When the customer wants a specific color, trim, or package you do not have in stock, you have two options: locate it at another dealership or put them into a factory order. Neither one sells itself. The customer's instinct is to drive somewhere that has it today. Your job is to keep the commitment alive, make the wait feel worth it, and protect the deposit conversation.
This situation shows up constantly in lower-inventory markets, and most salespeople handle it badly. They either oversell the ETA and lose the customer's trust, or they fail to get a deposit and watch the customer buy elsewhere that weekend.
What should you say when you do not have the vehicle the customer wants?
Do not apologize or act like the inventory problem is the customer's problem. Start by confirming exactly what they want, then tell them clearly what you can do.
Use this word track:
"Let me make sure I understand exactly what you are looking for. You want [specific trim], [color], with [package/option]. That combination matters to you, and I want to get you the right vehicle, not just the closest one. Here is what I can do: I can search our dealer network to find it now, and I can put your name on a factory order to get exactly that build coming to you. Let me check both and show you what is available."
That response does not say "I am sorry, we do not have it." It says you are going to solve the problem. The distinction matters in how the customer feels about staying in the conversation.
What is the difference between a dealer locate and a factory order?
A dealer locate means the vehicle exists at another dealership in the network. You trade for it, pay a transport or trade cost, and bring it in. The customer typically gets it within a few days to a couple of weeks depending on distance and logistics.
A factory order means the customer's exact build gets submitted to the manufacturer and built from scratch. Depending on the brand, that can take six weeks to several months. The customer gets exactly what they want, with no compromise on color or package.
Be honest about timelines. Do not guess. Tell the customer you will confirm the actual lead time from the factory before they decide. Overpromising on an order ETA is one of the fastest ways to lose a sale and a referral.
How do you handle the customer who says they do not want to wait?
This is the core objection. The customer can walk three blocks to a competitor who might have something close on the lot. Your word track needs to answer the real question: why is waiting worth it?
Bad response:
"We can probably get it in a couple of weeks. It is not that long to wait."
Why it fails: "probably" is not a commitment. "Not that long" dismisses how the customer feels about the wait. And it does not answer why they should wait for you instead of settling somewhere else.
Better response:
"Here is the real question: do you want the exact vehicle, or do you want a vehicle close enough? If close enough is fine, I have a few options we could look at today. If you want this exact build, then no other lot is going to have it either. A locate or an order means you get exactly what you came in for, and you do not spend the next two years wishing you had held out. I want to help you figure out which matters more."
That response gives the customer a real choice without pressure. If they genuinely want the exact vehicle, they will stay. If close enough is fine, you pivot to in-stock options you can close today.
How do you get a deposit on a dealer locate or factory order?
The deposit conversation is where most salespeople back off. They get nervous and skip it. Then the customer leaves, finds the vehicle at another store, and the deal is gone.
The deposit is not about money. It is about making the search or order worth everyone's time. Frame it that way.
Use this word track:
"Before I reach out to the other dealership and arrange the trade, I want to make sure we are on the same page. A small deposit holds your place and tells the dealer you are serious so the vehicle does not go to someone else while it is in transit. It is fully refundable if anything changes. But it also means I can commit our team's time and the transport cost knowing you are in. Can we take care of that today?"
A few things that deposit word track does well. It explains the business reason. It says refundable up front. And it asks for a decision, not just permission.
If the customer pushes back on the deposit, find out why:
"I understand. What concern do you have about putting a deposit down today?"
The answer tells you whether it is a trust issue, a price uncertainty, or a spouse who has not seen the vehicle. Handle the actual concern rather than repeating the deposit ask.
How do you follow up while the customer is waiting for a locate or order?
Silence kills orders. If the customer does not hear from you, they start to wonder if the order is real, whether they made the right choice, and whether they should just drive somewhere else.
Set expectations before they leave:
"Here is how this works. I will send you a confirmation of the order or locate details today. You will get an update from me every [timeline you can commit to] on where things stand. If anything changes on the ETA, you will hear it from me first. You should not have to wonder what is happening."
Then actually do it. One update a week on a factory order keeps the commitment alive. A locate update as soon as you have transport confirmed keeps the customer from getting anxious.
If the ETA slips, call before they notice. Do not wait for the customer to ask. Calling with a problem gives you control of the conversation. Waiting for them to call puts you on the defensive.
Use this word track for a delayed ETA:
"I wanted to reach out before you heard anything different. The transport from [location] is running about [extra days] longer than we expected because of [real reason if you have it]. The new estimated arrival is [date]. I know that is not what we planned, so I want to make sure you are still comfortable, and I want to know if there is anything I can do to make the wait easier."
That call is uncomfortable. Make it anyway. It is the difference between a customer who refers you and a customer who tells everyone not to go to your store.
What if the locate or order falls through?
This happens. The vehicle gets sold at the other dealership before the trade clears. The factory allocation gets delayed or cancelled. The customer's situation changes.
If the locate falls through, move fast:
"The vehicle at [other dealer] sold before we could complete the trade. I am sorry that happened. Here is what I can do right now: I have two other locations I want to check, and I can submit an order that protects your build directly from the factory. Which would you prefer I start on today?"
Give them a next step immediately. Do not just deliver bad news. A customer who hears "this fell through but here is what I am doing about it" is far easier to keep than one who hears "sorry, it did not work out."
How do managers coach the order and locate conversation?
Run a short drill before the floor gets busy. Give the rep a situation: the customer wants a specific build you do not have, and they are considering driving to a competitor who might.
Score the rep on four things: did they confirm the exact customer want before problem-solving, did they present the locate and order as genuine options rather than obstacles, did they ask for a deposit and handle the pushback cleanly, and did they set follow-up expectations before the customer left.
Stop the drill if the rep says "I am sorry, we just do not have it" without offering a next step. Stop it again if they quote an ETA without knowing the real lead time. Replace the line, restart the moment, and let them try again.
The goal is a rep who can keep a committed customer through a two-week wait without letting the deal go cold. That habit is worth practicing before it shows up in a real sale.
For more on managing the desk process once the vehicle arrives, see how to present numbers at the desk in car sales, how to get commitment before showing numbers, and how to follow up with unsold customers the same day.
The Car Sales Objection Handling Guide covers the full structure for isolating and answering objections, and the Car Sales Objection Library has word tracks your team can drill before the next customer walks in.
Practice the order and locate conversation before your next customer
The deposit ask and the wait-for-it word track are the two moments where most salespeople lose this kind of deal. Practice them until they feel normal, not uncomfortable. If you stumble on the deposit ask in a drill, you will stumble on it with a real customer.
Practice this objection free in CarCloser.
Keep the customer informed, set clear expectations, and call before they call you. Those three habits are what separate a rep who loses orders to competitors from one who closes them.