Do you really know how each salesperson is responding to this question:  "What time do you close?"

If you close at 8:00 and the salesperson simply answers “We close at 8:00”, then plan on staying late more often than necessary.  Now don’t get mad at the salesperson, they know they better work around the customer’s schedule;

Maybe they just need something better to say?

Lord help the salesperson who is heard telling a customer they are off the day in question or that they are out early that day, and asks if the next day is possible. On another note, a salesperson who is a long term, super-productive entity of your organization, may risk nothing by working a little around their own schedule.  After all, if confident that his/her customers want only this salesperson; then maybe there is no risk of defection.  But wait, here comes the tip, and you decide if you can use it for better time control, then share it.

Here’s the tip: 

When a customer asks “What time do you close?”, simply reply “We close at 8:00, so of course you’ll want to be here around 6:30 or 6:45 so we’ll have adequate time to get you all the information you deserve. Or would you like for it to be even earlier?”

Maybe they can’t make it that early, yet when a better answer will stand a good chance of an earlier appointment, you must consider.   If you are not doing something to affect the show time, you’ll be staying later and NOT have adequate time to close some of the deals. Face it, by 9:00, you and your customer have had a looooooong day, and they may question their own decision making while fatigued, so it makes sense to get them earlier, if possible.

On a final note:  Salespeople must use their instincts when a customer would have come in, yet 6:30 isn't an option.  If hesitant to set earlier appointment time, you don't want to miss the appointment altogether, so volunteer a later time to see.

Even if this doesn’t rock your world, unless you are opposed  to getting home a little earlier more often, please consider it.  

For more incoming calls and outgoing phone skills tips, check out:

 - Ultimate Phone Expertise for Automotive Dealers

 - Ultimate Phone Expertise for Boat Dealers

 - Ultimate Phone Expertise for RV Dealers

Best wishes,

Richard Keeney  

The Mar-Kee Group 
888-300-4629 
251-680-6633 (cell) 
markeegroup.com 

I am often asked what I think of role play as a method to teach salespeople (and others) how to handle their jobs. We have to remember that it can be really stressful to “perform” in front of our peers because no one wants to be self-conscious and uncomfortable.  My answer is usually “Great tool but too often handled incorrectly.”

In my opinion, role play can be the most powerful teaching method in the manager’s arsenal.

Unfortunately, many of them treat role play as a game of “gotcha,” where they try to catch salespeople off-guard and embarrass them. This reminds me of Zig Ziglar’s statement, “Too many managers try to catch salespeople doing something wrong instead of trying to catch them doing something right.”

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Any discussion on objections would have to start with a simple, yet profound, premise. 

Contrary to what some may think, closing is not a singular event.  It is a process; a process that sometimes starts before you and the customer ever see one another.

For example:  If you and/or your dealership have positive online reviews, customers may already have a favorable impression of what they can expect from doing business with you before you are even contacted. That alone can reduce the number of objections you will receive, or in some cases even eliminate them.

It is important to recognize that the closing process begins the moment you have contact – whether in person, on the phone, by email or chat – and will continue until the sale is made or not.  

Why?  Everything affects everything!  All that you say and do, your communications skills, your attitude, your product knowledge, your powers of observation and insight – it all matters.  Maybe the best way to illustrate the importance of this process is to use a football analogy:

Let’s assume your favorite football team is on the opponent’s one yard line. On the next play, they punch it in for a touchdown. In the world of football, that is certainly closing the deal, right? But wouldn’t you agree that the 9-play, 79-yard drive that put them on the one yard line is what created the chance to score?  

Of course. If they had fumbled the ball during the drive or suffered an interception, they would have lost the opportunity to score. And so it is with us.  It is all the things we say or don’t say, do or don’t do, that puts us in the position to “score.”

If you are going to close a sale, you will have to deal with objections.  The one thing we know is that if you have customers, you will have resistance.  The only question is how much, in what form, and when.  

Most of us have read articles with catchy titles like “Objections Are Your Friends” or “You Should Welcome Objections.”  REALLY?  Try convincing salespeople of that.  Most salespeople I know are looking for that perfect customer.  You know, the one who comes in and says “You have the exact vehicle I want.  Money is no object because I just won the PowerBall.  I’m in a big hurry, so let’s get this done quickly.  And please just take my current vehicle off my hands.  I don’t really care what you do with it.”  Never happens, does it?  

