The King of Auto Sales
I've been thinking…

Over the past 20+ years, I have challenged many people, literally thousands of people, in my workshops, and seminars, to go back to the store, go back home tonight, tomorrow, and "be the happiest, most congenial, likeable, jolly, smiley-face etc. person there is, tomorrow morning between 10:19 a.m. and 10:33 a.m.". I challenged them to do this, no matter what they were involved in, or what they were doing. You guessed it…I had one gentleman take the time and effort to zip me a note to tell me he just couldn't do it anymore….."Sam-I'm sorry-I tried, I really did, but it just wasn't me", and people were asking him too many questions, and genuinely suspicious about why he was in a "good mood", all of a sudden. He was even accused of doing something bad and trying to cover up for it! His office manager held up one of his checks for a day or two, because she was absolutely convinced and determined that he had done something mischievous, devious or illegal! "Lucy………Lucy……you got some ‘splainin' to do!"

If you are new in the business, my best, solid advice for you is: Stay "new" and please don't start doing what everyone else does! Whatever all the others are doing, do just the opposite. Here's my real-world example: Only about 2 to 3% of the people selling cars today successfully ‘earn' over $100,000. Whatever the majority of salespeople are doing, it isn't helping them earn a top-notch income, so why would you want to do what they are doing? Think about it. The people who earn over $100,000, act like, look like, talk like, walk like, dress like, think and feel like a $100,000 salesperson!!! We've probably all heard someone say, at some time, "Man-I feel like million bucks." If you are going to pattern your life and selling career after someone, mold your selling life and style after someone who is extremely successful…..and rich, don't try to be like one of the guys on the showroom, that has been there 10 years and is still only earning a whopping $49,289.71 per year, every year. Basketball. If you are playing a casual pick-up game with some guys, and there is not a stand-up player in the mix, you will play to that level. If you jump into a game with some former high school or even college standouts, you will "rise to the level of your competition." Please don't get me wrong-there is someone at yours store who is your top salesperson, and they are doing some things right. Learn something from them. Ask them to put in writing their top 3 Closes or their top 3 ways to Prospect or their top 3 Greetings. They are a valuable resource, but please don't try to be them, you can't, and you will struggle to find your own personal level of professionalism, if you try to duplicate them.

There are literally thousands of self-help books out there that will each offer you an idea, thought or technique that will help you be a better you. Hopefully-my words will inspire or encourage you to hunger for more and grow. All the books an training sessions in the world will not help you, if you are not ready to be helped. As my friend Jimmy D. Smith says: "If you go to a workshop or read a book or spend some time with someone, if you walk away with just ONE good, solid, idea, thought or technique, that will help you sell another car or two, you've had a good day."

And a word to veteran car guy "JS"……..Thank you for the kind words yesterday. After 14+ years in the business for you, it's always heartwarming for me to hear that my words have inspired or challenged someone to pause and think about all those things we used to do that made us money when we were still a rookie. I have been where you are. I know what it's like out there.

Thank you for your time-see you later on down the road!
Sam Milton-the King of Auto Sales

Part 2-of a 3 part series from the King of Auto Sales

I’ve been thinking…

“What to say and how to say it”

Before you start fumbling for words on what to say and how to say it…I CHALLENGE you to take a closer look at “who you are”. What I mean is: how do you “appear” to someone walking into you store for the very first time? Are you someone you would want to do business with? Let’s take a look today at what you are. For example-when I ask you what you are-now you say, “Sam-I am ‘nice’, ‘considerate’, ‘courteous’, and ‘respectful’. If I asked you a succinct question directed at: “Why should I buy a car form you?”-I would probably get a few more words. Find a dictionary and look up those exact words and write (yes-write) down the literal meanings of those words. Do it! Take just one, of the adjectives that describes you, today-(yes today) and “be” that for the next 30 days. Write it down and carry it with you. Put it on some sticky notes and place them in your office area, on your nightstand, on your bathroom mirror, on the dash board, etc. “Be” that description as much and as strong as you can be. Then the next 30 days, take another one of the words you feel describes you, after that, and “be” that description for the following 30 days. Then take the next word and so on….pretty soon…..

