http://www.dealeretraining.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stansher83

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Why do I love the car business?

Why do I never stop being the best that I can be?

Why do I go through the ups and downs of the industry?

Why do I try so hard?

One answer in a few parts...

1.  The Experience.  The Experience.  The Experience.

Part A:

I am talking about 8 solid years of dealership sales, sales management, and more recently consultung experience.  I have met some interesting people from all walks of life.  There have been great influences and not so great influences.  There have been people that went from green pea sales people to top notch consultants (myself included lol).  There have been sales people that gave up and left the industry.  I seen people leave the industry (or try to leave) and end up coming back.  It is like a disease (good or bad).  We get sucked into it and we can never say farewell (because we are just so good at it).  It is a thrill and fun to see.

Part B:

This is my story.  I am that man that tries to do everything right.  I go to NADA, Digital Dealer Conferences, and so many other events.  I learn as much as I can and I apply it.  This helps me develop some new ideas.  I sold cars.  I built multimillion dollar Internet/BDC departments.  I am great at what I do.  I continue to research and create best practices that pay off in the end.  I have seen rejection from foolish vendors that do not think I am capable of selling to dealers (only because I have too much dealer experience).  I have built successful internet departments that make a lot of money only to find out that I am making too much money.  I have also traveled the country and consulted dealerships and dealer groups.  There are moments in my life when I tell myself, "enough is enough, time to move on and put these 8 years of hard work and adventure behind me".  Every time I do that, I look at all of the other avenues and they just do not excite me the way this industry does.  So I continue to grind and make the best of it and never give up (because I am a survivor and I love the challenge).  Again, this is an adventure that I would have to say is like a roller coaster ride.  Not to mention, I have made some seriously great life long friends that have become personal friends.  I have also made some phony friends that really just smile and pretend (Yes we have some shady ones too).  That is fine because I learned to read people and really see them for what they are with their actions.  Sometimes, politics is the name of the game.  Even still, I am glad I know these people because my experience gets that much bigger.

Part C:

Yes THE EXPERIENCE.  I came to the conclusion that I will forever continue to do what I do and as I gain experience so will the opportunities that lie ahead.  I take what I learn and I run with it.  For example, I am launching a business outside of the automotive industry that involves me doing everything that the automotive industry has taught me.  That is right, everything these blogs, magazines, and conferences taught me I took with me and it is on the way to pay off big.  At the same time, my plan is to continue doing what I do best which is to help dealers be successful.  I love the car business and I love watching dealerships grow with the times. These days, I am looking to better myself and to help better the community around with me with fresh ideas.  This is why I love DealerElite, Automotive Digital Marketing, DrivingSales, Digital Dealer, InternetSalesManagers.org, and so many more.

Part D:

What would happen if I choose a different path in life at 20 years old?

Well, I would have finished my college degree.  I would have gotten a $30,000 a year job as a school teacher.

I would not have finance in order.  I would be in a lot of debt.  I would not be getting a brand new car every few years.  I could not learn the real business world.  I would be living in fantasy land on the morals of what school books try to instill.  That is not the end of the world.  However, I learned one thing.  I cannot truly experience life until I have experienced the ups and downs of life such as hardships, success, business development, motivation, amongst other things.  Did I mention, I made in my first selling cars more then a school teacher with 5 years experience?

I will finish my college education as I am not far from having a degree.  It will be just to make my parents proud and to have that piece of paper.  After all, ethics say that a piece of paper really make the man that I am.  I learned that in reality, it is not what you know but who you know.  But for those to want to see my $70,000 Degree that does not teach me reality of life.  Great, have a look at it when I get it.  Whatever makes them happy.  I just know that I will continue to be me and I will always be the best at what I do.  My experience and my skills are constantly growing and this will never stop.

http://www.dealeretraining.com

http://dealeretraining.tumblr.com/

I have been working in the automotive industry for over 8 years as of this month.  The one thing that I felt I could always do better was build value in my presentations.  When I say presentations, I am not just talking about performing a powerful walk around.  I am talking about the things that a professional says to a customer when they are on the phone trying to give them a reason to come in.  I am also talking about what a professional does with the customer when they go to discuss numbers with management.  As a huge advocate of building a "digital rapport" I wrote a successful article about this in the past but would like to take this further.

Some value building techniques:

- The BDC/Internet Department remembers to make customers aware of the dealership's strong online reputation.

-The BDC/Internet Department informs the consumer of the convenient aspect of considering this dealership over others (Some of us like to call it a Value Package Proposition).

-If the customer claims to have a busy schedule, it is a great idea to offer to bring them the vehicle to look at.

