Chapter 10 — Exercises: The Test Drive

Work these after reading the chapter. Most need no answer key here — selected answers live in Appendix I; a few calculation-style items give the answer in a <details> block. Difficulty legend: ⭐ basic · ⭐⭐ applied · ⭐⭐⭐ synthesis/judgment · ⭐⭐⭐⭐ extension.

The test drive is a doing skill more than a knowing skill, so weight your effort toward Parts C and M — the word tracks, route designs, and role-plays. Writing your cues down and saying them out loud until the silence between them feels natural is worth more than any number of right answers in Part A. Keep your route and trial-close work; it feeds directly into your Project Checkpoint and, later, your closing toolkit (Chapter 14).

Part A — Conceptual Understanding ⭐

  1. In one sentence, what is the test drive really — beyond "showing the customer the car"? Use the chapter's framing.

  2. The chapter says a customer's pronoun shifts over a good drive. Write the three-word progression and explain what the shift signals.

  3. Why does the chapter insist that a fact the customer notices for themselves is worth more than the same fact you state? Give the reason, not just the rule.

  4. List, in order, the four segments of the default demo route and one thing each is designed to reveal.

  5. What is the difference between narrating and cueing on a drive? Give the structure of a cue in three words.

  6. Name three logistics you must handle before any customer drives a dealership vehicle.

  7. What is a trial close, and how is it different from a "real" close?

  8. Why does the chapter recommend pulling the car up to the showroom door rather than letting the customer walk to it on the lot?

  9. Define the demonstration drive and the customer-first drive in one sentence each.

  10. What does the chapter mean by "you are the safety officer in that car," and name two things that responsibility requires of you.

  11. Why does the chapter say the test drive is "won before the car ever moves"? Name two parts of the setup that do that work.

  12. What is the peak-end rule, and which two segments of the demo route are built around it?

  13. The chapter draws a line between helping a customer imagine ownership and pressuring them to commit. Give one example sentence of each.

  14. Fill in the blank with the chapter's "one-line version" of running a test drive: "_ it up, up, then take the __."

  15. True or false, and why: "The customer always drives at least part of every test drive."

Part B — Applied Analysis ⭐⭐

  1. Re-read the Ms. Alvarado hook. Jordan did several things right before the drive and one big thing wrong on the drive. List two things Jordan did right, then state the single error and its consequence.

  2. A customer told you in the needs analysis that they have a 50-minute highway commute each way and "can't stand a noisy car." Describe how you'd bend the default four-segment route for this person, and explain why.

  3. A customer is a confident, experienced driver in a hurry who came specifically to drive a mainstream sedan. Should you run a demonstration drive or a customer-first drive? Justify your answer using the chapter's criteria.

  4. Rewrite this narration as a single cue that uses the point → pause → let-them-feel-it structure: "This vehicle has a very advanced adaptive cruise control system that uses radar to maintain a set following distance from the car ahead, and it's really useful on the highway, you'll find it reduces fatigue significantly on long drives because..."

  5. For each trial-close answer below, state what it likely means and what you'd do next: - (a) "Oh wow, it's so much quieter than my car. I love it." - (b) "It's fine. I need to think about it." - (c) "I love it... but it's probably more than I wanted to spend." - (d) "It's nice, but the screen is kind of confusing and it feels bigger than I'm used to."

  6. A customer asks, while walking to the car, "If I wreck it, am I liable?" Write a good answer and explain why an over-confident "don't worry, you're totally covered" is the wrong move.

  7. You finish a drive and the customer is obviously delighted — relaxed grip, big smile, "this is so nice." Write a "name the feeling" trial close that's honest and not pushy, and write the version of it that crosses the line into pressure. Explain the difference.

  8. A customer who currently drives a small sedan is looking at a three-row family SUV because their last vehicle's third row was "a pain to climb into." Their needs analysis screams third-row access and cargo. Describe specifically what you'd build into the route to address that — where it happens on the drive, and what you'd have the customer (and any kids) actually do. Why is this more important than the highway leg for this particular customer?

  9. You're putting a slightly nervous, inexperienced driver behind the wheel of a large pickup. Walk through your first sixty seconds: where do you have them start (which direction out of the lot, what kind of street), what do you say, and what do you deliberately not do? Tie each choice to a reason from the chapter.

  10. A customer adjusts the seat and mirrors, then asks, "Can I pair my phone real quick?" Most salespeople would say "we can do that when you buy it." Why does the chapter say you should let them do it now, on the drive? What's the psychological move?

  11. During a drive, the customer's grip tightens and they go quiet at a complicated interchange. This is one of the few moments the chapter says you should speak. What do you say, and why is this the exception to "stay quiet"?

  12. Rewrite each of these narration dumps as a single cue (point → pause → let them feel it): - (a) "The braking on this is really strong, it's got big ventilated discs up front and the pedal feel is very firm and confident, you'll really notice how short the stopping distance is..." - (b) "The cargo area is huge, 38 cubic feet with the seats up and 75 with them folded, and the load floor is really low so it's easy to get stuff in and out, plus there's a power liftgate..."

