The struggle for a competitive edge requires skill enhancement.  The techniques of yesterday are no longer acceptable tools.  Knowledge of products, technology and problem solving all take on new meaning while working with today’s customer.

Customers no longer accept mediocre presentations, canned closing questions and product demonstrations that lack comprehensive knowledge.  The customer is and will continue to be, more prepared for the buying process.  They will ask questions that an untrained salesperson will not be able to answer.  Customers will come prepared with product comparison data, pricing parameters and have a solid understanding of the value of their trade-in.

Salespeople will need to be more prepared than ever to compete for a customer’s business.  Customers aren't necessarily interested price comparisons so much as they are assessing the salespersons' knowledge. The preparation of the salesperson will ultimately determine whether or not a vehicle is sold.  Average is no longer acceptable to the buying public. 

Allowing staff to go about today as they did yesterday will ensure regression.  A salesperson attempting to sell automobiles while failing to improve his/her skills will most certainly be unproductive.  Technicians must constantly be tested and retrained on their skill set.  Their training consists of updated modules, technical service bulletins, and renewals of certifications.  Doctors, attorneys’, CPA’s and other professionals are continuously being trained on the latest technology.  Athletes’ and coaches are constantly reinventing themselves and their playbooks to become more competitive in their environment.  All of these people share one common thread; they are professionals.    

True professionals invest in themselves, reinvent their approach and work on improvement of their skills.  The book store has a multitude of books on the newest sales advances from outside our industry.  A small investment in a seminar from one of the many outstanding innovators in our business could and often do, lead to skills' enhancement.  

There are a lot of rumblings around our industry that the Internet will be the only avenue to purchase a car in the next few years.  The perception...the “salesperson” is no longer needed.  The assumption is that the buying process will be completed online without having to visit a dealership.  If you believe that, get out of the business now.  Do not look back, move on and enjoy being a greeter at one of those big box stores!

Professional people embrace technology and the advancement of processes. Long gone are the days of unmotivated and unprofessional salespeople.  Customers demand more from their car buying experience.  If you don’t give them the experience they deserve, no price will be low enough to keep them.  In general, most showroom floors have lacked the work ethics needed to progress.  The demand on the business has been strenuous as the market drifted from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market.  Dealerships of all sizes needed to adjust their budgets to fewer cars at smaller profit margins.  Discretional expenses such as training have been either eliminated altogether or depleted to cover only the essential.  During that time, the internet has grown exponentially.   Social networking has given consumers more power than ever and that will only continue to grow.  Chat rooms, buying clubs, online reviews and other social media provide an endless stream of information.  Buying decisions are made every day based on information provided on the web.  Whether or not the information is accurate or not is, not relevant.

The sales process has evolved, this much is true.  The evolution is knowledge and not the deletion of professional salespeople.  What customers want, is to have honest answers to tough questions, unbiased responses to product comparisons and a non-confrontational buying process.  Sound familiar?  It should because it hasn’t changed in years.  Ultimately, customers will decide who gets to stay in business and who doesn’t.