What’s the most challenging sale? My guess is you probably answered one of the following: Invoice buyers, Internet shoppers, former car-guys, the credit impaired, grinders, slow-breathers, analytical customers or something similar. Actually, I was not referring to the toughest customers to sell. The toughest, most challenging sale is one you must make every day. Sometimes you have to make it multiple times in one day. The sale to which I refer is… selling you. NOT selling you to your customers; selling you to you. If you aren’t sold on the product (you) how can you sell it? You are the first product the customer must buy. Cars do not sell themselves. People buy from sales reps and dealerships that provide the best experience and service.
Are you sold on the car business? Are you sold on your dealership and the vehicles you represent? Are you sold on YOU (your ability etc.)? If the answer is “Yes” to all of the above then the next question is: Are you committed to the job and your success? If you say, “Yes” to that question then you are on your way and it will be much easier to sell yourself and your company to your customers. Next Question: Where is your focus? (You’ll hit what you focus on). In racing, when a car goes into a slide or spin the drivers are trained to not look at the wall. If they look at the wall they will hit it. Where are you focused? That is where you are heading. If you spend the day speaking negatively you will have a negative attitude and outlook leaving you with negative results. Watch your communication. It all starts with your appearance. How you dress, act, speak and carry yourself (body language) give a quick snapshot of who you are. Customers make their initial judgment of you in the first 10 seconds. Be self-aware at all times. Also, avoid the dope rings like a kissing booth attendant with a cold sore! Nothing good comes from a group of salespeople gathered on the lot or in the showroom. Break away and separate yourself from them.
Once we’ve sold ourselves on the business, the company and ourselves we can now sell them to our customers. Your competition is not other vehicles it is other sales representatives.

Selling YOU
· List some things that separate you from your competition. What makes you better than other sales people? What should customers know about you? Why should they buy from you?
· Your commitment to customer satisfaction before, during and after the sale (whether they buy or not)
· Your ability to convince management to s-t-r-e-t-c-h because of your time with the company/experience
· Your relationship with the parts and service department (liaison)
· Your integrity
· Your direct communication/tell it like it is
· You are family oriented
· Community involvement (coaching sports teams, Rotary club, church, volunteer work etc)

Selling Your Company
· Sell your co-workers: Edification- managers, F&I, service, detail, parts, other sales people etc. Give some positive things you can say about your co-workers…
· Award winning dealership
· Vehicle selection/quality-inspections
· Free on-site appraisals
· One stop shopping with on-site financing
· Strength with lenders/special considerations due to volume of business
· Dealership reputation. Business based on integrity and a history of taking care of our customers
· Loaner cars
· Make the purchasing experience comfortable and convenient
· Location/facilities
Some people think because something is common to other dealerships (free-appraisals, on-site financing etc) they don’t need to “sell” it. Customers already know that stuff. These are the same people who think because every car has a certain standard feature (crumple zones etc) they don’t need to tell their customers about them. Just because it is a common feature does not mean it is common knowledge! You’ll be amazed when you sell standard equipment. You’ll see how little people really know.

So, before you go out to make that next sale, have you made the most important sale? Are you sold on your career, your company and you? Like I said earlier, selling yourself on the industry, dealership and you is a daily commitment. There will be days when you have to re-close yourself multiple times. When you go through a slump, you think someone skates you or company politics rear their ugly head, you must step back and get your bearings. Time to sell yourself on the benefits of what you do and where you do it. Dude, if you can’t even close yourself how do you expect to close anyone else?