One of the most important aspects of the meet and greet is that it is step number one of the sales process.

That means that unless we do this correctly, it really diminishes our chances of continuing the way we would like, through the rest of the process.

The goal here should be to get to step number 2, the interview, as this is where our customers can start seeing us as a person, instead of a salesperson. 

We have to understand that most of our customers do not want to come inside, they don't want to give you any information either, they just want to go and look at the goods! So it is important not to use any of those words in the initial meet and greet.

 What we do want though is this:

To give a warm welcome to the dealership

To introduce ourselves and get the customer's name

To find out if they are here to see anyone other than you

 To ascertain why they are here

To give them a reason to follow you

So, the "script" should go something like this:

"Good Morning/Afternoon, welcome to ABC dealership - I'm Michael Rees." (If you hesitate after the introduction, your customer will normally volunteer their name instead of you asking for it). 

"And you are?" (Only if your customer hasn't already volunteered their name.) 

"Do you mind if I write that down, I am bad with names?" (I don't have an issue if this part is not done, as long as you never have to ask for the customer's name again - if you do, you just told your customer you haven't been listening to them or paying attention!?

"Are you here to see anyone in particular?"

"So, what brings you to our dealership today?"

"Great, let's just take a couple of seconds so I can find out what's important to you, then we can head off in the right direction, fair enough?"

 Once these words are mastered, then you can add to it to make it your own, and even customize to fit each customer. 

 

There is no doubt that whatever it is that you are selling, if you don't get the meet and greet right, you will struggle to get to the close.

Whether you are selling RV's, cars, boats, parts or service, it is essential to have a solid game plan. 

Many people refer to this game plan as the sales process, or the road to a sale. Whatever you choose to call it, it all starts with how we meet and greet our customers in the first place.

We have some rules to use in order to conduct the best meet and greet, they are as follows:

1. Be Prompt
2. Don't jump on the customer
3. Never say "Can I help you?"
4. Firm, professional handshake
5. Big sincere smile
6. Eye contact
7. No sunglasses
8. No smoking or chewing gum
9. No hands in pockets
10. Enthusiastic walk

There is a quote in the book called The One Minute Salesperson, by Spencer Johnson, that goes like this:

"People don't buy our products, services or ideas, they buy how they imagine using them will make them feel." 

So although I say you should stop selling your product, what I really mean by this is that we should all understand that our customers buy the benefits of ownership, rather than the actual product itself.

For example, why do you buy a power drill?

The answer - to drill holes.

So you are buying the fact that you will be able to drill holes faster and neater with this power drill than if you had to drill a hole without it. You don't buy the metal casing or the power cord, you buy what the drill can do for you.

Let's take that thought process further.

As our customers will buy what our products will do for them, shouldn't we tailor our presentation of our products accordingly?

The way to do this is with a feature/function/benefit presentation.

Feature = what it is

Function = what it does

Benefit = what it does for the customer 

Don't expect to sell by listing all the features on your product - your customers want to know how owning your product will benefit them, and once they see a value, they are likely to want to make a purchase.

So stop selling the product, and concentrate on selling the benefits! 

Happy New Year!! “Suggestive Selling During the Appointment Setting Process”

“2013 is here!!”  With the momentum from 2012 and enhanced service processes and procedures that were implemented throughout the year, there is one process that we have to emphasize on this year to capitalize on service and parts sales dollars.

You guessed it  - “suggestive selling” during the appointment or reservation process. 

Of course there are many things that we need to be proficient at when on the phone or in person during this procedure, lets review:

1)    Getting all appropriate alpha information such as the correct name that the vehicle is “titled” in, updated address, contact phone number, email address (ask me about sharing with the customer a benefit prior to asking). Hopefully this is already in your DMS.

