In sales, we all have that first moment of truth, or the first impression.  We all want to make a great first impression for not only yourself, but the company you work for.  We want to make sure that it is a positive impression and that will only give you that chance of closing the deal.

There are 7 seconds where a customer can make 11 impressions about you and the company that you represent.  Almost all of them, YOU control.

Cleanliness:  Make sure that you and your area are clean.  Make sure that your shirt is pressed, tie not loosened and hanging down, and your desk is in good working order.  If you have piles everywhere on your desk, you may look disorganized.

Attractive:  This goes hand in hand with cleanliness.  Make sure that you are clean shaved.  If you wear a beard or goatee, make sure that you keep it trimmed and looking good.

Credible:  We all want to be credible salespeople.  When asked a question and you don’t know the answer, don’t BS your way through it.  Customers may know the answer and may be testing you.  Be honest and just say, “I’m unsure on that, but will be happy to check on that for you.”  Being upfront and honest will benefit you more in the long run.

Responsive:  Focus on your customer and what they are saying and asking.  Don’t daze off.  Stay focused and stay engaged with your customer and don’t let other things get you sidetracked.  If you have personal things going on at home, put them in a ‘brown paper sack’ and leave them at the curb when you pull into work.

Friendly:  Be friends with your potential customer.  When you show that you care about their needs and wants, they will respect you more.  Get to know them.  When you do follow-up, ask about their kid’s events or activities that you may have learned about in the sales process.

Helpful:  Listen to your customer’s wants and needs.  When you listen, they will tell you how to sell them.  Give them all of the information that they are looking for.

Empathetic:  Be aware of their concerns.  Use the feel, felt, found scenarios that you have seen over the years in sales.  “Some of my customers have felt that way.  What they found is….”

Courteous:  Be courteous of them and their time.  We all have had that customer that says they only have 10 or 20 minutes.  Those are the best customers.  They know that time is money, and they have money!  Treat their time with you like gold.  They will respect you more when you respect them and their time.

Confident:  You must be confident in what you are selling.  If you don’t have confidence in the product, leave that company.  Why sell something that you don’t believe in?  You have to be quick with you answers and know your product that you are selling and selling against.

Professional:  If you aren’t professional, you might as well not be at work.  The customer wants to be treated with respect.  If you are flirty with a customer, that will cost you in the end.  Yes, you can joke around with the customer a little when you have the rapport in place, but until you have the rapport, you have to make sure that you stay professional in all you do.

With these 11 impressions that the customer can make, they make 3 decisions.  They will decide if they like you, dislike you, or are indifferent.  You are the factor in all of these impressions.  If you fail in one of those impression factors, that may cost you the sale.

In sales, we all have that first moment of truth, or the first impression.  We all want to make a great first impression for not only yourself, but the company you work for.  We want to make sure that it is a positive impression and that will only give you that chance of closing the deal.

There are 7 seconds where a customer can make 11 impressions about you and the company that you represent.  Almost all of them, YOU control.

Cleanliness:  Make sure that you and your area are clean.  Make sure that your shirt is pressed, tie not loosened and hanging down, and your desk is in good working order.  If you have piles everywhere on your desk, you may look disorganized.

Attractive:  This goes hand in hand with cleanliness.  Make sure that you are clean shaved.  If you wear a beard or goatee, make sure that you keep it trimmed and looking good.

Credible:  We all want to be credible salespeople.  When asked a question and you don’t know the answer, don’t BS your way through it.  Customers may know the answer and may be testing you.  Be honest and just say, “I’m unsure on that, but will be happy to check on that for you.”  Being upfront and honest will benefit you more in the long run.

Responsive:  Focus on your customer and what they are saying and asking.  Don’t daze off.  Stay focused and stay engaged with your customer and don’t let other things get you sidetracked.  If you have personal things going on at home, put them in a ‘brown paper sack’ and leave them at the curb when you pull into work.

Friendly:  Be friends with your potential customer.  When you show that you care about their needs and wants, they will respect you more.  Get to know them.  When you do follow-up, ask about their kid’s events or activities that you may have learned about in the sales process.

Helpful:  Listen to your customer’s wants and needs.  When you listen, they will tell you how to sell them.  Give them all of the information that they are looking for.

