What The Heck Is "Old School" Anyway?
Yes the curriculum being taught in schools has changed over the years, and yes we have discovered the world is not flat, and the indians [Native Americans] probably should have negotiated a better deal for Manhattan.
Am I missing something?
Sell Yourself
Meet and Greet a client, don't lose the control they have given us when they left their home to buy a vehicle and came and saw us.
Find out their needs and wants through a conversation, not an interrogation.
Select a vehicle and show features,tell benefits and use closing tie downs to sell each feature.
World Class Demo drive, to highten the clients emotions.
Ask them to own it, when their feelings and emotions are at the highest possible peak.
Show them our service area, selling the entire dealership.
Get a structured proposal[numbers] from management and present with enthusiasm.
Close or gain legit offer.
Get cash investment,paperwork,F&I.get ready,ask for referrals, spot it!
Follow up sold and unsold.
Client development [prospecting]
Our goal here would be the highest possible gross profit, with a volume of clients and strong,legit customer satisfaction.
...Is this "other school" I hear about have the same goals?
Does having new technology mean we now need to make less money to have satisfied customers?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by MANNY LUNA on
-
New schoolers are willing to learn, grow and change with the constantly changing customer base. They are willing to learn new things, in order to keep up with the customer. But the most important thing that new schoolers are doing is letting go of the things that do not work.
Somewhere along the road, we have come to believe that the car business is different, that the thought process can be suspended, as long as we are moving metal. And so, the hard sell technique became the norm, and high pressure became synonymous with the car business. Newspaper advertising became a mainstay while high sales-person turnover became a watchword. The new word in selling cars – “the mini-deal” is now beginning to define the month for many salespeople.
The internet, as great a tool as it is purported to be, is fast on it’s way to being synonymous with lower than showroom pricing and very low profit. “Contact management” is now the buzzword, as we pay $300 for a lead which nets us $200 under invoice. We’re not making much money, but we sure can track our follow up system. Baby, even with the new technology, that is old school thinking. Add it all up, and we get the stoopid saying: “Nice guys finish last.” No, belay that, the new truth is, “Old schoolers finish last.”
“Nice” needs to return to the car business. The new breed of customers can stand on your showroom floor and call any dealer in the country and “get it for 100 dollars less.” But new schoolers know that customers do not leave over 100 dollars. They leave because the salesperson, or the manager, or the dealership is not nice.
Customers more than ever before, want “Nice.” They do not want hard sell, high pressure, new closes, more manipulation, they just want nice. They want to be treated with respect, with fairness, with honesty, with integrity, and by a salesperson they recognize when they enter the showroom.
All we need to do is think about how we like to be treated when we go to buy something. We want the same thing our customers want, honesty, fairness and integrity. We want and expect to be treated “nice.”
Funny thing, if a sales trainer, trying to sell training to a car dealer, starts with control, manipulation, fast talking and close after high pressure close, he will be shown the door so fast his head will spin. Yet that owner or GM will go right back into the showroom and expect salespeople and managers to control, pressure, manipulate and talk customers into buying.
Nice dealerships are hard to find. Nice owners, nice managers and nice salespeople are hard to find. But the fact of life in the changing car business today is that customers will drive to another STATE to find a dealership that will be nice to them.
John D. Rockefeller said it best a hundred years ago: the ability to deal with people is important. It can be found and purchased. We can hire nice people. But to recognize a nice person who will be nice in the sales process, takes a manager or owner who knows and appreciates “nice.” “Nice” rises and falls on leadership.
Customers want to be treated nice. They do not like high pressure, hard closes, tricks and manipulations. This is not rocket science.
Old schoolers are constantly realigning the customer traffic to new school dealerships. And about the only difference between the two is that “the people are nicer over there, and that’s why I bought a car there.”
Go visit ten dealerships. See how you are treated. Realize how you feel when a salesperson, manager or dealership simply sees you as just another “up.” Notice the immediate change in the dealership atmosphere when they find out that you are not going to buy today. Remember how it makes you feel, then go back to your dealership and see if that is what your managers and salespeople are doing to those precious, loyal customers of yours.
Customers want nice. Nice guys and gals finish first because they treat the customer the way they want to be treated. “Not- nice” guys and gals finish last because nine out of ten customers will keep shopping until they find someone who treats them like they want to be treated.
Nice guys and gals know that people skills are not as important as selling skills, they are more important than selling skills.
