You master commonality-based rapport.
Regardless of which type of first contact we made with our prospects, be it via live chat, a phone call, a lead or as a guest on our property, it is imperative that we understand and master commonality based rapport building. What I mean is, when there is always enough money in the emotional and mental bank, you can consistently make the proper withdrawals. This creates the commitment that leads to the art of closing. By closing I am referring to selling on a much greater scale than one person, or one couple, in front of us at a time. Your vision must be from the beginning to not just sell them a vehicle, but to become their quote, “I gotta guy.”
Humanizing the conversation, sharing rather than telling and following through with strong “pacing” statements explaining why we understand and why things aren’t a problem. Include your own personal experience as well, i.e. I have kids too. This solidifies commonality, which is ultimately the rapport that you need to have the strongest ROR.
You establish value in the sale.
ROR, mental ownership and a commitment from your sales consultant help people feel good about buying the right thing and give the ultimate perception that they didn’t pay too much. It is essential to adjust the steps and ensure that the psychology of human instincts and personality types are addressed from the first contact. Do it the right way every time, even when nobody is looking.
You become their ‘I gotta guy.’
Referrals happen more often because of the stimulus and validation of liking someone, positive recall of their experience and fundamentally how we made them feel. It is a cycle. The timeless saying “people don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we care” has never been more true. How many people reading this very article is someone’s “I gotta guy”? No matter the length of time in the industry, we develop a “Friends and Family program.” Imagine multiplying that by the number of sales consultants and business development representatives you have representing your company. Facebook and other social media will also expand your referrals as your customers’ “I gotta guy.” Catching a photo of your customer with their new vehicle, happily standing with their sales consultant and immediately uploading that photo to their Facebook account from their smartphones (no signatures or paperwork needed), will produce more customers and positive reputation for your business than word-of-mouth referrals ever have in the past.
You have a diverse evidence manual.
When returning from the test drive you need to relax the customer, take a service walk and then take them to the “buyers pending” area. I must say, now is when you will make or break your deal. Where have all of the evidence manuals gone? Would you rather have your customers sitting, waiting for your “pencil” being distracted by their cell phone, reading others emails, listening to voicemails and shopping online? Or would you rather they be reading a very presentable book that might have a picture of a little boy titled, “The Top 10 Reasons to Buy from My Dad.”
The point is, an evidence manual will solidify that they have made a good choice. In the first aspect, it validates that they are buying from good people through our “About Us,” community involvement and charities. In the second aspect, by providing expert write ups from magazines, detailed consumer reports and comparisons on the vehicle of choice, as well as various other supporting evidence, you assure them that they are buying the right thing. It should include all of the thank you notes, pictures of happy customers, social networking posts, reviews and lastly, pictures of you outside of work with your family, your hobbies and your interests. It doesn’t matter if it is fishing or pictures at the beach that will bring commonality between you and the customer. Perhaps you include some pictures of a local area they might recognize. The point is to have them viewing you as a neighbor, as a peer, as a friend, as someone they can trust, all of which should be true anyway.
Remember your body language speaks volumes. It is over 60% of communication and their decision process is being made based on how well you are presenting the options. Be it one price or negotiation, be it Four Square or going over the numbers and introducing them to finance, the key is to not just say thank you and shake their hand. When, not if, they say yes, validate. Tell them what a good choice they have made, what a pleasure it has been and how much you are looking forward to them being a part of our Friends and Family program.
Your CRM notes are thorough.
CRMs are only as good as the notation that goes in. Be quick to notate all that you have learned about your customer. It won’t be long until you are making a taillight call, picking up the phone, staying in touch and developing a relationship. Leave no question or pause to how they will react whenever they learn of anyone they know in need of a vehicle. Of course this is the same timeless response that you would give someone in any other industry that you know trust and enjoyed working with.
Remember there is zero downtime in the car business. Consistently practice and utilize all of the continuing education material at our disposal. I am baffled how the NextGen Automotive sales professional representative could ever be bored. We found more than enough to keep busy long before there ever was the Internet. Contact us with any questions in regards to these techniques, the basics or how in fact SMS, MMS, headshots, reverse TOs, Facebook uploads and all of today’s technologies help with the classic steps to the sale. We are happy to talk about it. Good selling my friends.