2)    Setting appointment times every 20 minutes to ½ hour on the hour for each advisor and rotating the customers between each of the advisors will be valuable in maximizing time.   This time is needed to spend with each customer at the counter and, more especially in the service drive walking around the customer’s vehicle to complete the “initial walk-around & courtesy inspection”.   Performing these walk-arounds, checking for damages and understanding the customers concerns, will build rapport for up-sells and recommended maintenance.

3)    Suggestive selling & recommending factory specified maintenance using the maintenance and repair history from the DMS during the conversation.

As mentioned in the video, this is a prime opportunity to recommend specified factory maintenance to protect the customer’s investment, get the longevity out of their vehicle they deserve, and eliminate costly future repairs!! 

The above word tracks is verbiage that is taught to advisors for conversation during the phone call, feel free to use the word tracks!!

For those of us that are calling the customer prior to their appointment to confirm the appointment, this is a second chance to propose maintenance that is needed.

When we suggest maintenance that is recommended during the phone call, the advisors are finding out first hand how easy it can be to sell the additional labor and parts sales just by being assumptive.  We are better equipped to handle any objections at this time as well.

In addition do not forget that we are trying to fill each tech's available hours and schedule and load the shop appropriately.

We are much more efficient during dispatching when we have sold the maintenance a week ago and are prepared for what needs to be completed prior to starting our day.

Next month we will discuss tools needed for acceptance and declining recommended services!!

“See you in the lane”

For many of you, 2012 was a breakout year - you managed to ignore the pessimists, and you even managed to create your own economy.

So what do you need to do to continue this trend into 2013? Quite simply, plan for it! The more detailed a plan you have, the more chance you have of making it work.

If 2012 has not been a year that you wish to remember, you need to plan to do something different.

The age old saying, "If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you always got" will certainly come into play. So don't do the same things as 2012 and expect different results, it just won't happen.

The video below, recorded in 2010, has been one of the most watched videos we have produced. It is about starting a new month - we are about to start a whole new set of months, so hopefully the video will help you with your planning.

 

When you make your customers feel good about their interaction with you, they want to keep on interacting with you.

In the video above, I talk about 3 simple ways you can have an immediate impact - a positive one - on your customers' experiences. They are:

Acknowledgement:Everybody wants to be acknowledged - even if you just can't wait on that person right at that particular moment, they need to know that you know they are there. I prefer if it if you are able, to stop what you are doing and give the customer in front of you all of your attention. Make them feel wanted, instead of just a part of your normal day.

Eye contact:Your customer MUST be able to establish eye contact with you, if not, they won't trust you. For this to happen, you have to look at your customer - in their eyes. Let them see the person you are, rather than just an employee in a dealership waiting to take their money.

Smile:This is huge. You smile, and your customer will have a difficult time not doing the same. Without a smile on your face, how do you portray yourself to the customer? You must be sincere though, so do whatever you have to do to put a smile on your face. Your customers will enjoy their time with you.

Do these 3 simple things, and watch your customers enjoy their time with you. If they do that, they are more likely to do business with you. 

Professional footballers train and practice way more than they actually play professionally.

Professional salespeople (including people who sell service and parts) do the opposite. They sell way more than they train and practice.

So why do professional footballers do what they do? Quite simply - they want to be the best of the best, not just the average players. Average players do not make it - they end up playing football as a pastime instead of being paid handsomely for it.

If we as a profession took a leaf out of the NFL's book, and trained and practiced as much as we worked, how much better would we be?

If we trained and practiced just half as much again as we do already, how much better would we be?

I believe that every single one of you said you would be much better - so don't waste any more time - get a training plan together, then work that plan.

Don't wait for tomorrow, or the new month or even the new year, do it now!! Get ahead of your competition, become a professional - train like one!!

Both the video above and the one below really say it all - world-class people giving world-class experiences to others.

We all need to treat other people exceptionally - do this with customers and watch your customer base grow.

The 3 individuals talked about in these 2 videos all treat other people exceptionally. They all make a difference with other people's lives.

Take these experiences - examine your daily routines. What can you do to make a difference?

Let us know your stories so we can share them.