To stoke interest in the Chicago-area town house she’s selling, Melanie Gravdal is enticing potential buyers with $1,000 worth of food and drink at the bar across the street. Already, interest in the three-bedroom home has tripled.

When sales have stalled, sometimes lenders have to think outside the box to spark demand.

What about tying auto loan interest rates to specific events? For instance, as long as the national unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics stays above 9%, borrowers would get a 25-basis-point discount on their auto loans. If the rate hits 9.5%, they might get a 50-bps cut.

Or what about tying the rate to stock prices? If the Dow averages less than 11,000 for a given month, borrowers would get a price decrease. Lenders might even consider tying rates to election outcomes or other current events.

Lenders could set discounts to be short- or long-term. They might even offer borrowers a choice: Do you want the unemployment promo, the Dow promo, or some other idea altogether? The goal: to get customers excited about their auto loans.