But how do we make sure these RV buyers go from a view, to a lead, and then to a buyer?
We focus on our lead optimization and RV sales process – which is a topic for another blog.
The way to focus on your lead optimization is to make sure your RV dealership isn’t giving out all the information your customer needs on your website.
For example, if your website shows your customer the best price, then your customer can use that info against you to negotiate a better price with their local RV dealership.
The better approach, is to require a Name, Phone Number, and Email to get your RV dealerships best price.
This way your online viewer turns into a customer lead that your sales team can start a conversation with.
We need make sure our dealerships website, digital marketing, and social media, is creating customer leads for our sales teams in the most efficient ways possible.
The fact is, without starting a conversation between our online viewer and our sales teams, the dealership will never sell a RV.
This means the main focus of your RV dealerships digital, social media, traditional, and radio marketing is to create a customer lead so your sales team can start the conversation.
If your current marketing efforts aren’t doing this, your RV dealership has a big problem.
The main question you have to ask when evaluating your lead optimization is, “How can I use my marketing budget to generate customer leads more efficiently?”.
The way you do this?
Audit your marketing budget!
If you’re spending $500 on a radio ad that brings you 1 customer lead a month, then you’re spending $500 for one lead.
If you put the same $500 into a Facebook Ad campaign where you generate a customer lead for 1$, then you will get 500 leads for that same $500 budget that got you 1 lead on the radio.
This is lead optimization.
RV dealerships are missing out on the magic Facebook Ads and other digital channels can provide for their dealerships, while car dealerships are taking full advantage.
Some customers come to the RV show to look at the new units while others come to the show for entertainment.
The customers that we need to pay attention to are the customers who come to the RV show to get the best deal of the year on a new RV.
The problem?
It’s hard to distinguish which customers come to the RV show to buy and which ones come just to look at units.
If you spend your time with customers who are just looking at RVs and have no intention to buy then you won’t have a great show.
On the flip side, if you know how to look for buying signals in your show customers and talk to the right customers than you could have the RV show of a lifetime.
But how do you do this?
What buying signals can you see in these RV show customers?
In this blog you will learn how to identify buying signals from RV show customers so that you can spend more time talking to the right customers and less time with looky loos.
Here are a few strong buying signals from a RV show buyer:
Buyers inspect the RV while lookers walk through the RV.
Buyers ask financial and money questions while looky loo’s don’t.
Buyers will sit in and discuss things about the RV for long periods of time while looky loo’s will walk through unit after unit with no purpose.
Buyers will inquire with their kids and significant other about how your RV will meet their needs, while lookers will point out “cool features”.
Buyers will ask towing capacity and truck questions about the RV while lookers will ask basic questions.
Buyers will compare your RV to others in the show so they can decide which is the best RV for them to buy.
Buyers Inspect The RV While Looky Loo’s Walk Through The RV
When you’re selling at a RV show, talking to the right customers makes all the difference.
If you waste time with the wrong customers and let the buyers walk past your section then you’re going to have a tough RV show.
One thing to watch for with your RV show traffic is for the customers inspecting your RV.
If you see a couple, or a person walking quickly from one RV to the next, they’re more than likely just looking.
The customers who are at the show to buy, are usually looking for a specific floor plan, and when they find it, they inspect the RV to see if it will work for them.
They look at the beds, open all the cabinets, and inquire about all the features.
They look at all the storage, compare the counter space, and look for all the features the need in their next RV.
Be sure to pay attention to the RV show traffic that are inspecting your RVs, because this is one of your buying signs.
Pro tip on how to sell more RVs at a RV show – don’t stop talking to buyers!
Buyers Ask Financial And Money Questions While Looky Loo’s Don’t
Be careful of the looky Loo’s because they will waste your time and the last thing you want is to waste time while you’re selling at a RV show.
Looky Loo’s will walk from RV to RV and ask basic questions or point out “cool features” while show buyers will ask finance and money questions.
If you have a RV show customer asking questions like, “How much will this RV cost me in a monthly payment?” or “What kind of term can you get on this RV?”
Questions like this from your customers show that they have intention of maybe pulling this RV.
It shows your customer is curious about their truck and how your RV will feel behind it.
If customers are walking in RV after RV and asking questions about the “cool features” but never asking weight or towing questions, you may be with a looky Loo so you better be able to know the difference.
RV Show Buyers Will Compare Your Unit With Other RVs In The Show
When you have RV show customers who are making comparisons with your RV and a couple other RVs then you’re probably with buyers.
People who come to you and ask questions about this RV compared to a different brand, and compared to a different price, you’re with RV buyers.
These are the show customers that you need to pay attention to because they are the customers that are going to buy.
When your customers are comparing 2 different units, they’re at their final buying stage and you have to close on this.
If they’re in your RV and comparing it to another and you let them leave, it might be the last time you see them.
You have to make sure to go for more than 5 no’s when these customers are in your RV because its time to close the deal.