Great people skills with average selling skills will always sell more than average people skills with great selling skills.
Nice guys finish first, with the best grosses. Old schoolers are finding out the hard way that mini deals and 200 under invoice are a very poor excuse for not knowing how to treat the customer.
Customers want nice, on the lot, on the showroom, on the telephone and on the internet. If we give them nice, they will not leave over 100 or 200 or 300 dollars. They will enjoy and participate in the sales process, and they will pay more when they are greeted and treated with sincerity, honesty, kindness, and integrity. About all we have to do is just be nice to them. The selling is secondary.
Craig Lockerd said:
Love that answer Arthur!
arthur bush said:Old school is the original language that has been taken out of context,and in most cases polluted by those incapable of living up to it's purity in requirements.So therefore they renamed it new school. -
-
Permalink Reply by MANNY LUNA on
-
New schoolers are willing to learn, grow and change with the constantly changing customer base. They are willing to learn new things, in order to keep up with the customer. But the most important thing that new schoolers are doing is letting go of the things that do not work.
Somewhere along the road, we have come to believe that the car business is different, that the thought process can be suspended, as long as we are moving metal. And so, the hard sell technique became the norm, and high pressure became synonymous with the car business. Newspaper advertising became a mainstay while high sales-person turnover became a watchword. The new word in selling cars – “the mini-deal” is now beginning to define the month for many salespeople.
The internet, as great a tool as it is purported to be, is fast on it’s way to being synonymous with lower than showroom pricing and very low profit. “Contact management” is now the buzzword, as we pay $300 for a lead which nets us $200 under invoice. We’re not making much money, but we sure can track our follow up system. Baby, even with the new technology, that is old school thinking. Add it all up, and we get the stoopid saying: “Nice guys finish last.” No, belay that, the new truth is, “Old schoolers finish last.”
“Nice” needs to return to the car business. The new breed of customers can stand on your showroom floor and call any dealer in the country and “get it for 100 dollars less.” But new schoolers know that customers do not leave over 100 dollars. They leave because the salesperson, or the manager, or the dealership is not nice.
Customers more than ever before, want “Nice.” They do not want hard sell, high pressure, new closes, more manipulation, they just want nice. They want to be treated with respect, with fairness, with honesty, with integrity, and by a salesperson they recognize when they enter the showroom.
All we need to do is think about how we like to be treated when we go to buy something. We want the same thing our customers want, honesty, fairness and integrity. We want and expect to be treated “nice.”
Funny thing, if a sales trainer, trying to sell training to a car dealer, starts with control, manipulation, fast talking and close after high pressure close, he will be shown the door so fast his head will spin. Yet that owner or GM will go right back into the showroom and expect salespeople and managers to control, pressure, manipulate and talk customers into buying.
Nice dealerships are hard to find. Nice owners, nice managers and nice salespeople are hard to find. But the fact of life in the changing car business today is that customers will drive to another STATE to find a dealership that will be nice to them.
John D. Rockefeller said it best a hundred years ago: the ability to deal with people is important. It can be found and purchased. We can hire nice people. But to recognize a nice person who will be nice in the sales process, takes a manager or owner who knows and appreciates “nice.” “Nice” rises and falls on leadership.
Customers want to be treated nice. They do not like high pressure, hard closes, tricks and manipulations. This is not rocket science.
Old schoolers are constantly realigning the customer traffic to new school dealerships. And about the only difference between the two is that “the people are nicer over there, and that’s why I bought a car there.”
Go visit ten dealerships. See how you are treated. Realize how you feel when a salesperson, manager or dealership simply sees you as just another “up.” Notice the immediate change in the dealership atmosphere when they find out that you are not going to buy today. Remember how it makes you feel, then go back to your dealership and see if that is what your managers and salespeople are doing to those precious, loyal customers of yours.
Customers want nice. Nice guys and gals finish first because they treat the customer the way they want to be treated. “Not- nice” guys and gals finish last because nine out of ten customers will keep shopping until they find someone who treats them like they want to be treated.
Nice guys and gals know that people skills are not as important as selling skills, they are more important than selling skills.
Great people skills with average selling skills will always sell more than average people skills with great selling skills.
Nice guys finish first, with the best grosses. Old schoolers are finding out the hard way that mini deals and 200 under invoice are a very poor excuse for not knowing how to treat the customer.
