Way back during the Great Depression in the 1930's Walgreen Drugstores hired Elmer Wheeler to help them sell eggs.

You might ask yourself, "why the hell would Walgreen's be selling eggs?"

Well, they, like all drugstores back then had soda fountains inside the stores. They sold soft drinks, ice cream and most pertinent to this story, milkshakes and malts.

Her’s was a 7. She told me it’s what she would rate it. Now it was up to me to convince her mine was a good solid 10. I knew it shouldn’t be too difficult because she told me it was what she was wanting soon after we met.

It was a new F-150 she was after. Not just any F-150. She wanted a 4X4 Supercab with a long bed. That wasn’t impossible but it may as well be since less than 2% of production was Supercab Long…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t9b3VAm_pQ

The biggest problem(s) with sales training is the lack of it being implemented in the store. Managers think they don't need it and consequently it is not supported. The video above is evidence of this problem.

Another BIG problem is that the trainer's attempt to pack too much into their programs. The goal of training from the perspective of dealers and GM's is that…

First thing she said after my pick up line (the meet & greet) was, "I'm not buying today". You've heard that one hundreds, maybe even thousands of times before. What happened next took her by surprise.

Though we had never met, I knew a lot about her. She wanted it and she wanted it bad enough to have come to this dealership to get it. She was also willing to get it from me. My job was to get to know her and get her to like me enough to make it happen. So I said to…

You don’t have to be a psychic to predict the future. We know with absolute certainty what’s going to happen with virtually every customer we encounter. We know what their concerns and fears are and I know exactly what they’re going to say and how I’m going to respond to it.

We know for example that a large percentage of our customers will say “I’m just looking” or its twin “I’m not buying today.”

We also know at some…

This thirteen second video contains a nugget of knowledge that I’ll attempt to briefly polish up here. The clip comes from a nineteen sixty-three Chevrolet sales training filmstrip. The title of the filmstrip is “Press the Yes Button.”

The power of this technique is undeniable. It employs two of the six universal principles that guide human behavior . Ethically implementing these six…

Millions of years ago dinosaurs became extinct. They became extinct for one reason only, a failure to adapt to a changing environment. Not all dinosaurs became extinct. Many, according to scientists evolved and became the birds that soar in our skies today.

The theory is a massive meteorite struck the planet, changing the environment dramatically. This new environment made it difficult, no impossible to survive without adapting.

Metaphorically…

I collect vintage sales training materials and included among the items I've collected are many of the old phongraph record and filmstrip materials.

I was looking through some of these the other day and found one that the box it should from Chevrolet in had never been opened and that got me to thinking.

I have found there is resistance by dealers and dealership managers to spending money on training. It is understandable when much of the time the materials are…

Todays

“Tested Sentence That Sells” 

This and future postings on the topic are not about philosophies or basic business principles but about those concrete words to say in customer interactions that greatly enhance the likelihood of closing a deal.

I’ll be sharing with you “Tested Sentences” that have been proven to be the most effective in getting us in auto sales into the fast lane on the road to a sale, and when…

I just joined the Book of the Week Club here on dealerelite. There are only 5 members. Well, 6, now that I've joined. I noticed a couple of things.

This site is populated by members that virtually all promote continuing education for others and presumably believe the same holds true for ourselves. Apparently not when it comes to the Book of the Week Club. Todd Des Marais has done us all a service by attempting to start a group where members could recommend relevant materials…

Human nature doesn’t believe a penny saved is the same as a penny earned. That is one of the reasons why the field of sales is preferable to other fields. The real worth of a salesperson is sure to be appreciated and adequately rewarded. No other employee can raise their own pay. If we are not succeeding, the fault is not with the field, but with us as sales people.

Salesmanship is the art of selling. Many people believe a successful salesperson is born, not made, that they succeed…

To people with the gift of true humility, it’s always a mystery as to what arrogant individuals hope to gain by their attitude.

Webster defines arrogance as “a sense or affectation of superiority.” Undoubtedly the “superior” being is trying to impress his importance upon others. But if they could know the secret ridicule and resentment they arouse in those they seek to impress, they would dump the superior attitude.

Rather than winning respect, such an attitude stamps it’s…

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

"Practice: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting BETTER results." -  Mike…