Car shoppers want information and they want to be able to find it easily. They also want to be able to compare products easily to make a determination of which will best suit their families needs in many different ways. This is why the king of online shopping Amazon is so popular, you select a product of interest and they supply you with other "comparables" and reviews right away making it easy to research and make an informed decision. 

When I started selling years ago a sales mentor of mine in those early days defined selling to me as supplying the customer with enough information to make an educated buying decision. What he was really telling me was help your customers solve their particular problem by being a resource of information to help them do just that.

I knew my product inside and out and how it could help, I could compare products with the other products I offered to give my customers different choices, value, options, and compare to my competition so my customer didn't have to or if they did confirm what they already knew. I was able to help my customers and built a reputation for being a true resource.

However, today we can be a resource as salespeople in such a bigger way than when I first started selling by leveraging the power of social media, online blogging, websites like DrivingSales.com, video platforms like YouTube, or anything else that allows us to build our brand by offering great content that our customers can engage with. We need to be the resource our customers turn to when they are in the market for a vehicle. We need to be the authority on what's happening in our industry.

Salespeople have a tremendous opportunity in today's world, 2018 should be your best year. If you're New to Sales and just getting going you have taken a step into a changing world and a fun world of sales, especially in the car business. Yes, things are changing all the time, but the reality is they have already changed big time in the car business and the salespeople who dominate the future are different than those who dominated the past!   

Establishing your personal brand when you're New to Sales is critical if you want to have extraordinary results. Here are a few tips on how to get started! 

Building your personal brand around values focused on delivering a great customer experience is smart. Here are a few ways to establish your brand and deliver a customer experience that creates raving fans when you're

New to Sales.

How are you getting your message out so customers can learn what makes you different? In today's world you have to get the word out about who you are and what you do... you have to get above all the noise that distracts your customers on a daily basis. As some would say, if you're not going to honk your own horn, what's the point in having a horn?

Customers can do business anywhere, with anyone they choose. But you and I both know the best person for them to do business with is you and your company. But why is that? What makes you different than the other 15+ salespeople on your sales floor? What makes you different than any of the other salespeople at the other dealerships selling cars just like yours?

If you can't answer those questions with confidence, and with some passion and conviction then maybe you should start right there and give these points some thought. Once you have a clear personal branding message you want to get out, you need to fully commit to it and let people know!

For me I have built my personal brand on a few key values. I work hard to offer my customers a hassle free, transparent, and professional experience each and every time.

Buying a car should be an enjoyable process, where in the end the customer drives off completely satisfied with their experience with you, the dealership, and of course with their new ride. Buying a vehicle truly doesn't have to be a dreadful experience.

So what are some things that I started doing that have helped me?

One of the best things someone new to sales can do for personal branding is establish a social media presence. I created a business page on Facebook a couple years ago to promote my personal brand to prospective customers as well as current customers. I use this page to deliver quality information to my followers, stay in contact with my customer base, help prospective customers get to know me better, and keep all customers informed of opportunities happening in real time in the dealership that might benefit them and save them time and money!

Creating and running this page has been a learning experience for me, and over time my efforts have evolved and gained momentum. I'm now seeing leads being generated more consistently from the page. I get referrals through the page, and I make sales because of the page. But, my point is that you have to start somewhere and be willing to fail, learn from the failure, and then try again as many times as you have to in order to succeed!

If you don't start and you don't take action, nothing will happen for you.

What will happen if you don't start taking action with social media is you will get left behind. Actually, some studies have shown that salespeople who use social media outsell their peers who don't by more than 78%! [source] That right there is reason enough to get on social selling!

Another great idea to establish personal branding when you are new to sales is to start a blog. I have started a simple blog and use it as a way to communicate my messages to customers. I bring a ton of added value to what I do because I create content that is useful for my customers. I am seen as a current voice in my industry, and more of an authority in my field.

For example I sell Honda Autos, so it would be smart for me to write a blog about why the All-New 5th Generation Honda CR-V is a great choice for families, it would also be an excellent way to communicate with customers who have families that are shopping for a Crossover SUV. Blogging gives you a way to reach your customers without being all about sales. This is a great way I bring value to my customers that other salespeople don't.