Customers want nice, on the lot, on the showroom, on the telephone and on the internet. If we give them nice, they will not leave over 100 or 200 or 300 dollars. They will enjoy and participate in the sales process, and they will pay more when they are greeted and treated with sincerity, honesty, kindness, and integrity. About all we have to do is just be nice to them. The selling is secondary. -
-
Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
-
Could be an interesting outcome...worth a try...the end credits thank a place called Miller Honda on that video...unreal! Thats what scares me a lot
Curtis D Snyder said:Funny thing, on my way in this morning I was thinking of ideas for a similar video or training seminar only from the opposite perspective. There are books and videos from people saying how we scam would be buyers. However, how many of us reach out to consumers to show them we are not the con artists' we're made out to be.
Realators holding buying seminars for first time home buyers and people who are in the market. They educate on the process from the sellers perspective. Have any of you out there tried this approach?
Craig Lockerd said:Check this video out I just saw on Facebook...Pretty much telling customers it's ok to lie to car salespeople...we are just scum bags anyway.....this is CRAP!!!!
http://youtu.be/fJjdpM77qnA -
-
Permalink Reply by NANCY SIMMONS on
-
Okay...Here it goes! I just had a glass of champagne to celebrate the last new Chevrolet I will ever deliver after 30 years working at a Chevrolet dealership! (bona fide sold order, Colorado, to a long time rah rah Chevrolet enthusiast)!
You have heard Donny and Marie Osmonds" , "I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock 'n roll...Well this song comes to mind for me as I think I'm a little bit "Old School" and I'm a little bit "New School" too!
What we need to do, as automotive professionals, is find a way to create the perfect blend of old school and new school, (and there is such a thing as "old school" in many aspects).
We entered the "Age of Technology" in the late 70's which turned into the "Information Age" as the internet was introduced and the World Wide Web! With this development, dealership folks realized they must adapt to the new age of technology or be left in the dust! "Old School" which represents the basic principles of automotive sales, which will or shall I say, "should" never change can be compared to our children learning "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" in school. "New School" tools and methodologies bring fresh, innovative ways to reach out to our clients and provide them with all the informational knowledge, assisting them to make the best educated and confident decision about their purchase! WOW!
It is not a choice of Old School vs. New School...We are not in a WWE wresting ring.. It is a marriage of the old with new, a perfect blend as we serve in "Carbucks"... The phrase "Old School" does come with certain connotations in the dealership arena... Here are a few which come to mind for me...
The Tower with jogs back and forth to the manager's station, Withholding all information to the "phone up" in a tireless attempt to get them to come into the dealership by avoiding all their questions, Overused and Abused word tracks, bait and switch advertising techniques, and the list goes on... Honestly, and let's all be candid here, these are tactics that need to be abolished if we want to change the perception of the auto dealer to an esteemed profession.
Craig Lockerd started this discussion, and I believe he is the model of someone who has learned to take the best of both worlds to create that perfect blend. The AutoMax trainers stick to the basics, by teaching the consistent steps to the sale, while treating everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve. Craig is the king of social media, utilizing Facebook, Linkedin, BlogTalk Radio, V Blogs, Web-site blogs, Youtube videos, and on and on... So he has taken "New School" technology and blended with "Old School" principles to create the perfect methodology for selling cars! This "perfect blend" is garnished with honesty, integrity and plain old being "nice" as Manny pointed out so eloquently!
Great discussion Craig! Oh and by the way...what we consider "New School" today will be "Old School" ten years from now.. Buckle up and hang on to your hats... We need to grasp on to these changes and welcome them to enhance the way we do business, while never forgetting to maintain the "Old School Basics"! -
-
Permalink Reply by MANNY LUNA on
-
That's what I Say!
Old School New School Trainning Techniques .Tailor Them Everyday!
Lets Here It From Both and Fuse Them Together!
NANCY SIMMONS said:Okay...Here it goes! I just had a glass of champagne to celebrate the last new Chevrolet I will ever deliver after 30 years working at a Chevrolet dealership! (bona fide sold order, Colorado, to a long time rah rah Chevrolet enthusiast)!
You have heard Donny and Marie Osmonds" , "I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock 'n roll...Well this song comes to mind for me as I think I'm a little bit "Old School" and I'm a little bit "New School" too!
What we need to do, as automotive professionals, is find a way to create the perfect blend of old school and new school, (and there is such a thing as "old school" in many aspects).
