There's a subtle, yet significant, difference between this...
$2500
...and this...
2500
The first represents a real amount of money--a direct reflection of your bank account or credit.
The second is more abstract. Without the "$" in front, it's just a number.
Few people other than professional mathematicians can really conceive of a pure number without reference to anything else and hold it fixed in their minds. A number all by itself has less meaning--and, most importantly--less emotion for us. And if a sales pro can separate your money from your emotions, they'll have a better chance of making a sale at your expense.
Disassociating customers from the actual value of their money is a cornerstone of Mickey Bucks at Disney's theme parks. (It's not really money...just colorful pieces of paper with Mickey Mouse's picture on 'em!) And it's the foundation of the Chip system in Las Vegas and other casinos worldwide. (Ordinary people who wouldn't dare plop down $150 in cash on the outcome of a single spin of the wheel think little about wagering a little pile of white, red and blue chips in amounts that can be staggering.)
Here's how to use the Disappearing Dollar Sign to your advantage on your next major purchase:
At some point in your negotiations, your salesperson will make an offer (it could be their first offer, it could be the twentieth; the principle remains the same) in writing. They might push a piece of paper in your direction with numbers such as this on it...
22,780
Or perhaps this...
1500 down
390/month
If your salesperson knows what they're doing, they will have already placed a pen on top of the written offer for you to sign it.
Now, they're trained to say nothing at this point. Their entire goal is to wait you out in silence and hope you to sign the offer, thus closing the sale.
As will often be the case as you discover how to turn the sales process around in your favor through reading, "How to Buy A New Car at Used Car Prices!", your goal here is exactly opposite from the person trying to sell you something!
YOUR GOAL in this moment is merely to re-associate yourself with the value of the money on the offer so you can make the best buying decision for yourself.
So you pick up the pen. (As you do, out of the corner of your eye note how your salesperson will often literally hold their breath in excitement at the prospect of closing the sale!) Then you simply add the missing Dollar Signs next to the appropriate numbers on the page, like this...
$ 1500 down
$ 390/month
Then you put down the pen and repeat the offer, out loud, using the word "dollars" when you do so.
"Three hundred and ninety dollars a month."
This may well be a Great Deal...or further negotiations may be required. Either way, though, NOW you know exactly what you're getting into.
A nice side benefit from this is that you'll fry your salesperson's brain a bit, which is always fun! You'll have lifted the curtain on their little Disappearing Dollar Sign trick, and also bought yourself some time to consider the deal--since your salesperson will not usually have been trained how to react in this situation.
And once again you'll be exactly where you want to be--in charge of the buying process, rather than a helpless victim who is being sold something!
Feel free to use the Comments section below to share with other readers examples similar to Disney Dollars or casino chips (the technical term is "Replacement Currencies") where businesses switch out your actual money with some kind of symbolic representation in order to influence you to spend more!
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