How to Become a Great Car Salesman
Becoming a great car salesman takes time and patience. While you can do many things to improve your customer service and product knowledge, some traits, such as being able to achieve good rapport with customers or simply convey a naturally personable and likable character, depend on personality. Any salesman can improve with honest effort. Over time, consistency and hard work pays off.
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Instructions
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Revisit product knowledge training or seek out product knowledge on your own. Learn interesting facts about the vehicles you sell, including gas mileage, awards, safety ratings and options. Being able to answer questions immediately makes you appear knowledgeable, authoritative and trustworthy.
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Know your competitors. If you are doing a walk-around, which is displaying the car to your customer, you should be able to comfortably talk about competitors' models and state why the vehicle you are showing is the ideal choice while being subtle and not verbally bashing other cars or dealers. Perfect your walk-around -- you have one shot to gain interest, so don't leave anything out.
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Keep your walk-around relevant to the customer you are with. Do not show a safety-concerned mother how easy it is to change a headlight bulb. Focus on what the customer is looking for, not what you think is important.
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Follow your dealer procedures, such as bringing your customer inside for an interview before walking around the lot or conducting a walk-around. Ask questions that deserve answers and steer clear from yes or no answers. Ask why the customer wants another car, what cars she finds attractive and why, and what she liked best about her last car and didn't like at all.
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Ask about budget. It is unnecessary to show a customer a car that will cost $450 per month when he has a budget of a $250. Determine credit standing by asking what rate you should figure for payment budgeting to calculate a price range. Those who know they have bad credit will let you run a credit report while those with excellent credit will tell you they will qualify for the best rates.
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Explain the vehicle in detail before the customer test-drives it. Make sure the mirrors are set and the seat is properly proportioned to his height. Show you want to make the test drive a positive experience by finding a radio station the customer likes and turning to it, turning it down so he can hear how the car operates at the beginning of the drive and turning it up once the customer is comfortable driving. This creates comfort with you and the car.
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Be honest when dealing with your customer. If you can give a better deal and the sale depends on it, do so, and if you can't, tell the customer why. If you have built a positive rapport with your customer, it is likely she will work with you to make the sale.
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Establish a follow-up system and stick to it. When you sell a car, note birthdays and dates of sales to follow up with cards or phone calls on holidays and every month after purchase to keep your name fresh in the customer's mind for future sales. Referrals are often a reliable source of business.
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Keep your word. Call when you say you will and be present for your deliveries -- when the customer picks up the vehicle -- and appointments.
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Avoid laziness. The more people you work with, the more sales you'll achieve. Even if a customer does not buy from you, she may send three other people your way because of the customer service experience you provided.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not judge anyone and follow your process. You'd be surprised how much money a young student has once he is ready to purchase. If the customer is on your lot, you should treat him as a person who is ready to buy that day. And if he doesn't buy, keep moving.
Don't let your emotions affect you at work. If you feel that someone wasted your time for three hours, learn what you can from it and move on. There is always something that could have been done differently. Identify it and try something different once the opportunity presents itself again.
Customers will cancel sales and be less than truthful about purchase issues no matter how good of a salesman you are. Take none of it personally and make the best of the customers you have.
References
- Photo Credit keys to the new car image by Jake Hellbach from Fotolia.com
