Not only will you end up selling more cars, but you will also create a closer bond with your customers. Let me give you an example of a true experience that I had early in my car sales career to illustrate my point. I received a phone call from a customer that I sold a car to about six months earlier and he asked me if I would be in that afternoon and if I had a good selection of the model car that I sold him six months earlier. I said that I would be in the dealership and that I did have a great selection. I then asked him why and he told me that he would be in to see me in a little while and tell all about his request.

Connect with Your Customer and Sell More Cars

About an hour later he came in with his wife and daughter and told me why he asked such a question. It seems that he and his family were in a nasty accident in the car I sold him only six months ago and that the car was totaled out by the insurance company. He told me that he was broadsided in an intersection by a larger vehicle than his and that the only injuries that he and his family incurred were some scratches and bruises.  Both he and his wife told that they wouldn’t even consider owning a car that wasn’t the same make and model that they had. I was relieved that they were alright, but talk about selling more cars.

Obviously I sold them another car and several more cars since that time. Each one was easier to close because they felt comfortable with me based on the previous experience I provided when buying a car. However the real payoff was the story that I have shared with many car buyers over the years. I have sold more cars and created more relationships with buyers than I can recall by using that story. This story portrays the experience that my customer had and ultimately became a third party testimonial.

Selling Cars is a People Business

This is a real-life story and one that people like to hear when they are considering the same automobile. The value of such a story and similar stories can be exactly what you need to close the deal sometimes. It’s not a commercial or a brochure; it’s a real-life story that can help you sell more cars. I may not have ever heard this story if it wasn’t for good car sales follow up and a positive car buying experience. I feel compelled to tell you that I have also received several referrals from that customer.

I am not telling you to fabricate a story to sell more cars because there are plenty of these real-life experiences to go around. Take your time, listen to your customers and learn more about them. People buy from people and more of them will buy a car if they feel that you care about their wants and needs. Do your follow up and ask for referrals because you can always sell more cars with stories.

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

KB

You can sell more vehicles when asking for referrals and doing your follow up.

Check out the book Prospecting, Referrals and Follow Up!Similar Posts:

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I can tell you firsthand that it can’t summed up with a few words or even a couple sentences so I will have to provide you with this scenario so you will be better able to comprehend the experience. It’s Saturday morning and you just came out of the morning meeting, which was held by the General Sales Manager. It was a positive and motivating meeting rather than the standard “Bitch and Moan Session” and you head out to the lot to find your first customer.

Within minutes you find your first customer who is a middle-aged couple without kids and you start doing what you do best. Everything is going smoothly and you make a deal before you know it. Credit check, F@I, delivery and you’re thanking this couple for their business and waving good-bye as the taillights get smaller and smaller. You are feeling good and you look at the clock and realize that it is too early for lunch so you head back out on the lot to look for another one.

Twenty minutes later you are talking to a guy in his mid 30’s that is eyeing up your latest and greatest model. It’s loaded up with all the bells and whistles from sunroof to navigation. Test drive, evaluate the trade and present the numbers. You negotiate, overcome his objections and shake hands to close the deal. Credit, F@I, delivery and once again you are waving good-bye as he pulls his new car out of the dealership.

The Car Salesman Drug Kicks In

Your head swells, your chest is pumped up and you are unstoppable. The clock says it is 3:10 and you are you’re not even hungry at least not for food you want buyers. You don’t care about eating because there are unattended customers on the lot and they won’t be able to resist your charm, sales skills and abilities. You are Super Car Salesman and there are cars to sell. You are feeling like a million bucks, you have a positive attitude and you know that you can close like nobody else. You are walking on air and you know that your next customer doesn’t stand a chance of driving out of here without a new car.

The car salesman drug causes this euphoric feeling. You find yourself with another customer at your desk and you are laughing along with your customer having a great time and negotiating effortlessly as you close another deal. Regardless of obstacles or objections you simply work through them as if they didn’t exist. Your spirit can’t be broken because you are Super Car Salesman. The feeling can last anywhere from a day to a couple of days and you will love the car business.

The only side effects of this amazing car salesman drug are bigger commission checks, respect from your sales managers and admiration from the other car salespeople on the floor not to mention the happy customers that tell everyone about the good time they had buying a car from you and the referrals they send.

I told you that you had to experience it firsthand in order to fully appreciate what this drug can do to the ordinary car salesman. Not everyone that sells cars for a living has experienced this incredible feeling, but they can if they really want to do what it takes to be a car sales professional. Warning, the powerful effects brought on by this amazing car salesman drug can be addictive and can cause a salesperson to strive for higher and higher sales and commissions so be careful or you might find yourself loving the car business too! And you thought this was going to be about drugs!

