Nice Guys Finish First

The  ability  to  deal  with  people  is  as  purchasable  a  commodity  as  sugar  or  coffee;  and  I  will  pay  more  for  that  ability  than  for  any  other  under  the sun.

                                                                                                   ---John D. Rockefeller

The American Ice Industry was a thriving industry in the late 1800’s.  Outlined in the book, “Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation,” by James Utterback, the story is fascinating.

People simply cut ice from frozen lakes, and sold it to customers around the world.  Shipping and ice melting, as you might imagine were the biggest problems.  Eventually, other companies invented ice making machines,  eliminating shipping and melting problems, and at the same time, eliminating the ice harvesters. 

Then, other companies created refrigeration, which put the ice makers out of business.  Funny thing,  the ice harvesters bought newer saws, came up with new ways to store ice, and tried to improve shipping.  The ice makers, failing to see how their new technology had ended the ice harvesting industry,  would not adapt to embrace the new idea of refrigeration, so they kept improving their ice makers, as they went slowly out of business.   Neither group could see the advantage of change.  They simply kept doing more of what was no longer working.   They  simply  kept  doing more  of  what  was  no  longer  working.

For those who are saying, “How does this relate to the car business,”  you might want to skip this article and go to the ad about the newest take on the push, pull and drag sale.

The ice industry in America relates to the car industry in America  in this way:  there is old school and new school.  Old schoolers have an extremely difficult time letting go of what does not work.

Since it is easier to keep doing what does not work, because they   don’t have to learn anything new, old schoolers just keep on in the same old rut.  It is comfortable, feels good, and even if it keeps losing money year after year, at least it has a familiar feel.

New schoolers are willing to learn, grow and change with the constantly changing customer base.  They are willing to learn new things,  in order to keep up with the customer.  But the most important thing that new schoolers are doing is letting  go  of  the  things  that  do  not  work.

Somewhere along the road, we have come to believe that the car business is different, that the thought process can be suspended, as long as we are moving metal.  And so, the hard sell technique became the norm, and high pressure became synonymous with the car business.  Newspaper advertising became a mainstay while  high sales-person turnover became a watchword. The new word in  selling  cars  – “the mini-deal” is now beginning to define the month for many salespeople.

The internet, as great a tool as it is purported to be, is fast on it’s way to being synonymous with lower than showroom pricing and very low profit.  “Contact management” is now the buzzword, as we pay $300 for a lead which nets us $200 under invoice.  We’re not making much money, but we sure can track our follow up system.    Baby, even with the new technology, that is old school thinking.  Add it all up, and we get the stoopid saying:  “Nice guys finish last.”   No, belay that, the new truth is, “Old schoolers finish last.”

“Nice”  needs to return to the car business.  The new breed of customers can stand on your showroom floor and call any dealer in the country and “get it for 100 dollars less.”  But new schoolers know that customers do not leave over  100  dollars.  They leave because the salesperson, or the manager, or the dealership is not nice.

Customers more than ever before, want  “Nice.”  They do not want hard sell, high pressure, new closes, more manipulation, they just want nice.  They want to be treated with respect, with fairness, with honesty, with integrity, and by a salesperson they recognize when they enter the showroom.  

All we need to do is think about how we like to be treated when we go to buy something.  We want the same thing our customers want, honesty, fairness and integrity.   We want and expect to be treated “nice.”

Funny thing, if a sales trainer, trying to sell training to a car dealer, starts with control, manipulation, fast talking and close after high pressure close, he will be shown the door so fast his head will spin.  Yet that owner or GM will go right back into the showroom and expect salespeople and managers to control, pressure, manipulate and talk customers into buying. 

Nice dealerships are hard to find.  Nice owners, nice managers and nice salespeople are hard to find.  But the fact of life in the changing  car business today is that  customers  will  drive  to another  STATE  to  find  a  dealership  that  will  be  nice  to  them. 

John D. Rockefeller said it best a hundred years ago:   the ability to deal with people is important.  It can be found and purchased.  We can hire nice people.  But to recognize a nice person who will be  nice in the sales process, takes a manager or owner who knows and appreciates “nice.”   “Nice” rises and falls on leadership.

Customers  want  to  be  treated  nice.   They do not like high pressure,  hard  closes,  tricks  and  manipulations.   This  is  not  rocket  science. 

Old  schoolers  are  constantly  realigning  the  customer  traffic  to  new  school  dealerships.   And  about  the  only  difference  between  the  two  is  that  “the  people  are  nicer  over  there,  and  that’s  why  I  bought  a  car  there.”

Go visit ten dealerships.  See how you are treated.  Realize  how  you  feel  when  a  salesperson,  manager  or  dealership  simply  sees  you  as  just  another  “up.”   Notice  the immediate  change  in  the  dealership  atmosphere  when  they  find  out  that  you  are  not  going  to  buy  today.   Remember  how  it  makes  you  feel,  then  go  back  to  your  dealership  and  see  if  that  is what  your  managers  and  salespeople are  doing  to  those  precious, loyal  customers  of  yours.

Customers  want  nice.  Nice  guys  and  gals  finish  first  because  they  treat  the  customer  the  way  they  want  to  be  treated.   “Not- nice”  guys  and  gals  finish  last  because  nine  out  of  ten  customers  will  keep  shopping  until  they  find  someone  who  treats  them  like  they  want  to  be  treated.

Nice  guys  and  gals  know  that  people  skills  are  not  as  important  as  selling  skills,  they  are  more  important  than  selling  skills.

Great  people  skills  with  average  selling  skills  will  always  sell  more  than  average  people  skills  with  great  selling  skills.  

Nice guys finish first, with the best grosses.  Old schoolers are finding out the hard way that mini deals and 200 under invoice are a very poor excuse for not knowing how to treat the customer.

Customers  want  nice,  on  the lot, on the showroom, on  the  telephone  and  on  the  internet.  If  we  give  them  nice,  they  will  not  leave  over  100  or  200  or  300  dollars.  They will enjoy and participate in the sales process, and they will pay more when they are greeted  and  treated  with  sincerity,  honesty, kindness,  and  integrity.  About all we have to do is just be nice to them.  The selling is secondary.