She Showed Me Hers. Now She Wants To See Mine.

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 Bed.

We headed across the lot toward the trucks. I knew she would have to get focused in on what she really had to have if I was to have any hope of landing her on one. As we walked I asked her, “Stacey, let me ask you, would you consider a truck like that, with a few miles, maybe a little less equipment, if we could save you $1,000.00, $2,000.00, maybe as much as $3,000.00, that could mean saving as much as $50 to $60 monthly”?

It’s my favorite kind of question. One where the answer, regardless of yes or no is a good one.

Her response was to ask a question of me, “do you mean used”? I replied “we like to say pre-owned, but yes, one like it with some miles, still under warranty, a little less equipment and a lower price”.

For just a moment, a very brief moment, she had a look on her face as if she was considering but answered right away with “I don’t want someone else’s problems”. She was focused on absolutely having a new one. So much so she was willing to say no to saving money.

In our walk of the inventory Stacey showed interest in one particular truck so I whipped it out to show it to her. She was smiling so I knew she liked what she saw and then she asked “how much is this one?”

I was ready with the answer we found works best for our dealership. “Stacey, any new vehicle you pick out, we’re just going to show you the factory invoice and let you decide what’s a fair price”. I finished my answer with a smooth follow on of “what do you think of the wheels on this one?” so began my presentation.

Back when she was selling me her car she had told me what she liked most about it and what she didn’t like, one of those things had been the custom wheels she had so I used that information to my advantage when answering the price question.

We’ve found through experience that response lets us address the price question on the lot, without getting into a price discussion. It addresses the question to the customers satisfaction, unlike most stores that attempt to avoid and redirect. Plus our Shopper Stopper negotiation makes it so we can do just that and still maintain profitability well above that of the average dealership.

I was able to focus the rest my presentation on more of the things she liked. Knowing what she liked about her current car was making it very easy for me to give her a satisfying presentation that had her asking for more.

“Can we take it for a ride?” she asked. We were beginning to gain some momentum on this road to a sale.

I took her for a ride. It started out with me in command, pushing buttons and turning knobs. Starting slow, then a little faster with some twists and turns. After a short while I stopped, pulled over and let her take control.

At first she was unsure of herself, even lacking confidence in her ability to handle something bigger than she was used to. It wasn’t long before Stacey was totally comfortable with what she was doing. That smile had turned into a grin and she exclaimed “I like it, it’s even the right color and not too big for me”.

We arrived back at the dealership and I had her park it in the customer parking area. When we got out of the truck I asked her “so what do you think”? Her response was one I was ready for, “I like everything about it, except it’s not a long bed”.

Many, if not most salespeople would think this was an objection that couldn’t be overcome because Supercab Long Bed F-150’s were like hens teeth, impossible to find.

Fortunately for me our sales training provided by The Shopper Stopper folks had explained the how’s and why’s of objections and that much of the time they weren’t really objections, but just complaints.

I didn’t want to have any other issues sneak up and surprise me so “Is that your only reservation about this truck?” I asked. “Other than not being a long bed, I like it” she replied.

The only valid objection is one that would keep the customer from buying. Our training had given us the tools to determine validity quickly and easily. I asked “That wouldn’t keep you from owning it would it?” and silently held my breath, waiting for her answer.

She said what I was hoping she would, “I guess not. Not if the money is right”. “Let’s go in and find out” I answered and she followed me into the showroom. Both of us were excited now. I’ll tell you all about it next time in the climactic conclusion when:

The Close Is Coming

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Comment by Brian Bennington on November 30, 2014 at 11:02pm: Your Dad was definitely onto something. Or, as Calvin Cooledge once said, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

Comment by Mike Stoner on November 30, 2014 at 10:37pm: The egg pitch was beautiful, elegant and incredibly simple.

Walgreens had soda fountains as did virtually every other drugstore. They could buy eggs for a "dime a dozen" and sell them for 5 cents each. Wanting to take advantage of that margin and sell more eggs they hired Elmer. He observed that when someone ordered a milkshake the "jerk" would ask "ya want an egg in that"? Most said no.

His solution was for the jerk to grab an egg in each hand and ask "one egg or two". 29,000 CASES of eggs per week was the result. Four words and one gesture sold millions of eggs.

I remember as a kid people would often say things like "what do you want, egg in your beer"?

Comment by Brian Bennington on November 30, 2014 at 10:06pm: Hey President Mike (That sure rolls off my tongue smoother than "President Barack"), I immediately went to the J. Douglas Edwards clip but was surprised the "egg selling" pitch was never presented. A bit disappointing, but the older I get, the more I realize just how disappointing the human race is. My Dad, long deceased but a PR professional and writer in life, said it best when he proclaimed "People are a miserable bunch of bastards." (He was one sarcastically funny guy!)

Your quick response to my comments makes be believe I may not be the only business owner working on a Sunday. Please know I do endorse my fellow DE members explaining their businesses when they post, especially if they can keep it interesting and pithy, and have a good value proposition. So, "link away," as reading what a pro like you does can be extremely educational, providing you can do it without a lot of, what's becoming more and more confusing, tech acronyms.

Comment by Mike Stoner on November 30, 2014 at 9:17pm: Thanks for your comments Brian.

If the use of the words Shopper Stopper twice in the post is what you're referring to as "continually" I plead guilty. I placed no link to my site in this post at all.

I think you might be surprised by the presentation at the end.

Elmer Wheeler is the guy that coined the phrase "Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle". Sales Great J. Douglas Edwards, whom Jackie Cooper called "the greatest sales trainer of all" has quoted and told Elmer Wheeler stories and I have a clip of Jackie quoting J.Douglas, quoting Elmer.

It's the power of well timed and specific phrases that makes sales, in Elmer's words "more accurate, foolproof and faster".

Here's a 49 second clip of J.Douglas using a story about Elmer to illustrate alternate choice or what Elmer called, "Don't ask if, ask which"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZZf400nNxU

Comment by Brian Bennington on November 30, 2014 at 7:58pm: Well, President Mike, while I really wasn't that "gassed" about this post (I've heard too many war stories in my life), I did read it in its entirety and was curious enough about you to pull up your bio and visit your website. Low and behold, it was there I discovered why you were continually crediting "Shopper Stopper" for most of the important moves. I probably won't read "The Close is Coming" as I'm pretty sure how this saga will end. Truth be told, your response referencing Elmer Wheeler and his site was worth the read by itself. I did order his free download and I thank you for the opportunity to do so.

Of note, I thought your site was refreshingly simple and candid. Thanks again and good selling!

Comment by Mike Stoner on November 29, 2014 at 9:41pm: Thanks Al.

There are no magic words but words can work like magic if they are the right ones. Elmer Wheeler who was known as "America's Greatest Salesman" at the time had what he called a "Word Laboratory".

He was hired by all the major corporations of the day and many, if not most are still in operation today.

During the depression he crafted a campaign for a large drug store chain that consisted of 4 simple words and 1 gesture. That campaign resulted in increased revenue of $9,048,000.00. That's more than $164,000,000.00 in todays dollars.

You can get a free copy of his best selling book written in 1937 at www.elmerwheeler.net if you have any interest.

Comment by Al Stidham on November 29, 2014 at 9:18pm: I really like the question,"that wouldn't keep you from owning it, would it?" Sometimes, we as salespeople make the objection worse than it really is. I'll be using that question with customers in the future!