  13. A composite customer, "Mr. Reyes," is shopping a compact SUV mainly because his current car is unreliable and he's tired of worrying about it on his commute — his deepest fear is the "five-year mistake" (Ch 3). Reliability and peace of mind aren't things he can feel in twenty minutes on a drive. So what can the drive do for a customer whose top concern is invisible? Describe two or three things you'd cue or surface on the drive that speak to his real fear indirectly, and one honest thing you'd say (not over-promise) about reliability that belongs outside the drive.

  14. Your customer is a wheelchair user transferring into the driver's seat, evaluating a vehicle partly for ease of entry and storage of mobility equipment. How does this change your setup and your route compared to the default? What would the "test drive" actually need to demonstrate for this customer, and what's the most respectful way to facilitate it?

  15. You did a great drive, the customer loved it, and your trial close got a glowing answer — but then they say, "Let me just talk to my spouse who isn't here today." Is this an objection, a stall, or a legitimate need? What do you do right now to keep the connection warm without pressuring, and how might you involve the absent decision-maker? (Preview: this connects to objection handling in Chapter 13.)

Part C — Skills & Practice ⭐⭐–⭐⭐⭐

  1. Design a route. For a dealership you know (or your own neighborhood as a stand-in), map a real four-segment demo route — actual streets and turns. For each segment, write one sentence on what it reveals and why it's in that position. (This is the core of your Project Checkpoint.)

  2. Write your cue set. Pick a specific vehicle. Write five cues you'd use on a drive — each ending in the customer doing or feeling something — for: quietness, acceleration/merging, braking confidence, cornering/handling, and a camera or sensor. Keep each to one sentence.

  3. Write your expectation-setting line. In your own words, write the two-sentence setup you'd say before going for the keys (who's driving, the route, "just drive it and tell me how it feels," end with a small yes).

  4. Role-play (with a partner or out loud, solo). Run a 90-second demonstration drive intro for a hybrid or EV with a nervous, first-time customer: show two or three features in motion, then hand over the wheel at a calm spot. Then run the customer-first version for a confident driver. Notice how different they feel.

  5. Write your trial-close sequence. Write, in your own voice: (a) your main post-drive trial close, (b) a "name the feeling" version, and (c) your bridge line that walks the customer from the drive into the trade/numbers (previewing Ch 11/12).

  6. Diagnose and rewrite. Below is a transcript of a salesperson on a drive. Mark every place they should have stayed quiet or cued instead of narrated, then rewrite the whole exchange the way Carmen would run it:

    "Okay so this is the turbocharged engine, 250 horsepower, you'll feel it really go when you hit the gas — see? See that? Pretty quick right? And this is the leather seating, heated and ventilated, and the steering is electric power assist so it's really light, and the infotainment here has navigation built in and you've got Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a wireless charging pad right there and the sound system is a premium 12-speaker setup..."

  7. Build a "license and plate" ritual. Write out, word for word, the smooth 30–45 second routine you'll use every time before a drive: the line you say while taking the license copy, confirming the plate, and logging the drive — framed so it feels routine and friendly, not like an interrogation. Practice it until it's automatic.

  8. Write a liability answer you'd actually use. A customer asks, "If something happens out there, am I on the hook?" Write your honest, reassuring answer (don't over-promise), and write a one-line note to yourself about what you need to find out from your manager before your next shift so you can answer it confidently.

  9. The handoff. Write the exact lines you'd use to swap from a demonstration drive (you driving the first leg) to the customer driving — including where you'd choose to swap and what you'd say to set them up for their first thirty seconds at the wheel.

  10. The chapter argues your silence on the drive is a more powerful sales tool than your script. Make the strongest case against that claim (when might more talking actually help?), then defend the chapter's position. Where's the real line?

  11. Letting a customer find out on the drive that a car doesn't fit them costs you that sale today. The chapter says that's still the right outcome. Tie this to theme #1 (help, don't sell) and theme #3 (ethics are profitable). Why is the lost sale today the profitable choice over a career?

  12. The "their spot" parking finish and assumptive ownership language both try to get the customer to imagine owning the car. Where exactly is the line between helping someone imagine (legitimate) and pressuring someone to commit (manipulative)? Write the test you'd apply in the moment to stay on the right side.

  13. A sales manager tells a new salesperson, "Never let them drive without you talking the whole time — you lose control of the deal if you go quiet." Using the chapter, explain what's wrong with this advice and what fear is driving it.

  14. Is it ever right to decline to do a test drive, or to end one early? Describe at least two situations where the answer is yes, and how you'd handle each without being rude.

  15. The chapter says letting a customer "set it up like it's theirs" (seat, mirrors, phone, driver profile) is a small act of ownership. Some would argue this is a manipulation — getting people emotionally attached before they've decided to buy. Is it? Make the case both ways, then state where you land and why, using the "would I be comfortable if they could hear my thoughts?" test.

