If you've been in the business for a few years, you have plenty of stories to share with customers.  The best of the best combine their sales skill, product knowledge, and the ability to tell a good story.  People relate to a good emotional story, a similar situation that happened with one of your customers etc.   When I'm in a client store and take a turn for a sales person, I have about 30 seconds to get rapport with the customer.  I always start out with a good story instead of…

The auto industry for as long as I can remember has been a business where many managers seem to constantly try and destroy their sales people physically as well as mentally.  Just the other day I heard several managers talking to several of their sales people using phrases like:, "Well, if you can't do it, I'll find someone who can...", "Why aren't YOU selling more cars...", "What's wrong with YOU today....", Why don't YOU....", "Well, when I was selling cars I never had that problem and if…

Many times, it only ONE person in your life who believes in you and never lets you give up.  That person in YOU!  A must see couple minute video of the power of self…

When you talk to some of the most successful people on the planet, what is the #1 reason most give for their "overnight" success?  All FAILED many times, they learned from the setbacks, BUT, they got back on the horse and NEVER GAVE UP!    

The same is true for the most successful people in our business too.  They didn't quit when they had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month.  Funny how the law of averages always works in your favor if you just don't give up.  Stay the course and even…

Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal....Vince Lombardi   

Be bold and take the lead in your store today, stay focused, and listen to no one but yourself that all things are possible.…

This is a great share directly from Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Companies- which is just about everything)  who I follow in my business network.  I good lesson for serving customers, building our business one customer at a time, listening to our customers for improvement ideas, and the power of social networking today.…

When you aspire to BE MORE, make a COMMITMENT and don't quit, the money (have more) takes care of itself!

Today I'm at one of my client stores and, as an example of commitment, four of the sales people made a commitment about 15 years to leave the corporate life, take control of their own personal destiny and SELL CARS. All now sell an average of 40-60 cars a month earning between $250,000 and $300,000+ a year.  They chose to "be more", commit, and the money has taken care of itself!…

Things HAVE changed!  Customer buying habits have changed.  The entire world has changed the way we do business and buy just about everything.  

ONE of the most significant things I've reinforced that's made a dramatic impact on sales is to discuss a customer's budget, NOT PRICE ON THE LOT, but MORE emphasis discussing budget during fact finding.  Some dealers are very emphatic NOT to discuss it (just show the customer a car…

Smile, Then Tell Your Face. It's contagious.

It's takes twice as much energy to have a bad day as it does a good day.  Smiling causes others to do the same and, think about it, those who smile and who are in a good mood all day usually produce the best results and highest sales!…

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.



The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and…

It's a very competitive world these days.  Most of the new surveys indicate that the average customer is now only VISITING only 1.4 dealerships before making their decision.

I was in a dealership yesterday and a couple of the sales people were complaining about this and a lot of customers were buying at another dealership.  Managing YOUR activity, including follow up, is more critical than ever before.  Instead of complaining about it, PICK YOURSELF UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT…

If you don't PRACTICE THE PLAYS BEFORE PLAYING THE GAME, you WILL FUMBLE the ball.  Our brain learns from DOING, not just hearing.  Practice until you can't get it wrong!  Team up with a buddy and practice the selling steps every day!

Big challenge this week- old thinking managers who haven't actually sold in over 20 years still wanting to do business the way it was "back then".

Remember the 'good ole days', "back then", when all the sales people (and managers) did everything?  Sold new cars, new trucks, and used cars from the same showroom as well as the managers did the financing.  Then, one day, someone said it would be better to separate the finance department and have actually finance managers (vs…

Winners are always Optimistic and NEVER give up.  When a reporter asked Thomas Edison about his "failures" in discovering the light bulb, he simply said, I NEVER FAILED.  I just found 9,999 ways not to make a light bulb. 

Everyone need to LEARN from a variety of mentors and take the best practices from each and discover the techniques that best works for their personality and style.  When you don't give up, YOUR LIGHT can burn…

Don't let ANYONE tell you it can't be done!!!

At one of my dealerships this week and one sales person averages 30-40 sales a month.  Another averages 8 sales per month.  They both have experience, the same product knowledge, both certified, the same customers, the same inventory, the same training, the same managers, etc.   What's the DIFFERENCE?…

Enough said, JUST DO IT!  This picture is worth more than a 1000 words.