In Greek mythology-because of his evil ways and lifestyle, King Sysyphus was condemned to the isle of Hades. His daily duty was pushing a large, footstool size rock up a mountain. At the end of each day, he would push the rock down to the bottom of the mountain. Each day was a repeat of the last. How punishing, boring and tedious. I know some salespeople who push the rock uphill every day, and let it tumble back down the mountain every evening before they go home.
Today or tomorrow, step back and take a look at the salespeople at your store. You will see the Ralph-the rock-pusher and the Paul-the prima donna and Alvin-the average, Gary-the I’ll get started tomorrow, Harold-the house mouse, Bobbi-by the book, Larry-the lonesome (woe is me), Calvin-the complainer, Nancy and Neal-the ‘nosers’, Fred-the floater, and Willie-the worker bee and some others. It’s OK-they are in every store, don’t worry. YOU=Don’t push the rock up and down every day, be solid and be the rock that turns into the diamond.

Oh-I almost forgot……..a personal note to Andrae-Hang in there. Go back and visit your 30 day plan, 1 year plan and even your 3 year plan and make definite positive moves NOW-TODAY….. to get you there. Take a closer look at where you are today and what you are going to do tomorrow, to stay ‘on track’. Do something, anything out of the ordinary today, to upset your complacency and shock yourself back to the reality that you are good and strong and you can do it! Repeat after me: “There are people out there la lot less intelligent than me, making more money than me…..i f they can do it-I can inspire myself to do it!!!”

Thank you for your time-see you later on down the road!

Sam Milton-the King of Auto Sales

By Suzanne Richardson

Your customers don't care how bad you're feeling today. Even the nice ones.

Maybe your dog died. Or you just broke up with your girlfriend. Or you didn't get a wink of sleep. But the second you reveal any of that to your customers - via a lackluster expression or tone of voice - you risk losing their business. Fortunately, there's a very quick and easy way to prevent your customers from sensing that all is not well in your personal life. Smile.

That's it. The simple act of plastering a big (even fake) grin on your face will make you look and sound happy, alert, and interested in what your customer has to say. And it works with telephone conversations as well as conversations in person.

I called up a drycleaner the other day to see if they could get a coffee stain out of a linen dress - a dress I need to wear this weekend. The woman on the line sounded bored out of her skull. And maybe she was. Had she merely smiled, she would have sounded like she actually gave a damn about my problem. Instead, I got the impression that she hated her job and maybe even her life. I knew without a doubt that she'd rather be doing anything than helping me out. So I found another drycleaner.

When you're smiling, you sound friendly, compassionate, and sincere. And that can convince your customers that you are thinking about them and only them - not the feud with your brother or the termite damage to your house. So when they talk to you, they'll have confidence in your ability to deliver good service and resolve any problems they may have. They'll trust you right off the bat. And as long as you don't disappoint, they'll return to do business with you again and again… and bring their friends.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Joe Girard knows how to sell cars.

In fact, he's listed in the Guinness Book of World Records: as "the world's greatest salesman."

To become the world's greatest salesperson, he used what is perhaps the most underused lead-generation technique in the world. Yet it's probably the most effective way of getting new business that there is. It gives a salesperson instant credibility with a prospective customer - making the prospect more likely to buy.

The idea came to Girard while he was attending a funeral.

Before I tell you what it is, let's take a look at some of the most notable selling statistics from Girard's 14-year (1963 to 1977) car-selling career (courtesy of Tom Sant's book The Giants of Sales, in which Girard is profiled)…

In total, he sold more than 13,000 vehicles. That's an average of six cars per day.
On his best day, he sold 18 vehicles.
His best month, he sold 174.
In his best year, he sold 1,425.
By himself, Joe Girard has sold more cars than 95 percent of all dealers in North America.
To make his feat even more incredible, he sold them at retail - one vehicle at a time.
Amazing. Especially when you consider that when he first applied for a job as a car salesman, no one would hire him. At the time, he was in debt and struggling to keep his family fed.