Empathetic:  Be aware of their concerns.  Use the feel, felt, found scenarios that you have seen over the years in sales.  “Some of my customers have felt that way.  What they found is….”

Courteous:  Be courteous of them and their time.  We all have had that customer that says they only have 10 or 20 minutes.  Those are the best customers.  They know that time is money, and they have money!  Treat their time with you like gold.  They will respect you more when you respect them and their time.

Confident:  You must be confident in what you are selling.  If you don’t have confidence in the product, leave that company.  Why sell something that you don’t believe in?  You have to be quick with you answers and know your product that you are selling and selling against.

Professional:  If you aren’t professional, you might as well not be at work.  The customer wants to be treated with respect.  If you are flirty with a customer, that will cost you in the end.  Yes, you can joke around with the customer a little when you have the rapport in place, but until you have the rapport, you have to make sure that you stay professional in all you do.

With these 11 impressions that the customer can make, they make 3 decisions.  They will decide if they like you, dislike you, or are indifferent.  You are the factor in all of these impressions.  If you fail in one of those impression factors, that may cost you the sale.

Do you want to be on the cutting edge or the bleeding edge? There is a fine line here and it all depends on how aggressive you want to be.  There have been a lot of new products out there in the automotive world that seem to be taking shape and showing success with the results.

The reason this is being brought up is a friend of mine outside of the automotive industry has opened a hair boutique.  She has sculpted her business different than any others and has taken a huge risk and it is paying off and she is seeing great success.  She is now frustrated that a previous employee is taking the same business model that she has and is starting to see results.  I let her know that she is a leader and an innovator and not to let that get her down.  She just has to keep on going and doing her thing and worry about her own success.  When you see others copy what you are doing, you know that you are doing the right things and having success.  

 Now we are seeing companies copy off each other in the industry with different product and services.  There are several gift card offer companies, several chat companies, and now website companies are starting to copy off each other with what they can and can’t do.  But there was always that first one that tested the waters and are seeing the most success.  The key is to stay innovative and not let your product or service get stale.

This comes down to the sales process as well within our stores.  What are you doing different than all of your competition to set yourself apart?  Is it the showroom sales process, the internet process, advertising? 

 With customers only visiting 2 stores if you are lucky, you have to stand out and be a leader.  The question is are you on the cutting edge or the bleeding edge?

Do you want to be on the cutting edge or the bleeding edge? There is a fine line here and it all depends on how aggressive you want to be.  There have been a lot of new products out there in the automotive world that seem to be taking shape and showing success with the results.

The reason this is being brought up is a friend of mine outside of the automotive industry has opened a hair boutique.  She has sculpted her business different than any others and has taken a huge risk and it is paying off and she is seeing great success.  She is now frustrated that a previous employee is taking the same business model that she has and is starting to see results.  I let her know that she is a leader and an innovator and not to let that get her down.  She just has to keep on going and doing her thing and worry about her own success.  When you see others copy what you are doing, you know that you are doing the right things and having success.  

 Now we are seeing companies copy off each other in the industry with different product and services.  There are several gift card offer companies, several chat companies, and now website companies are starting to copy off each other with what they can and can’t do.  But there was always that first one that tested the waters and are seeing the most success.  The key is to stay innovative and not let your product or service get stale.

This comes down to the sales process as well within our stores.  What are you doing different than all of your competition to set yourself apart?  Is it the showroom sales process, the internet process, advertising? 

 With customers only visiting 2 stores if you are lucky, you have to stand out and be a leader.  The question is are you on the cutting edge or the bleeding edge?

Can you believe it?  2013 is almost here.  I am reflecting on the last year and how the business has changed and how it will change in the year to come, that is, if we make it through December 21, 2012.  I am going through goals for next year and thought this would be something to pass along to the community.  How do you come up with your goals?  Are you looking at the last year or two and the different trends that are taking place?  That is one thing that I look at and focus on for our business at our dealership.  

So how do you come up with the smart goals?  What is important to you and the dealership.  When making your goals, this is something to take into account.

S - Be specific in your goals.  Don't be generic and say 'I want to increase sales through more website traffic' or something to that affect.  Be SPECIFIC and how you want to get to that next level.

M - Make sure that they are measurable.  I know that when I look at where I am tracking, I am always looking at how we are doing vs. previous years, months, etc.  How are you going to MEASURE it?

