Flakes

A flake is a Car Man expression for a person with bad credit. There are a hell of a lot of flakes out there. The country is full of them, and with the economy the way it is more and more are coming on-line each day. Flakiness is an equal opportunity state of being. Anyone can be or become a flake depending upon their decision-making abilities and the unexpected events that occur in their lives.

Flakes come in two categories: people who are flaky by circumstances and people who are just flaky by their nature. Many times flakes by circumstances are good people who just got themselves into a jam. A job loss or an unexpected illness or injury ruined them financially. For whatever reason, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and became flakes. For a Car Man helping these customers regain their dignity along with a reliable set of wheels can be a very satisfying experience. Not only do you have an opportunity to make a commission, you can also feel good about helping a deserving person get back on their feet.

But flakes by circumstances can also be problematical. Many just cannot accept their flakiness. They live in a world of denial; unable to believe that the glory days of driving expensive cars and shopping at Nordstroms are over. They do not understand that their financial meltdown, no matter the reasons why, have consequences. They are like ghosts who do not realize they are dead, destined to haunt a place that was dear to them when they were alive. Unfortunately, many times that place is a car lot, and they end up haunting you! They come on strong, make unreasonable demands, and seemed determined to make your life miserable.

Working deals with flakes can be all out war. The Car Man is forced to be the one to give these people a reality check, and the news is often badly received. They took all their creditors down, but they still think they are entitled to a low interest rate, and your inability to deliver that rate is somehow your fault. It makes you want to slap them until they say, “Thanks, I needed that!” like in the movies!

Many times flakes by circumstances try to hide their flakiness. They deftly fend off your inquiries about their credit worthiness, preferring to pretend they are still in the driver’s seat (pun intended), and you end up landing them on a vehicle they cannot possibly buy. After they discover they cannot have their way they pout like babies!

“You mean I can’t have the Lexus? What? A Ford Focus? Are you freaking kidding me?” At this point you start thinking about the valuable screwing around time you are losing and start devising devious plans to either make them or boot them!

There is an old Car Man saying: “Once a flake, always a flake”. This description is particularly fitting when describing people who are flaky by nature. All Car Men dislike dealing with them. Not only do they have horrible credit, they generally have messy lives and bad attitudes. There is an entire segment of the auto industry dedicated to dealing with them. Since flakes can clog up the smooth operation of a busy sales department, some dealers have a separate branch staffed with “special finance” managers that are trained to get flakes financed. Believe me these guys earn their money. Not only do they have to find a willing bank, they have to track down the myriad of stipulations the sub-prime lenders require in order to fund a loan. Getting everything you need to make a deal with a flake can be like pulling teeth!

Some dealerships do not deal with flakes. It is deemed too much of a hassle. I worked in a place like this for many years. One of the managers once asked me, “Why would we want to do business with people like this?” My reply, which fell on deaf ears, was, “Because you can spend the money you make on a flake just as easily as the money you make on a customer with good credit. You just have to work a little harder to get it!”

To a certain extent I can understand the attitude. Quite simply, flakes are a pain in the ass. I cannot tell you how many times I have waited on a person with a credit score of 399 and have two repossessions on their record that cannot understand why I am not able to sell them a car with no down payment!

Many flakes by nature have never paid a bill on time in their life. They have a credit report that is twelve pages long and it is all bad! It has always been a mystery to me how they have been able to amass that amount of bad credit during their flaky lives. You would think that somewhere along the way some lender would have said no!

What can a guy on the sales line who is just trying to earn a living for his family do about flakes? First of all use your eyes and ears. If your prospect comes into the dealership driving a $100 car it is usually a sign that something is seriously wrong. If you suspect you are dealing with a flake find out as discreetly as possible what their credit is like and how much money they have for a down payment. Remember: bad credit and no money do not mix!

I wish I could think of a lot of funny things to say about flakes. You would think it would be easy because these people tend to be really screwed up, but I cannot. As my friend Pablo would say, “It’s sad.”

Yes it is sad, but remember you are not running a charity. I believe that every customer deserves to be respected, even the flakes, but you can never forget that your time is more important than theirs. That is why it is so important to develop a strategy to quickly size up a customer. It is one of the things that separate a car salesman from a Car Man!

Tip: If you ever ask a prospect about his credit and he replies, “Let me put it to you this way, I’m human.” Run away as fast as you can!

Talk to you later,


David