Stop selling and stop pitching, especially during those crucial fi rst minutes with the customer.

Consider the pressure removed from both you and your customer when you stop selling. In most cases, sales pitches and clichés are exactly what your customer expects when entering your dealership. These tactics will most likely
engage the customers force fi eld, making the sale a long and sometimes volatile one.

Let’s review a scenario:
A customer enters the showroom of the dealership.

Your manager says, “Who’s up?”
“I am,” you say, with little enthusiasm as you approach the customer.

“Hi folks, I’m Adam and you are?” “Charlie and Mary,” they respond apprehensively.

“How may I help you today?” “Well, we are just looking.”

Case in point: You have made a detrimental error by creating an uphill battle. What can you say when the customer tells you he or she is merely looking? Anything you say at this point means either you didn’t understand them
or you are being overly pushy. Most sales people at this point are prepared to pounce and start selling.

“Well, okay, but we have a big sale going on,” you say.

The force fi eld is engaged, and the typical customer response is: “Let us look for a while, and we’ll look for you if we need assistance.”

This is how many sales people sell themselves into a corner. If your ultimate intention is to sell and close the deal, you must realize that your initial focus should be to disengage the customers force fi eld. This is accomplished
by building a relationship based on trust and emotion. If you are able tap into the emotional cords of your customers, you will undoubtedly transform yourself into a sales leader.

It’s fair to assume that almost every customer you meet has heard the same spiel from another sales person. Just like you, their product is the best, they offer the best service, etc. As powerful and relevant as your message may be, unless you disengage the customers force fi eld, your message will fall on def ears and sometimes even have a negative effect on customers.

The most powerful tool in your salestoolbox is to stop selling and start communicating with your customers.

W.I.T.H.
OK, you have introduced yourself to the customer. Most good sales people will welcome, introduce and thank. The question, “How did you hear about us?” is usually missing, but this question sets the stage for small talk rather than selling.

Find out about the customer. People love to talk about themselves. These are great conversation starters and offer you the important information you will need to consummate the sale.

Will the small talk feel strange? You bet it will. But it will enable you to relate, fi nd common ground and expand your comfort zone. Most sales people can’t sell to people they can’t relate to. This technique helps overcome that. But don’t venture beyond three minutes.

During the small talk, you will be able to gently ask, “How much time did you plan to spend with us today?” Follow that with, “What are you driving now?” Get them to talk about their car and the experiences they’ve had with it.

“How do you like it?” “Is this the car you are looking to replace?” Answers to these questions usually open the door for further conversation and afford you the opportunity to ask, “How much time did you plan to spend with us today?”

This answer alone will tell you precisely how much time you have left to disengage the force fi eld, if you have not already done so. It will also bring up legitimate time constraints, and no matter what the answer is, it works.

If the customer’s response is, “I only have fi ve minutes” or “I only have one minute” or “20 minutes,” your response should be, “To make the best use of your 20 minutes, let me ask you a few quick questions, so I can point
us in the right direction.” Turn toward your offi ce and go.

What’s in it for the customer? You are respecting his or her time, and after a few quick questions, they will see what they came for.

Using the word “us,” is important. It conveys the message that you and your customer are a team and that you will be working together.

Bring the customer to your desk. This not only sets the pace for you to be in control, but it enables you to build on the relationship