We entered the "Age of Technology" in the late 70's which turned into the "Information Age" as the internet was introduced and the World Wide Web! With this development, dealership folks realized they must adapt to the new age of technology or be left in the dust! "Old School" which represents the basic principles of automotive sales, which will or shall I say, "should" never change can be compared to our children learning "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" in school. "New School" tools and methodologies bring fresh, innovative ways to reach out to our clients and provide them with all the informational knowledge, assisting them to make the best educated and confident decision about their purchase! WOW!
It is not a choice of Old School vs. New School...We are not in a WWE wresting ring.. It is a marriage of the old with new, a perfect blend as we serve in "Carbucks"... The phrase "Old School" does come with certain connotations in the dealership arena... Here are a few which come to mind for me...
The Tower with jogs back and forth to the manager's station, Withholding all information to the "phone up" in a tireless attempt to get them to come into the dealership by avoiding all their questions, Overused and Abused word tracks, bait and switch advertising techniques, and the list goes on... Honestly, and let's all be candid here, these are tactics that need to be abolished if we want to change the perception of the auto dealer to an esteemed profession.
Craig Lockerd started this discussion, and I believe he is the model of someone who has learned to take the best of both worlds to creat that perfect blend. The AutoMax trainers stick to the basics, by teaching the consistent steps to the sale, while treating everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve. Craig is the king of social media, utilizing Facebook, Linkedin, BlogTalk Radio, V Blogs, Web-site blogs, Youtube videos, and on and on... So he has taken "New School" technology and blended with "Old School" principles to create the perfect methodology for selling cars! this "perfect blend" is garnished with honesty, integrity and plain old being "nice" as Manny pointed out so eloquently!
Great discussion Craig! Oh and by the way...what we consider "New School" today will be "Old School" ten years from now.. Buckle up and hang on to your hats... We need to grasp on to these changes and welcome them to enhance our business, while never forgetting to maintain the "Basics"! -
-
Permalink Reply by MANNY LUNA on
-
That's What I Say!
Old School New School Trainning Techniques .
Tailor Them Everyday!
Lets Here It From Both and Fuse Them Together! -
-
-
Love it Manny! Right on...Love your group by the way!
MANNY LUNA said:That's What I Say!
Old School New School Trainning Techniques .
Tailor Them Everyday!
Lets Here It From Both and Fuse Them Together! -
-
Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
-
Thanks Nancy and sure enough ...some things will change going forward and some remain the same.....is that a song?
NANCY SIMMONS said:Okay...Here it goes! I just had a glass of champagne to celebrate the last new Chevrolet I will ever deliver after 30 years working at a Chevrolet dealership! (bona fide sold order, Colorado, to a long time rah rah Chevrolet enthusiast)!
You have heard Donny and Marie Osmonds" , "I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock 'n roll...Well this song comes to mind for me as I think I'm a little bit "Old School" and I'm a little bit "New School" too!
What we need to do, as automotive professionals, is find a way to create the perfect blend of old school and new school, (and there is such a thing as "old school" in many aspects).
We entered the "Age of Technology" in the late 70's which turned into the "Information Age" as the internet was introduced and the World Wide Web! With this development, dealership folks realized they must adapt to the new age of technology or be left in the dust! "Old School" which represents the basic principles of automotive sales, which will or shall I say, "should" never change can be compared to our children learning "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" in school. "New School" tools and methodologies bring fresh, innovative ways to reach out to our clients and provide them with all the informational knowledge, assisting them to make the best educated and confident decision about their purchase! WOW!
It is not a choice of Old School vs. New School...We are not in a WWE wresting ring.. It is a marriage of the old with new, a perfect blend as we serve in "Carbucks"... The phrase "Old School" does come with certain connotations in the dealership arena... Here are a few which come to mind for me...
The Tower with jogs back and forth to the manager's station, Withholding all information to the "phone up" in a tireless attempt to get them to come into the dealership by avoiding all their questions, Overused and Abused word tracks, bait and switch advertising techniques, and the list goes on... Honestly, and let's all be candid here, these are tactics that need to be abolished if we want to change the perception of the auto dealer to an esteemed profession.
Craig Lockerd started this discussion, and I believe he is the model of someone who has learned to take the best of both worlds to create that perfect blend. The AutoMax trainers stick to the basics, by teaching the consistent steps to the sale, while treating everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve. Craig is the king of social media, utilizing Facebook, Linkedin, BlogTalk Radio, V Blogs, Web-site blogs, Youtube videos, and on and on... So he has taken "New School" technology and blended with "Old School" principles to create the perfect methodology for selling cars! This "perfect blend" is garnished with honesty, integrity and plain old being "nice" as Manny pointed out so eloquently!
