Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Richard Emmons on March 28, 2011 at 12:30pm

I believe if you tryed to show the client 10,000 acts of caring and kindness you would break all sales records.

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Young on March 28, 2011 at 12:41pm

Talking money, especially big money with a client can be uncomfortable for most people.  Asking for the sale can be a large road block if a salesperson was not trained or taught how to implement their training on the job site.  As a result, you often see a salesperson put an offer out there and wait for the client to take the initiative over the sale.  The outcome: usually the client walks away unsatisfied, no sale for the books and the salesperson is bewildered as to what happened. 

 

We all know that consumers come in a variety of packages and no two are alike.  The challenge for a salesperson is in understanding their client and what concerns and motivates them and how these emotions play in the consumer’s decision making process.  If a salesperson does not pick up right away the type of consumer they are working with, it can take up to four to five closing attempts.  If your sales team only knows two or three closing strategies, they may come up short in finalizing an offer with your consumer and the consumer can walk way feeling sour about the situation.  Yes, legitimate care and kindness towards the consumer is vital but the more closing strategies that your sales team has in their tool kit, the greater the odds of them closing more sales opportunities and growing a satisfied clientele base. 

 

In summary, it is a combination of care and concern for your clients along with strong sales training on how to ask for and assist your clients with the sale.  A sales person is part technician of the sale and part ambassador of good will.  A happy consumer usually also yields a happy salesperson.  Therefore, every sale then becomes an opportunity to develop a new evangelist of your patrons and a new advocated for your consumers within your sales team. 

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on March 28, 2011 at 12:44pm

Pretty sure that's right,Rick!

Richard Emmons said:

I believe if you tryed to show the client 10,000 acts of caring and kindness you would break all sales records.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on March 28, 2011 at 5:21pm

Thank you Sir,I will do just that!
Christopher Ferris said:

Craig, John Brentlinger is a class act and then some. I met John during March 2007 at DD in Nashville and have kept in contact with him since then. I would strongly recommend that your Automax students google his "Little Blue Book of Selling" and get copies headed to their mail boxes muy pronto. John's book is chock full of non-traditional information about selling that makes more sense, the more one reflects on it. John's website is salesmd.net. What an ethical, fine, honorable gentleman. He knocked my socks off with his alternative, yet common sense approach to selling when I attended his seminar in Nashville. Reach out to him via email and phone to connect and to get some copies of his fantastic book headed to your home offices. A "must read?" You betcha!

Permalink Reply by Ron Terry on March 28, 2011 at 7:31pm

Craig,

 

I enjoy following your posts. Here is my assertion:

 

When we unlock the prospect's buying strategy by determining 1) the emotional decision attributes and 2) their priority and sequence; objections will substantially diminish. It is much better way to help prospect's make a buying decision because it reduces resistance and moves the process to a natural close. Therefore we don't need the 5 ways to overcome objections and 21 different closes.

 

Unfortunately, determining the prospect's buying strategy uses a specific and powerful methodology of which most sales people are unaware because they have never been trained how to do it.

 

What are your thoughts...

Permalink Reply by Dugan Anderson on March 28, 2011 at 11:31pm

The more time spent building rapport and establishing common ground, the less time spent "closing".

The less time spent building rapport and establishing common ground, the more time spent "closing".

If you spend enough time and ask the right questions, the customer will TELL you what you need to do in order to sell them a car.  Just in case though, you better have a COUPLE of closes up your sleeve, just in case.

Permalink Reply by Bobby Compton on March 29, 2011 at 12:38am

Awesome thread Craig! 

My personal preference is care and kindness. There are sales pitches that call for closes, example lease pitch. In a lease pitch there will be many closes and setups for future questions to close the deal. I think for some people it's easier to remember closes and to sell with them, then it is to sell instinctively. 

There are people who learn a certain way, I was never the best school kid and in fact other than sports really didn't like it. I could never sit still long enough to read a book like the other kids, while they took to it like second nature I never quite took to it. 

I think that there are people that can outsell me with their greatest closes, but they would never beat me in care and kindness!

Rock N Roll Brother Craig!~ 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Fran Taylor on March 29, 2011 at 9:59am

You never get hate mail for being nice. If you start on the right car, know what you are talking about, show concern and people like you  is the key. Price doesn't sell. The best people I have ever met only use a few closes. If you out preform the guy down the street and are nice about it people will want to do business with you. It's that easy. Master and do the basics first and you won't have to know a zillion closes.

Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on March 29, 2011 at 1:40pm

So many great comments here and opinions,I love,enjoy and appreciate them all.Perhaps the question would have been better asked "Which is most important?" 

We need to have "words that work"...closes,wouldn't you agree?....lol...I can offer you all this though,we send out 400 or more people out a week across the country to "Mystery Shop" as part of their homework assignment and the number of these people that are just flat out ignored and or mistreated is over the top.They will hear some "closes" but very few come back and say anything like "Well She/He didn't do it our way,but the salesperson was super nice ,I would buy from that person ,for that reason alone.

Permalink Reply by Ernie Kasprowicz on March 29, 2011 at 1:51pm

Sell more cars at more gross profit would be legit care and kindness.  Sure, knowing and being skilled at using a variety of closes is very important.  However, most of the time if a salesperson has to use more than one or two closes it is because they haven't "sold" the customer.  Multiple closes at that point further reduce gross profit.  True care and kindness is building rapport through asking questions and listening carefully to answers.  When the customer knows with certainty their interests are cared for the "sale" is made.  In most, but not all cases, the value provided increases the price one is willing to pay. 

Permalink Reply by Pat Kirley on March 29, 2011 at 7:41pm

Craig Lockerd said:

Thank you Sir,I will do just that!
Christopher Ferris said:

Craig, John Brentlinger is a class act and then some. I met John during March 2007 at DD in Nashville and have kept in contact with him since then. I would strongly recommend that your Automax students google his "Little Blue Book of Selling" and get copies headed to their mail boxes muy pronto. John's book is chock full of non-traditional information about selling that makes more sense, the more one reflects on it. John's website is salesmd.net. What an ethical, fine, honorable gentleman. He knocked my socks off with his alternative, yet common sense approach to selling when I attended his seminar in Nashville. Reach out to him via email and phone to connect and to get some copies of his fantastic book headed to your home offices. A "must read?" You betcha!

Permalink Reply by Cheril Hendry on March 29, 2011 at 9:59pm

OK, so I'm going into Fantasy Land for a moment, but what if the term "closing" became extinct? What if the customer goes to the dealership because of who they are first, and what they sell second? What if every happy customer refers 3 more, who receive the same professional experience as the person that recommended them? What if the trust level was so high that the customer didn't question or cross-shop the price or the trade-in value? That being said, I come back to reality...for now. But it's fun to think about, eh?

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