Bart Carpenter posted on June 05, 2009 18:51
The successful auto sales professional knows that there are six sales made during the selling process.Those sales are; Great First Impression, Sell the Interview, Customer Buy-In for the Process, The Four R’s – The Right Vehicle, The Right Place, The Right Sales Person, and The Right Time, It’s Worth the Investment, Send Friends and Family (Repeat and Referrals).
Great First Impression
When customers approach a dealership for the very first time, many are filled with anxiety and fear. They are not sure what they are going to experience, or maybe they are! For this reason often it’s the second impression we need to sell since many have already made a presumptive expectation of what the first impression will be. An integral part of selling the interview is making a great second impression!
Sell the Interview
Selling the customer on spending four to five minutes visiting with a sales associate about their vehicle interests can provide a great experience, making the best use of their time, give them the ability to gather information, and have their questions answered. This can save the customer hours of time and countless frustrations.
The customer interview is viewed by many sales professionals as absolutely indispensable for any type of long-term success in the business. Counseling is the service a true prospect is seeking when they visit the dealership. A quality customer interview gives the sales associate a better understanding of what they want, and why they want it. Each subsequent step of the road to the sale connects here. Unfortunately, it is the step, which the unskilled or the lazy sales associate will omit by going from the curb to the car.
On the other hand, an effective, highly skilled, sales associate views the Greeting of every customer as a prelude to the interview and have learned the transitions to accomplish this step. The best place to perform this service is in their office, or a table in the showroom, offering the prospect dealership hospitality and refreshment.
When you think about it, most all professional salespeople conduct a counseling interview. The real estate agent gathers a great deal of information before he or she begins to show houses. A great lawyer listens and makes notes about a client’s story before preparing the case (he has to sell to the judge and jury). And today, even the shoe sales associate at a highline shoe store assesses needs before they go behind the curtain to select their products for demonstration. Then how much more important is it for the automotive sales associate to learn their customer’s motives and needs before you show them a car.
Conducting a professional guest assessment is an art. Those who Master the Fundamentals recognize the importance of developing rapport by speaking with the prospective customer about themselves, their job, family, and hobbies as they collect information needed to properly present a vehicle. The best of the best apply open end questions, along with some closed ended to direct the conversation, focusing on the customer’s motives, and hot buttons. When the customer is comfortable they will share information with the sales person. The savvy sales associate will store this information to be used at the right time along the sale to motivate the prospect to move forward through the remaining four areas of the Six Sales; Customer Buy-In for the Process, The Four R’s – The Right Vehicle, The Right Place, The Right Sales Person, and The Right Time, It’s Worth the Investment, Send Friends and Family (Repeat and Referrals).
Take a little quality time, and the process speeds up! Sell the Interview.