Great discussion Craig! Oh and by the way...what we consider "New School" today will be "Old School" ten years from now.. Buckle up and hang on to your hats... We need to grasp on to these changes and welcome them to enhance the way we do business, while never forgetting to maintain the "Old School Basics"! -
-
Permalink Reply by Ray Spence on
-
Hey Craig in my opinion old school is still the best way to sell the most units for the most gross. Sure you got to change it a little and tweek it here and there. But why customers buy from a particular dealership or from a particular salesperson hasn't changed. You still have to do all the basics and all the steps.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Minville Thompson on
-
Old school has always been a term I hear that relates to a selling philosophy that has become outdated and no longer works. For example, asking a women to bring her husband back with her could cost a sale today but may have been the norm years back. The goals have always been the same but the techniques and interactions no longer work, can be abrassive and can be unacceptable in today's market. Old school is the old way of doing things when better ways exist.
-
-
Permalink Reply by A. J. Maida on
-
OK sit down, I'm actually going to be serious here (just a little). As a "Digital Marketing Manager" I have no choice to be progressive. I always have been. One example is, I realized very early in my career that leasing wasn't magic, it was just an alternative way to finance a car. And It made me a lot of $$.
So, in my job I have no choice but to be on the cutting edge. Yes that means that I get bloody sometimes. The secret is to keep what works and stop the bleeding when it doesn't. Is there and "Old School and a "New School"? I hope not. There is just a school. It's why most of us are here on Dealer Elite and other sites like this. Many of us old schoolers remember when we were told to be chameleons. We need to adapt today as much if not more then in the past. For me just last week Google changed the way they do places listings. In the Old School we asked for referrals, today we still do but we also ask for online reviews. Is it different or the same thing expanded. In old school we went to a cocktail party and talked about how we could help people. Today we do the same thing only we do it on Facebook. Is it different or the same thing expanded. In old school we treat the customer 'right", today as Manny pointed out we treat the customer nice. Is it different or the same thing expanded.
Changes that we had better adapt to. In the old school days we started at list and discounted. Today we put a price on the internet and (if we price correctly) explain to the customer the reason you choose us over the other 100 listing is because it was a great price. Half of the time we sell for our asking price and this is our gross. The other time we still need to give a discount because we have trained the consumer this way, this is our volume.
If we want to stay competitive we had better be new School. But if we want to close deals don't forget the basics and I guess that's Old school. So I guess if we wish to survive we better be "New Old School" and just a little more expansive. -
-
-
AJ... A little more "Old New School" Brilliance for you....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8Osz9RnvY
A. J. Maida said:OK sit down, I'm actually going to be serious here (just a little). As a "Digital Marketing Manager" I have no choice to be progressive. I always have been. One example is, I realized very early in my career that leasing wasn't magic, it was just an alternative way to finance a car. And It made me a lot of $$.
So, in my job I have no choice but to be on the cutting edge. Yes that means that I get bloody sometimes. The secret is to keep what works and stop the bleeding when it doesn't. Is there and "Old School and a "New School"? I hope not. There is just a school. It's why most of us are here on Dealer Elite and other sites like this. Many of us old schoolers remember when we were told to be chameleons. We need to adapt today as much if not more then in the past. For me just last week Google changed the way they do places listings. In the Old School we asked for referrals, today we still do but we also ask for online reviews. Is it different or the same thing expanded. In old school we went to a cocktail party and talked about how we could help people. Today we do the same thing only we do it on Facebook. Is it different or the same thing expanded. In old school we treat the customer 'right", today as Manny pointed out we treat the customer nice. Is it different or the same thing expanded.
Changes that we had better adapt to. In the old school days we started at list and discounted. Today we put a price on the internet and (if we price correctly) explain to the customer the reason you choose us over the other 100 listing is because it was a great price. Half of the time we sell for our asking price and this is our gross. The other time we still need to give a discount because we have trained the consumer this way, this is our volume.
If we want to stay competitive we had better be new School. But if we want to close deals don't forget the basics and I guess that's Old school. So I guess if we wish to survive we better be "New Old School" and just a little more expansive. -
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by DealerELITE.
Powered by