A - Make it ATTAINABLE.  It is one thing to have goals, but if it isn't realistic, then you might as well not have any goals at all.  Don't shoot too high and don't shoot too low.  I know that I like to look at a moderate increase depending on the goal that is set.

R - This goes back to the attainable.  Make it REALISTIC.  If you make it so high, and you keep failing hitting those goals month after month, you will only get frustrated and feel like you are a failure.  Make those goals within reach, but make them so that you do have to work harder.

T - Make them TIMEBOUND.  Put a time limit on these goals and make sure that you are tracking them on a monthly basis.  If you are looking at a year long goal, look at it month after month to see where you are tracking in hitting your goals.  

This is an excersize that I do year in and year out.  I want to make sure that we as a dealership are making strides, but need to make sure that we are tracking in the right areas.  

What are some of the goals that you are shooting for in 2013?

Can you believe it?  2013 is almost here.  I am reflecting on the last year and how the business has changed and how it will change in the year to come, that is, if we make it through December 21, 2012.  I am going through goals for next year and thought this would be something to pass along to the community.  How do you come up with your goals?  Are you looking at the last year or two and the different trends that are taking place?  That is one thing that I look at and focus on for our business at our dealership.  

So how do you come up with the smart goals?  What is important to you and the dealership.  When making your goals, this is something to take into account.

S - Be specific in your goals.  Don't be generic and say 'I want to increase sales through more website traffic' or something to that affect.  Be SPECIFIC and how you want to get to that next level.

M - Make sure that they are measurable.  I know that when I look at where I am tracking, I am always looking at how we are doing vs. previous years, months, etc.  How are you going to MEASURE it?

A - Make it ATTAINABLE.  It is one thing to have goals, but if it isn't realistic, then you might as well not have any goals at all.  Don't shoot too high and don't shoot too low.  I know that I like to look at a moderate increase depending on the goal that is set.

R - This goes back to the attainable.  Make it REALISTIC.  If you make it so high, and you keep failing hitting those goals month after month, you will only get frustrated and feel like you are a failure.  Make those goals within reach, but make them so that you do have to work harder.

T - Make them TIMEBOUND.  Put a time limit on these goals and make sure that you are tracking them on a monthly basis.  If you are looking at a year long goal, look at it month after month to see where you are tracking in hitting your goals.  

This is an excersize that I do year in and year out.  I want to make sure that we as a dealership are making strides, but need to make sure that we are tracking in the right areas.  

What are some of the goals that you are shooting for in 2013?

Yesterday was my daughter's first day of school.  The school has taken a stance and pledge for the students to maintain a standard in our school system.  All of the students had to sign a P.R.I.D.E. contract.  While I was reading through it, I thought to myself this can be applied in everyday life and business and also looked at when we are interviewing a prospective employee.

Professionalism: the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person

We all want our employees to be professionals in what we do.  If you look at the athletes at the Olympics, they don't just show up for practice and see what happens.  They are always working toward their goal of getting a medal for their country.  Our employees are the same way.  They have to show up to work.  Not just show up, but actually work a system and prospect and actually get on the phones with customers and prospective customers.

Respect: the condition of being esteemed or honored

We all know that we want respect from our employees.  But not only that, we want our employees to respect our customers.  I would like to say that we could go to the Golden Rule on this one on doing unto others as you would like done to you.  It is a good philosophy to live by;  you can't deny that.

Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

We all know that the car business is tough on our reputations.  It all comes down to possibly what one dealer in town did to a customer and we all have to pay for it.  When I hear a customer say something to that affect, I will just let them know where I stand.  We all have morals, just some have higher standards than others.  We all want the best employees working for us and they must have some integrity, right?

Diligence: constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

This will go back to the salesperson that just comes in and sits around waiting on the up-bus.  Are they doing their due diligence to be successful?  The salesperson has to have some ambition and actually put in the effort to be successful.  Too many times have I seen a salesperson with so much talent wasted because they didn't want to put in the effort to make things happen.  They knew that they were good and thought that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter.  Even the most talented guy in the dealership has to put in the effort and diligence for success.

Excellence: the fact or state of excelling.

All of the above lead to the last one of excellence.  When an employee has professionalism, respect, integrity, and diligence, that should lead to a person of excellence and the employee you want working for you.