Pay Attention To These Buying Signs To Sell More RV Show Units
When selling at a RV show, these are some of the buying signals that will help you not waste time.
Wasting your time at a RV show is the worst thing you can do, because you only have the allotted hours of the show to close RV deals and a RV show can make or break your sales year.
Make sure when you sell at your next RV show, that you pay attention to these buying signals and you will sell more RVs!
There is nothing more annoying than watching sales people talk news, sports, and weather with their customers; stop talking news, sports, and weather to build rapport with your customers!
Some sales people talk about the daily news or how the Browns just fired Freddie Kitchens.
Others say things like,”Oh, this is some beautiful weather we’re having today” or “My oh my, we’re having some beautiful weather today”.
These “rapport” building techniques do nothing for you, yet some sales trainers tell you to do these kinds of things to build rapport with your customers.
Your customer does not come to your store to talk about news, sports and weather; so stop talking news, sports and weather to build rapport!
They talk news, sports, and weather with their co-workers, family, and their friends.
The last thing they want to do is come to your store to solve a problem and be stuck talking to your sales people about the same things they talk with everyone else about.
Your customers are at your stores, or calling your locations because they have problems and they’re looking for solutions.
If you’re a sales person who is wasting your customers precious time to talk about news, sports, and weather then you’re missing the point.
Take the time your customers give you to talk about the problems they’re trying to solve.
Learn your customers deepest desires and how your product/services will make a difference in your customers life, because this is all your customer cares about.
They don’t care to talk news, sports and weather with you.
Start talking with your customers about how your products/services will be the solution to their problems.
Start asking who, what, when, where, and why questions to get your customers talking about their needs and wants.
Start going past surface level and learning your customers true desires so you can start talking about how your product is the solution.
By asking the right questions, listening to your customer, and explaining how your product or service is the solution to their problems, you will close a lot more deals.
Stop this nonsense of talking new, sports, and weather with your customers to build rapport because you’re just wasting everyone’s time.
When I look back upon the last decade I spent in business, it’s filled with different stories. Different narratives. Some moments I cringe at, and others I embrace. Yet, there’s part of me that is thankful for all the mistakes I made while growing up in the business world. In each mistake was a lesson, and the biggest lesson was to charge what you’re worth.
In my younger years, I was talented enough to get places, but I didn’t have the character enough to keep me in those same positions. I would be afraid of failure or pressured by “more respected persons” that said my work wasn’t good enough to charge what I knew was fair. This usually gave them a bunch of free labor from me and left me resentful of the work I was doing. That is why the biggest mistake I made while growing up in business was not charging what I was worth. So my advice, charge what you’re worth.
Check People’s Motives
Charging a fair amount for my work was one of the biggest problems I had when I started out in business. I guess it started as a confidence thing. It was true that I knew more than the average bear, but I didn’t feel confident enough in my skills to charge what I deserved to be paid for my services. In that, I ended up doing a lot of unnecessary work for free. It was ridiculous! My friends in the field told me to charge but I had some mentors that explained I should be doing things for free to build my portfolio.
Obviously I think it’s a big deal to have a proper portfolio, but at the same time, I don’t think this means selling yourself short. It is only the clients that I’ve given discounts or not charged a fair amount to that I’ve had problems with when it comes to payment. They either would pay late or not pay at all. It becomes a tug of war match to even get your money from some of them after the work is completed. So be wise, and don’t devalue yourself to please other people.
Never Second Guess Yourself
Never ever second guess yourself when it comes to charging for your work. Charge a fair amount. Be honest. And do what you promised. Everyone in business knows marketing is a lot of trial and error, so if you have a client that pushes you against the wall for a sure outcome explain that there’s no magic formula. Just show your case studies from the past and let them come to their own conclusion.
Think about the ads we all see on tv for weight-loss drugs. These huge results and always in the fine print even says results not typical. Every client is different and so is every marketing push you help set up for them. Don’t get trapped in the anxiety of not delivering dramatic results. Do your best and let it go if they try to downgrade your work so they don’t have to pay a fair amount.
Charge What You’re Worth
Also, it’s important to pick the right clients for you. The truth is, not every person is the right client for you despite what you may think. Niching down and handpicking the RIGHT clients is something that you should be doing. For example, if you are a digital marketer or social media person you need to pick clients that embrace this. Not people that don’t value these things. It’s not your job to convince people to get on the boat but it is your job to help the people that are already on to get to the destination they want.
Your customers are looking at a RV because they want to create memories with their family and friends.
They are looking at RVs because their current problems aren’t being solved.
Maybe they are camping in a tent and hate sleeping on the ground.
Or maybe, their family is growing and they need more beds.
On the other hand, maybe their family is getting older and now they’re looking at couples RVs.
Maybe your customer has had a pull behind for the last 10 years and now wants to start traveling in a motorhome.
