Selling cars can be extremely difficult, primarily because it is a big investment on the customer’s part, and they try to get the best deal possible. Also, the competition these days does not make this task any easier. So, when it comes to car sales any good advice will come in handy. The following article is here to help you out in this department. We are going to cover some of the techniques or methods that you can use to increase the chances of your sale, and some self-improvement tips that can also be useful.
Don’t listen to so called “Old Timers”
You will hear a lot of different suggestions when it comes to salesman advice, and some of them are completely useless. The so-called Old Timers, or experienced salesmen, might tell you how you need to be confident, positive, move on straight to the point, or give the ABC ( Always be closing) speech. Honestly it’s not terrible advice, but it is somewhat useless nowadays.
People, or customers are all different, someone might like the act, someone can be driven away by it, so the quality and efficiency of these types of tips is quite questionable, since it all depends on whether people like you or not. The only universal truth nowadays, is that customers love to feel appreciated, they love a salesman who solves their problems, not just take their money.
A great greeting can leave a great first impression
As we’ve mentioned in the previous paragraph, people want to be appreciated when they are making a big investment like car purchase, so it’s you job as a salesmen to show them appreciation. If you greet your customers with – “Hi there, how can I help you?” The answer you can expect to hear is – “I am just looking around.”
Basically, the question will most likely end the conversation. However, if you were to start with – “Hi! Welcome to (Name of the store). My name is (your name), and you are?” Then things start of differently. The customers feels welcome, you give out your name and get his or her name in return, so some sort of minor bond is formed, which can result in a sale afterwards.
Use auto dealership software
Another way to fully optimize the sale process is to get a helping hand from technology, or to be precise, auto dealership software. The majority of dealerships already operate on this principle, since using these tools can really be beneficial. You will have a clear overview of your merchandise, and you can easily update any specifications, put on new prices, or new products etc.
Furthermore, your potential customers will be far more informed, so you should definitely start using these programs. The thing is, there are a lot of different software solutions you can acquire, and some of them are more user-friendly, or have better features etc. Since this is the case, you should check out reviews for software for auto dealerships, to find out what other users think about particular tool, or simply sign up for a trial period and test it out yourself.
Test drive with potential customers
If you want to increase the chances of your sale, and pick customers interest in the first place, then you need to adequately present the experience that you are offering. In other words, you need to take a test ride with your potential customer. This way you have the opportunity to show them just how driving the car they are interested in really feels.
Even if they are not satisfied, they will be open to suggestions and you can turn that into your favor, you can see what they didn’t like and offer them a vehicle that will fit them. During the ride you can engage in small talk, just to show them how friendly and helpful you really are. If they like you, chances are they will look forward to buying a car from your shop. Also, customers might be nervous riding a new car they do not own, so you might have to drive them.
Don’t profile your customers
One of the major deal breakers in this business is asking for a credit score; this is none of your business, as the bank will decide whether your customer can or cannot buy a car. So, do not judge someone based on what they are wearing, or how they behave; you have your sales pitch routine and you should stick to it.
As mentioned, customers want respect, and they might feel uncomfortable sharing their credit score, so just ignore the question and assume that everyone is there to make a purchase based on your performance as a salesman.
Work on your presentation and be charismatic
Once you are interacting with your customers, try to be a bit funny and make them laugh, say a few jokes or tell funny stories that happened to you while you were working etc. When you are presenting the product, speak like a professional. You know how those people on YouTube to thorough reviews of the product, and they compare it to previous models, or other current models?
You should do the same thing, give them a thorough insight into the product and no need to overhype it or to sugar coat anything; just be honest and focus more on the positive sides of the ride. People appreciate an honest opinion and feel more comfortable, because they know you are not trying to hassle them for their cash. If they see that you know this stuff, they will feel more comfortable to ask for your opinion, and this can be your sales pitch.
Study your competition
Here is yet another useful suggestion. You need to know what service is like in your competitor’s store. So, you can walk into their stores and pretend you are an interested customer. See how they interact with potential buyers, and what kind of cars they offer. If they have more sales than you, then you might pick up a few useful things.
Online Store
Lastly, if you want to be a good salesman you need to have an online store, because people nowadays mostly shop online. You need to have your products displayed there, and you need to use a high quality camera when you take car photos, and it would also be good to put on some videos that show how the car performs.
You should also have a Facebook page on your store, and you also need to be very responsive there, because people might want to ask you something product-related in private message. As far as your website is concerned, you can’t stop there because just having a website will rarely do you any good. You need to do some SEO and boost its rankings, therefore you might have to hire SEO agency to help you out here.
As you can see there are a lot of things you can do in order to increase the sale rate of your car shop. You can also look into some upselling techniques or some customer incentive programs for your type of work, as these can be really helpful. But, for now try to follow the tips provided above, since they are all cost-efficient and you can apply them immediately.
You will see how your sales will gradually start to improve and how more and more people are going out of your store as satisfied customers. It’s important that you love what you are doing and that you want to help out those who are interested in buying a car, because your behavior will reflect those goals. I wish you the best of luck in your future business ventures, and many successful transactions.
