"Stop believing your customers! You're too nice!"

I want to touch on something I'm starting to see in my dealership. Just a quick summary, I work in a "negotiation-free" store where we display upfront pricing and make buying easier. With that comes some other changes in our culture; sales not paid on gross profit but units, and the way we hire among other changes. The way we hire and WHO we hire is what I want to touch on here.
We have been hiring more salespeople based on their personalities and potential rather than sales ability. The idea is to develop your people so they can "sell" to a customer. There has been a trend that I've seen develop...

...salespeople being too nice.
At least they think they're being too nice. When I talk to some of the salespeople on the floor and ask them how they're doing, they tell me not so good. Of course I ask why? They tell me they their managers tell them they're being too nice to their customers. Here are some of the things they say...

I believe their objections
I empathize with how they feel
I agree with my customers
When my customers says no, they're right

Does this sound familiar to anyone? It does to me. As a matter of fact, I was the same way for a long time when I first started in automotive sales, so I know how they feel. I want to give my take on this and have some feedback from others as to how you would handle these dealership challenges.

In my opinion...

There's nothing wrong with being nice.
There's nothing wrong with empathizing with your customers.
There's nothing wrong with believing their objections.

What IS wrong, is that's where we stop! I'm a firm believer in not selling, but consulting. There's a difference; don't you agree? (got you to say YES didn't I?) (just did it again ;) Customers want you to be nice, believe in what they're telling you, and being empathetic to their situation. They are scared of the commitment! Not the dealership, the process, or even you; the commitment. Being committed to something that requires courage, decision making, belief, and a little faith. Your customer WANTS you to tell them it's ok. They're making a good decision and you're going to stick by them. So when they say, "I need to go home and discuss it with my wife", it's ok. Be nice, empathetic, and believe them. BUT, now is time not to shake hands and part as friends. It's time to recap and ask him if his wife were to say yes, will this be the car they want to own? If he says no, go back. You missed a step. If he says yes, then maybe offer to have him take the car over night to show his wife, just do something different. The other thing is GET A T.O.! There's nothing shameful about a manager TO. They're not emotionally involved in the transaction, so they might pick up on something you will not see.

It's ok to be nice, just don't forget to ask for the sale... more than once!

I want to get some feedback to this blog. Has anyone else experienced this in their career?

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Comment by Leonard Buchholz on May 9, 2012 at 5:14pm: A quick comment since I am from the "other side" of the dealership...don't you hire sales people to do one thing...sell? That's why I hire service advisors.

To advise the customer how to maintain their vehicle so they can operate a safe and reliable vehicle. I need them to make a connection and build a relationship. I need them to present to the customer all of the recommendations. I need them to ask for an approval. I need them to make recommendations "in the best interest" of the customer. But if "nice" means letting a customer leave without hearing everything they need to in order to make the best decision possible, if "nice" means that the advisor makes a decision not to advise a customer because they might "not like the news", then "nice" is not what I want as a manager. So while "nice" is good, "nice" is necessary, "nice" don't pay the bills.

Great post.

Comment by Marsh Buice on May 9, 2012 at 3:29pm: Mike, you make great points! There is nothing wrong with being nice-after all people buy from the people they most identify and deem credible. Often we miss the fact and are either too agressive or not agressive enought. I think that is why you hae to hire those who are natural competitiors bc they are the ones who keep score. The scorekeepers will strive every day to maximize what they have before them. 3 C's that make a deal: Caring, Credibility, and Competitiveness-thats who we need on the floor. Thanks for the share brother.

Comment by Sam Quina on May 9, 2012 at 3:15pm: Stepped back into sales from a mngmnt position. This was very insightful. Thank u.

Comment by Mike Myers on May 9, 2012 at 10:26am: Thanks for the feedback guys. I haven't written about sales in a while. Usually about something social media or Internet related. Sometimes I forget what it's like on the floor and was nice to connect again to some of the people again. It's amazing to find out what's going on when you sit and actually talk to your people. Which is something I don't usually have the luxury of doing since I'm so bogged down on digital stuff all day. Can't wait to hear more from the dE community!

Comment by Bill Gasson on May 9, 2012 at 4:46am: Very true,happen's everyday on the floor and the manager has to pic up on it.

Comment by Garrett Osborne on May 9, 2012 at 12:46am: @Joshua Amen.

Comment by Joshua Takahashi on May 9, 2012 at 12:30am: Yes! Great Blog! Just like you said, there is a step that has been missed if the objection comes up during the closing phase. If we as sales people can qualify better we can overcome easier. You also mentioned consulting the customer. In every profession with a consultant they ask pertinent questions at the very beginning. This is the only profession that misses the part of the process.

Comment by Garrett Osborne on May 9, 2012 at 12:13am: Great blog Mike. Kind of the Riddle of the Sphinx. We listen and we lead. The customer talks to a salesman to get sold. If we can't decipher what they are saying then that's on us. This isn't about nice or not nice to me this is the art of communication in the moment. Ultimately we don't sell the customer he decides to buy.

Comment by Ralph Paglia on May 8, 2012 at 11:48pm: Mike, a few weeks ago I spent a couple days at Salazar Kia in Surprise, AZ near where i live... One of my favorite employees from 2010 now works there and Hector Salazar is a client... Anyways, when Hector bought the dealership, it had a terrible reputation for taking customer deposits before the store went bankrupt. Hector made the decision to honor all the deposits that were lost by customers due to the store's previous owners... These deposits were NOT Salazar Kia's responsibility, but Hector wanted to restore his brand's good faith and reputation in the community. This attitude extends to the civility and courtesy that Salazar Kia employees show every customer. It was a noticeable and positive attitude throughout the dealership... Every employee has been trained by their dealership's owner to listen and respect the perceptions of their customers. I know that Salazar Kia will do very well in the future because instead of "pounding people into cars" they are respecting the customer's perceptions and feelings with a large amount of empathy and humility in servicing their customers. Your blog post made me think of Salazar Kia as a dealership with the right culture of respect and consideration for their clients.