“You have to decide to love it first. Then the reasons to love it will appear.”

— Jeff Sterns

Let me open with this: you have every reason to feel proud of yourself. First, you are open to looking at yourself and this shows accountability. Second, when you get really good at this and make terrific money and tons of friends over the years, you’ll fall into a special group. Less than 3% of people who go into the car business last an entire year. You are special. Literally. By definition. Another thing. You could be a lawyer or even a doctor. All those professions take is studying and, POOF you’re a professional! But most doctors and lawyers can’t do what we do!

You have the talent to persuade already. What’s the point? Virtually no walk of life can just saunter in and do this. And, the top salespeople earn with top doctors anyway. I don’t know many doctors who have done as well as I have. At 39, I could sit on a park bench if I felt like it. Don’t let the doctors fool you. You and I have sold many of them. A lot of liens going on! Another point: not a thing in this world happens until someone sells something! Do you know how many people worldwide would be out of work within weeks if all salespeople stopped selling? We are the single greatest influence in the world economy. Be proud and know this about you and your chosen profession.

So here we are. Finally the sales secrets! Well, I hate to let you down but there IS no secret. You’re going to know all of this stuff. I’ve rarely run into anyone that when asked if they do one of the steps, doesn’t say “I DO THAT.” Well, that doesn’t surprise me. Fact is you wouldn’t sell anything if you didn’t do these things. Here’s the point; I’ll ask, “Do you ever NOT (insert step)?” “Well there ARE times that I don’t do that. I’m sure I forget or cut a corner or the customer convinces me this situation is different.” The devil is in the exceptions that we make.

A Sale is Made Every Time. Someone Always Buys. It Will Be Either the Client or You.

When it’s you, guess what, you take shortcuts. You get sold on cutting corners because you think, “Why bother?” Then, you look for evidence to justify your decision to shortcut. I’ve even heard salespeople excuse themselves from the fact that they never found out where the client lives or what they do for a living. I’ve witnessed test-drives skipped. The excuse is, “They were a hard price shopper. What’s that stuff have to do with his price limit?” Why are we waiting for them to give a buying sign before we give them a reason to buy? I’d like to offer that if a salesperson waited on 100 people who were all hard price shoppers, they would get motion, whether it would be price or type of car those people would consider or switch to. The difference is simply that the level of relatedness was higher and the effort was put in. The human connection. You know this. Heck, you could teach it. I’ve managed and worked with hundreds of salespeople. The rare few do it. Every time, I mean. If it’s not done every time then you can’t come up with a control or cross-section to know if the step is a waste of time. If it is, then you discard it on purpose, as a business decision. Unfortunately you aren’t capable (as a human) to make that decision while in action with a client. Actually you become rather incompetent. So do I. So let’s quit thinking and commit things to habit.

In Vegas, a blackjack dealer always takes a hit when she has a 16, and always stands on 17. This is not a decision. She doesn’t take a hit with 17 and explain to the pit boss later that there were all big cards on the table so it was guaranteed she’d pull a small one. What’s worse is if she does it “wrong” (hits 17) and indeed pulls a small card, this reinforces the move to her as “right” (like lucking into a deal without a test-drive, letting the customer leave at full list and having them show back up to take it) and makes coaching her back to the right way of dealing blackjack more difficult.

We as salespeople usually worry so much about being right, looking good and not looking bad that we miss the point of odds and statistics. I mean, what is the point here? I firmly believe that if you do everything from a “what would work most often” standpoint that a lot of thinking becomes unnecessary. And being “right” becomes irrelevant. It’s what works that’s relevant, and it’s not personal. I’m not even close to recommending that you become some kind of robot. I am saying that there are plenty of things to use your brain for — like digging for relatedness, the core issue or the “only objection left,” and committing the proper steps to memory along with getting the client to cooperate with the system. The proven tools don’t need to be wrestled with.

In Vegas, a blackjack dealer always takes a hit when she has a 16, and always stands on 17. This is not a decision. She doesn’t take a hit with 17 and explain to the pit boss later that there were all big cards on the table so it was guaranteed she’d pull a small one. What’s worse is if she does it “wrong” (hits 17) and indeed pulls a small card, this reinforces the move to her as “right” (like lucking into a deal without a test-drive, letting the customer leave at full list and having them show back up to take it) and makes coaching her back to the right way of dealing blackjack more difficult.

We as salespeople usually worry so much about being right, looking good and not looking bad that we miss the point of odds and statistics. I mean, what is the point here? I firmly believe that if you do everything from a “what would work most often” standpoint that a lot of thinking becomes unnecessary. And being “right” becomes irrelevant. It’s what works that’s relevant, and it’s not personal. I’m not even close to recommending that you become some kind of robot. I am saying that there are plenty of things to use your brain for — like digging for relatedness, the core issue or the “only objection left,” and committing the proper steps to memory along with getting the client to cooperate with the system. The proven tools don’t need to be wrestled with.

“The elevator is broken, you have to use the steps.”

— Bill W.

The secret to success is, There is No Secret. AND that’s the secret. There is no “get rich quick.” There IS, however, “Do better quicker.” And, “Enjoy it more now.” AND there is a way to get to taking no fresh-ups, working your own schedule and becoming financially comfortable. Very comfortable.

Someday, someday will be there. Just like it’s here right now. Someday what you did in your past will allow what you can do with your life, when someday again becomes today. 

Let’s get into the steps. Remember this (highlight it): A big sell, where they’re sold. I mean really sold on you, the company, the team and the product, where if the selling was done right the close will be near effortless. Like a 1-ft. golf putt. The sell determines where you’re putting from. So don’t be in such a hurry for all the magic closes.

Another way to look at it is this: imagine you were in a situation where you could not negotiate. Adjusting the price or terms is not an option. You still needed to sell the product today. How would you present? How much relatedness would you develop? When you ask for the sale that would be it. A second close that will get a yes or no and that’s it. All you can do if you get a no or a hesitation is resell, recount, rehash all you have gone over together and draw on how badly the client wants to deal with you. How interested are they in you getting a commission? Would you do anything any differently than you do now? Now, that’s how to feel. That’s where to be coming from each time you come in contact with a person who can buy from you someday, or today. Price will become a small detail when you come from this place and know, I mean know to the core that the relatedness you develop is what will have that client hang through wherever you may take them.