There are a million reasons or problems your customers are looking to fix with your RV, but 1 truth remains the same.
Your customers are buying a RV because they want to fulfill their true desires; traveling, camping, and creating memories with their family and friends.
All too often RV salespeople get caught in pitching things to their customers like the outdoor kitchen, LED lights, beds, and other features of the RV.
What sales people don’t do is get context and ask questions on why their customers are looking at RVs.
What problems they’re currently having at the campground with their current option.
They never ask where they plan to travel and what they want to do in their RV or even how many people will be on these RV trips.
They don’t learn what their customers deepest desires are or what big problem buying a RV will solve for their customer.
Most sales people simply pitch feature after feature till their customers leave, and yet they’re still curious why their customers are “lookers” for 5 years running.
If you want to start closing more RV sales, start learning what makes your customers tick.
Learn what they will be using their RV for, and how they will be using it.
Ask questions on why owning a RV is important to them and figure out what desires they will be fulfilling by purchasing a new RV.
When you get past surface level with your customers you will have a much higher chance to close the deal because customers buy on emotion and justify with logic.
This is why the best way to close a RV sale is by using your customers emotions against them.
Ask them things like, “Why do you want to keep waiting on your dreams and creating memories with your family and friends when you could buy the RV today and start living the life you really want to live? Sign here.”
Or something like, “Why continue to look for RVs year after year and while never buying one? Time is one thing you can never get back and by not buying the RV today you’re just wasting time that you will never get back. Buy this RV today and start living the life you want to live instead of putting it off another year.”
Just in these 2 examples you can see how I am not using features to close the sale.
I am strictly going for a close using my customers emotions, and this is the best way to close a RV sale.
Stop being an amateur and start using emotion to close more RV sales!
I feel like a lot of people get caught up doing things they don’t love to do because of fear.
They’re afraid to venture out on their own to start their own businesses or to leave a comfortable office because they might not like anywhere else.
Truly, this is a prison of their own making.
But, alas, they are not the only ones that have experienced fear.
I too have succumbed to fear many times. I’d quit positions because of fear of failure.
I’d give up on dreams because of fear of the unknown.
Yes, the certainty of control grabbed me like it has everyone else.
Yet, when I truly got down to it, I couldn’t imagine myself working somewhere for years to come when my heart was truly in other things.
Not saying it hasn’t been tough to let go of the grasp that I wanted on my own reality, but it has become easier one day at a time.
However, the biggest gift that I have come across. The most satisfying bit of knowledge is that ambition is good, but wisdom is better.
I used to think that chasing after my dreams were giving up all sense of stability and doing whatever I could to make those dreams come true. Although some Cinderalla stories start and end well like this, I live in a reality where that equation doesn’t work.
You see, when there are mouths to feed and people counting on your support for them, it doesn’t really work to make rash decisions that might leave your loved ones out on the curb with no heat or place to go.
So, what do you do if you’re in a position like mine where people depend on you each and every day to take care of them? You don’t make unwise decisions that will leave everyone starving. No, you take care of what you can take care of and take baby steps to get where your goals are.
My grandfather in law was a stonemason. They say his hands were as big as a man’s head and he was one of the hardest workers you’d ever meet.
He dreamt of building a house for him and his family to reside. So do you know what he did? He worked.
Every day he worked at building things and every day he’d take the extra brick from his jobs and lay it aside.
After a while, he had enough brick to build his own home which eventually he did.
He also had some money left over to put in the stock market which eventually made him a millionaire. But, he was humble. He worked hard and was wise with his time and his money.
Ambition Is Good, But Wisdom Is Better.
The problem I see in myself and some others like me is that we rush things. We jump the gun. Our society applauds these rags to riches stories and we eat them up.
Not only does this sometimes leave us making unwise decisions for the dream, but truly it delays our goals from really happening. Obviously we learn from failure, but to make wise decisions in the first place, that’s something that needs to be applauded.
When I first became a Christian, the one thing I wanted more than anything was wisdom.
I prayed for it. I studied it. I wanted it.
Yet, the first gift that I got on all that was a valuable look at myself. Showing me how unwise I really was.
When I was young, I took opportunities that I thought would pan out, and although some benefit came from them, I should have been more set on establishing myself rather than chasing the wind.
In this, I’ve been able to see what really matters and make those SMART goals our teachers were always telling us about.
I still have the tendency to not make wise decisions sometimes both in life and in business. However, the realization that I do this changed me and helped me grow.
So now, approaching my 30’s, I am not perfect, but I am better able to asses certain situations and make the best decision to benefit me and my family at the same time.
The point of this is telling you to not give up on your dreams. But to also not embrace folly and chase after the wind because it’s “popular”.
Ambition is good, but wisdom is better.
Until Next Time, Stay Pushing
Tia
The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. Proverbs 19:8
The best sales people have trained, developed, and went through deal after deal to learn how to overcome any objection, and it usually comes with time.
