the car. Remember, people don’t buy prices; they buy vehicles. If you spend the whole call talking about numbers, you are selling a commodity. If you talk about the car, you are selling a dream.
The “Out-the-Door” Objection
Often, a customer will push back: “I don’t want a range. Give me the out-the-door price right now.” This is the moment of truth. Instead of panicking or reverting to the Price Dodge, use the “Logic Pivot.”
“I would love to give you an out-the-door number, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I gave you an inaccurate one. Since taxes are based on your zip code, and your trade-in value could fluctuate by hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on a physical inspection, any number I give you now would just be a guess. My goal is to be 100% accurate so there are no surprises when you get here. I have an opening at 2:15 or 4:45 this afternoon to spend ten minutes looking at your trade and locking that number down. Which works better for you?”
In this script, you aren’t saying “no” to the price. You are saying “no” to inaccuracy. You are positioning yourself as their advocate—the person who wants to ensure there are “no surprises.” This builds immense trust and makes the appointment feel like a service you are providing to them, rather than a hurdle they have to jump over.
Focusing on the “Why”
When you provide the range, you must explain the “why” behind it. This is the “Reason” part of “Range and Reason.”
- Credit Tiers: “Your monthly payment will depend on the tier of financing we can secure.”
- Equity: “If you have equity in your current vehicle, that could significantly drop the final price.”
- Inventory Scarcity: “This is our last one in this trim level, which affects how much flexibility we have compared to the base models.”
By providing these reasons, you are training the customer on how the car business works. An educated customer is a much easier customer to close than one who feels they are being manipulated. When you are giving car price over the phone, you are setting the stage for the entire negotiation. If the phone call is transparent and logic-based, the showroom visit will be as well.
The Price Dodge is a relic of a bygone era. In today’s market, hiding the price doesn’t make you look like a “pro”—it makes you look like you have something to hide. Embrace the range, explain the reason, and pivot to the value. That is how you turn a phone inquiry into a loyal, lifelong customer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I give the out-the-door price on the phone?
A: Generally no, unless you have verified all variables (trade, taxes, payoffs). Instead, give a competitive range and invite them in to finalize the exact figure. Providing a “guess” as an OTD price often leads to conflict later if the numbers change upon inspection of the trade-in.
Q: Won’t they just take my range and call the dealer across town?
A: They might. But they are much more likely to visit the dealer who was honest and helpful than the one who played games. Transparency wins the “tie-breaker” every time. If you give a range and the other dealer refuses to give any info, you have already won the trust battle.
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