  16. Rick (Case Study 10-2) knew the product cold and still blew the drive. Carmen argues "skill without the right model underperforms." What exactly is the "model" Rick is missing? Could a less knowledgeable but better-disciplined salesperson have outsold him on that drive? Defend your answer.

  17. A dealership institutes a rule: "Every test drive must be at least 15 minutes and include a highway segment." A manager objects that this slows down floor traffic on a busy Saturday and you can't put every up through a 15-minute drive. Who's right? Argue it, and propose a policy that honors both the chapter's principles and the reality of a busy floor.

  18. The chapter claims the most helpful thing you can do on a test drive is to get out of the way and let the customer have an honest experience — even though that's also the most persuasive thing you can do. Is "helpful" and "persuasive" being the same action just a happy coincidence, or is it the whole thesis of the book? Connect this to the central claim from Chapter 1 and the ethics-is-profit theme (#3). If the most helpful move and the most profitable move are the same move, what does that imply about salespeople who manipulate?

Part M — Mixed / Interleaved Practice ⭐⭐–⭐⭐⭐

  1. (Ch 7 + Ch 10) A customer gave you a guarded "just looking" at the door (Ch 7), but you built rapport and now they're willing to drive. How does what you learned about not triggering their defense in the meet and greet carry directly into how you run the drive? Be specific about the parallel.

  2. (Ch 8 + Ch 9 + Ch 10) Walk one composite customer through three steps: a needs analysis that uncovers a specific life situation (Ch 8), a FAB walk-around that connects two features to it (Ch 9), and a test-drive route + cues that prove those benefits in motion (Ch 10). Show how each step feeds the next.

  3. (Ch 9 + Ch 10) The chapter calls cue-don't-narrate "FAB in motion." Take one feature, write its full FAB statement (feature/advantage/benefit) as you'd say it on the walk-around, then write the cue you'd use for the same feature on the drive. Explain how they're the same idea delivered two ways.

  4. (Ch 3 + Ch 10) Take two of the five customer types from Chapter 3 (e.g., the price/researcher type and the emotional type). Describe how you'd run the same car's test drive differently for each — route emphasis, how much you talk, what you cue, and your trial close.

  5. (Ch 8 + Ch 10) A salesperson skipped the needs analysis and went straight to a test drive on whatever car the customer first pointed at. Explain, using both chapters, why their drive is likely to fall flat even if the car is nice and they stay perfectly quiet.

  6. (Ch 10 → Ch 11/12 preview) Your post-drive trial close surfaced "I love it, but it's more than I wanted to spend." Write the bridge line that moves the customer toward the trade-in (Ch 11) and numbers (Ch 12) without discounting on the spot, and explain why discounting at the test drive is a mistake.

  7. (Ch 5 + Ch 10) Recall how your pay plan works (Ch 5 — front gross, back gross, units, mini-deals). A salesperson rushes test drives to "turn more ups" on a busy day. Using both chapters, argue whether more rushed drives or fewer great drives makes you more money over a month — and over a year. Where does follow-up/referral income (theme #4) tip the math?

  8. (Ch 7 + Ch 8 + Ch 10) Trace the single thread of restraint across the meet and greet (don't trigger the defense), the needs analysis (ask, then shut up and listen), and the test drive (cue, then shut up). In two or three sentences, articulate the through-line: what is the one underlying skill these three chapters keep teaching, and why is it counterintuitive to someone who pictures car sales as fast-talking?

Part E — Research & Extension ⭐⭐⭐⭐

  1. Find out your state's rules. Test-drive insurance, dealer-plate/temp-tag requirements, and license-verification rules vary by state. Look up (via your state DMV/MVD and your dealership's policy) how at-fault-accident liability works for a test drive in your state — whose insurance is primary, and what the dealer is required to verify. Write a half-page summary you could actually use on the floor. (Note where the answer is genuinely uncertain — it often is.)

  2. Map a real route. Using an online map, design and document a real test-drive route from an actual dealership in your area: four segments, the streets, the merge points, the speed-limit changes, and a parking-finish spot. Annotate the hazards a salesperson should know cold (school zones, fast-changing lights, tricky merges).

  3. Compare segment-priorities across vehicle types. For four different vehicle types (compact EV, full-size pickup, luxury sedan, three-row family SUV), rank which test-drive segment matters most for each and write one sentence justifying each ranking, tied to how each vehicle is actually used.

  4. Shadow and tally. If you're on a floor, ask to ride along on (or observe) three real test drives this week. For each, tally roughly how many seconds the salesperson spent talking vs. letting the customer drive in silence, note whether there was a highway segment and a trial close, and record the customer's reaction. Write a one-paragraph reflection on what the data taught you about the link between talking-time and the customer's connection to the car. (If you can't ride along, do this for your own next three drives.)