Some sales people quit before they learn how to do it, while others fail deal after deal till they figure it out.
The smart sales people, look for articles and training courses like this and shorten their learning curve so they can close deals more efficiently in less time.
After 15+ years in sales, I have learned the best way to overcome an objection, and it is to not meet it the objection head on.
Nobody likes that 80’s style, used car sales person who has a rebuttal for everything.
Customers in today’s day and age want sales people who truly care about their needs and wants, not a salesperson with a pocket full of rebuttals.
If you don’t want to be that used car sales person that everyone hates then pay attention.
The best way to overcome an objection is to “hear what they are saying”, and suggest why their objection is holding them back from what they truly want.
So if you learn your customer has come to look at motorhomes because they want to travel and build memories with their family and friends, you use the fact that they want to travel and build memories with their family and friends to overcome their objections.
So to give you an idea of what I mean, here is an example dialogue of how you would use this to overcome objections:
Customer – “I will eventually buy a motorhome but I need to think about it a little more.”
Salesperson – “I hear what you’re saying, but let me ask you this. Why continue to postpone your travels and building memories with your family and friends when you could buy this motorhome today and start living out your dreams.”
Customer – “Well I understand that, but I still need to check my finances, and make sure I can even buy a motorhome.
Salesperson – “I hear what you’re saying but you can’t take your money with you. Your family and friends are only getting older as time passes, and who knows how much more time you actually have left to create memories with your family and friends. This motorhome is only $500 a month which is pennies when you compare the memories and time you will spend with your loved ones in your new motorhome. Stop waiting on your dreams and buy the motorhome today.”
Customer – “Well $500 is still a lot of money, and I have to check with my significant other to see if they would be ok with $500 a month for a motorhome.
Salesperson – “I hear what you’re saying and it is important to have your significant others blessing in anything you choose to do. I know you mentioned that your significant other wanted to build memories with your family and friends as much as you do so I am sure that they will agree that $500 is pennies in comparison to the memories and time you will be spending with your family and friends. Lets do this, sign right here saying you’ll buy the motorhome today and we will make the deal contingent on your significant others approval. If your significant other says its a no-go, then we will tear up the contract, no harm no foul, but I am confident that this motorhome is exactly what you 2 need to start living your dreams and traveling with your family, and I am sure your significant other will feel the same way. Sound fair enough?”
Customer – “You’re probably right, my significant other wants this motorhome more than I do, but honestly we were planning to buy one next year.”
Salesperson – “I hear what you’re saying but why wait another year? You both want a motorhome, you both want to travel and create memories with your family and friends. Why wait another year to start doing what you truly want to do when you could buy this motorhome today and start creating memories with your family and friends, you only live once, sign right here.”
Customer – “You make good points, but I really just don’t want to buy it today.”
Salesperson – “I hear what you’re saying but the honest reason you don’t want to buy the motorhome today is because you think you might regret the purchase, but let me ask you this. What do you think you will regret more at the end of your life? Spending $500 a month to travel and create lasting memories with your family and friends or saving $500 a month and never getting to travel and create those memories with your family and friends? Stop torturing yourself year after year and buy this motorhome today so you can start building those memories and living with no regrets.”
Now by this time, your customer is usually closed if you have them on the right product/service but I think you get the point.
We could go on and on with their objections using this method and all we are doing is putting the purchase back on the customer.
We’re saying, I hear your objection and it makes sense, but you can start living your dreams today, why wait?
We’re playing to our customers emotions and getting them to realize that this motorhome is a solution to their problem. That this motorhome is going to help their family travel and create memories, which is worth more than money, so why keep waiting?
We are putting into perspective that this product or service, is what they need to live a better life, and why would you wait on living a better life?
When you overcome objections in this way and stop meeting them head on, your customer will respect you more.
They will see you as a salesperson who actually listens and who actually cares about solving their problems.
They will see you as a salesperson who is there for their needs instead of just there to make a sale, and it will make a huge difference.
Stop being a rebuttal master and overcome objections in the way outlined above, and see how many more of your deals start closing.
Having a good mindset is always the starting point for someone who wants to become a successful salesperson and it is the starting point for you as well.
To become a successful salesperson we have to attack our sales career with the tenacity to never quit.
We have to make sure that when the deals aren’t closing the way we want them to, that we continue to train and better ourselves so that tomorrow will be different.
A successful salesperson is never an overnight success, but rather someone who is willing to go through 1,000 no’s to get a yes.
They are someone who is willing to train, work, and get better at their craft daily so they can provide their customers with the best experience possible.
A successful salesperson has the discipline to pick up the phone and make more calls, even when the last 100, 200, or even 300 haven’t brought a deal.
Successful sales people have the discipline to follow up with their leads till they’ve spoken to every last one of them, even if that takes 500 calls before you get a connection.
Being successful in sales, is much like being successful at anything in life; you have to strengthen your mindset and have laser focus on exceeding your goals.
