Automotive Sales Training

"Are Your Car Sales Down?"

By: Jeffrey F. Knott

Everyday I get email from salespeople that want to know the same thing.
“How can I get my sales up?” Like a clock chiming every hour on the hour
they follow this question with their own justification for their situation, “I
am doing what I have always done and I am selling less cars then I ever
have.” Well ladies and gentlemen in a day and age when the buzzwords on
every television news program, newspaper and magazine involves words
and statements like, possible recession, high gas prices and the low value
of the dollar, things are going to be tougher than they have been in a long
time, tougher for everyone. Not just car salesman. However this doesn't
mean that you can't make a living in the car business or for that matter
even more money than you made last year. However if you aren't hitting
your goals anymore it is not because you set your goals to high it is
because your process for attaining them has stopped working.

First let me say that I am not one that believes that a salesperson's
ultimate success is determined by his environment or circumstances. It is
determined by the way he views those things and how he acts on them.
Rising gas prices, a recession and the fact that the dollar is not as strong
as it use to be will only have an effect on your sales if you let them. That's
right, if your sales are down, it is not because of the economic indicators.
It is because of how you responded to them. If you responded to them by
ignoring them and you kept doing what you've always done then you will
keep getting what you were getting. And in this instance I don't mean the
same paycheck you have been getting. I mean you will only get the sales
that fall in your lap.

If you have been coasting along only selling cars to the people who walked
in the dealership or that you were lucky enough to get as a phone up and
you continue to garner your sales only through these two avenues then
you will only receive the sales that result from them. And in case you
haven't noticed this is not the best approach to establishing a consistently
successful career in auto sales. If you want to become consistently
successful in your career and begin to accomplish the goals that you have
set for yourself you need to change the process in which you have been
trying to attain them, because it is not working anymore. Times have
changed. You need to do the same.

Words like, prospecting and referrals have been preached by sales

managers, sales trainers and the like since the beginning of time. However
our ability in the car business to step out to the curb and gain instant
gratification has enabled many salespeople to turn a blind eye to this
subject. That is until now. These days prospecting and referrals are more
than just buzzwords and actions that the elite salespeople perform on a
consistent basis. They have become tools for survival. In today's market
consistent success will only be attained once you take control of your own
destiny and refuse to allow it to be governed by chance.

Prospecting is one of the most proactive actions that a salesperson can

take to generate business. But you must realize that “Sales” is not a job it
is a profession. This means that your work doesn't end when you leave the
office. To be great you must be a “Salesperson” not just “Work as a
salesperson.” Much like a doctor is a doctor, and a lawyer is a lawyer 24
hours a day and everyone knows them as such you too must be a car
salesperson 24 hours a day if you want to achieve greatness. And while I
admit that the task of prospecting can take patience before you reap the
rewards it is much like the rest of the car business, a numbers game. The
more people that you speak with about buying cars, the more cars you will
sell. Tell everyone that you come in contact with that you are a salesman
and that you want to sell them a car. When you are in line at the grocery
store tell the clerk you sell cars and ask if they need one. Do the same with
every person that you come in contact with and you will begin to reap the
fruits of your labors. If you find that you do not come in contact with very
many people in the course of a day you may need to expand your network
of interaction within your community. Start patronizing different
businesses, join a club or even take up a sport. Simply put, you must
become an active member in your community and you will meet more
people. Additionally be sure to let them all know what you do for a living
and that you want to sell them a car.

Everyone that knows anything about the car business knows that referral
business is a salesperson's best business. Not only do you have a common
ground with the customer but you are probably being highly recommended
or the referral wouldn't have asked for you in the first place. With this
being the case it is to your advantage to increase the number of referrals
that you receive. Sure, sounds easy enough and whenever I say that most
salespeople respond with the same comment, “Sounds easy enough, but I
ask all of my customers for referrals.”

Remember what I said at the beginning of this article. If you are not hitting
your goals it probably is not because you are setting the wrong goals, it is
because the process you are using to attain them has broken down.
Remember in a day and age when words like, identity theft, privacy notice,
unlisted phone number and do not call lists prevail even your best
customers will be hesitant to hand over the personal information of their
friends and family members. What this means is that you must focus a
more concentrated effort on earning the business of the individuals closest
to your customer. You must focus on what their immediate family members
are driving and better yet when they plan on replacing the vehicles that
they are driving. Sure a newly found customer may not be willing to give
you his co-workers name and phone number but he does have a wife who
drives and maybe even a son or daughter that is driving or will be soon.
Once you discover this information you must implement ways to remain
proactive regarding their replacement plan for these vehicles. Find out
when these vehicles will be replaced and with what. This will allow you to
stay proactive in their entire families buying process.

Sure developing, implementing this process and following through with it

may sound like a lot of work but always remember car sales is the easiest,
low paying job you will ever have or the hardest, high paying profession
you will never leave. Which will it be? You decide.

“You can't run from laziness. It knows you are to easy to follow.”

Jeffrey F. Knot