How to Be a Successful Car Salesman
In the car sales industry there are two main types of salesmen customers encounter: the successful car salesman that has happy customers and who sells sells a lot of cars and the car salesman who just flies by the seat of his pants, selling the bare minimum. If you want to learn how to be a successful car salesman, you need to practice the successful habits of successful car salesmen. They greet their customers, determine their needs by listening effectively, make themselves "likeable", and deal with objections.
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Things You'll Need
- Professional appearance
- Solid knowledge of the make and model of cars you are selling.
- Sound knowledge of your competitors' make and models.
Instructions
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The Greeting
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When a customer comes onto a car lot for the first time, he may feel intimidated because he feels out of his element. Your first job as a professional is to make the customer feel at ease, so reach out, shake his hand, and welcome him to the car dealer's lot. Oftentimes, the customer will not have a clear idea on where to begin. Remember, while you sell anywhere from 10 to 20 cars a month, the customer only does this once every 3 to 6 years or longer.
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Next comes the interview process where you begin to get an idea of what the customer is looking for. You can do the interview either at your desk or on the car lot as your walking with him around your inventory of cars. The interview occurs any time the customer talks or communicates through body language or tone of voice. As a professional, you should engage in effective listening to determine the customer's wants and needs during this phase of the sales process. If a customer remarks about a color on a car being hideous, avoid the color. If the customer remarks how spacious the interior of a car is after sitting in it and mentions how comfortable he and his three kids would be in it, you should remember spaciousness when talking about benefits of owning that particular car.
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You should strive to be helpful without pushing to close the sale. Closing the deal becomes a natural by-product of engaging the customer by making him comfortable with you. Your goal should be to match his wants and needs to the right vehicle. Answer all questions knowledgeably as well honestly, even about a competitor's products. If you present yourself as a professional, an authority in your industry, and remain helpful, you will gain the customer's trust which can be a deciding factor in closing the sale. Your honesty and knowledge will help lower the customer's guard, allowing him to know you better as a person and therefore making you more likeable. Often, people will buy from you simply because in the end they like and trust you better than other car salesmen, which can be a huge advantage for you.
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Next, ask for their business and get the customer to commit on some level to owning the car. Asking, "Mr./Mrs. Smith, if I could get all the numbers related to owning this car agreeable to you to where you are totally satisfied, then would you be interested in buying right now?" helps you get either a "yes" or "no" from the customer. Whichever you get, you will have to handle all his objections in order to close the sale. Any time you have an objection from a prospect, it is usually because he needs more information or you need to address something he hasn't revealed. Typically, its the result of fearing that he can't afford the car or fears committing to own the car. Try to draw out the reasons, using questions like "I understand that it is a lot of money, but if I could get the monthly payments to fit within your budget to your satisfaction would that help you say 'yes' to owning it today?" Try always to ask questions that need a "yes" to go forward as the customer's saying "yes" repeatedly will likely keep him saying "yes" and help you close the sale.
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By following these key factors and steps as you evolve into a successful salesman, you should understand the 80% of your peers will not follow these steps in order to be a successful car salesman. Instead, most of your peers will continue to struggle rather than take the path to mastery and become a professional; instead, they keep flying by the seat of their pants like an amateur. If you resolve to learn these steps and dedicate a small portion of your time to improving your skill in each step, you will learn how to be a successful car salesman and become one of the top performers in your field.
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Tips & Warnings
When engaging in effective listening with your customer either standing or at a desk, do what Brian Tracy, a famous sales trainer, suggests by shifting the weight to the balls of your feet. This shifts your energy forward and subliminally communicates to your customer that you are very interested in what he's saying. This raises his self-esteem, making them feel better about themselves and feel better about you. This makes it easier to build rapport but also makes it much easier for him to open up to you so that you help sell him the best vehicle you have.
Always, always keep your customer's best interest at heart. There are times when it is tempting to put them in a vehicle where you stand to make a big commission or bonus but, in the long-term, you will only hurt yourself. By maintaining an honest and objective view during the interview process, you gain a measure of credibility that many car salesmen never experience in their careers. If you put someone in a car knowing that it is the wrong choice but choosing your gain over his best interest, you will hurt yourself with lost referrals, chances at repeat business, and poor customer satisfaction scores.
