Two Wolves
"I'm just looking, I won't be buying today." "I need to compare your vehicle with a competitors model and then shop around" .."I'm not an impulse shopper".."I just started looking."
Everyday sales people hear this exact quote from customers soon after the meet and greet.
What happens next is reminiscent of the old tale of two wolves.
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
The two wolves in this scenario are:
A)The bad sales wolf believes his customer is "just looking."He believes this customer is a waste of time. He thinks "I could be spending time with a buyer." He despises spending time with his customer, and it shows in his face.
He doesn't ask this buyer many questions or follow any steps. He knows they aren't buying and he's right, at least not from him. At best he puts forth a half hearted effort to sell. He thinks they probably want to buy elsewhere and that surely following up with these people would be an even bigger waste of time. This wolf is full of excuses, he blames everything including his customers for his lack of sales and income.
B)The good sales wolf understands "I'm just looking" actually means "I'm looking for a real salesman to build trust, value, and urgency and help me buy a new vehicle RIGHT NOW."
The good wolf listens between the lines. He takes every customer through the sales steps like his life depends on it. After building the trust, value and urgency he asked each customer to show them a proposal. He tells them "If my deal isn't good enough to earn your business that would be my fault not yours." He knows the average customer shops 1.2 dealerships and he smiles, asks questions and pace leads the sale because he knew this was a buyer from the get go. This wolf closes a high percentage and does a great job following up. The CRM is full of appointments, the board is full of "X's" and his pockets are full of money.
You are going to hear this exact objection from a customer TODAY. And everyday for the rest of your career. When it comes time which wolf are you going to feed? It's up to you and only you. Choose wisely.
Roger Williams
The AutomotiveCoach
Corporate Sales Manager
Fletcher Auto Group
Comment
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Comment by keith millard on December 29, 2016 at 9:56am
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Comment by Chris Dimitris on December 28, 2016 at 5:20pm
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Great story. The first impression can make or break the sale. I keep the book, How To Win Friends And Influence People, close by. One of the best books that I've ever read.
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Comment by Roger Williams on March 9, 2015 at 12:18am
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Steven
If every dealer listened to their calls there would be a lot more of that type of comment. The lack of basic sales skills, basic negotiating skills, lack of phone skills, and lack of email communication skill is staggering.
Most dealers have no idea how bad their people are. It continually amazes me, dealers are so focused on the "next great thing" they ignore the basics.
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Brian
One thing is sure, Dave is a no nonsense teacher. He is a mentor of mine and I love him and appreciate the information he provides. Although his style and mine differ in approach and delivery the message is poured from the same glass. The "bang" gun idea is a good one, typically there is someone asking for it in every meeting or conference.
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Comment by steven chessin on March 8, 2015 at 11:43pm
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Brian - I was once sitting in a GMs office listening to recordings of sales calls. After hearing a few where the "salesman" said things like ... "Sorry that car is sold" ... the GM put his head in his hands and said, "I'd shoot them except for the mess it would make on my rug."
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Comment by Brian Bennington on March 8, 2015 at 11:29pm -
10-4 on that Good Buddy Rog, Opening "eyes and minds" is quite an undertaking, but knowing you the little I do, it seems like your style of teaching is more in the "missionary" vein, other than some like Dave Anderson, whose style is more "Prussian." I've attend a lot of sales meeting and one of the coolest props I've seem was a "gun" the instructor kept on his podium. The first time I saw him use it, he pointed it at someone who said something goofy, and when it discharged, all that came out was a banner that said "bang."
Everyone laughed, even the "victim," and I found out later he'd "shoot" it about once a meeting, and everybody always looked forward to it. Now Rog, you wouldn't be "packin'," would you?
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Brian,
I love the two bulls story! It's classic, and oh so true. The two things we can control are our time and our attitude, so many I encounter are defeated before they start. I'm trying to open their eyes and their minds!
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Comment by Brian Bennington on March 7, 2015 at 10:32pm
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Great Post, Roger! I've heard basically the same anecdote, but it wasn't wolves, it was bulls, and the punch line was "Let's walk down and do 'em all!" A good story that makes good sense! After all, you've got to crawl before you can walk, and there's too many sales people who prefer staying on "all fours," wandering around, begging for deals. Your last comment says it all. "Choose wisely."
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Steven-
It's so true, learning to listen between the lines instead of literally is so important. The rookies always believe their customers are coming back, BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY'D BE BACK!!! LOL!! Kinda like a woman who says "Nothing's wrong" or "Go ahead, I don't care"- We as men must lear to listen between the lines, just like sales associates must.
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es - the "just looking" defense.
Salesmen need to realize that sometimes people buy cars from them because of them --- or also don't buy because of them. That is why it is called selling. While the customer might think they are just comparing car vs car the salesman can be the deciding factor. So the question becomes what is it ? A good salesman will listen carefully to what they customer wants and needs and hopefully they will find some unique advantages that will matter to the customer. If not the car -- maybe the dealership. And if neither maybe the price. And if not the price maybe the financing - warranty - etc. There needs to be something the customer gets here with this car they don't get elsewhere even with an identical car.
But whatever there is - or isn't - the customer can't reach that point where they can decide without assistance. And there it is. Not whether or not they want this car from this store on this day --- but rather --- do you know why they should or shouldn't. It is a journey of discover to get to a yes or no. Sell that journey of discovery instead of the car. That journey with the customer is why they are there. Tell the customer that I am here to help you and you are here to be helped. If you could make the decision online or on the phone you would not be here to see how it feels --- so --- see how it feels - because you are here. A customer might be able to say NO to a car without a test-drive but they won't say YES without one. So if they are here to figure-out what they like and don't like - they better drive it. There are exceptions. Before you put a 20 year-old into a 500 horsepower car there are issues to sort-out first.
I remember a rookie salesman had not been taught the basics. A customer came-in to check-out a Camry and didn't like it. He told me the customer doesn't like the car. I came-out of my office to meet the customer to find-out why. After all, everybody likes Camry - what is there not to like ? Ha ha. I figured it out in half-a-second. I said to the customer, "Sir, the car is a 42 Regular and you are a 56 Long ... could I show you something in your size ?" He laughed. Instead of a loaded Camry I found him a base Avalon leftover with rebates for the same price. He couldn't have been happier.I told the salesman that sometimes its just the wrong car.The salesman said, "But he asked for a Camry !"
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