Beware of These Sneaky Sales Tactics: How Salespeople Try to Trick You

Sales is a psychological game—especially when big money is on the line. Whether you’re shopping for a luxury car, high-end watch, or even a fancy espresso machine, some salespeople are masters at getting into your head. And the scary part? You might not even realize it’s happening.

Here are three sneaky tactics salespeople use to influence your decision—without ever making a hard sell.

1. The Reverse Psychology Pitch

I was watching a luxury car salesperson on YouTube recently, and something he said stopped me in my tracks.

He claimed that sometimes the best way to sell a car is to try to talk the customer out of it.

It sounds counterintuitive, but here’s why it works: when the salesperson lists all the downsides—maybe the car is too low to the ground, too flashy, or not great in winter—it prompts the customer to defend the car.
They start rationalizing why those negatives don’t apply to them.
“I don’t care about ground clearance.”
“I love the attention.”
“I’m not driving it in snow anyway.”

The moment you find yourself countering a salesperson’s objections, you’re no longer being sold to. You’re selling yourself.

2. The “You Can’t Afford This” Snub

In another interview, a different salesperson admitted that some luxury car dealers intentionally act dismissive or uninterested—especially if they suspect you might be wealthy.

Why?

Because it taps into a very human need to prove ourselves.

When someone implies you can’t afford something, some people react with pride, ego, or even spite: “I’ll show you!”, or “I’ll buy it just because you said I couldn’t.”

Shaquille O’Neal once told a story about walking into a luxury dealership and being brushed off. He left… and returned shortly after to buy two Bentleys. Just to make a point.

Stay Aware. Stay in Control.

These tactics may not work on everyone, but they’re subtle—and powerful.
They rely on flipping the script: instead of the salesperson convincing you, you convince yourself.
Or worse, you try to prove something to someone who couldn’t care less.

It’s a good reminder to take a breath, check your emotions, and always ask yourself:

Do I really want this?
Or am I just reacting to someone else’s game?

Being aware of these tactics doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy luxury. It just means you’re buying things on your own terms—not because someone manipulated you into doing it.

3. The Scarcity Illusion

Salespeople love to make you think that what you’re looking at is about to disappear. They’ll say things like:

“This is the last one in stock.”

“We’ve had a lot of interest in this model.”

“If you don’t act today, I can’t guarantee it’ll be here tomorrow.”

This taps into the classic scarcity principle—when something feels rare or hard to get, we assign it more value. It triggers FOMO (fear of missing out), making you feel pressured to act fast… before you’ve had a chance to think things through.

But here’s the truth: in many cases, that same product will still be there next week. Or a better one will come along. The urgency is manufactured to override your logic and get you to pull the trigger emotionally.

Real deals don’t come with panic. Good decisions don’t come from pressure.

So if someone’s pushing you with urgency, take it as a sign to slow down and reassess.