What Scares Me the Most as an Author by Dale Dallman – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Dale Dallman will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

As an author, what scares me the most is…

What scares me most about writing is putting the truth on paper and knowing that once it is published, I cannot stand beside every reader and explain what I meant.

That was especially true when I wrote Drive Down the Purchase Price of Your New Car. I spent years selling cars and managing dealerships. The business supported my livelihood, and I worked with many good people. But I also saw how easily a customer could get confused, pressured, or distracted from what a vehicle would actually cost.

Writing about those things meant opening a door some people in the business would probably prefer to keep closed.
There is a certain comfort in telling stories across a kitchen table. You can see someone’s expression, answer a question, or straighten out a misunderstanding. A book travels without you. People can question your motives, disagree with your experiences, or decide they do not like what you have to say.

That is uncomfortable.

I also worry about whether I have explained something clearly enough to help. A reader may be preparing to make one of the largest purchases of their life. If I am asking that person to trust my experience, I owe them plain language and useful information.

Still, the fear of criticism cannot be the deciding factor. I wrote this book because buyers deserve to understand the deal before they sign it.

If someone walks into a dealership better prepared, asks the right questions, and leaves feeling confident about their purchase, then putting my name on those pages was worth the worry.

Buying a car. Just those three words can conjure up a whole swirl of emotions.

For some, it’s the thrill of a sleek new model—the scent of fresh upholstery and the promise of open roads. For others, it’s a daunting odyssey filled with jargon, pressure, and the fear of an expensive mistake.

Wherever you fall, you’re reading this because buying a car is a significant life event.

We’ve all stood on the lot, squinting at price tags, decoding financing offers, and feeling the push to “act now.” It’s easy to feel outmatched—to wish for an expert at your side. Consider this book that expert: your trusted co-pilot on a journey that’s both exciting and rewarding.

This isn’t just a checklist—it’s a philosophy. You’ll learn to approach car buying with clarity and confidence, understand financing, master the test drive, and negotiate with purpose, ensuring that you walk away feeling like a winner.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, upgrading, or simply overwhelmed by options, this book is for you.

So, buckle up. Get ready to embark on a journey that will not only lead you to the perfect vehicle but will also leave you feeling empowered, informed, and ready to hit the road with a smile.

Happy driving!

Enjoy an Excerpt

Now, as you choose a vehicle, you will be brought into the dealership, ushered into a cubicle, and do the cooldown. (A way to use the emotions from the showroom to sell.)

The full retail price allows the dealer a big markup. You can challenge it! The length of the contract (how many months), you can challenge it. The rate of interest, you can challenge it.

If you look closely at the sticker in the window, you will find that, in most instances, it lists several dealer-added “EXTRAS.” They vary in terms of name. Some call it “added items” that are automatically included with the vehicle, like mud flaps, color protector, seat protector, and other extras. Remember, all these items are hugely marked up. They try to get you to believe these can’t be taken off!

I love this one!! (ADP)!

It ranges from a couple of thousand dollars to several thousand dollars! ADP equals “Additional Dealer Profit.” Yep! They have the audacity to want the normal markup, the extras for the add-ons and a pie-in-the-sky “ADDITIONAL DEALER PROFIT!!”

Now, look closely: I visited a local dealer before I added this new forward. It wasn’t called (ADP), they have a soft name for it!! Just remember to look at ALL the items the dealer adds to the factory-issued Original Retail window sticker. ALL those things are ADDITIONAL DEALER PROFIT!!! Like I point out in the book. Challenging or flat-out refusing to deal with these items knocks the dealer off their game plan. It causes confusion, which, if you stick to your guns, SAVES YOU MONEY!

About the Author: Dale Dallman worked in the CAR business for decades. He started at Frontier Chevrolet in Billings, Montana. He worked the hardest part of the dealership, the USED CAR LOT! Frontier Chevrolet had 37 salespeople after it was bought out and renamed Denny Menholt Chevrolet. Dallman was #1 in sales from the beginning. Dallman invented the tool that made him famous, “THE BIRD DOG BUCK.” It was a copy of a $100 bill, with his picture on it. It had a section for the previous buyer to print their name, and for the potential new buyer to print their name. The idea was to send ten copies to every person who bought a car from him. It asked the buyer to give one to every person they thought might be interested in buying a car. The instructions printed on the fake bill were “Give this to a potential buyer. If they present it to the dealership and ask for Dallman, you will receive a $25 “Bird Dog” check! The potential buyer will get a $500 discount on their purchase.” It got to the point that he didn’t even need to stand at the door and wait for new walk-ins. He had a secretary who handled his appointments!

Dallman then went out to the West Coast. Here, he worked on new and used cars for a Chevrolet dealer in the car village in Olympia, Washington. He and his best friend (both from Billings) worked there. The idea for a book started there, but Dallman needed a broader cross-section of the car business, so he moved to Gilchrist Buick in Tacoma, Washington, to reach a different class of buyers. He did so well that Buick Motor Division had him do training videos that they used internally in National training.

Dallman decided to go to Germany on a contract with TOYOTA WORLD. The job was working the locations on the military bases where the military could buy cars and use them in-country, order one to be picked up at a dealer back in the states when they rotated home.

Dallman now does consultant work for buyers. He has instructed sales classes and trained both BUYERS and the salesmen, trying to get your money! Dallman has advised many dealers and salespeople. But he loves helping buyers outsmart the Dealers more!