The sales manager who finally hired him at first said "No," explaining that if he hired Girard his other salespeople wouldn't like it because their share of walk-in traffic would be reduced. It was only when Girard said he wasn't interested in the walk-in traffic - he would generate his own leads - that he was hired.

He quickly found that selling without access to the dealership's walk-in traffic was more difficult than he had hoped it would be.

The first thing he did was grab a phonebook and started calling people randomly. He made some headway, but it was tough slogging.

The Funeral That Changed His Approach to Sales

It was around this time that he attended that funeral. It was a Catholic funeral. Mass cards were given out to all those in attendance.

Girard asked the funeral director how he knew how many mass cards to have printed up for each funeral.

The funeral director told Girard that the number of people attending a funeral always seems to average out to 250. So that's how many he prints up each time.

Soon after that, Girard sold a car to a Protestant funeral director. When he asked how many people typically attend a Protestant funeral, he got the same reply: "About 250."

When he attended a wedding, he asked the minister the same question. The answer was about 250 on the bride's side and 250 on the groom's side.

Joe Girard's "Law of 250"

It was then that Girard came up with what he called the "Law of 250."

The basic principle is that most people have about 250 people in their lives who would show up at their funeral or wedding. There are exceptions, of course. Some have more, some have less. But the average seems to be 250.

So how did he use this information?

First off, he realized that if he did a crummy job of selling a car to somebody, he could potentially lose 250 more customers.

But, more important - if he did a great job, he could gain 250 more customers.

So Girard reasoned that if he consistently built strong relationships with his customers and treated them fairly, it would make his job a lot easier in the long run.

So he set his sights on getting referrals. How did he go about it?

Here are the three main ways…

First, within a few weeks of selling a car to someone, he would call them up and ask how the car was running. If things were going well, he'd ask for a referral. If they weren't, he'd fix the problem - then ask for a referral.
He kept a file listing personal information about each customer - such as the names of their children, what they did for a living, their birthdays, their kids' birthdays, etc. He'd use that information to personalize his conversations with them. He sincerely cared about people, and made them feel so special they couldn't wait to recommend him to a friend or relative.
Every month, year after year, Girard would send a greeting card to every customer on his list. Inside would be a simple message. He knew they'd need a new car one day, and he wanted to keep himself top of mind. He was careful not to include anything that might sound like a sales pitch. Just an anecdote, a new idea, a news story, a book review, a birthday greeting, or a tip he knew they'd be interested in. (Eventually this task became so big, he had to hire someone to do it for him.)
Girard's dedication to keeping in touch with his customers instilled in them a psychological obligation to do business with him. His customers would never even dream of buying a car from someone else.

Girard has often said he doesn't believe in hard work. That what he does believe in is working smart. And no one approached selling cars any smarter than Joe Girard did.

No matter what product or service you sell, if you don't have a referral and repeat-business strategy in place, you're working too hard.

Here are a few referral-related tactics you can start using tomorrow:

1. Go the extra mile for your customers and prospects.

Do things that will make you stand out from the pack. If you see an article that you feel may interest one of them, mail it (or e-mail it, but sending something in the mail tends to have a greater impact). A good way to find appropriate articles is to set up a Google News Alert for topics you feel would interest your customers. If you think a story is relevant, send them the link.

2. Make sure your customers know about every service you provide.

If you sell Product A to someone, make sure they also know you carry Products B, C, and D. The more solutions your customers know you provide, the more likely it is that they'll know someone who will benefit from getting a call from you.

3. Establish relationships with people who sell complementary products or services.

For example, if you sell boats, contact the local marina and introduce yourself. Tell them you'll be referring your customers to them, and make them aware that you'd be open to any referrals from them.

4. Ask for a referral.

If you don't ask, chances are you'll never get a referral. Customers usually don't volunteer them on their own. When the time seems right, say something like "Do you know anyone else I might be able to help out?"

