Follow up, follow up, and follow up has been the mantra of Managers and Owners since the horse and buggy years. The though being if you follow up you will sell more cars. Follow up alone will not close more deals, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Relationship building in conjunction with smart follow up is what will increase your closing percentage. Greet and listen to the customer and find his needs and interests as you follow the steps of the sales process. The information that you gather in the first couple minutes will increase your odds of winning the deal. Knowledge is king and the use of technology to record data will give you an edge when you reach for the sale.
Dealers overthink the basics and forget about the sales relationship between a sales person and the potential customer. The concern is more about the steps of the sale than the sale. Steps of the sale and structure are important in the process but building a common ground with the customer will close more deals than just following a restrictive sales process.
Dealers should think of today’s Smartphone, IPod, IPad and the new way to communicate and empower the sales person, it would be a novel idea. I ran a sales floor for over 35 years and empowering does work. All that it needs to work well is a team effort with a strong champion, simple technology and structure. Sales persons will embrace technology and see the benefits of data management as they sell more cars. Empowered sales people do not give away the store; they increase profitability by keeping strong business relations with their customers. Empowerment helps retain sales people, which in turn help retain your customer base. It is a WIN, WIN for all.
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