If we always try to figure everything out on our own and not looking for people better than us to help our companies succeed then we’re missing the point.
When someone says “I made it”, all they’re really telling you is, “I am ready to be lazy”.
I am not trying to hate on someone for their accomplishments, but I bring this up because “I made it” makes people complacent and kills their growth.
The idea of “making it” means that you see nothing more to go after. It means that you’ve stopped growing and you’re resting on your laurels, and this is no bueno.
I am not saying I don’t have milestones I want to reach in my career and life, but what I am saying is I am never going to “make it”.
I continue to work hard daily and pursue my dreams not for the idea of “making it” one day, but for the idea that I am always striving to get better no matter what I accomplished today.
As one day ends, a new one will begin, and that means new opportunities will show themselves.
You have to be ready to take advantage of these opportunities.
If you “make it”, you will stop looking for new opportunities and you will shut yourself off to future growth.
“Making It” will make you complacent and stagnate and eventually you will look back only to regret that you didn’t try to accomplish more.
Charge after your goals and accomplish everything you want in life, and when you accomplish that, go accomplish more, because the day you “make it” is the day you die.
Do you know what your sales people are doing wrong and how to fix it?
A lot of sales people are scared of the phone and have been resorting to email way to much. This is what your sales people are doing wrong and it’s hurting their sales! I believe the phone is one of the most under used and under rated ways to communicate with your customers. If you want to talk to more people and sell more units then you need to start calling and texting more than you email!
Side Note: Instead of emailing your customers when they don’t answer a phone call, shoot them a text, because 100% of texts are read and emails are skipped over a lot.
The best way to follow up with an internet lead is by calling them ASAP. The sooner you call a lead that comes in from your website the better. I always tell sales people that too much time with no follow up has a way to kill all deals; so be quick!
When you first call the customer you should have the intention of getting them into the dealership TODAY! You can say to them, “Hi, I am ______ from ______ and I seen your inquiry about our ______ and I wanted to see if you had some time TODAY to come in and take a look at this RV?”
Very short and simple, but the point of this first question is to get the customer into the dealership while they’re the hottest on the product. Your customer decided to go to your website to look at units today and they gave you their information. They didn’t do this yesterday or tomorrow, they did it today… but why today?
Your customer may of been thinking about a trip they wanted to take with their family. Maybe their friends went on a trip without them because they didn’t have a unit. There are a millions reasons people are looking at your units and you need to learn their wants instead of just regurgitating brochure language. People purchase products that fix their problems and meet their needs, period.
They don’t buy a unit because of all the “bells and whistles” your model has, they couldn’t care less! Your customer only care about one thing, fixing their problems and making their unit dreams come true. By following up with your leads while they’re the hottest and have interest in your solutions, you will have a higher chance of closing the sale and getting them over the curb.
If your customer does not have time today to come in and take a look at your unit, the next step you should take is ask them about their trade.
Instead of going directly back in for an appointment with something like, “Well what about tomorrow, or when is your next day off?”
You should start to qualify them and ask about their trade to learn why they even want a unit in the first place.
I might say something like, “Ok no big deal, let me ask you this. Is this going to be your first unit or are you trading something in with us?”
This question is designed to put the focus on your customer instead of going right back in for an appointment. The truth is, customers are looking for a unit that meets their wants and needs, not yours, so focus on your customer.
When you ask your customer a question like this they will either start to talk about their trade or they will tell you this is their first unit. This is perfect because they will start to tell you what they want in their next unit and what they dislike about their trade -OR- they will talk about why they started having an interest in a unit and the things they want to do with their friends, family, etc.
By learning about your customers trade you can figure out things like:
How much they paid for their last unit
What their payments were with their last unit
What they didn’t like about their unit
What they want in their next unit
What they used their unit for
Where they camped with their unit and the activities they did while camping
These are just some of the things you will learn by digging into the trade but I hope you can see how valuable this information is and why you need to learn these things about your customer.
Once you get a good idea of their trade and learn more about their real needs and wants, I will say something like, “Awesome! Thank you for giving me a good idea of why you and your family want a RV and what you’re looking to do while you’re camping. This will help me find you the perfect RV and what I am going to do is look over my inventory for any other RVs that I think will fit your needs and I will send you a video through text of those exact RVs. When you get the videos, you and your family can look over the RVs, see which ones you like the most, and when you get a free day to come take a look at them in person, I will have them ready for you guys to walk through. If we find the perfect RV for you and your family, we will buy it, if not, we will keep looking. Sound fair enough?”
Most of the time they will say, “Yes, that sounds fair” and I will come back with, “Great, what is your cell phone number so I can make sure I am sending the videos to the right phone.”
They will give me their number and I continue my sales/follow up process till I close the deal.
If they say something like, “Well we weren’t really planning on buying this soon, we’re just looking for now but have no problem coming in and taking a look at some RVs.”
