Let's Go Farming!

One thing that some salespeople have a hard time with is trying to stay busy in the slower months. They maybe sitting in your showroom at the window waiting for the next up. Just like a farmer, you have to work on your fields or current customers/prospects. There are so many things that they can do while they are waiting for that 'up' by farming their database.

Most dealerships do have a CRM of some sort. The salesperson can go through and see all of their sales for as long as the database has been in place. They can do some of the following:

1. Make anniversary calls - 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 year.
2. Make birthday calls. Call the day before their birthday. So many appreciate that call from their 'car guy or gal.'
3. Make renewal calls with customers that their lease is up within the next 6 months. They have to do something soon so stay in front of them.
4. Make a renewal call when a customer is 12 months from maturity of their purchased vehicle. We need used cars! Let's sell them something new.
5. Call recent customers sold for referrals
6. Work the service drive - Come in thirty minutes or an hour early. I have seen several deals get written up before I even got to work when I was a Sales Manager.
7. Call all the customers that you have talked to in the last 90 days. Don't leave any stone unturned.
8. Email your database your monthly specials.
9. Go make a relationship with a body shop owner. Winter is here and the snow is flying in the northern states.
10. Check the service logs for your customers. They will be there an hour or so, so why not it be with you and attempt to sell something.

Are you a farmer? So the challenge is to stay busy on the phone while you are waiting for that customer to come in the door or are you going to be like the badger waiting at the window.

What are you doing to farm your data base and generate business?