But the fact is, if salespeople cannot professionally and calmly respond to objections, that is simply a weakness that no one can afford, because today’s marketplace will not tolerate that kind of shortcoming.

For FREE Objections Handling role-plays, click here or call The Mar-Kee Group at 888-300-4629.

David Martin, President
The Mar-Kee Group
888-300-4629
251-490-7010 (cell)

The Mar-Kee Group is proud to celebrate 21 years of outstanding Sales, Service, and Management Training.

The world of sales training has a significant amount of information on dealing with objections. In fact, I would be shocked if anyone with more than 90 days in the business has not received training on handling them from someone. However, we too often hear salespeople say “But I’ve done that training,” as if training is something you do once and you’re set for life. That’s just silly. 

No one can MASTER a subject just by hearing it once or twice. As Dave Anderson says, “Until you’re perfect, it’s not redundant.” Salespeople and managers should never be complacent about their ability to successfully handle such an important part of their job.      

In dealing with objections, we need to examine what they are and what they aren’t.  We need to be clear on why we hear them and what they really mean, to both the customer and to us.  We need to diligently try to minimize or even eliminate objections before they come up. 

If we aren’t able to do that, it becomes imperative that we know the 12 psychological keys to handle almost any objection.  And we need to be very comfortable with professional, non-confrontational responses to the specific objections we hear on a regular basis.

The key is to follow the old Boy Scouts motto - Be prepared! Seems basic, but this actually holds true for about anything worth doing. 

In training workshops, I often ask salespeople how many different objections they have heard in their careers.  The answers usually range from dozens to hundreds.  However, when you break it down, there are only 6 primary objections: 

1.    "Your price is too high"
2.   "That is not enough for my trade"
3.   "I have a better deal elsewhere"
4.   "I have additional shopping or research to do" 
5.   "I need to speak to my spouse"
6.   "I want to think about it"

Some variations of these 6 objections make up over 90% of the ones we hear.  My point about being prepared is that if there are only 6, you know what is coming.  To not be ready to give a thoughtful, non-confrontational response instead of a knee-jerk reaction is just plain silly. 

TIP:  Pick out one objection per week that you want to tackle, choose the professional response that sounds best coming from you, learn it and rehearse it 20 or 30 times, and you’re set to go.  Then the next week, choose another objection and follow the same steps.  Six weeks later you’re ready to respond to over 90% of the objections you are going to hear.  Give it a try!

David Martin
The Mar-Kee Group
888-300-4629
251-490-7010 (cell)

The Mar-Kee Group is proud to celebrate 20 years of outstanding Sales, Service, and Management Training.

Need to BOOST MORALE at your dealership? Start doing this >> https://youtu.be/iD5hczdebd0

#Automotive #SalesTraining expert, Richard Keeney shares a POWERFUL story with #managers. markeegroup.com #Integrity #Leadership #RechargeWithRichard

Richard Keeney, co-founder of The Mar-Kee Group discusses an important tip for optimum electronic communications.

Related blog post:http://www.markeegroup.com/Blog/PostId/28/electroelectronic-communicationnic-communication

David Martin, President                                                               Richard Keeney, Co-Owner

davidm@markeegroup.com                                                       rkeeney@markeegroup.com

251.490.7010 cell                                                                                     251.680.6633 cell

The Mar-Kee Group Makes Life Easier for Managers with

Revolutionary, New Sales Training for Automotive Dealers

December 6, 2016 — The Mar-Kee Group announced today the launch of a new and revolutionary training solution — “90 Day Boot Camp Sales Training.” 

“Imagine one of your new salespeople, or one who is underperforming, were to receive their sales training assignment every Monday through Friday morning over the next 90 days! Most managers wish all salespeople would begin each day this way; now they can,” said co-owner Richard Keeney.

“90 Day Boot Camp Sales Training” is available online and accessible 24/7 on any desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The Mar-Kee Group pushes out a personalized, daily video assignment to each student via email. Training includes testing as well as printable course materials to build a permanent sales training manual.  The entire process takes approximately 10 minutes or less per day, starting each day the right way.  As a bonus, there is no wait — the student can start the program at any time!

Keeney goes on to explain, “For managers, a huge benefit of the training is that we do all the work! Managers are always copied on all communications and receive real-time status updates, making them aware of every assignment as well as any inactivity.” When the student successfully completes the program, the manager will receive the student’s Certificate of Completion, allowing them to provide recognition to each graduate on their achievement.