Later, fresh Up on the Lot

KB

If you are ready to be a Car Sales Professional Get the Book!Similar Posts:

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We put so much emphasis on “Buying Today” that the minute the customers says “we are not buying today, but doing research” the salesman turns into a different person. They are no longer attentive and enthusiastic, instead they turn into a lethargic drone that takes the customer through the steps of the sale as quickly as possible so they can get back to standing around and complaining about the lack of showroom traffic. Would you buy a car from a car salesman drone that wasn’t enthusiastic about their product and their dealership?

Of course making the sale today is important, but if you absolutely can’t sell them today providing them with an exceptional and informative experience at your dealership can make them change their mind. There are many, many people that have come into dealerships that said they are not buying today that have left with a new car. Their enthusiastic and knowledgeable car salesperson and their exceptional experience was all the research they needed to change their mind and buy a car today.

People Do Car Dealership Research and Then Visit

It is said that over 90% of car buyers today spend some time on the Internet researching cars before they go to the dealership. They are looking at brands, makes, models, trim levels, colors and incentives so by time they make it to the showroom floor they have a pretty good idea of what they want (not that they won’t change their mind because they will). With that said the research they are doing might well be where to buy and not what to buy.

How many times have you gone into a store to make a major purchase and did not make a that purchase because of the salesperson. We have all done it, we felt like we were putting out the salesperson and that they did not deserve our business so we left only to go to their competitor and buy the item we wanted. It works the same way in the car business.

People go to car dealerships to buy cars and you can make the customer feel like they are taking away from your complaining time or you can make that customer feel like they own the place. I can guarantee that you will sell more cars when the customer feels special and important. Help them do their research and give them all the reasons why they should buy a car from you and the dealership whether they are buying today or not and chances are they will leave with a new car. Every time you take a Fresh Up remember why people go to car dealerships.

Later, fresh Up on the Lot

KB

Once They Are There All You Have to Do Is Sell Them – Car Salesman BookSimilar Posts:

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1. Two People Meet and One Gets Sold.

When it comes to people and selling cars this is one thing that is always true. Somebody gets sold. Whether you sell your customer on why they should buy a car from you today or the customer sells you on why they are not buying a car today. What is it going to be? Are you going to sell your customer an automobile or are they going to sell you on one of their reasons for not buying now?

This is one thing to ask yourself every time you are with a customer and probably one of the most important things a car salesperson should know. Who is getting sold you or them?

2. They’re All Just Looking.

Of course they are all at the dealership to look at cars and nothing will happen until they meet a salesperson, but not just any salesperson it must be a car sales professional. They won’t tell you that they are here to buy a car they will tell that they are just looking and buying in the future, but if you are a REAL SALESMAN or SALESWOMAN you can sell them a car. Just looking is the car buyer’s first line of defense against the car salesman you can accept it or you can sell them a car, you decide.

3. Bad Mouthing Your Competitors Will Hurt More Than Help.

Don’t let yourself get caught in the trap of bad mouthing the competition because it will do more harm than good. You don’t know what they are thinking and you might even be insulting them without knowing it. Show them why you, your vehicle and your dealership is the best place to buy a car. I have seen many deals lost after a salesman talks trash about another dealership or brand. Your customer might be a regular customer at the dealer you are running into the ground for the past ten years and they just came by to see what you have to offer. Stay positive and show them what you have to offer and let them decide or you might be chasing them back to that competitor.

4. The Dumber the Better.

Use the selling system that you were trained to use to sell cars and don’t start thinking that you know a better way. This is the quickest way to see your sales drop. When you start leaving things out and short cutting the system you could be shooting yourself in the foot. Sales and training systems were designed to work throughout the dealership and be consistent. One step is made to work with the next and the one before. I will guarantee that you will lose deals when you start thinking you know better. Get back to basics and you will sell more cars.

5. There is Always More and F&I Will Prove It.

We have all had the customer that wouldn’t dump another dollar, but after they got done in F&I their payment went up 20, 30 or 40 dollars. There is always more, but when you believe that they won’t go another dollar think again. Maybe you didn’t show them a reason to spend more or provide enough value. Think about how bumping them another $100 will equal 20, 30 or 40 dollars in your pocket. If you don’t get it the F&I Department will.

6. Price Isn’t Everything.

Stop thinking that price is the only thing that will close the deal because that is not the case. Almost everyone is will to pay more when they see the value in something. Stop working the desk and start working the customer and provide more value. Many salespeople work the desk harder than they work the customer, but when you show them “What’s in it for Them” you provide more value and ultimately make more commission. This is something every car salesman should know whether they are a newbie or a veteran, but some times they forget.

7. “Be Backs” Won’t Be Back.

