We’re gonna fleece you, wring you, and maybe I’ll steal your wallet when you’re not looking.
Someone’s gotta pay for that fancy cruise I’m taking with my third wife, Kitty.
I just bought her a new pair, and she’s purring like an 84 Red Stingray Corvette convertible.
Speaking of which, we have a Corvette on the lot. Would you believe it only had one owner, and she was a woman?
If so, then come on down and take her away.
The motor purrs but the transmission slips in third gear when you run it too hot.
Kitty said it reminds her of me.
Oh…To be young again…
Anyways, come on down and check us out. Or, since we’re being honest, come see Kitty and tell her what you think of her, umm… hood ornaments.
Lies hurt but so can the truth.
Honest Larry’s. What you see is what you get.
The dirty, pants-on-fire world of a used car salesman is a microscopic view of the world in sales.
They have inventory to sell.
Buyers want to buy.
A regular used car salesman cannot use the word “Honest” in his ads.
Honest used car salesmen are unicorns. If you find one, take a picture. Send it to Ripley’s and wait for it to appear on the cover of Time magazine.
They cannot use honest as a descriptor because buyers previously decided they are liars.
To persuade the mind of the consumer, you must show them something they were not expecting.
As the Wizard says, “Surprise Broca”.
Honest is a mushy word.
It has various degrees of truth.
It’s built on customer perception.
Similar to beauty, honesty is in the ear of the beholder.
In my example, Honest Larry puts it all out there.
He says he’s honest but then backs it up with stuff his competitors would never say out loud.
Customers will want to meet him.
His brand of honesty will get ‘em talking about him and Kitty.
He might be the most honest car dealer in the world.
Car dealers have a simple choice. Find a way to tell a true story to connect to an audience OR Sell cars using details like price, mileage, and interior packages.
The first option, the hero is the seller or the buyer.
The second option, the hero is the car.
As a writer, I like making people the hero in the ads. People are more interesting when they stop pretending to be who they’re supposed to be.
And it’s easier for people to relate to other people.
Honest Larry exists only in my mind.
I hope to meet him one day.
Maybe he’ll buy my ad.
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