I will come back with, “I hear what you’re saying and to be honest I wouldn’t ask you to buy a RV that didn’t fit your families needs so if you come in and take a look at my RVs and you’re still not ready to buy one; no big deal, we will just keep looking till the right RV comes along and when it does, we will buy it then. Sound fair enough?”
This rebuttal is designed to show your customer that you care about them and that you want what is best for them. It tells your customer that you don’t expect them to buy if you don’t have the RV that will fix their problems and a lot of customers will lower their defenses after you tell them something like this.
What you don’t want to do is come back with, “Then come see us when you’re ready to buy” or “Reach out to me when you guys are more serious buyers.”
Statements like this will show your customer that all you care about is the sale and that is bad and you’re burning your leads. The truth is, for the most part, you can’t sell someone completely over the phone. They usually have to come in see your product, fill out some paper work, bring in their trade, etc, so there is no reason to butt heads on your first phone call.
Agree with them and have a goal of closing them when they’re at your dealership instead of on the first call. This will show your customers that you’re in it for them and they will trust you more as a sales professional.
Once you get your customer in the door by phone calls, texting, and text videos, you can now implement your sales process to get them to the close. (Hopefully you have a good sales process)
This is when you need to ask a lot of questions about who, what, when, where, and why, they want a unit. Learning your customers true passion behind a unit is the ticket to closing deals. Whether it be traveling the States, going on baseball trips with their kids traveling team, or just camping with family and friends, everyone has a different reason they want a unit, focus on these things.
Want To Dig Deeper On What Your Sales People Are Getting Wrong? Read This Blog
Ask your customers questions like:
Who will all be using the unit with you?
What will you be doing with the unit?
When do you guys want to start making these dreams possible?
Where do you plan on going with your unit?
Why are you looking at unit?
What is the thing that excites you the most about owning a unit?
When you start to dig into your customers true needs with questions designed around your customers, you will learn a lot of good information. As you learn more of your customers wants you will start to learn what unit will fit their needs perfectly, and when you find a unit that fits your customers true needs you won’t have to overcome their objections. They will see this unit as a vehicle to build priceless memories and they will see it as a vehicle to travel with their family and friends.
Stop talking dirty brochure language to your customers and find out their real needs!
Don’t be that sales person that does nothing but sends out emails because you’re leaving a lot of money on the table and burning your dealerships leads. Implement a phone call and text message follow up process and don’t stop following up till every lead comes through the door and buys a unit.
When you start to make more calls you will be surprised how much more engagement you will get out of your customers and it’ll make a huge difference in your sales and customer service. Start using your phone more than your email and start selling more units!
If your sales team needs more training on how to close internet leads then message IMR.
We will help you turn your sales team into an efficient selling team that will stop burning leads and increase revenue.
Training is one of the best ways to increase sales so lets chat!
A lot of good sales professionals I have met tend to jump from dealership to dealership and a lot of dealerships wonder why good sales people leave. I have been in sales since I was young enough to work and I have met all kinds of sales people. I have met exceptional sales people who are making a boat load of money and I have met complacent sales people who are comfy where they are at.
The problem you will see at a lot of dealerships (and for businesses) is the good salesmen will leave while the mediocre salesmen stay, but why is this?
I have come to learn that most of your good sales people are more entrepreneurial and they like to make money while doing what they want to do. They can get mad at one little commission change or they might just want something different and poof they’re gone and you’re left with a mediocre sales team.
After these sales people relocate, I have made it a habit to ask them why good sales people leave their previous dealerships and a lot of their reasons were the same.
They feel they weren’t being used to their full potential
Their company was trying to control them or cut their commissions
They wanted to start their own venture
They didn’t like upper management
These are just a few of the reasons I have heard over the years but the real question is, how do we get our good sales associates to stay?
Most of your good sales people will be more entrepreneurial and driven and you have to keep them engaged with your business. Sometimes the lack of challenge for a sales person is part of the reason why they leave and really they just want to do more for the dealership.
When you see a sales person excelling and putting up numbers, see how you can get them more involved with the business. Whether this means getting their opinion on how your dealership can improve your sales process or how the dealership can help the sales associates sell more, ask for their opinion and keep them involved.
If you don’t keep them involved with the business they might start to look for other opportunities where they feel they can be used more. Remember good sales people aren’t with your company just because they want a job. They are with your company because they want to help you grow and you have to let them help you!
Pay Your Sales Team What They’re Worth
What happens to a lot of good sales people when they start to land bigger deals is a company will cut the commission on them and all sales people, not just the good ones, hate this.
Good sales people are hard to come by and a lot of them work hard to be good at what they do. When you start to mess with your sales teams commissions you will start to lose good sales people because they will take it as a slap in the face and they will leave your company on principle alone.
Dealerships and companies have a bad habit of not rewarding their sales team when they do a good job and it hurts the business.
