I Still Object!
By Jack Bennett
Last month, we started to discuss objections and some techniques your salespeople can use to overcome them. Before I go on to explain several more, I want to review just what an objection is. Remember, there are really very few legitimate objections. Age, bad credit and negative equity are the most common. What most salespeople refer to as objections are really nothing more than excuses. An excuse is a stall for time or an indication that a person cannot buy without losing face.
Excuse #1: "I need to talk to my banker."
There are a couple of schools of thought on overcoming this objection, and they have to do with why the customer is saying it. If the salesperson is trying to close the deal and has not gotten an offer yet, and the customer says, "Before I can make a decision, I'll have to talk to my banker," the salesperson should say, "That's fine Mr. Customer. He/she will need all the numbers, ID and the bottom line. Let's you and I work out a great buy today and you can take a copy of the contract with you. You can take my demo."
The other way the banker comes up is in this scenario:
- "I've got to see what my bank can do for financing;" or,
- "My bank has better rates;" or,
- "I don't need to see your F&I person."
"That's fine Mr. Customer, we wouldn't deny you the right to shop for financing, just like you shop for a car. We'll have you talk to our Business Manager and he'll tell you what he can do for you, then you can talk to your bank and see what they can do. Whichever works out better for you is what we want you to do. Now just OK the order for me and I'll introduce you."
Naturally we want the customer to finance with us, and you know that with a strong business office, very few of those people will end up going to their own bank.
Excuse #2: "I've got you beat."
"I'm sure there is someone in this city who thinks less of his product, his dealership, his service and himself as a salesperson and would cut his price below mine. But we feel that we have the best dealership in town and the best service afterwards. If price is the only object, then we can take some accessories off the car. But we do not think a man in your position should drive a car without these accessories. And you won't know until you trade this car in one, two or three years from now, whether or not you got a good deal. Money does not necessarily determine a good or bad deal. It's the service after the sale that's important. If you will ok the order for me, I'll get management to approve it."
Excuse #3: "I want to shop around."
"I think that's fine. What areyou shopping for?" The customer will usually say, "I don't know if I'm getting a good deal." The salesperson should ask him to explain what a good deal is. I also believe that the response listed above can be utilized for the "I want to shop around" objection. A salesperson really needs to sell him or herself as well as the dealership.
I want you to remind your salespeople of something: They are professional automobile salespeople. They could relocate anywhere in the country and get a job selling cars tomorrow. But they don't. They work for you because they want to. They like the store and the product. Make sure they relate that to their customers.
Next issue we are going to cover, in-depth, all the trade-in objections.
Good luck and good selling.
A 25-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. jbennett@dealeronline.com
