SALE BY TEXT...?

A "twenty something" couple came into the dealership on Tuesday. Great kids...I follwed the steps of the sale and landed her on the perfect car. We negociated and came to an agreement. My finance manager was off that day, so the desk manager ran the credit and decided that my customer needed a cosigner and sent them packing! I thought about it all night long. On Wednesday, I went to the desk manager and asked him if I could have a look at the deal jacket. He said, "Did you get the cosigner?" I said, "no but I want some contact info."

I took the deal to the finance manager and asked him to take a look at the deal. Meanwhile, I tried to call the customer...No answer. Called the boyfriend...No answer. SO I start thinging about my own 23 and 25 year old. They never return my calls. But if I text them, they almost always respond. So I text the customer...she responds right away. She tells me they are on the way to Eugene to look at more cars. I begin to build value in the car they already chose. I explain I'm working with the finance manager to get her financed. We text for an hour or so before the finance manager returns and says he got her bought!

I text WHEN DO YOU WANT TO COME IN AND GET YOUR NEW CAR?

She responds...KIDDING, right?

I text NO I'M SERIOUS.

She begins to ask about finance rates and payment. I have by then built enough trust..in person and by text...to ask her to just trust me and come back in. We text for another hour...WHILE THEY ARE AT ANOTHER DEALERSHIP! In the end they came back and bought the car. I was so happy because I learned something very valuable. I learned that without getting inside the head of my customer and communicating in a way that THEY could relate to...I'd have lost that deal. I learned to never give up and to persue the sale without hounding them...ohhhh what a delicate dance it is.

SALE BY TEXT....hmmmm. Interesting.

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Comment by Jillian Christiansen on November 15, 2011 at 1:32pm: Jason,

Thank you...I've been in the car business off and on for 20 years, done everything but crawl under a car and fix it or sell them...I love the car business...just got tired of being a business manager or clerk...turns out I'm good at it! It helps that I was married to a Sales TRainer that worked for Joe Verde....then opened his own training company...so I have alot of head knowledge. I'm a progressive thinker and am really observing ways I can do it better and better than my co-sales professionals. It helps that I've discovered I AM VERY MOTIVATED TO BE THE BEST...WHATEVER THAT TAKES.

Have a GREAT day and Happy selling to ya!

Jillian

Comment by Jason McIntosh "Jmac" on November 15, 2011 at 11:19am: Jillian... YOU get it! This is a topic that I drill into new recruits and is very "Real World"..

I can't even count how many times my phone rings in a day and there are times when I can't answer it even if I wanted too! ... and voicemail? More than 15 secs, you are a gonner! My voicemail box stays ful from overflow! Imagine sifting through 50 one minute voicemails thats about an hour! Yeah right!

Texting is non-evasive. non confrontational, and a courtesy! Businesses are catching on, how about when your prescription is ready, my pharmacy sends me a text!

It is no accident that starting your career in a technologically advanced time you have stumbled across this discovery! Embrace it... Good for you!

There are "Old dawgs" out there that won't adapt... Take their commission!

It is refreshing to see and hear your eagerness, enthusiasm, and desire! Which is why more & more dealers are turning to freshly trained sales professionals with no bad habits even or esp without previous car experience!

I would suggest developing text templates even for a quick rapid fire! even mass text! and yes pics too!

But Jillian, whatever you do please dont "wink" at your customer or "lol" I despise "lol" you can "haha" me all day long! Oh yeah LMAO probably not recommended either!

Seroiusly Great Job!!!!

Jason "Jmac" McIntosh