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The Neuro CarSales Blog

3 myths about used car buyers that your marketing team needs to know

by Stefanie Kalheber on Apr 17, 2015 4:45:00 PM

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When it comes to new cars, manufacturers and brands know all too well how to play with customers’ emotions. That’s obvious from vehicles’ details appealing to all the senses and those emotionally charged advertising campaigns! Used car marketing, though, is usually a rather staid affair. Why is this? Do people looking for a second-hand car think differently from those in the market for a brand new vehicle? Are they really obsessed by nothing more than the quest for the lowest price on the web, a hard bargain and even more features?

 Below, we outline three myths about customers which, despite still shaping most manufacturers’ marketing tactics for used vehicles, have long been found to be obsolete – so forget them! This will enable you to focus on your customers and their needs and to develop lasting, successful marketing and sales strategies.

Myth 1: Used car buyers take rational decisions.

True, people weigh up the pros and cons of buying a particular second-hand car far more than their weekly shop. They check their finances, think hard about what they want in terms of performance and appearance, and seek their friends’ advice. But at the end of the day, their final decision for or against a certain car is anything but rational!

Almost everyone has discovered for themselves that instead of facts and figures, what ultimately counts is a good gut feeling. Some buyers will overlook high mileage and even exceed their original budget by a few thousand dollars simply because they like the dealership, they’re on the same wavelength as the sales guy, or the car has impressive yet totally unnecessary features!

Whether we like it or not, even the most rational homo economicus is always guided by their feelings. The emotions of potential car buyers are stirred as soon as they start googling various models – and really kick in when they first get into the car and take in the smell.

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Scientists have found that our purchasing behaviour is determined by emotion, not reason. Only after the fact do we justify decisions rationally. In an experiment, people who had been shown highly emotionalizing images were willing to spend far more on items than others who hadn’t been emotionally stimulated in this way. The most striking result was that when taking a decision, participants were unable to consciously suppress the influence of their emotions. And that takes us to the next myth….

Myth 2: Used car buyers make conscious decisions.

We aren’t aware of at least 70 percent of our decisions – in fact some researchers believe this figure to be more like 95–98 percent. Experts agree that numerous processes take place in the brain long before our consciousness becomes involved. “Although many signals and messages emitted by products and advertising don’t reach the customer’s consciousness, they greatly influence his or her thinking and behaviour,” says neuromarketing specialist Hans-Georg Häusel.

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This also applies to used car buyers and explains why what customers say doesn’t always match their true emotions. When a customer says they don’t like a vehicle or it’s too expensive, they have unconsciously just decided that they don’t like the seller. Their consciousness has simply grabbed the first excuse that sprang to mind in order to escape the situation as quickly as possible. Acquiring a deeper understanding of customers’ unconscious motivations and behaviour patterns is vital for any marketing strategy – and hence for sales success.

Myth 3: Used car buyers are unpredictable.

Pessimists will conclude from this that if used car customers don’t make conscious decisions, their buying behaviour must be unpredictable. But this myth, too, can be quickly debunked. Numerous neuroscientific experiments have shown that thoroughly predictable and constant triggers exist that appeal to the subconscious and thus the emotions of customers – and positively support their purchasing decisions.

Therefore, the basis of successful used car marketing is to address each customer’s subconscious emotion system. This concerns not just the presentation of vehicles, but also the sales pitch, the advertising campaign, showroom design, and many other aspects. Seemingly insignificant details can make a sale or alternatively break it – by prompting an unconscious refusal to purchase. We’ll take a closer look at them in our blog.

Topics: Buyer Psychology, Used Car Marketing


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