Monday, June 12, 2006

It’s Summer Show Time!

Success Hints

The first fifteen minutes -
You win or lose in the first fifteen minutes if you are in the car and truck business.

SO how good are you at show time? Is it a comedy? A tragedy? Or a monologue? A hit? Or is the show cancelled? We are not talking about the latest effort from Hollywood or New York, but your last sales presentation.

Have you ever had a prospect say to you, “you have fifteen minutes to convince me that I should give you any more of my valuable time?”

Maybe not exactly like that but…. if they don't say it, you can bet they are thinking it. When the customer gets out of their car, you are on stage and ….

It's show time.

If you are going to sell your prospect you have fifteen minutes:


  • To build a positive rapport.
  • To establish an atmosphere of trust and respect.
  • To gain control of the sales process.
  • To uncover your prospect’s needs, desires, attitudes, opinions, problems and potential resistance.
  • To gather specific vehicle and financial information that you require to land them on the right vehicle.
  • To confirm your interest in helping them make the right decisions.
  • To discover the dominant emotional buying motives.
  • To sell them on the need for you to deliver the balance of your presentation.

A lot in just fifteen minutes? Yes, but if you don’t your clients are gone.

The key role: The ability to ask the right questions, in the right way, at the right time.

Remember, your prospect is constantly asking themselves, "Why should I give you more of my valuable time?" The ability to ask the right questions at the right time and in the right way keeps the prospect's focus on his/her needs, problems, concerns and keeps you off …..pitching your vehicles and features too soon!.

That’s right! Don’t start offering solutions to customer’s vehicle needs until you know their needs. Don’t show any vehicles until you know what they want.

It also shows the prospect you are more interested in them, than you are in just selling anything to them. This is one of the best ways to build trust and rapport in your relationship.


Sales quote for the week:
Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.
- John F. Kennedy

Let's summarize with a few basic sales presentation rules when you are on stage each summer day.
  1. Your prospect will tell you what you need to sell them. Ask good questions.

  2. The information you don't get soon enough, will hurt you later in the process.

  3. Just because the prospect says they aren’t buying, doesn’t mean they are not.

  4. People buy from people they trust, not people they like.

  5. People buy for 'their' reasons not yours. Discover their reasons. Ask! The client will tell you how to help them make their decision.

Any questions? If you want the specific questions to ask, come to my Skill Specific Coaching workshops. You will get the answers. Let the show begin.

Have a great summer selling day!
Dave.