Another point to remember about developing a blog and posting your own content is that the content stays online working for you long after you post it. It's not just one day and done with blogging. Potential customers can come across your content weeks, months, and even years down the road as they do specific searches online that your content may rank for in the search engines. Don't underestimate the power of a blog and what it can do to drive traffic and turn readers into leads, and potential customers!

One last thing to think about if you really want to get your message out there and promote what doing business with you is all about, is Customer Reviews!

Customer reviews are absolutely huge in today's world of online browsing, researching, and shopping. Knowing how to get your customer to leave reviews and how to leverage them for personal branding is critical! Customers read reviews and many studies on this show customers can find them to be one of the biggest motivating factors to why they choose a brand, dealerships, or even a particular salesperson.

Actually, did you know that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation? [source] That's huge because we all know how strong referral business is and reviews can do this for you!

The goal here is to make sure you deliver on the experience both online and in store. Then you need to assume responsibility for getting the review you and your business deserve, as well as help the customer get a review out there on a platform that benefits you the most.

You can try telling a customer you've met for the first time how great you are to do business with, but it's more powerful when you can show them hundreds of positive reviews written by customers who have already decided to do business with you.

These stories, or reviews, will mean more than your words do... trust me on that one! Be sure to encourage your customers to tell their story in their reviews, and of course be sure to share the reviews with other customers. But you also have to make sure you stay consistent and continue getting reviews. In fact, if reviews are older than 90 days 73% of consumers say the reviews are no longer relevant to them! [source] WOW!!

So think about all the things you do, everything that makes doing business with you and your dealership better than the other guy, maybe make a list for yourself. Think about why doing business with you is different than the other guy or gal they could buy from. Then, get the word out and make people aware of it!

Use the Free social platforms available to you, get creative and create some of your own content with blogs or videos or even better both. Make sure you bring a ton of value to everything you do so you continually receive positive online reviews. If you do this, you will be giving yourself a tremendous advantage over your peers and you will experience a successful career in sales!

Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts, and please be sure to Share!

I have been in the car business for almost 6 years now and the one thing I wish I had done much sooner is focus on building and promoting my personal brand. In today's world of car sales you need to get above all the noise your customers are distracted by and make yourself, and especially what's unique about doing business with you known!

I highly recommend to all new salespeople selling cars that they give a lot of thought to what their business plan is, and who they are marketing themselves towards. You're probably thinking, "What do you mean business plan Scott, I sell cars?" What I mean is that salespeople today need to think about themselves as a business within a business, and establish a personal brand with a clear message.

What's your niche? What separates you from the other 15 salespeople on your floor selling the same vehicles you are? Why would someone drive in to your dealership to see you and not just go somewhere else? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you need to give it some real thought. These are the things you build your personal brand on, and these are the things you should be making customers aware you bring to the table!

For me and my personal brand message, I pride myself on offering a hassle free, transparent, and professional experience for my customers. But there are things that make me different than the other salespeople selling Honda's and Nissan's that keep my customers coming back as well as send friends and family to see me.

When people know what to expect from you, and you consistently deliver on the experience time and time again, your personal brand is solidified. Word of mouth makes your brand stronger. As more and more people seek you for their automotive needs and you deliver on your promise, the more your brand and business grows.

Use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google +, YouTube, Instagram, and all the platforms available to you nowadays that are FREE! It is a fact that salespeople who use social media, and who promote their personal brand outsell their peers. So are you taking advantage of this? You don't have to be a social media guru, just put your thoughts out there and let people know what doing business with you is like!

"Let people know you are more than just someone to sell them a car, but rather someone who handles all their automotive needs!" - Scott Larrabee

The past 2 and half years I have focused hard on my personal brand with every social media post, blog, handwritten note, phone call, and fresh up on the lot. I have begun to break through the noise and reach people with my message. I think of my efforts as the stream beating against the rock, over time persistence and quality content will prevail.

