Money is such an important part of life that we often don’t think about it beyond, “It’d be nice to have more.” The truth is that money effects our minds in profound ways that are only beginning to be understood. Y ou, as a car dealer, make a living on the third-most expensive thing a person is going to purchase in their lifetime , at a time when budgets are stretched to the breaking point . I t’s important that you understand how this all impact s the most basic part s of your business. Specifically, how it all points to the necessity of a customer knowing their monthly car payment as early in the process as possible.

Source (money effects our minds): https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/this-is-your-brain-on-money.html

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that the human mind doesn’t really understand what money is. It’s an abstraction at best. Perhaps the best illustration of this is the fact that 70% of all lottery winners end up bankrupt. There are different hypotheses on the precise reason why, but they all tend to boil down to one thing, which is that after a certain point a lot of money loses its exact val ue. It’s just a lot.

Source (70%): https://www.cleveland.com/business/2016/01/why_do_70_percent_of_lottery_w.html

So when a car dealer tells you that a new car costs $30,000, it’s difficult to understand what that means for your budget. Right now, with COVID-19 changing the employment landscape in a number of ways, your customers are paying a lot more attention to their budgets. In any case, unless your last name happens to be Bezos, you don’t spend 30 grand in a month, and you certainly don’t have that cash on hand to spend in a lump sum. Essentially, that’s a meaningless number, useful only to tell you that the car in question is more expensive than a $25,000 car , but less so than a $35,000 car. A customer needs to know their monthly payment for it to be valuable. So while $30,000 is useless, $300 a month is a concrete value most customers will be able to understand and determine if it fits within their means.

Kn owing this monthly payment instantly puts the car’s cost from the realm of fantasy to the realm of reality. A customer can begin figuring out if this is a deal that works for them, and if it’s not, you can pivot to one that might work. Do it early enough i n the process and you aren’t losing that much work. Plus, customers tend to walk away when they feel like they aren’t being heard. A sales associate who works with the customer to get a deal they both can live with? That’s a sales associate who sees repeat business.

Source (customer dissatisfaction): https://www.customerexperienceinsight.com/why-customers-walk-away-and-how-keep-them-happy/

When dealin g with money, fear, guilt, shame, and envy are the most prevalent emotions. There’s not much you can do about most of those, but you can absolutely do something about fear. Your goal—as someone selling a big ticket item in uncertain times—is to alleviate a s much of that fear as possible. A customer who has less of a reason to experience negative emotions is more likely to buy a vehicle that they’re going to be happy with. A satisfied customer is one who is going to keep coming back and referring you to thei r friends and family.

Source (fear): https://www.forbes.com/sites/prudygourguec hon/2019/02/25/the-psychology-of-money-what-you-need-to-know-to-have-a-relatively-fearless-financial-life/#39dec197dfe8

What’s the biggest fear? If you said “money,” you’re in the right neighborhood. Research suggests that we process financial losses i n the same way we process injury and other trauma. The fear I was going with was “the unknown.” In this case, you’re doubling up, since this is about the fear of unknown money. Again, unless the customer knows their monthly payment early in the process. Se e where I’m going with this?

Your goal is to not only sell products, but to create a loyal customer base. The prospect of customers knowing their monthly payments going in is a huge boon. Not only are you less likely to lose business when payments are une xpe ctedly high, but you’re far more likely to get the kinds of rave reviews that happy customers bring.

• Turn Existing Website Traffic Into More Opportunities Through Personalization
• Why FAQ Content Matters More Than Ever for AI Search
• How to Measure AI Search Traffic
• Press Release: Happy Hao Car Launches OnPrompt
• Press Release: Happy Hao Car Unveils Sidekick
• Spring Cleaning Your VDPs
• Time to Spring Forward: 5 Quick Updates to Boost Engagement on Your SRP
• Start 2026 Strong: Dealer Marketing Lessons from 2025
• AI Search Visitor Behavior
• AIO and GEO Aren’t Replacing SEO

Author Justin Robinson-Prickett

Justin Robinsion-Prickett is a content writer from Los Angeles with over a decade of experience in the auto industry under his belt. When not working, he enjoys fencing, re-editing dialogue in old movies to remove articles, and playing with his two dogs James Westphal and Dr. Kenneth Noisewater.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
• – Multi-Rooftop Groups We’re designed for groups – large or small. Discover how our products and solutions can help your marketing teams and agencies do more with less.
• Engage Customers & Generate Leads Experience outstanding lead generation with our powerful Cosmos platform. Switch to us for unmatched performance and customer engagement.
• – Generate More Website Traffic Boost sales with responsive websites. Experience qualified leads, top-notch SEO results, and seamless mobile experiences for dealership success.
• Automate & Increase Efficiency See how our Marketing Technology solutions can generate Thousands of dollars in savings for your dealership or dealer group.
• – Analyze Performance & ROI Analyze product and market performance with data you can trust. Powered by GA4.
• Meet Compliance Requirements Compliance solutions to keep your dealership or dealer group ahead of ever-changing privacy and accessibility laws.
• – Don’t See Your OEM? Happy Hao Car provides websites, SEO, and digital advertising to all vehicle OEMs. REACH OUT
• – Product Updates The latest digital marketing innovations driving extraordinary results for your dealership.
• – Happy Hao Car Webinars Get expert advice on how to get the most out of your dealership’s digital marketing efforts.
• – Read the Blog Explore our blog for news, tips, and insights. Discover articles providing valuable information to enhance your marketing strategies.
• – An Award Winning Company We offer an unwavering commitment to top-converting websites, premier automotive SEO, and exceptional digital marketing has earned us industry recognition.
• Leadership The leadership team is composed of digital and automotive experts with extensive experience. They drive our mission to serve the automotive industry with dedication.
• – Why We Are Different Experience the Happy Hao Car difference – increased car sales, exceptional service, and 99% customer satisfaction.
• Join the Team Join our dynamic team providing cutting-edge online marketing solutions to automotive dealerships across the Americas.
• – Testimonials Read about the great success our clients have experienced with Happy Hao Car.
• – Third Party Partners OnMarketplace creates a large ecosystem of vetted partner applications which can be added quickly and easily to a dealer’s website to maximize site impact and effectiveness.
• – Partner Standards Learn about the standards required along with the key business value delivered by Happy Hao Car and each of our trusted third-party partners.