You may have heard this one a few hundred times, but that is because it is usually true so I will say it again: Be Backs won’t be back. They say they will, but what they are really saying is that my car salesman didn’t sell me on why I should buy a car from them and their dealership. They think there is more to be had somewhere else because you didn’t make them feel otherwise. They sound so sincere and they have numerous reasons, but that is their way of giving you the bad news. Granted they may visit another dealer and feel the same way about them, but if they meet a REAL CAR SALESMAN they will buy and a car and all the follow in the world won’t help.  Once they tell you that they will “Be Back” your only chance is that they visit another dealership and tell them the same thing and then you have a remote chance with follow up if you something more to offer.

8. Enthusiasm Sells Cars.

Even the grumpy old fart that buys a car is excited about buying a new car, but they certainly aren’t going to tell or show you that. Car buyers don’t want the salesman to think they are excited about the prospect of driving home in a new ride, but they are and enthusiasm will heighten that excitement and engage more of their emotions. Being positive and enthusiastic about them having a new vehicle will only help you sell more cars and increase your commission. When people use their emotions to purchase a vehicle you are the one that comes out on top. Enthusiasm is an emotion and your ticket to sales and logic is the quickest way to a short deal. Be enthusiastic and upbeat with your customers and you will sell more cars and make more money.

9. The Sales Manager Wants to Sell a Car as Badly as You Do.

You might think otherwise, but it really is true. The sales manager gets paid based on sales and gross and they really do want to sell cars. When the desk or sales manager won’t accept your deal it is because they feel there is more room, the customer can be bumped or that the next person will pay more for the same car. It’s not personal they want to sell cars just like you do.

10. Buyers are Liars.

I left this one for number ten because too many salespeople like to use this for an excuse when they don’t make deal, but it is true in many cases. Talk to enough car buyers both on and off the car lot and you will find out that the average consumer thinks that lying to the car salesman is acceptable part of the game. Even that person that never tells a lie thinks that it’s not a lie, but part of the car buying process. Again this is one of the few things that the customer uses as a defense because they don’t want to be taken advantage of by a car salesman. Every car salesman should know that this is how the customer thinks and understand that they need to break down this barrier to what the customer thinks is acceptable. This is also where body language, tone and facial expressions are important when selling cars for a living. Most people are honest unless they are buying a car so they will usually give themselves away with their facial expressions and eye movement. Accept this fact, but don’t use it as an excuse for not selling a car.

These 10 things every car salesman should know are basic, but true nonetheless. They are many other things that you should know when you are selling cars for a living, but these will get you started or remind those of you that may have forgotten some of them. If you have some things that car salespeople should know please add them in the comment section below and I will publish them when appropriate.

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

KB

Back to Basics is thrown about the dealership all the time, but there is a lot of truth to it.

Read the Book and Close More Car Deals.Similar Posts:

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Is There Really a Perfect Up

I decided to write this post because the other day I heard a salesperson on the floor saying that they had a Fresh Up that was looking for a used pick-up truck for around $6,000 and he was complaining that the BDC told the customer that we had a few in his price range, but we only had one that was listed for six grand and one that listed for $10,000. He bitched, moaned and complained and before you know what happened the customer left and went down the street to another dealership.

It just happens that I know some of the people at the other store and the customer ended up buying a used pick-up at that dealer that listed for $6, 995 and paid $6,500 +++.  It was a cash deal so there wasn’t any back end and they only had $2,700 in the truck. The net result is that the deal grossed $3,800. Back out the pack of $500 and the salesman got paid a commission on $3300 @30%. They picked up $990 and it didn’t take very long. The customer was buying a used vehicle as a work truck and he wasn’t picky, no warranty, no C.S.I. surveys just a quick deal. Is that a Perfect Up or what? The car salesman that broomed him off the lot didn’t think so.

Perfect Ups Come in all Shapes and Sizes

My point is that you just don’t know what that Fresh Up you have standing in front of you is worth until you go to work. Not by asking a few quick questions and deciding if they are worth the effort, but by showing them some cars or trucks and earning their trust and breaking down their defenses. We have all sold people cars that were listed for much more money than they wanted to spend so why would we try to qualify someone in a matter of minutes. Car salesmen and car saleswomen are doing it all the time and they are the same ones that are complaining about the lack of lot traffic.

You could get a Fresh Up that wants to buy a new car, you could spend half a day with them and only get paid a “Mini” and then you still have to follow up for C.S.I. So why would the guy in the example above want to complain about a customer that is looking for a cheap used vehicle that wants to buy today? Who knows, but it is happening all over the country at dealerships everywhere. Are you like the guy above just waiting for the Perfect Up or are you making the most out of every customer that steps foot on your lot. Remember, “Buyers are Liars” until they find the car or truck that trips their trigger.

When a customer comes to your lot it is because they want to buy a car. They are not looking to waste a few hours they want a car. The Perfect Up is the customer that is in front of you. You are the difference and if you don’t sell them a car they will go down the street and find a car salesman that will.

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

KB

Did you get the book yet, did you read it?

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