Take Michael Phelps for example. (Of course I had to throw the swimming comparison in there.) He is the most decorated Olympian ever.  He didn't get there by just showing up to work (his workouts).  He had professionalism (with the exception of that one time). He had respect for his coach and he had respect from his competitors. He did have integrity.  Yes, he made one mistake, but he owned up to it and I respect him for that.  He had the diligence.  After the Beijing Olympics, he lost his drive and was like a fish in water flapping around. He had lost all of the above, but then trained hard for a year and a half, and got back to the level he was at competitively.  That is just plain excellence.  He just didn't get it.  He had to work for it.

What are you doing to work towards your excellence?

Yesterday was my daughter's first day of school.  The school has taken a stance and pledge for the students to maintain a standard in our school system.  All of the students had to sign a P.R.I.D.E. contract.  While I was reading through it, I thought to myself this can be applied in everyday life and business and also looked at when we are interviewing a prospective employee.

Professionalism: the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person

We all want our employees to be professionals in what we do.  If you look at the athletes at the Olympics, they don't just show up for practice and see what happens.  They are always working toward their goal of getting a medal for their country.  Our employees are the same way.  They have to show up to work.  Not just show up, but actually work a system and prospect and actually get on the phones with customers and prospective customers.

Respect: the condition of being esteemed or honored

We all know that we want respect from our employees.  But not only that, we want our employees to respect our customers.  I would like to say that we could go to the Golden Rule on this one on doing unto others as you would like done to you.  It is a good philosophy to live by;  you can't deny that.

Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

We all know that the car business is tough on our reputations.  It all comes down to possibly what one dealer in town did to a customer and we all have to pay for it.  When I hear a customer say something to that affect, I will just let them know where I stand.  We all have morals, just some have higher standards than others.  We all want the best employees working for us and they must have some integrity, right?

Diligence: constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

This will go back to the salesperson that just comes in and sits around waiting on the up-bus.  Are they doing their due diligence to be successful?  The salesperson has to have some ambition and actually put in the effort to be successful.  Too many times have I seen a salesperson with so much talent wasted because they didn't want to put in the effort to make things happen.  They knew that they were good and thought that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter.  Even the most talented guy in the dealership has to put in the effort and diligence for success.

Excellence: the fact or state of excelling.

All of the above lead to the last one of excellence.  When an employee has professionalism, respect, integrity, and diligence, that should lead to a person of excellence and the employee you want working for you.

Take Michael Phelps for example. (Of course I had to throw the swimming comparison in there.) He is the most decorated Olympian ever.  He didn't get there by just showing up to work (his workouts).  He had professionalism (with the exception of that one time). He had respect for his coach and he had respect from his competitors. He did have integrity.  Yes, he made one mistake, but he owned up to it and I respect him for that.  He had the diligence.  After the Beijing Olympics, he lost his drive and was like a fish in water flapping around. He had lost all of the above, but then trained hard for a year and a half, and got back to the level he was at competitively.  That is just plain excellence.  He just didn't get it.  He had to work for it.

What are you doing to work towards your excellence?

We all have great tools to use in the automotive business, but the question is do we use them to their fullest potential?  The products that we use on a daily basis is only as good as we use them.  The one that I know that I am in about 24/7 is the CRM.  Yes, there are a lot of them to choose from in the marketplace, but bottom line comes down to the user and actually using it.  I thought of this while I was watching Joe Webb's new video on a Long Day at the Car Dealership (see below). When I saw Arnold clicking left message and lost, and dead, I wonder to myself how many times this happens in the dealership?

I want to specifically hit on the "left message", "lost sale", and "dead deal".  I have no idea what percentage of customers that leave the dealership without buying don't get any follow up at all.  I am going to venture to say that it is a very high percentage.  I know that we are all guilty of it and getting in a funk and 'fake' our calls out.  I know that even though I have been successful in the business, I will look in the mirror and admit that I have 'faked' a CRM call out.  Do I do it on a regular basis?  No.  But I have done it.  So how do we get out of 'faking' the call in the CRM?  Those that have been in the business for a while know how to do it, but how do we get past it?

