I am not a fan of calling it an appointment because an appointment to many people makes them thinks of the doctor, dentist or accountant which is never fun as I talked about in a previous post on car sales appointments.  However I will use the term here to make things clear. One of the biggest hurdles of getting someone with car sales experience is to get them to stop focusing on the car and start focusing on why the potential customer should come and see them.

Selling the Appointment is About Them

When you have a customer on the phone or you are communicating with them through email they are in a familiar environment and they are thinking logically and what we need to do is to get them to start feeling and thinking emotionally. When all you do is provide them with details and information you are the same as the next dealership, but when you engage their senses and make them think about how your dealership is better, how you are better and how nice it would be to have a new car you are selling the appointment, not the car. Are you talking about the ride, the feel, the handling, the visibility, your dealership and what you can provide for them that can only be experienced by setting an appointment and visiting your dealership?

If you have been selling cars for any period of time you know that we can make miracles happen, but you won’t have a chance if you don’t get them on the lot. I have seen Internet customers and phone-ups drive away with new and used cars that were three, four and five pounders that were all about price over the phone, but once they got to the dealership and were given the royal treatment they were sold. Obviously not all phone ups and Internet customers are going to get turned into big grossers, but Fresh Walk-Ins won’t either. It’s a numbers game and when you sell cars for a living you take all that you can and it works out in the end.

Car Sales Appointments – First Things First

Being just like the next dealership or the next Internet Sales Manager is not good enough today. You need to sell the appointment and when they get on the lot you can sell the car. First things first because every communication you have with a potential customer are vital.  They are not only calling or emailing you because you have the car; they are also making decisions about where to buy the car and they are giving you the chance to be their first choice.

The customer uses price because that is all they know when it comes to buying a vehicle and that is their sole line of defense until you set yourself apart from the rest. Shooting a customer a price over the phone or through email has become commonplace today, but customers also want to know that they will be dealing with a quality dealership and a person that they can connect with that will listen to them and provide them with a pleasurable car buying experience. They will set an appointment when you sell the appointment and then sell the car when they get there.

They have already chosen the car and that is why they called you or sent in an Internet lead. Now they need to know why they should come and see you so stop selling the car and start selling the appointment.

Once You Get Them to Show Then Close the Deal!

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

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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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They preferred to be contacted by email, but all they got were phone calls. Sounds like the dealers were doing their job, but they did not leave a good taste in the mouth of the potential customer. As it turns out we did sell them a car, but they also told me that they would never provide their phone number again when requesting information or a quote. This is not the first time I have heard this from a customer, in fact I hear it quite often.

After doing some more research I have found that less people are proving a good phone number when they submit a lead because Internet leads are changing. The Internet car shopper does not want to be called on the phone because they are trying to avoid what they consider to be the pushy car salesman. They want information and/or prices, but they only want to be contacted by email. They are qualifying or disqualifying you dealership based on the response that is provided by the Internet Department.

Internet Leads and the Internet Sales Manager

It wasn’t too long ago that an Internet lead without a good phone number was considered a bad lead, but not today. The Internet car shopper is gathering information and making decisions that are based on the response and treatment they receive via the Internet. If you write off the leads that come through your Internet Department that have bad phone numbers your are missing out on opportunities to sell more cars. The quick phone call is rarely good enough to get them in your store today and if they don’t supply a good phone number you are done unless you earn a shot at their business through email.

Car buyers are interacting with dealers differently than they did only a few short years ago. They use email, texting and the Internet to decide where to buy a car. We need to communicate with them through email as if they were standing in front of them. We need to answer their questions and provide the information they are requesting or they will disqualify you and your dealership. People that submit Internet leads are buyers (at least most of them) and they will buy a car in a day, a week, a month or several months. Once they are on the showroom floor we can be more influential and do our magic, but to get them in through the Internet we need to play in their world.

Just like everything else in our industry customers are changing and so are the Internet leads they provide. We need to change along with them and play the game the way they want to play it or we won’t even have a chance to do what we do best, which is sell cars.

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

KB

You Can’t Close Them Unless You Get Them in the Door!Similar Posts:

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It doesn’t matter if you are a floor car salesman, Internet Sales Manager, Sales Manager, GSM or GM your car dealer reputation may be hurting your business. Everybody that works in a dealership is affected by what the consumer has to say about your dealership. The angry or disgruntled customer would tell ten people about their experience a few years ago, but today they are telling the world. They are logging onto the Internet and providing their side of the story (maybe even a little more dramatically then it was) and the world believes everything they say because the car business already has a poor reputation. Customers can forgive and forget, but negative posts about your operation will last as long as we have the Internet.

The simple fact that you are still in business means that you have many happy and satisfied customers, but one or two negative reviews will make people wonder. Four or five will make potential customers look a little harder and when ten people post a bad experience it will cause them to look elsewhere. Pretty soon you wondering why your showroom traffic is slowing and your sales have fallen below last years levels. Your car dealer reputation could be the reason.

What is Your Car Dealership Reputation?

You can’t stop people from posting negative reviews about your auto dealership, but you can take a good hard look at the way you do business and make the changes that need to be made. Before things get too far you need to go to Google and search your dealership name and the word review. Also search your name with the word Yelp, Dealer Rater, Yahoo Local, Google Places, Rip-Off Report, Angies List to name a few and check out each one of those links. What is being said about your dealership and what is your car dealer reputation?

Do you have a process in place that requires the salesman or manager to ask your happy and satisfied customers to go online and talk about their experience? Are you taking pictures or videos of your customers and publishing their quotes about their car buying experience on your website, YouTube, Facebook and everywhere else that will allow you to post?  I am not talking about putting words in their mouth, but using the customer’s own words and even better is letting them talk freely on a video. Seeing and hearing the customer speak of their experience is more powerful than reading.

Take a good look at the way you treat your customers and your car sales training, then decide if that is what you want to written all over the World Wide Web. Try to consider the customers point of view and think about what they would say and whether or not it would help or hinder your car dealer reputation. You still have time, but you need to take action NOW!

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

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Selling Cars – Male or Female

Some people today may say that a woman might have an even better chance of being a top salesperson if she had the experience, but others say that a man is better at negotiating. You didn’t think I would be stupid enough to pick one over the other did you? I have worked with women in the car business that were absolutely remarkable at their job and quite successful that included floor sales, F&I, sales managers, GSMs and GMs and I don’t think there is an answer. I have seen some women that were better than others and I have seen men that couldn’t sell a car if their life depended on it. Although I must admit that I think that a woman with the experience and the determination to succeed could do very well in every department at the dealership.

I really don’t think gender matters when it comes to selling cars professionally. The person is what makes the difference not their sex. Some say that the woman in a family makes the final decision when it comes to purchasing a vehicle so a woman would be a better choice, but I have seen men that can connect with women just as well as any woman. Others say that if the man is dead set against the purchase his other half won’t need to make the decision to buy.  However not every customer is a couple. Buying a car is not a job best done by a man today like it was yesterday. I have sold cars to many women that were much tougher to deal with than most men.

Agree to Disagree on the Best Car Salesperson

This debate could go on forever. There may be pluses and minuses on both sides of the fence, but when it comes right down to it there are many factors and skills that make a top salesperson and I don’t believe that being a man or a woman matters. Whether you are male or female you likely have your own opinions on who would make a better car salesman or car saleswoman, but talk is cheap and the proof is in the results. So lets sell a bunch of cars, have some fun doing it and may the best car salesperson win.

Later, Fresh Up on the Lot

KB

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