When good sales people land big deals or are doing well make sure you reward them instead of punishing them. Instead of cutting commissions or lowering the pay scale when sales associates start to sell more units, give them a bonus or an extra day off. Things like this will make it so you don’t lose your good sales people and they will respect you more and work harder for you, which will increase sales in the long run.
Dealerships and companies have to remember that nothing happens without sales and when you have good sales people they’re worth keeping. Lowering sales commissions or pay scales might seem like a good way to increase your companies revenue for the short term but it is not. In the long term, the money you will lose for not being able to hold on to good sales people will out weigh the money you’re saving in cut commissions. Do yourself a favor and pay your sales team good!
Some dealerships make the good sales people work longer, harder, and with unrealistic expectations to pick up the slack for the mediocre sales associates and again, they hate this. A lot of good sales people have a “work hard, play hard” mentality and when they land a big deal they might want to take a day off just because. Let them have their day off and don’t slam a bunch of work on their desk.
Giving them an extra day off or a bonus will reward them and show them that you respect their hard work and because of it you will see them land 100 more big deals. If you try to control them and look at them as your cash cow and you will see them landing big deals for other companies.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean all good sales people won’t want extra work. You have to know your sales people and understand the way they want to work. Some sales people will work hour after hour with no issues and actually love it while others need a day off and want to enjoy some of their hard work.
Know what kind of sales people you have and use this to your advantage. If you have to give a sales person an extra day off because they landed a big deal then have a good sales person on the team who don’t mind picking up the customers while they take a day off. The small act of learning your sales team and allowing them the freedom to live their life and make a good living with your dealership makes all the difference. Keep your employees happy and they’ll want to help you grow, try to control them and you’ll watch them leave time and time again.
Sometimes It’s Out Of Your Control
Good sales people usually come with more entrepreneurial blood and sometimes they want to do their own thing. The harsh reality is sometimes it’s out of our control and you have to respect this. Good sales people think that any company can prosper with a lot of sales and sometimes this makes them want to go out on their own. If you burn your bridge with these sales people because you’re mad they’re leaving your company then you’re making a mistake.
One thing sales people usually don’t understand about starting their own venture is its harder then just making sales. A lot goes into running a business and some sales people are good at selling but bad at managing and sometimes they have to learn this on their own.
If a good sales person is leaving to start their own venture you should inform them of these hardships and ask them if there is anything you can offer them to stay, because as I have said before sometimes they just want a bigger challenge. After you talk with your sales person and if they still want to try their own venture then you have to respectfully cut ties with them and tell them if it doesn’t work out they can come back. Doing this will build their respect for you and if their venture doesn’t work out they will come back to your dealership and work harder for you than ever.
As Richard Branson has been quoted saying, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Have Leaders In Management And Not Busters
Being in the Army for 7+ years taught me a lot about leadership, and one of the biggest things you have to understand is leading by example. Good sales people, for the most part can get a job anywhere they want and they don’t choose to work for your dealership simply to make money. When your sales people start to lose respect for their upper management and don’t want to work for them you have a big problem. Having upper management that don’t know how to lead a sales team can cost your dealership a lot of money.
Interview your sales team every so often to make sure the team cohesion and morale stays high. Make sure they want to work for their upper management and that they respect them. Ask questions to find out if they’re learning and training with their upper management on a daily/weekly basis because training with your team is a great way to build team cohesion and chemistry.
You have to put leaders in management that are going to train and push your sales team to grow in a healthy way. Good leaders have a way of pushing people without making them mad. They have a way of getting people excited to work for them and sales people always strive to get better when they have a leader they look up to and respect.
Address The Management Issues
As an owner, when sales people leave your dealership you should personally talk to them and find out why they left. If upper management is the common denominator for your best sales people leaving your dealership then you hired a buster and not a leader and you have to fix this ASAP. When you take responsibility for your upper management and get rid of bad apples in the team your sales people will respect you. There are a lot of busters in management right now and they are costing your dealerships a lot of money.
Show your sales people you respect them and give them a leader they can respect and look up to. Put people in upper management that are willing to be in the trenches with your sales team and that will help them grow. When you build a strong team of people who work together and have good chemistry you will smash your goals time and time again.
Sometimes it is painful to go into a dealership or a business and hear the pitch some of their salesmen are throwing at me. A lot of them start talking about dogs, family, and life before closing the deal, and its one of my pet peeves. Please stop wasting your breath and learn what customers want from their salespeople!
Your customers are coming to you because you’re the EXPERT!
They do not care to talk about anything other then how you’re going to provide them with a turn-key solution to their problems. It’s as simple as that. Stop wasting your time on topics that have nothing to do with how you’re going to solve their problems because that’s what customers want!
As the great Albert Einstein has said “Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
What you have to figure out as the business owner is what issue(s) your product/services are fixing and sell to your customer based off of these rewards. Instead of pitching all of your services to your customer, sell them your turn key solution that is going to fix their biggest problems and you will close more deals.