Customers are online, they read reviews and research businesses and salespeople. I know you know that, but I believe sometimes salespeople forget this simple fact. If a customer Google's me they will find professional articles written by me, a professional page on LinkedIn, Google +, Facebook, a business Page on Facebook, my profile and 5-Star Reviews on DealerRater, a Sales Blog, a website that I created for new salespeople, and many other sources of content and information about me that say I am a professional with a consistent message!

What do customers find out about most salespeople when they research them, nothing! If anything they might find a Facebook page and see some not so professional photo's and posts. So all I'm saying here to the guy or gal still reading is this...

If you want to be a professional and earn a professional income, you need to give a lot of thought to your personal brand and learn how to promote it effectively!!

If you do, you'll not only set yourself apart from your competition, you'll experience great success in your automotive sales career!

Don't forget to leave a comment below!!

If you're new to selling cars, check out this blog...

Well, I finally gave into a torn ACL and Meniscus and had surgery about 10 days ago. I injured them playing basketball two years ago and have just kinda "toughed it out" ever since. I've constantly had excuses not to have them taken care of, but I promise they were all legitimate excuses!

Mostly, I just didn't want to miss the selling action, and being there for my customers! 

However, I figure just because I can't be in the dealership physically right now doesn't mean everything has to stop for me or my personal brand. I've made sure to continue putting out content daily on my Facebook Page, send emails, texts, and communicate with my customers online.

I also had a plan in place for my time away from the dealership before I left, just in case I needed in dealership assistance. 

I have established what I like to call "battle buddies" in the dealership. These are colleagues that assist me when I am not in the dealership but have a customer that needs help. I do the same for them when needed. It works great and promotes an environment of teamwork.

With today's technology you really can do just about anything, even sell a car from your couch!

My iPhone was all I needed yesterday to do just that. Thanks to my continued efforts on Facebook promoting our current specials, one of my previous customers who is currently leasing a 2016 Nissan Rogue referred a friend to me. She actually created a dialogue between the 3 of us right on my Facebook Page, it was perfect!

Within 30 minutes I was chatting with her friend through Facebook messenger while watching a movie, cuddling my schnauzer, and icing my knee. 

Her friend told me everything I needed to know about her wants, needs and more. Basically she wanted the same vehicle as her friend (The Rogue) and she wanted to take advantage of our $199 No Money Down lease deal. Easy enough!

She also wanted to be "pre-approved" before coming into the dealership because she was a little unsure of her qualifications, and as she said to me on the phone "I don't want to waste your time."

Fair enough, I didn't want to waste her time either!

After a 10 minute conversation on the phone and a sheet of paper full of notes and information, I moved the schnauzer off me and composed an email to her, from my iPhone.

The email thanked her for the opportunity to help, provided her with a link to our secure online finance application, and introduced my battle buddy to her as well as CC'ing him to it.

Then I emailed our internet department to let them know that an online finance application would be coming through for this customer and to forward the information to my battle buddy.

Then I forwarded my battle buddy all the information he would need to get the pre-approval done.

Within a couple hours we had the approval from finance, a color picked out, a delivery time schedule, all of this from my couch thanks to my iPhone and some great teamwork.

As always it was great to sell something! 

A lot of salespeople in today's world fail to use technology to help them sell effectively. From start to finish, technology is a huge part of selling today! 

Not to mention customers shop online and research online now more than ever before, we know this.

People get their news and form their opinions of you and the products you represent by what their friends online say in social networks and forums.

You need ATTENTION! If you can add value to their news feed with your content, be available when they need help, someday they will be in the market for a vehicle and you will be the first person they think of! 

People use technology, social media, text, email, so a salesperson needs to be extremely comfortable and well trained to use these as well. 

Now, even though I know that I won't be setting any sales records from my couch, it was good to be able to help a customer, be part of a great car buying experience, all from a simple Facebook message. 

Learn to use technology effectively and be sure to build solid relationships with your team and you'll be able to sell a car from anywhere! 

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Also, be sure to visit my website newtosales.org for advice, tips, motivation and inspiring reads for salespeople!