Home - Recruitment Techniques - Management Techniques - Online Computer Training - 



How to Build a Repeat Client Base in Automobile Sales


Here is a question I recently received from a young automobile salesperson:

"I'm a sales rep just starting off. I am 21 years old and have nine months experience at a (auto dealership) store. It is hard for me because I am very young. The rest of the sales guys are at least 40 with many years of experience. I would like to ask you for some personal tips so I can surpass these guys. I don't have a repeat client base quite yet, but I'm working up to it. I would appreciate if you wrote me back."

Here is the answer that I provided to this young go-getter:

You can really set yourself apart if you focus on learning how to ask questions to determine the key factors behind your prospects' buying decisions. If you ask good questions, your age will rapidly become a non-factor as your prospects gain respect for your courtesy and professionalism.

Ask penetrating, insightful questions and listen very carefully to each prospect's answers to your questions. Those answers will tell you whether the individual is a prospect that is worthy of a significant time investment, and, if they are, how you can best help them buy.

Too many automobile salespeople are focused on trying to cram a vehicle (any vehicle) down someone's throat. Or, they are fixated on features of vehicles that they themselves admire. Here is an example:

One time when I was looking at cars, I met a salesman that waxed eloquent about a particular car's engine, horsepower, 0 to 60 time, and other "gear head" specifications. I politely informed him that those things did not matter much to me. As long as the car could perform decently when I was passing someone on the highway, that was all I needed to know about its engine and horsepower. I was more interested in the car's appearance and the quality of its interior appointments. Yet, even though I explicitly told the salesman what my primary interests were, he kept peppering his conversation with "gear head babble". I found his behavior to be quite amusing, but it did not help him make a sale.

That doesn't mean you never want to discuss engine specifications with a prospect. Just reserve those conversations for people that are truly interested in such things. They will make themselves known by the kinds of questions they ask and the general focus of their comments.

When someone visits your dealership, a good place to start a conversation is by finding out what brought them into your store. Here are some questions you could ask:

  • Why are they looking at your specific brand? Is it because they have some loyalty to the brand, or did some other reason bring them into your store?

  • Is there a particular type of vehicle or certain features they are especially interested in?

  • Why are they interested in that vehicle or those features?

  • What kind of vehicle are they driving currently?

  • What do they like about their current vehicle?

  • What would they like to change when they acquire their next vehicle?

  • How will they go about making their vehicle purchasing decision?

  • How do they prefer to acquire their vehicles (purchase or lease)?

  • What is their purchasing time frame?

  • What factors are driving their purchasing time frame?
People make buying decisions for an astonishing and ever-changing variety of reasons. Your mission is to determine the particular combination of reasons that is driving the buying decision for each of your prospects. Be sure to avoid generalizations or stereotypes and treat each person as a unique individual. Just because someone is a certain age, gender, ethnicity, etc. doesn't mean they will make their buying decision for the same reasons as others of the same or similar age, gender or ethnicity!

If you ask questions like the ones noted above, you will prepare yourself to provide the best possible service to your prospects. In many cases you will also help them clarify their own thinking about how they will make their buying decision.

Remember, people don't like to be sold, but they DO like to be helped to buy. Facilitate the buying process, help your buyers rationalize their purchases, and help them make choices that fulfill their needs and wants. When you do this, the end result will be happy, satisfied customers that buy from you repeatedly and provide numerous referrals!

Copyright 2005 -- Alan Rigg

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform and What to Do About It. To learn more about his book and sign up for more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020performance.com.



Sales training seminar: A $60000 Sales Lesson
Corsavoo.com, France - Sep 6, 2008
But then I thought, “Maybe I could pick up something from their sales presentation for my sales training or sales seminars,” so I agreed to go. ...


Sales Training Program: You Got the Appointment, Now What?
Corsavoo.com, France - Sep 6, 2008
Your sales training program should prepare you to be prepared. That means you need to plan ahead with some next step options that make sense for the ...


Pharma Sales Training Program Released by Total Learning
TMCnet - Sep 5, 2008
By David Sims, TMCnet Contributing Editor Total Learning Concepts, a training content company, has introduced an interactive training guide - Introduction ...


Sales training: It ain't what you sell, it's the way that you sell it
PersonnelToday.com, UK - Sep 4, 2008
Do tried-and-tested methods of sales training still work? Or is a completely new approach needed for the 21st century? Sales people are having to adjust to ...


Coaching is Key to Sales Training.
4Hoteliers, Hong Kong - Sep 3, 2008
By Hal Becker. In most companies, the “80-20 rule” applies: 80% of the sales are produced by 20% of the sales force. Regardless of the companies you look at ...


Car sales training article to help you sell more cars
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 25, 2008
by Mak Since I’m in the automotive sales training industry, a lot of my students are always asking me if I could show them a new quick close. ...


PR Web (press release)

Catalytic Management Creates Sales Training Program for the ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Aug 20, 2008
Catalytic Management has launched a highly customized sales training program for the New England division of the American Cancer Society. ...


CCTV News

Free sales training emails offered
Info4Security, UK - Aug 20, 2008
By Anthony Hildebrand QED has developed a series of sales training documents for companies working in the security industry. ...
QED offers sales training CCTV News
all 2 news articles


Colin Appleyard to launch sales training programme
Motor Trader, UK - Aug 19, 2008
Colin Appleyard is set to launch its own sales training scheme designed to offer opportunities for people looking for a career in car or motorcycle sales. ...


Sales Training
The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com, NY - Aug 21, 2008
By Donnie Webb Marcus Sales of Christian Brothers Academy is pushing his way into the rotation group at wide receiver for the Syracuse University football ...

Sales-Training - Google News

Want to copy DVDs? Click Here!

home|Learn Sales Management|Learn-Telesales|Site map Distance Education at ICS

© 2006 www.elearn-university.org