Dealer eTraining
Business Practices Improvement Needed Everywhere Not Just In Automotive
As I look at my history in the automotive industry and I look at the valuable lessons that I learned for success I start to realize how many industries are failing to do the right thing.When I say "do the right thing", I am talking about customer relations practices. I am also talking about how businesses and employees market themselves. These days, "word of mouth" advertising is more powerful then ever. "Word of mouth" today can be a review of a business or something as simple as a video on YouTube.
Dealer eTraining
Automotive Sales Prospecting Today by Stan Sher - Dealer eTraining
http://www.dealeretraining.com
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"Like" Dealer eTraining on Facebook
A few days ago on a group on Facebook called, "Carbucks" someone had posted a discussion on prospecting.
The discussion was about a dealer charging the sales staff for prospecting (that is how I understood it).
It made me think about when I was selling cars a few years ago before I had gotten into management. I remember in my first automotive sales job, my manager had created a poster with a sales event special. He sent two people out for three hours to go to local stores and restaurants and give them out to management so that they can present it to their employees (my friend and I jumped on board to take advantage of this). We knew that every customer that comes in on that will go directly to us which would automatically knock the other 15 sales consultants out. I do remember selling three cars out of it. It was not much and they were flats. However, they took me to the next bonus level and ultimately got me referrals. I was happy about that.
Now, let's fast forward two years later after I spent one year selling cars on the internet. I started to feel like prospecting in the ways I was taught was a waste of time since I have all of these leads coming in. As I was becoming more immersed with automotive internet sales and digital marketing I was looking for that next up (which in this case was a fresh new internet lead). It was not until I joined a small dealership with a limited amount of leads coming in and very little advertising spend that I had to rethink my strategy. I was a one man show making appointments and selling cars (sometimes splitting deals). I was selling a luxury brand and I decided to explore the internet to see what our customers are saying about us and how they are shopping.
Low and behold, I discovered various forums such as Edmunds.com Townhall. This is a forum where car buyers go to learn from one another about where the deals are and what the different dealers are offering. They also talk about their experiences at the dealerships as well. I got to read about the experiences that these customers had all over the country. I came up with the bright idea of becoming a member where I can offer insight and advise on buying cars. I made a soft approach and quickly started to show the community that I was there to help and be a friend. My challenge was that a lot of these people are from half way around the country so getting them to buy from me was a challenge. I simply started asking for referrals and giving them a reason to buy from me. I spent about two hours per week working the one forum. I would average an additional 1 to 3 units per month off of it. I did this in 2006. Imagine what the potential is now with all of the resources available to us including social media.
Let's think outside the box. Let's learn how to use the internet. Let's learn how to use search engines and social media. Let's become an effective communicator online.
The bottom line is that there are thousands of forums and social media sites out there where your prospects are researching and discussing car buying. We can all go out and solicit everyone we meet like we were taught when we got into sales (which is still a good method) or we can embrace technology and do it from the comfort of our computers in an air conditioned environment.
I appreciate comments and thoughts...
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Dealer eTraining
Automotive Sales Prospecting Today by Stan Sher - Dealer eTraining
http://www.dealeretraining.com
View my profile on LinkedIn
View me on Naymz
Follow me on Twitter
"Like" Dealer eTraining on Facebook
A few days ago on a group on Facebook called, "Carbucks" someone had posted a discussion on prospecting.
The discussion was about a dealer charging the sales staff for prospecting (that is how I understood it).
It made me think about when I was selling cars a few years ago before I had gotten into management. I remember in my first automotive sales job, my manager had created a poster with a sales event special. He sent two people out for three hours to go to local stores and restaurants and give them out to management so that they can present it to their employees (my friend and I jumped on board to take advantage of this). We knew that every customer that comes in on that will go directly to us which would automatically knock the other 15 sales consultants out. I do remember selling three cars out of it. It was not much and they were flats. However, they took me to the next bonus level and ultimately got me referrals. I was happy about that.
Now, let's fast forward two years later after I spent one year selling cars on the internet. I started to feel like prospecting in the ways I was taught was a waste of time since I have all of these leads coming in. As I was becoming more immersed with automotive internet sales and digital marketing I was looking for that next up (which in this case was a fresh new internet lead). It was not until I joined a small dealership with a limited amount of leads coming in and very little advertising spend that I had to rethink my strategy. I was a one man show making appointments and selling cars (sometimes splitting deals). I was selling a luxury brand and I decided to explore the internet to see what our customers are saying about us and how they are shopping.
Low and behold, I discovered various forums such as Edmunds.com Townhall. This is a forum where car buyers go to learn from one another about where the deals are and what the different dealers are offering. They also talk about their experiences at the dealerships as well. I got to read about the experiences that these customers had all over the country. I came up with the bright idea of becoming a member where I can offer insight and advise on buying cars. I made a soft approach and quickly started to show the community that I was there to help and be a friend. My challenge was that a lot of these people are from half way around the country so getting them to buy from me was a challenge. I simply started asking for referrals and giving them a reason to buy from me. I spent about two hours per week working the one forum. I would average an additional 1 to 3 units per month off of it. I did this in 2006. Imagine what the potential is now with all of the resources available to us including social media.
Let's think outside the box. Let's learn how to use the internet. Let's learn how to use search engines and social media. Let's become an effective communicator online.
The bottom line is that there are thousands of forums and social media sites out there where your prospects are researching and discussing car buying. We can all go out and solicit everyone we meet like we were taught when we got into sales (which is still a good method) or we can embrace technology and do it from the comfort of our computers in an air conditioned environment.
I appreciate comments and thoughts...
No Comments
Dealer eTraining
Do you build value?
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.
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Dealer eTraining
Do you build value?
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.
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