Customers are coming to you because you’re the expert in your field and they trust you can solve their most frustrating issues.
So what can we do as salesmen and business owners?
Ask more questions! A lot of the time I talk to salesmen and business owners and they can not tell me about their actual customer. A lot of them talk more then they listen and they do not truly understand why their customer is even looking for their product/services.
What you should do as a salesmen is keep asking questions and really listen to what your customer wants.
Ask them how, what, when, where, and why they are looking for your services so that you can truly understand their needs. Get them talking for a good 10 minutes on why THEY are looking for your company and what problems they are looking to address.
Once you have a good understanding of your customers TRUE needs, you don’t have to just “pitch your services”. You can now show them how your product/services are going to fix their problems and they will give you their business.
Implement this simple technique into your sales process and you will be sure to close more deals!
In today’s day and age every company must have a website if they want to stay in business.
With that being said, building a website is not an easy or common thing people know how to do. Because of this, a lot of business owners will skip building a website all together or they will pay/have someone make one for them, and frankly most of them look and perform like dog crap.
So, what are the secrets to building a website?
First, you will need a professional web designer/developer (unless you are one) who will be able to build you a professional, up-to-date, and responsive website.
Side Note: There are a lot of different content management systems (CMS) you can use to build your website, but I would recommend WordPress for most businesses.
The reason I recommend WordPress is because it is the easiest CMS to learn and use for people who have never run a website. If you decide to take over your website down the road, you will be happy it is on WordPress.
Side Note: Use a professional to build your website. Customers that see a poorly done website will view this as a reflection of your services and this will make customers NOT want to use you.
Second, your website needs to be focused on YOUR CUSTOMERS! A lot of websites that I come across talk all about themselves. They talk about how, what, and who started the company and have very little information on how their services will benefit their customer.
Do not make the mistake of being one of these websites, because NOBODY cares about your company. They care about how you’re going to help them fix their problems!
What your customer is looking to learn from your website is why you are the expert in your field and why they should go with your services over your competitors. This is truly the only thing they care about, so make sure you pay attention to how your website reads and the value your customers will get from it.
Third, you have to turn your website into one that will make your customer want to come back again and again. (Think of Google, Facebook, ESPN, Etc.)
The way to turn your website into a resource for your customers is to add quality content DAILY for them to read, watch, and learn from.
For example, lets say you are a plumber and you want to add content to your website. You can shoot videos using your cell phone on how to fix your sink when it leaks; or how to prevent water lines from bursting in the winter; or even how to install your toilet.
Next, you will write a summary blog about the video you recorded and then post the blog with the video onto your website.
Side Note: You will want to add new content to your website at least 3 times a week.
What this content will do is build trust with your customers and allow them to truly see you as an expert in your field.
Now, I know you’re thinking, “If I show people how to do my job, then why would they need me?”
The fact of the matter is that there are two types of people. There is the DIY type of person who will not call for help regardless of their situation, or the person who does not want to mess with it and will pay a professional to fix your problem and get the job done right.
By having these free videos/content on your website your customers can use and reference; it will position your website as the place to go for the services you provide. While the DIY person will be using your videos to do their own projects, the customers in your area that would rather pay someone will now trust you and want to use your services.
The Fourth and last step to building a website that will keep your customers coming back is to make your website easy to navigate and not confusing. I know that all of us have been on a website that is super confusing and hard to navigate, and if you’re like me, then you spend no longer then 10 seconds on those types of sites.
DON’T be that Website!
A very simple test for this is to have your Grandparents look through your website and ask for their feedback. If they tell you it was confusing and they didn’t know how to work it then you need to go back to the drawing board. If they were able to navigate it and learned something new from your information then you’re on the right track!
Use these 4 secrets when building and marketing your website and you will be sure to get more customers from your website.
Attitude is something that will take you to the top, or drag you to the bottom. The main thing about attitude is it’s literally all up to you.
You can choose to be a positive, go getter; or you can choose to be negative and always act as a victim. Whichever you choose is the one that will determine the outcome or your everyday life.
I know you have heard the famous quote by Henry Ford saying, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This is what I think about when I hear the word attitude and this is how I attack situations.
When going into your projects, business ventures, or even your daily life, make sure you are taking the positive, “I can” approach over the negative “I can’t” approach.
The fact is that if you think you can’t do something, it will subconsciously bring this into reality and make you under perform. However if you go into projects like “I can adapt and overcome any challenge that comes my way,” you will see such a huge difference.
Knowing this secret will make you never want to be negative again, because being negative will only bring negative results. So why not be positive?
The good news is, knowing this information means that we can use it to our advantage. We can use it to better ourselves and become the best person that we can be.
The longer we continue to have a negative attitude, the more time we are wasting to truly start living a good life, and everyone deserves a good life.
So lets keep a positive attitude and attack each day with an “adapt and overcome” mindset and witness how big of a difference it will make in your everyday life.