• The "left message" status.  Find a reason to call them.
  • First off, call to thank them for coming in.  In the latest reports, a customer will visit 1.3 dealerships before making a purchasing decision.  If there were in front of you, chances are, they are not just there to kick tires like back in the 70s-early 90s.  Make yourself stand out from that other dealership that they may just visit along with yours.
  • If they were on a new vehicle, call them on a late model trade that you may have just traded for.  It may just perk their interest enough to come back in again and you will have another chance at selling them a vehicle.
  • If there is a trade involved, try to get them back in by offering to sell their car to another customer.  Get them in, then in your vehicle again, and then work the used car manager or even the customer before them.
•   Marking customers 'lost sale.'
  • Let's face it, it happens.  We can't get them all.  But one thing we can do is offer service to them.  Chances are, the salesperson that they bought from, especially used, didn't properly introduce them to their service department.  Offer them a free oil change just to get them back in the door again.  This may or may not help, but you are getting them back in the door again and maybe they will remember that down the road.
  • Ask for referrals or when other family members may be in the market for a new vehicle.  Make good notes in the CRM and make calls to them just like you sold them the car.
• The "dead deal" status.
  • I personally don't believe in the dead deal status unless they are actually dead, as in not breathing or 6 feet under.  When you mark a deal a 'dead deal' in the CRM, that will discontinue any contact to the customer via email marketing campaigns.  Keep your name in front of them down the road.  You just never know when they will be in the market for a new vehicle.  If you don't mark them 'dead deal,' hopefully your name will be in front of them 12 times a year or so.

The CRM should be your backbone to the dealership.  If you run out of customers to call that are scheduled, you can always lean on your CRM and dig in and make something happen.  

We all have great tools to use in the automotive business, but the question is do we use them to their fullest potential?  The products that we use on a daily basis is only as good as we use them.  The one that I know that I am in about 24/7 is the CRM.  Yes, there are a lot of them to choose from in the marketplace, but bottom line comes down to the user and actually using it.  I thought of this while I was watching Joe Webb's new video on a Long Day at the Car Dealership (see below). When I saw Arnold clicking left message and lost, and dead, I wonder to myself how many times this happens in the dealership?

I want to specifically hit on the "left message", "lost sale", and "dead deal".  I have no idea what percentage of customers that leave the dealership without buying don't get any follow up at all.  I am going to venture to say that it is a very high percentage.  I know that we are all guilty of it and getting in a funk and 'fake' our calls out.  I know that even though I have been successful in the business, I will look in the mirror and admit that I have 'faked' a CRM call out.  Do I do it on a regular basis?  No.  But I have done it.  So how do we get out of 'faking' the call in the CRM?  Those that have been in the business for a while know how to do it, but how do we get past it?

• The "left message" status.  Find a reason to call them.
  • First off, call to thank them for coming in.  In the latest reports, a customer will visit 1.3 dealerships before making a purchasing decision.  If there were in front of you, chances are, they are not just there to kick tires like back in the 70s-early 90s.  Make yourself stand out from that other dealership that they may just visit along with yours.
  • If they were on a new vehicle, call them on a late model trade that you may have just traded for.  It may just perk their interest enough to come back in again and you will have another chance at selling them a vehicle.
  • If there is a trade involved, try to get them back in by offering to sell their car to another customer.  Get them in, then in your vehicle again, and then work the used car manager or even the customer before them.
•   Marking customers 'lost sale.'
  • Let's face it, it happens.  We can't get them all.  But one thing we can do is offer service to them.  Chances are, the salesperson that they bought from, especially used, didn't properly introduce them to their service department.  Offer them a free oil change just to get them back in the door again.  This may or may not help, but you are getting them back in the door again and maybe they will remember that down the road.
  • Ask for referrals or when other family members may be in the market for a new vehicle.  Make good notes in the CRM and make calls to them just like you sold them the car.
• The "dead deal" status.
  • I personally don't believe in the dead deal status unless they are actually dead, as in not breathing or 6 feet under.  When you mark a deal a 'dead deal' in the CRM, that will discontinue any contact to the customer via email marketing campaigns.  Keep your name in front of them down the road.  You just never know when they will be in the market for a new vehicle.  If you don't mark them 'dead deal,' hopefully your name will be in front of them 12 times a year or so.

The CRM should be your backbone to the dealership.  If you run out of customers to call that are scheduled, you can always lean on your CRM and dig in and make something happen.