5. Always thank your customers for their referrals.

Obviously, say "Thank you." But then take it one step further. Send a thank you note or a small gift. It could lead to another referral.

6. Keep your customers informed.

Let your customers know what happened when you called the person they referred you to. Offer to keep them in the loop as things progress.

Develop and follow through on a referral and repeat-business strategy and, like Joe Girard, you'll make more sales… and have an easier time doing it.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

I've been thinking….

Part 1: This session today is about how to get a total stranger to like you and give you money for your product. I have many thousands of automotive sales pros reading my stuff, and I have basically sell something. You see, selling is selling, no matter what shape it takes. In any line of 'sales', the very first thing any of us must "sell" to someone is ourselves. If they don't "buy" us, they probably won't buy our product. Hold on… I can prove this statement:

Have you ever sold a car or some item, to someone, for MORE MONEY that you know (for a fact) they could have bought somewhere else for LESS MONEY???

Think about it, they didn't buy the car or that product, did they? They bought YOU, and the fact they liked you more than someone else. Most people will not give you their signature, until there is a level of Trust and Respect. THAT'S A FACT!

Early in W.C. (his real name was William Claude Dukenfield) Field's career, he would go to the beach in Atlantic City and he became a professional drowner. He would swim out a short distance, fake a "drowning scene", the beach vendors and portable hot dog stands would and sell their hot dogs, sodas, peanuts and popcorn, etc to the curious crowds that gathered. W.C. Fields later collected a percentage of the profits from those vendors. During the day, he would repeat this scene several times. The vendors often found they could raise their prices during these times, and make just little more profit. Work smarter, not harder.

You really do not have that much competition out there. If you think I say that lightly… just hop in your car and go shop the competition. Don't shop near your home or your hometown, but go out a little bit and see what the sales ranks offer out there. It always amazes me, when I go into a dealership and offer my training services to a dealer, after walking through their showroom, and seeing the range of "Pros" sitting and standing around the showroom, in various stages of work levels. I usually let someone "Up" me , just to see what that is like. I always ask them, "Why should I buy a Your Product from YOU, here at This Dealership? The majority of the time, I hear the same answers… "I am the best salesperson, I have the best product and we are the best dealership around!" That is good, but if I went to another store, guess what I am going to hear? I heard the same exact thing, which further adds fuel to th customer's credo that "Car people… they are all alike!" If you want someone to actually believe you are different and better, you'd better have some good words to say and some good actions to take with that next up, otherwise you'll get automatically dumped over there in that "You're all just alike" barrel, and that is not where you want to be.

First step is to find out where you are.

• What does your greeting look like? Get someone to video you doing your greeting.
• Do you know what you look like to other people?
• How is your posture… your handshake… your eye contact… your entire body language?
• And I know you cannot see it on a video camera, but how is Your Breath?

If you are a smoker and you toss your cigarette down and try to shake hands with me, with your smoking hand… I am walking back to my car and leaving. I watched my Mother die from many years of smoking and I'll be darned if I will give you my money, if you are rude enough to try to offer me more of the nicotine on your hand. (Guess you now know how I feel about that subject, don't you?)

Are you genuinely Happy to go out and greet someone walking into your store, or onto your lot? This person potentially could be someone who will take care of you and your family, for the rest of your life…. Are you happy to see them? Does it show? If they walked into your store and handed you a $50 or a $100 bill, would you like them? That's what it is basically what it is. Your closing ratio with a stone cold lot up is about 20 - 25%. Your average commission is about $175 - $350. You have to talk to about 4 or 5 people before you earn that commission, so potentially - everyone you speak to is worth about $50 to $150 to you. Be honest with yourself… does it show?

Now, go back in this article, and pick out one idea, thought or technique from each paragraph. Write it down and do it… today… right now!

Check out my 2nd part of this series in a few days.

Thank you for your time. See you later on down the road.

Sam Milton - The King of Auto Sales