This week we’re especially sensitive to the date of 9/11/11.  It’s the 10th anniversary of the event that changed our lives.   So from everything from the TV shows replaying those unthinkable moments to the incredible volunteer efforts happening to honor those who lost their lives on that day and those who fought to save lives on that day, the message is clear; volunteering is a huge part of who we are. So the question I’m asking is that if we know that volunteering brings people together on a national level on this momentous day, are you doing your part to volunteer in your community? Business development is not just about sales and marketing.  It’s about a community.  They won’t be there for you unless you are there for them.  A pretty simple concept. Today's job seekers are looking for more than stock options and 401(k) plans and today’s consumers are looking for more than a great price on a new car. Dea...

The last few weeks have had parents frantically running around getting their kids the latest in school supplies, clothes and shoes in anticipation of that first day of school.  It’s only natural to want to give them every advantage so they get off to a good start and have a great year. That being said…when’s the last time you went to school?  Regardless of your title or position, continuing education has never been more important from a personal or professional viewpoint.  There are lots of opportunities to learn new skills that are specific to our industry including numerous certification programs that provide a great deal of knowledge and prestige to you and your company.   The workplace is a lot more competitive than it’s ever been and employers are looking for well- educated and motivated people.  It’s no secret that to remain employable, you’ve got to keep learning.  An educated workforce is a productive w...

Does the industry need more women to do the Selling in order to sell more cars?   Let's face it. Talk to a woman about buying a car from a male sales person and almost every time you’re going to get a horror story about being treated poorly, coming away feeling like they were taken advantage of, and in some cases, being told to bring your husband back with you when you’re ready to buy a car. Thanks to the internet, women have slowly but surely gotten their hands on the tools and information they needed to go in, negotiate their terms and buy a new car with a sense of preparedness they never dreamed of! Women are dominating the consumer buying decisions in all markets!  In the auto industry, women influence over 60% of the car buying decisions, yet less than 10% of automotive sales people are women.  Is that a good formula, or can we do better by increasing the percentage of women on the sales team? First of all, why would women make a great ad...

Every once in awhile, you’ll hear somebody, usually an older person, say to a younger, more frazzled person, to step back and take one thing at a time.  That’s because a long time ago, people prided themselves on being able to clear their minds and focus on the task at hand and not let anything deter them from completing their job.   My how times have changed!  Now, the more hurrying and scurrying we do, the more agitated we are and the more balls we’re juggling in the air just goes to show everyone how important we are and how well we; wait for it…MULTITASK.   Multitasking has become such a way of life that we have 9 ways to check email, Facebook, Twitter, send and receive messages and generally stay connected with people we want to and even those we don’t.  It’s so important to multitask that some companies require it as a skill in their job descriptions!   Have you ever been talking to someone either professionally or personally who is “multitasking?”  Yeah, i...

Sales Objections = Sales Opportunities- Part 3 For the last two weeks, we’ve been talking about objections that come during the sales cycle, from the customer. This week, I want to talk about something that might be a little harder to address and control, but a huge factor in building (or losing) business, long term. We’ve all been there…go to buy a product and somebody we’re dealing with is having a bad day. They don’t treat us quite the way we think they should.  Naturally, our reaction goes something like “forget these guys, I’ll take my business somewhere else”.  OR, “I would NEVER treat a customer that way!”  Really?  Never?  Ok, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.  Let’s say you would never treat a customer that way, but someone else in your organization does.  The indirect result is that you lose this sale, and most likely, all the future sales from this prospe...

Last week we talked about how to overcome sales objections.  This week I want to dig a little deeper into some specific objections and why they may be occurring.  You can’t possibly cover every reason that someone heads you off at the pass, but maybe you can read into some of these and apply them to your situation! The three main drivers or tactics a buyer will use are the classic stalling technique, saying they don’t understand, or just being skeptical about the whole deal.  You can’t cure anyone of their fears, but you can turn them around by being interested in their objectives, not yours. Let’s look at these objections individually along with some tried and true methods to win your customer over.   Your buyer is skeptical.  If the buyer seems doubtful about your product, or you, it could be because: You’re overselling and it sounds too good to be true instead of realistic. He/she doesn’t trust you.  You...

Sales Objections =Sales Opportunities As a salesperson, you dedicate a lot of time to preparing and learning your products so you can fire off all the right answers for the buyers that walk through your doors. But more often than not, you will be faced with objections before moving the prospect to closing a sale.  Sometimes this is a frustrating process, when it should be seen as a sign of interest.  If they weren’t interested, they wouldn’t be asking you for more information, right?   Sales people see objections as a reason not to buy.  Be confident!  Stand ready to anticipate and handle objections.  The way you respond to a prospect could make the difference in whether they become your customer, or walk away to become someone else’s. The ability to overcome objections is a learned skill. There will always be objections from every prospect that you didn’t anticipate and managing a professional plan for responding is key. An objection is usually a twisted way of saying,

Now, thanks to social media, you have to be on constant alert to promote AND protect your professional and personal reputation.   Sure it looks easy…just go online and post some nice things about how great you are on your website, Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to reach the public!  But no one ever warned you about the public reaching back! But don’t let the online world freak you out…it’s here to stay. It is a key influencer for over 80% of consumers today. You’ve got to run a business and stay ahead of the buzz to be successful.

Let me preface this post by saying that I’m not trying to directly attack any specific company. I do, however, believe in being straight forward and I’m sure I’ll get plenty of calls and emails about this post; I am 100% ok with that! I’ve been dwelling on this subject for several weeks now. With my short attention span, I normally move on in a matter of days, but this is a topic I can’t seem to shake so easily. Are we becoming so focused on meeting these industry ‘standards’ that we are losing sight of the actual customer experience?