The Type “C” person is completely opposite the Type “A” person (“B” is also opposite “D”). If the sales person relates to this customer as a Type “A”, they will be to “pushy”, cause too much “pressure”, etc., and this customer will simply leave (often runs away) the dealership. The Type “C” person will usually park away from the front door where they can't immediately be seen by the sales person, or hide (they also come late at night and whatever day you are closed because we aren't at the store and they can look until they drop), when entering the dealership. Their normal pattern is to want to “look” at everything on the lot, as they are indecisive people (need to think & need to talk to others for their opinion) and really not sure what they want. When you greet them, they are likely to say, “I’m just looking today, I’m not sure what I want- I just want to look at everything, I’m not buying today, and/or I’ll need to “sleep/think on it” before making a decision. Our normal reaction to this customer is to say something like, “Great, how can I help you? I know where everything is parked- let me show you the cars” and then try to ask fact-finding questions while walking the lot.

Let me ask everyone this question- if a person does not know what they want, do you give them more or fewer choices? We all know the answer but usually do just the opposite with this customer. Too many choices only further confuses this customer yet most sales people walk the lot (or use a golf cart) and show this customer 5,10,15, 25+ vehicles which results in confusion and the customer telling us in the close “they need to think about it”. All the closes in the world rarely work when this customer is this confused.

We also usually ask this customer “open ended” questions and since they are indecisive people, they can rarely give decisive responses, which causes them to retreat ( we cause “pressure” by asking questions they can't answer). Therefore, when you first meet them, say, “so, I noticed you’re just doing a little looking and shopping today, right”. They will say, “YES” vs. “NO”( Can I help you-”No”) . Move them off the lot in baby steps and inside to an open “round-table” environment (as crazy as it sounds, solid wall offices make them very nervous- and never block their access to the door) to avoid them seeing too many cars. The sales person must “pull the wagon” (vs push) and help them make decisions- but the Type “C” must feel as if they are making the decision. Ask them choice questions with two, no more than three, options vs. open-ended questions such as “when you’re ready(vs “today”), will you be considering a car or truck, something smaller, midsize, or full-size, manual or automatic, light or dark colors”, etc. (if you just ask an open-ended question without choices, toooooo many say something like “I'm not sure, I/we just want to look” and they get confused again which promotes them to say, “I need/want to think...”) When this person selects a choice, they feel as if they are making the decisions and without pressure from the sales person. It also helps reduce them from asking another person for advice- ie, “I need to talk to my brother, my banker, my wife, my friend who knows cars”, etc.

This person must trust the sales person as well as other dealer personnel, they are usually product loyal, and usually a very good source for referrals and repeat business, and most always your highest gross profit customer. They hate “feeling” pressured and confrontation (pull the wagon, don't push it). The entire sales process must be directed toward giving this customer choices/options and ensuring the customer makes the choice themselves. HOWEVER, BE CAREFUL ABOUT HIRING STRICTLY THIS PROFILE. Over the last many years, this is one of the main people dealerships hire and almost always results in high turnover.

If you want to immediately increase your sales, there are several personality profiling instruments available. The sales profile that has consistently produced an exceptional sales person is the high “B” or emotional/impulsive/sociable profile combined with the high “A” dominant, assertive, aggressive, and decisive profile. They have no fear of anything and are sociable, motivated by money, recognition, and hate being 2^nd to anything or anyone. The “C” should be low and the “D” should be medium low to mid-range (just enough structure and organization to complete a daily work plan, learn product, complete paperwork, effectively use the CRM, follow up, & execute). This profile is usually anything but the “norm” and they just work, work, work. Lazy is usually not in their vocabulary.

Are there exceptions to the “ideal” profile? Of course, Nothing is 100%. I have a client in Houston, Tx that is only a few miles from one of the largest chemical plants in the U.S. Who works there? Engineers and Chemists- 2 of the most anal and analytical (Type “D”) people in the world. They hire very high “D” and medium high type “A” sales people at this dealership as this profile is 99% just like their customer. In demographics similar to this, it's often best to hire sales people who mirror your customer.

(I apologize for this being a little long but it is so important to increasing your sales, reducing your turnover, and increasing retention.)

I'll go into more detail and cover the other 2 personality types in future blogs. Next Blog, Part 3, “Where do we find top producers”?

Strategies to Double Your Sales Within 6 to 12 Months , Part 3

“So, where do we find top producers?”