Imagine, just for a moment, you and each of your representatives were able to save one deal a day.  How much easier would each month, quarter and year be?   How much less scrambling at the end of the month might there be? Scrambling means shortcutting, less follow up and cherry picking.  So to “BDC or not to BDC” seems to be the question these days.   My recommendation to most is to utilize my Hybrid BDC© Methodology.  This can be done with a small group working only on incoming and outgoing calls and messages, scheduling appointments and confirming.  It instills significant accountability for every prospect.  There are 3 different Hybrid BDC’s©, all of which are effective only with a proper Business Development System throughout your organization.

Prospecting and networking have changed.  We have agreed “Some will, some won’t, so what”.  That goes for representatives, managers and customers alike.  We must change regardless of our current or past production.  By change I refer to the means in which we communicate (mms, sms, video, etc). Taking advantage of the stereotype we live with and using it to our benefit rather than being lumped into or associated with our competition.  Differentiation is a lot more than a word and it is precisely how we save a deal a day every day.  I would like to give you a precise example.  Ms. Verna lived two hours from a Toyota store we partner with and the sales representative and the BDRs were convinced that she would not be back. 

The reason I challenge everybody to remove the word “if” from their vocabulary and replace it with “when” is because it translates into a more influential, persuasive means of communication.  It breaks from the old fashioned, Rain-ex, Front Lobe, would you, could you, should you, old school car jargon that people associate with our industry.  Starting this very day, begin a habit of identifying and noting personality types, developing commonality-based rapport and using quality conversation starters.

Remember most of your competition only asks if the customer has any more questions or, in follow-up, if they have bought a car yet. Think of the advantage you will have when, not if, the conversation starts by clearly showing them how much you care.  It’s true, as the old saying goes, that they don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.  By simply remembering something such as one child’s name, a special event or maybe even challenges that a customer has faced makes a HUGE difference when we are sincere.  When we have a “save a deal” meeting every day, every open prospect is treated the same with quality review, TO’s, rehash etc.  You want to get them back in.  Is it not frustrating to know you could have a deal, but they won’t answer the phone or call back?

Now, back to Ms. Verna.  I asked for her number and called, walked her through the “4 I’s” that ensure an appointment shows.  The impact wording , in this case, was not “if for any reason we were running late that we would give her a courtesy call”, but “if for any reason we were running late that we would be sure to give her the courtesy of a call”.  I saved Ms. Verna’s voicemail on my phone as a reminder that whenever we have a customer giving us the courtesy of a call, we should intuitively know that we have a deal. 

Her message sounded something like: “Hello Glynn this is Verna (last name).  I am running a little late but I’m coming.  I should be there in the next 20 minutes”.  About 90 minutes later the manager text messaged me about how happy she was that she had bought the right thing, not paid too much money, and, best of all, purchased from the people that cared the most.

How will you pick up on this?  Will you evaluate your personal approach and make appropriate changes in what you say and how you say it?  Will you initiate your appointments with a confirmation #, “activate” their confirmation # with their driver’s license?  For crying out loud if you spend 29 bucks with Enterprise they send you what?  Right, a confirmation #.  How about when texting or sending an mms, including your headshot to give them a face with the name or a photo of the vehicle with an appointment tag on it?

Are you notating exactly how things are left, the last comments made or the body language that you picked up on?  If you don’t you will never remember all of it.  When we properly start all the processes, on the road to the sale, it is a game changer.   We’re all human folks, nobody bats a thousand  but when, not if, you are willing to implement the changes necessary to make next generation professional sales and service appointments, you will not save just a deal a day.  Imagine your entire team saving an extra deal a day, every day

Good selling my friends.  I look forward to next month and to seeing you in Orlando at Digital Dealer 12.