David Boice is the CEO and Cofounder of Team Velocity, a leading marketing technology provider serving the automotive industry.
There came a time when just stepping into a car dealership felt a bit like walking into a high-stakes poker game: Everyone had to prepare themselves for a bluff or a hidden card up someone’s sleeve. It wasn’t entirely unfounded. For years, dealerships got tagged with a reputation for murky fees, upsells you didn’t see coming and a high-pressure environment where the salesperson always seemed two steps ahead.
But the world’s changed a lot since the days of flipping through newspaper ads or physically trekking from lot to lot in the rain. Now, a car buyer can do a week’s worth of research in five minutes with an internet connection. And yet, the stereotype of the “shady dealership” still hangs in the air, often overshadowing genuine efforts to be transparent.
That’s why it’s been refreshing for me to see a growing number of dealerships take a different tack: straightforward, consistent pricing right from the get-go. The goal is to rebuild trust through openness. I’ve noticed a lot of modern shoppers care less about scoring the rock-bottom deal and more about the peace of mind that comes from feeling respected and fully informed.
The Legacy Of Distrust
Truth be told, the word “dealership” itself can still trigger flashbacks for some folks—memories of feeling cornered by a slick salesperson or discovering add-on charges at the last minute. A big part of that comes from the old-school negotiation culture, where the advertised price was more like a conversation starter than a final figure. Sometimes, there truly were hidden costs buried in the fine print, which only fueled the worry that maybe you were being led astray.
Wind back the clock a few decades, and you’ll see an industry that relied on paper logs, flipcharts and faxes to keep track of day-to-day sales. Without the internet, it was next to impossible for buyers to compare prices without physically visiting multiple showrooms. In that world, you never really knew if you’d get a good deal or if you’d just been out-negotiated. Throw in some rain or a finicky fax machine, and the whole process felt downright prehistoric compared to today’s online convenience.
Times may have changed, but that old impression of mistrust hasn’t completely disappeared yet. Although I’ve found most dealers nowadays genuinely aim to treat customers fairly, the echoes of high-pressure tactics and surprise fees can still make buyers wary. And in the era of Google reviews and social media, a single bad experience can quickly snowball into a reputation problem for the entire industry.
The Role Of Pricing Transparency In Restoring Consumer Confidence
A Sprout Social survey found that 86% of U.S. consumers think “transparency from businesses is more important than ever before.” In fact, 73% said they would actually pay more for a product that guarantees price transparency. These are figures that should grab any dealership’s attention.
Leaders of dealerships need to ensure they’re offering an honest, upfront price that aligns with what is shared on the company’s website and what the dealership itself has told shoppers. People don’t want to be told one thing and discover the cost jumps by a few thousand dollars when they’re about to sign.
When a dealership moves away from “price-to-negotiate” and embraces a “price-to-sell” model, it takes a lot of the tension out of the buying process. Gone are those marathon bargaining sessions that leave everyone feeling drained. Instead, shoppers can walk in knowing exactly what they’ll pay. Customers who experience transparent pricing are more likely to report higher satisfaction and better word-of-mouth. It also saves everyone time—no more drawn-out negotiations or complicated back-and-forth conversations that leave people with a bad taste in their mouth.
When pricing is consistent, it creates an environment where the old fear of being “taken for a ride” can finally rest in peace.
Technology’s Role In Implementing Pricing Transparency
Even the most honest dealership can run into trouble if their tech isn’t up to par. Legacy systems, outdated databases and patchwork websites can lead to accidental mismatches, like seeing one price online and getting quoted a totally different number at the finance desk. Nothing crushes trust faster than feeling you’ve been blindsided, even if the cause was a simple clerical error.
I’ve observed more dealers modernizing their tech stacks to synchronize online and in-store pricing. Dealerships can consider implementing automated software to help ensure that what shoppers see at home matches what they hear in person. AI can also be used to help tailor special offers or suggestions based on a customer’s individual shopping habits and make the process more personal and less “one-size-fits-all.” (Full disclosure: My company provides these types of solutions, as do others.)
Security is another big factor to consider. Dealerships should ensure they have solid data backups and protective measures in place. Doing so makes the dealership less likely to get blindsided by tech outages or data breaches that could undermine all that trust they’ve worked hard to build.
Rebuilding Reputation
At the end of the day, buying a car shouldn’t feel like walking into the lion’s den. While skepticism may never vanish entirely, clear and consistent pricing is one of the most powerful ways dealerships can prove they’ve turned over a new leaf. When buyers are greeted with transparency from their very first interaction, they’re far more inclined to believe the dealership is on the level. In turn, that sense of trust opens the door to smoother transactions, repeat business and a reputation for fairness that benefits everyone involved.
Yes, the car-selling world has a lot of history to overcome, but in an age where information is just a tap away, transparency is a must. And for those dealerships willing to put in the effort, the reward is a customer base that walks out the door feeling satisfied, not suspicious. That’s the kind of outcome that shifts the narrative from “buyer beware” to “buyer, be welcome.”
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Read the full article here
