What The Heck Is "Old School" Anyway?
Yes the curriculum being taught in schools has changed over the years, and yes we have discovered the world is not flat, and the indians [Native Americans] probably should have negotiated a better deal for Manhattan.
Am I missing something?
Sell Yourself
Meet and Greet a client, don't lose the control they have given us when they left their home to buy a vehicle and came and saw us.
Find out their needs and wants through a conversation, not an interrogation.
Select a vehicle and show features,tell benefits and use closing tie downs to sell each feature.
World Class Demo drive, to highten the clients emotions.
Ask them to own it, when their feelings and emotions are at the highest possible peak.
Show them our service area, selling the entire dealership.
Get a structured proposal[numbers] from management and present with enthusiasm.
Close or gain legit offer.
Get cash investment,paperwork,F&I.get ready,ask for referrals, spot it!
Follow up sold and unsold.
Client development [prospecting]
Our goal here would be the highest possible gross profit, with a volume of clients and strong,legit customer satisfaction.
...Is this "other school" I hear about have the same goals?
Does having new technology mean we now need to make less money to have satisfied customers?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Love that answer Arthur!
arthur bush said:Old school is the original language that has been taken out of context,and in most cases polluted by those incapable of living up to it's purity in requirements.So therefore they renamed it new school. -
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Permalink Reply by Richard Emmons on
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Old school... New school... The answer is how can we sell our unfair share? To do this shouldn't we 1st know why people do not purchase whether it be new or old school techniques. These are real facts.
Why people do not repurchase from you.
1% Die
3% Move away
5% Follow a friend or relative's advice or recommendation to go to another dealership.
9% Switch to what they believe to be a better product, or were dissatisfied with there vehicle.
14% See no value or pleasure left in there vehicle.
68% Forgot about you due to no follow-up phone calls, letters or contact on a regular bases.
I am thinking school is training. -
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Permalink Reply by A. J. Maida on
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In my training I tell our people that it comes down to this:
It's still about FAB, a test drive, asking for a large deposit and full price is a fair price.
If that's old school count me in -
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Yes Sir Paul Hardy said:Old school is simple, sell yourself, the house and the product!You get them to fall in love. -
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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...You are counted in!!!!
A. J. Maida said:In my training I tell our people that it comes down to this:
It's still about FAB, a test drive, asking for a large deposit and full price is a fair price.
If that's old school count me in -
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Permalink Reply by Craig Darling on
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Of course not. If you are doing the things mentioned above, the gross will come and so will the referrals... Lots of them. I am printing and sharing with the team today. Thanks Craig.
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Permalink Reply by Curtis D Snyder on
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I fear I will be pummeled in this conversation. However, it doesn't matter what we the dealers think is old school. What really matters is what our consumers feel is old school.
It isn't the young up and comers that coined the phrase "Old School" as a selling tactic, it's the newly educated and armed consumers. Many of you have already mentioned the "hard sell" and high pressure tactics as old school. I hear day in and day out from my consumers how they don't want to deal with that (four square, holding customers/trades hostage, whatever else the public sees as unfair)
We as dealers need to work to eliminate "Old School" from the consumers vocabulary as well as our own. Instill trust in our buyers, slow them down and let them know that we can be trusted. That our purpose is just to help them obtain a vehicle that meets both their wants and their needs. -
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Curtis,
You are absolutely correct. But that is what we did 20 years ago. We have gotten so into the customer wants the experience to be different that we forget that it was the same back in the days of old school. Before I got behind the computer it was truth, enthusiasm follow up ask for the referral. Is it really that different today? maybe you could add ask for the on-line review (yes I'm the geek now)?
Curtis D Snyder said:I fear I will be pummeled in this conversation. However, it doesn't matter what we the dealers think is old school. What really matters is what our consumers feel is old school.
It isn't the young up and comers that coined the phrase "Old School" as a selling tactic, it's the newly educated and armed consumers. Many of you have already mentioned the "hard sell" and high pressure tactics as old school. I hear day in and day out from my consumers how they don't want to deal with that (four square, holding customers/trades hostage, whatever else the public sees as unfair)
We as dealers need to work to eliminate "Old School" from the consumers vocabulary as well as our own. Instill trust in our buyers, slow them down and let them know that we can be trusted. That our purpose is just to help them obtain a vehicle that meets both their wants and their needs. -
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Curtis, first of all thanks for your comments.typically the only people that that comment are vendors and trainers or training companies like mine,usually we have an agenda and or just enjoy hearing ourselves talk...lol What I am afraid of is what I see and feel is going on,a "movement" to selling systems,process,strategy,whatever else we want to call it that will end up in less volume,less gross,weaker salespeople.weaker managers...and the only people that end up making money on cars are the ones that make them...They are at full list on every deal!
