You know what one of the best things about being a salesperson in the automotive industry is? Your competition isn’t that great!  Og Mandino said it best: “In order to be a success in an endeavor you only need to do a small measurable amount more than the average individual, because most people are content with mediocrity”

It is an uncomfortable truth about our industry. Some of the negative stereotypes that endure about car salespeople are deserved.  There are lots of truly exceptional sales professionals. We know you are one of them. Unfortunately there are still many unprofessional people selling today that are not committed to the industry, the customers, or their own success. They perpetuate the negative stereotypes and the bad sales experiences they provide make prospective clients naturally defensive and difficult for the rest of us.

So where is the good news?  Well when we consider all of the buying decisions that people make before they say yes to a purchase one of the important ones is: how they feel about the salesperson. No matter how much they want a product, people won’t buy from someone they don’t like or trust. All you have to do is prove to them you are one of the good ones… and quickly!

Think about the things that people don’t like about those other salespeople – and don’t do them!  They look at prospects on the lot as waste of time tire kickers. You see some nice people you can help find their next car.  They give a half-hearted greeting like: “Can I hep ya?”  You warmly welcome clients to the dealership and introduce yourself. They talk down to or ignore the woman in a couple.  You treat women with respect and recognize that they buy 65% of new cars and influence over 80% of big ticket purchases.

Poor salespeople let the prospect lead them on a meandering lot walk that wastes time.  You provide leadership in the buying process by suggesting you have an easy way they can get only the information they need and quickly.  Poor sales people don’t ask many questions about the clients because they think price is the only thing that matters.  You have a good interview with the client at your desk to figure out their needs, learn about what has changed, what’s important to them, and why they need or want to switch their car.  Poor salespeople think selling is talking people into things.  You think selling is helping people buy.  Poor salespeople learn just enough to survive in the business.  You are constantly looking for new information to develop your skills and knowledge.  Poor salespeople don’t know much about their prospect.  You try to make a friend.

You have heard it before… people shopping for a vehicle are also shopping for a dealership they can trust and a salesperson they like.  More people will buy from you if you focus on being just be a little bit better than the average salesperson.