-Finding out why they are looking at a particular vehicle will allow to demonstrate the benefits of the vehicle when working with customers in person.

-When going to discuss numbers with management, it is always a great practice to leave the customer with something to read such as a product information book.  This will keep them interesting in the benefits of the vehicle.  It is also a great idea to have a book of positive reviews and letters of recommendation from previous customers.  Better yet, if there is a computer on the table, save a few positive video testimonials and have the customers watch it.  Too often, sales people leave customers waiting for minutes and minutes which allows them to think about reasons why they should not buy the vehicle.  A lot of customers always think that sales people and managers are in the backroom wasting time.  We need to maintain a professional and positive image of ourselves and our dealerships.  If it takes a longtime to create a book or two books of these tools, so be it.  These tools will help close more deals, build more customer trust, build more customer retention, and allow the opportunity to make more money.

-During delivery, a sales professional should keep building value and go over any last minute information that they have not presented before.

-After the customer leaves the lot, call them at home leaving them a great message expressing your gratitude for their business.  After all, they just helped you feed your family.  In some cases, remind them of when their license plates will arrive and if they pick them up, they will be installed on the vehicle for them.

Some of these tips might sound old school or basic.  However, we forget about them.  I know after selling cars for three years I started to slack off, get comfortable and arrogant.  I realized that real quick when my income was $15,000 lighter that year.  I want to be successful and I want to make more money not less.  Stop taking shortcuts, create a strong process of how you do business and keep doing it with every single customer.  Never be satisfied, always seek to improve.  I once met a sales professional who is the number one Audi sales professional in the country.  The man sells more units in one month then most Audi dealerships in the nation sell as a whole.  He makes more money then his GM.  He is consistent the same way.  He never takes ups or relies on internet leads.  He was consistent for many years and it pays off.

www.linkedin.com/in/stansher83

www.naymz.com/stan_sher_2372084

http://www.dealeretraining.com

http://dealeretraining.tumblr.com/

I have been working in the automotive industry for over 8 years as of this month.  The one thing that I felt I could always do better was build value in my presentations.  When I say presentations, I am not just talking about performing a powerful walk around.  I am talking about the things that a professional says to a customer when they are on the phone trying to give them a reason to come in.  I am also talking about what a professional does with the customer when they go to discuss numbers with management.  As a huge advocate of building a "digital rapport" I wrote a successful article about this in the past but would like to take this further.

Some value building techniques:

- The BDC/Internet Department remembers to make customers aware of the dealership's strong online reputation.

-The BDC/Internet Department informs the consumer of the convenient aspect of considering this dealership over others (Some of us like to call it a Value Package Proposition).

-If the customer claims to have a busy schedule, it is a great idea to offer to bring them the vehicle to look at.

-Finding out why they are looking at a particular vehicle will allow to demonstrate the benefits of the vehicle when working with customers in person.

-When going to discuss numbers with management, it is always a great practice to leave the customer with something to read such as a product information book.  This will keep them interesting in the benefits of the vehicle.  It is also a great idea to have a book of positive reviews and letters of recommendation from previous customers.  Better yet, if there is a computer on the table, save a few positive video testimonials and have the customers watch it.  Too often, sales people leave customers waiting for minutes and minutes which allows them to think about reasons why they should not buy the vehicle.  A lot of customers always think that sales people and managers are in the backroom wasting time.  We need to maintain a professional and positive image of ourselves and our dealerships.  If it takes a longtime to create a book or two books of these tools, so be it.  These tools will help close more deals, build more customer trust, build more customer retention, and allow the opportunity to make more money.

-During delivery, a sales professional should keep building value and go over any last minute information that they have not presented before.

-After the customer leaves the lot, call them at home leaving them a great message expressing your gratitude for their business.  After all, they just helped you feed your family.  In some cases, remind them of when their license plates will arrive and if they pick them up, they will be installed on the vehicle for them.

Some of these tips might sound old school or basic.  However, we forget about them.  I know after selling cars for three years I started to slack off, get comfortable and arrogant.  I realized that real quick when my income was $15,000 lighter that year.  I want to be successful and I want to make more money not less.  Stop taking shortcuts, create a strong process of how you do business and keep doing it with every single customer.  Never be satisfied, always seek to improve.  I once met a sales professional who is the number one Audi sales professional in the country.  The man sells more units in one month then most Audi dealerships in the nation sell as a whole.  He makes more money then his GM.  He is consistent the same way.  He never takes ups or relies on internet leads.  He was consistent for many years and it pays off.

www.linkedin.com/in/stansher83

www.naymz.com/stan_sher_2372084