David Martin, president of The Mar-Kee Group, is very passionate that “this training is the single most important training a manager could provide a new hire or any underperforming team member. Whether dealers have one or more deserving of this unique confidence and skill building program, use it when needed.  You’ll always know your training investment is being utilized.  It’s as simple as that!”

90 Day Boot Camp Sales Training covers:

• Automotive Sales Success for Today’s Professional  - 34 video assignments

A to Z sales training

• Ultimate Phone Expertise - 15 video assignments

Incoming and outgoing calls

• Outstanding Customer Service - 7 video assignments

The incredible difference that doesn’t just earn the sale, it earns the loyalty

• Prospecting and Follow Up In Today’s Market - 11 video assignments

The who, what when and how of building salesperson generated showroom traffic

Click to link below to learn about how it works and to get introductory pricing: http://www.markeegroup.com/eAutoTraining/90DayBootCampSalesTraining

###

About The Mar-Kee Group:

David Martin and Richard Keeney of The Mar-Kee Group are honored to celebrate 20 years as one of the nation’s leading automotive sales training companies.  They have over 70 years of combined sales, management, and training experience, with over 4700 dealerships served in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.  The Mar-Kee Group provides multiple online training options as well as customized in-dealership training.  For more information, visit our website at markeegroup.com or call 888-300-4629.  

Press Contact:

Staci Hazeur

staci@markeegroup.com

888-300-4629

Well, you know it’s inevitable.  Eventually some in your dealership will leave, either voluntarily or involuntarily, but will exit nonetheless. Instead of just allowing people to ride off into the sunset, why not invest 5 to 10 minutes with them on the off-chance that you could learn a little something? You may be surprised at how many people with experience in your workplace possess valuable information that you could put to good use.  

WHETHER YOU’RE MAD, SAD OR GLAD ABOUT THE EXIT, YOU SHOULD NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN ADDITIONAL INSIGHT INTO YOUR OPERATION.  

We strongly recommend that no one take this strategy lightly.  You shouldn’t just wing it or put it out there for any manager to handle on the fly.  All of your exit interviews should follow a specific outline designed to keep every session brief and productive.  Wing it and they get less productive, less informative, and could even backfire or get personal.  

This is important because another reason to incorporate exit interviews is to increase the chance of ending on a good note with the person leaving.  Remember, they’re consumers too!

The exit interview outline found below is designed to extract useful suggestions and insight from the other party. 

Let’s review our main objectives in performing exit interviews.  

Objective #1 - Perform an exit interview with everyone, if possible.  

It’s OK if you have to do it by phone or email.  However, some strive to do as many in person as possible.  One advantage of completing the exit form by phone or email allows them time to sincerely consider suggestions and feedback.  
 

Objective #2 - Organize and use the form.

1. Take time to review the exit interview form. The first thing on it is the employee’s reason for leaving.  You really don’t want to spend a lot of time here but it’s good for the company records, nonetheless.                

2. Ask the employee how can customer satisfaction be improved?  To trigger some input you may have to give a few examples and remind them it’s not just in the department they worked in.  

3. Ask the employee how can employee satisfaction be improved?  This may trigger discussion on employee treatment, training issues, quicker deliveries, pay plans, support from service and an assortment of other comments that you can filter through later.  Remember, when you want more information, ask them to expand on or clarify why they feel this way.  

4. Ask the employee how can profitability be improved?  That is – any suggestions they may have that could generate income and or control expenses. 

5. Ask the employee what’s their take on the overall dealership image & ask for suggestions.  Ask them to identify pros and cons of working for your company.  This will reveal areas you are doing well in and uncover needed improvements, if applicable. 
 

Objective #3 - Make sure the appropriate party carries out the exit interviews. 

Most of the time, the General Manager or Dealer would handle the sessions. However in the event they are not available or hey, maybe they were the problem; you will want Plan B in place.  Plan B must be a qualified manager or two who understands the true importance and purpose to execute this meeting as designed. 
 

Objective #4 - Keep the exit interview brief and on track.  

Preface all meetings with a statement like: “Tom, we are always looking for ways to improve our operation and we value your opinions. This should only take 5 to 10 minutes and we would like for you to be candid and share your viewpoint in a few areas”. Then proceed using your form. You don’t want to rush through this, but anything over 5 to 10 minutes is probably overkill. Sometimes you may need to let them off the hook by saying that if they can’t think of anything right now, to please feel free to keep a copy of the form and email or mail it back after they have had a chance to think about their answers.  