There is no technology that will replace a person from a dealership being nice to a client, treating that client[a person under our protection] with basic human dignity,respect, as thou they would be dead at midnight [Og Mandino, Rule #10 From A Better Way To Live]
When I refer to Old School I am speaking of training,teaching,mentoring people at the dealership on the right,professional way to sell.
I can't imagine any disagreement with approaching a client when they arrive at the dealership promptly but not jump on them,assessing the clients needs,wants to help find the proper vehicle is the logical next "step".
A salesperson then sharing information about the features and benefits and what that could mean for the client plus a demonstration drive I feel is a responsibility as much as it is a "step in a sale"
Gaining the clients agreement after that test drive only makes sense knowing that purchasing a vehicle is mostly an emotional act.That's when they should be formerly asked to own the one they drove.
100% of the time a client should be shown the service area and what that will mean to them after the sale, a presentation not unlike the one we do on the vehicle itself.
....The Numbers...hears where it gets tricky...In my/our opinion the numbers should come from management every time.Customers have been "schooled' about trades and holding them out till the end of a deal,all the exact costs figures that we pay for our cars to the penny. What does the average client think is a "fair profit" on a new vehicle? $500?...$1000?...what is your actual cost of sale of that new vehicle?...$1500? I say FULL PRICE IS FAIR PRICE!
Lets talk about so called 4 Square...what do 85% of the public want to truly know?....What the heck its going to cost them per month.So you can call it anything you want, and it can come out with a green pen or a print out,but if we as car people are starting deals at invoice plus a few bucks,less acv for the trade,max terms, no money down and a payment at buy rate reflecting those numbers....we are in serious trouble,and I cant be convinced that by itself will make customers happy.
People say all the time they HATE negotiations with a Car Salesperson....I say they HATE negotiations with a punk,untrained,bad hire,amateur,rip off no account salesman/manager.
The only thing I disagree with you on is what you say here"That our purpose is just to help them obtain a vehicle that meets both their wants and their needs." I would think a dealers purpose is to expand market share and make him or herself as much income as possible and do the same for all of his or her employees.
...lets look at it this way for a moment...Take two actual "schools"
1.Beat up inter city "Old School "building with an outstanding,trained,caring faculty,students that are engaged.
2.Beat up inter city "Old School" building on the other side of town,with less caring,untrained,faculty and students that could care less.
Give them both "New Schools" what's really going to change?
If I owned a store I would insist on a staff that showed excellent service to both internal and external clients,One that was trained to the Max....and took full advantage of every single profit opportunity that came along!
In the 37 years I have been doing this, that has not changed a bit.
Curtis D Snyder said:I fear I will be pummeled in this conversation. However, it doesn't matter what we the dealers think is old school. What really matters is what our consumers feel is old school.
It isn't the young up and comers that coined the phrase "Old School" as a selling tactic, it's the newly educated and armed consumers. Many of you have already mentioned the "hard sell" and high pressure tactics as old school. I hear day in and day out from my consumers how they don't want to deal with that (four square, holding customers/trades hostage, whatever else the public sees as unfair)
We as dealers need to work to eliminate "Old School" from the consumers vocabulary as well as our own. Instill trust in our buyers, slow them down and let them know that we can be trusted. That our purpose is just to help them obtain a vehicle that meets both their wants and their needs. -
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Check this video out I just saw on Facebook...Pretty much telling customers it's ok to lie to car salespeople...we are just scum bags anyway.....this is CRAP!!!!
http://youtu.be/fJjdpM77qnA -
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Permalink Reply by Curtis D Snyder on
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You are very right Craig. Making a income for ourselves and our staff if a crucial part of what we do. But if we work smart, work hard, are educated and well trained ourselves. The income will be there. Customers have a warped sense of what we do, so when they meet one of us they can trust. They will pay for that trust, as long as we treat them right and do not take advantage of it.
My goal coming into the auto industry out of school was to change the way people look at pushy car sales people. Show them we can be an educated and caring bunch. All while making a healthy income that is ;o) -
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Permalink Reply by Curtis D Snyder on
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Funny thing, on my way in this morning I was thinking of ideas for a similar video or training seminar only from the opposite perspective. There are books and videos from people saying how we scam would be buyers. However, how many of us reach out to consumers to show them we are not the con artists' we're made out to be.
Realators holding buying seminars for first time home buyers and people who are in the market. They educate on the process from the sellers perspective. Have any of you out there tried this approach?
Craig Lockerd said:Check this video out I just saw on Facebook...Pretty much telling customers it's ok to lie to car salespeople...we are just scum bags anyway.....this is CRAP!!!!
http://youtu.be/fJjdpM77qnA -
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