After a salesperson has found a car from a customer and they've driven it, do your salespeople know what to do when they get that customer into the showroom? I'll bet they shoot from the hip a bit. Maybe they take them in and start negotiating, maybe they give them a tour and maybe they even waltz them over to the brochure rack (a fate worse than death). I'd like to share a simple plan that can give your salespeople more confidence because they will know exactly what to do.
Every sale is different because every customer is different, but every sale is the same because every customer is the same. The inconsistencies lie in the salesperson being reactive instead of proactive--letting the customer lead.
What should happen when a salesperson and a customer walk back into the dealership is a dealership tour; ten minutes or so is perfect:
"Mr. Jones, this is our service reception area. When you come in for recommended maintenance, you can wait here. We have magazines, free coffee, donuts and a TV. Or, of course, if you let me know when you're coming in, I'll be here to give you a lift back to work. Then I'll pick you up when your car is ready. Now, this is the service drive-through area. I'll introduce you to our service manager. Bill, this is Mr. Jones. He's going to be buying a new Cavalier from us and I told him if he has any questions at all, you're the man to see. Now Mr. Jones, through that door is the service department. We have seventeen fully certified ASE technicians. They will get things done for you right the first time. Here is our parts department. We have over $1,000,000 in parts, which means we'll have the right part in stock for you to save you time. If you'll follow me over here, we have our full-service body shop. Heaven forbid you have an accident with your new car, but at least you can rest assured that we can get it back to like-new condition. Our equipment is state-of-the-art. That is the body shop manager, Mary, over there helping that customer. I'll introduce you to her when she is free. She is one person I hope you never have to see again."
That was a typical dealership tour script.
Now let me clarify a few things:
1. It is always "recommended maintenance," never "when your car breaks down."
2. Make sure that your salespeople have plenty of benefits to go with the features. A million dollar part inventory is a feature. Having the right part in stock to save the customer time is the benefit. Every dealership claims to have a million dollar inventory, but not every salesperson is telling the customer that and the ones that are probably aren't adding the benefit to make their dealership stand out.
3. Obviously if the manager is busy, the salesperson shouldn't interrupt, but he or she can always introduce the customer to the assistant service manager or at least a service advisor.
4. If you have a shuttle service, mention it.
5. If you have free loaner cars, mention it.
6. If you have a rental car fleet at reduced rates, mention it.
7. Never have salespeople take customers to the brochure rack. It just gives the customer another opportunity to say, "Well, I'm going to have to think about this." If a customer has found a car on the lot they like, what do they need a brochure for?
8. For the same reason, I never want to leave the customer alone wandering the showroom floor. They will find some other option or some other car and are going to want to think about that, too.
I would highly recommend that you use one of your sales meetings to perform a dealership tour with your sales staff. I would do it with no more than four salespeople at a time. If you have ten salespeople following a manager through the dealership, the four in the back of the line are talking to each other and not listening (especially salespeople that have been with you for a while). This is nothing new to them, so they get apathetic. What you'll want to remind your experienced salespeople is that the gross profit will go up if they do tours and build value in your dealership. Remember, a customer can buy a Chevrolet anywhere, but this is the only place they can buy one from you. Give them a reason to do business with you.
It is your manager's responsibility to make sure all the information for the tour is accurate.
1. How many technicians do you have?
2. How much is your parts inventory worth?
3. Does this new salesperson who has been with you for three weeks even know who the body shop manager is?
4. What are the service department hours and which technicians work when?
5. What kind of state-of-the-art equipment does your body shop have?
6. Is there a viewing area so a customer can actually see some of this high-tech work going on?
7. Is there a smart, confident, articulate service technician whom you can use as a spokesperson for the service department when a salesperson brings in a customer?
When walking through the dealership, be sure that salespeople have notepads and write down specific things to say to their customers. They could even have a script. You can test them on it at the next meeting and give out spiffs for the best tour ideas. Good luck and good selling!
A 22-year veteran of the automotive industry, Jack Bennett is the author of "You Can and Should Sell Cars," a book which has sold thousands of copies and is being used in sales training by dealers from the Bahamas to Canada. If you have specific questions or require more information about this subject, please check the appropriate box on the reader response form on page 3. jbennett@dealeronline.com