With these exit interviews, some will complain, some will provide valuable insight, and on occasion, you’ll get some real doozies. Sometimes you will discover some perceptions that may be shared by other employees that you can act on. Exit interviews can uncover extremely valuable information so don’t overlook this 5 to10 minute opportunity to strengthen your dealership. I used this when I was a GM.  It captured some great ideas and indeed many employees exited on a more favorable note. 
 

Richard Keeney
The Mar-Kee Group
888-300-4629
251-680-6633 (cell)
markeegroup.com 

The Mar-Kee Group is proud to celebrate 20 years of outstanding Sales, Service, and Management Training.

IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THE LAUNCH OF OUR COMPANY, THE MAR-KEE GROUP.  MY GOODNESS, WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

1996 was the year we rolled the dice. Thank goodness we didn’t know all that we would be up against, which we now know was a blessing, or we may never have powered forward. 

As exciting as it is to begin a business, most can relate to how there is also a significant amount of anxiety that comes with the dice roll.

The first time David and I walked into our newly leased empty building, he remembers the first thing I said, and it echoed…”How long did we lease this place for?”

I want to give a quick mention of our background. David was the corporate recruiter and trainer for a seven franchise dealer group, and I was the general manager of the Honda store. We had many discussions for a year or so regarding the possibility of starting a training company. 

Well, the dealership owner informed me one day that he had sold the Honda store and if I didn’t mind, would I keep everything together, produce in the interim, keep everyone’s spirits up, oh, and please liquidate the pre-owned inventory as quickly as I could, and while doing so please be a good steward of his money. 

I’m not the most educated guy in the world, but I am loyal and had a good bit of pride in what we had built over the previous years. Stay I did, and 90 days later I did the walk-through of the store with the new dealer and management team. What a blessing in disguise. Here I sit writing about The Mar-Kee Group’s 20 year anniversary!

Our focus was two-fold. We would build and market the Success - One Idea at a Time program, and also attack the market with consumer leasing.

I’ll never forget the statement the dealer’s son made in the walk-through of the facility. He stated that the first thing they were going to do was get rid of that leasing crap we had been doing. We had gone from 10% lease penetration, to 49.8% with an average of a 30 month term, and loving the short cycle return business. Anyway, the next day we opened the new, vacant office of The Mar-Kee Group.

David and I spent the next few years building the Success - One Idea at a Time program.  This became a 64 VHS tape, 244 brief video sales training library, and we also began doing a good bit of in-dealership sales and management training.  

In 2005, much earlier than dealers were ready to make the paradigm shift, we began building and offering the online program, eAutotraining. 

I’ll never forget when one of our DVD and in-dealership clients first walked up to our booth at the 2005 NADA convention in New Orleans, and said, “Okay, show it to me,” and he has been on the program ever since - going on 11 years now. 

I am incredibly proud of my partner, David Martin, and his accomplishments with over 10 NADA speaking appearances, and a great many Australian Key Note appearances. He has delivered our message in an extraordinary fashion and we are both proud of what we have provided to so many front line salespeople, who too often are left to survive and thrive on their own merits. 

From my humble beginnings as a salesperson for three years, and then given the opportunity to perform at every variable management position over a period of nineteen years, to then go on to partner in building a training company where so many have given their trust and put their confidence in, well, I do take some pride in that. 

Some have asked, “What do we attribute the success of the company to? What has made it click?” 

First and foremost, we were not generic trainers trying to figure out the car business.  We were car guys, with torn tee shirts, getting into the training business.  One thing about car people, they know if you know or not, if you’ve paid your dues.  They know immediately if you have real solutions for the things that take place every day in the dealership world. With that in mind, our business approach delivers the messages in brief segments, incorporates role play, and provides printed course materials along with testing.

Another way that we have been able to remain relevant is the fact that we never stop revising and adding the most up-to-date information for our valued clients. Also part of the successful business partnership is mutual respect and the balance we bring to the table.

In closing, I will say that a lot has transpired over the 20 year journey….from VHS, to DVD, to online training. A few times we, along with the rest of the world, have weathered some economic storms, yet keep coming out on the other side, powering through and staying excited about helping others put “The Art of Selling” back into the dealership.

Richard Keeney

The Mar-Kee Group

888-300-4629

251-680-6633 (cell)

markeegroup.com