Here are the facts: (not in any particular order) Use these or build your own case of why it is easier and sometimes less threatening for them to sell their car to us.

1. Most people want to negotiate harder on a car advertised in the newspaper. After all-they are buying a lot of “unknowns” when they buy your car off the street, and they want “to get it cheaper, just in case something goes wrong”.

2. Most car thieves don’t wear dark clothes and paint their eyes with black paint….they come to your house during the day, ask if they can take your car “around the block” “for a little spin” and while they are out of your sight, it is an easy matter to copy the key and disarm the security system-they find out (you tell them where the car will be the next day, because they “want to look at it “during the day” and they go to your workplace and drive your car away, while it is parked right outside your office.

3. Do you really want Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy or Charles Manson’s goofy cousin showing up at your house at 10:00 on a Saturday morning (they Googled your phone number, man), while your 17 year old daughter is home alone, babysitting your 10 year old son? Or showing up on your doorstep, even when you are home alone? You would probably invite any of those guys into your home if they knocked on your door and asked to use the phone to call a tow-truck, because they had “a flat tire down the street”. When interviewed-their neighbors always say “They kind of kept to themselves and were real quiet….didn’t talk too much….they looked normal…” don’t they? Think about the uninvited danger aspect here!

4. You have a buyer, (Customer A) who agrees on a price that is at the bottom end of what you were asking for the car. But-hey it’s sold and we can move on (you are tired of answering the phone calls and getting disappointed). They give you a $50 deposit to hold it for “a week or two”, while they wait for a check from Grandma. In the meantime, someone (Customer B) stops by or calls. Customer B looked at the car a couple weeks prior, and offers you about $700 more than the offer you have, from Customer A….oh-and it is CASH!!!…..what do you do? You try to phone Customer A, no answer, no message…it just rings and rings. Customer B calls and says: “Do we have a deal or not?” What do you do?

5. A nice older couple stops by to drive the car, as they back out of the driveway, you hear this sorta’ scraping/grinding/crunching sound, as they roll out into the street. They come back after their “spin around the block” and tell you they will take it, but you have to fix the scrapes that are on the right side of the car (which were not there this morning!!!) What do you do?

6. They are taking advantage of the Tax-credit Program you offer here at your store. “Folks-you are only going to pay tax on the trade difference*” (naturally-check with your state and local tax laws-etc.)

7. There are forged Cashiers Checks being passed every day!!! My neighbor had this nice old 66 Chevelle for sale….put it For Sale on the net….a guy from Oklahoma buys it on the internet…arrives here in Tampa with a “Cashiers Check” and when the check was presented to my neighbor’s local bank- – - no problem. About a week later-the bank calls my neighbor with the bad news: “The Cashiers Check you deposited is not a good one.” Fortunately-the person passing the checks was doing this all over the country and my neighbor’s brother is employed by a branch of the Federal Gov’t. and between the Bank’s investigators and the guy’s brother-they were able to track this guy down.

8. It will take you about 45 days (average numbers here) to sell your car. That might translate to another 2 payments on the car you are trying to dump. That’s 2 additional payments on a car you don’t like and that’s IF SOMETHING ELSE DOESN’T BREAK!!!

9. What is your time worth? $10 per hour $100 per hour? $1000 per hour? C’mon-you won’t work for free and can you really put a price on your safety, security and peace of mind for you and your family?

10. or….. Now you have the neighbor who is looking at your car. They want to buy it and you know that if they buy it-you will have to live with them for the next 5 to 10 years, and they are not afraid of knocking on your door every time something on the car breaks-or even hiccups……..Ouch! Can you afford to do that?

I can give you 20 reasons for every one you come up with, to take the risk of selling your car yourself. Be kind to yourself-don’t do it!

To sum up everything here: Total up the ad, the repairs, the extra insurance, the extra payments, the possibility of theft or fraud, the possibility of your safety being jeopardized, the risks and rewards, and the many other factors involved, and it is generally just plain not worth your time, to attempt to sell your car.

So you are close to making the deal-closing another one, and then your future customer drops the bomb- – -“Well-if that’s all you’re giving me for my trade….I’ll just sell it myself!” he proclaims proudly! Your first thought is….there goes my commission because now we may not have a deal, or at the very least-he will be out there shopping maybe and what if he finds another car…suddenly-you have gone from a nice healthy commission to ????????? and a lot of “what-if’s” and “I hope they don’ts”.

The facts are: No one has ever informed this person how frustrating, challenging and potentially dangerous it can be to sell your own car. It has never been reasonably and logically explained to them the challenges facing them, if they attempt to sell their car on their own. Yes-I said hazardous/dangerous/not safe for themselves and their family…..Please allow me to explain.

I will give you “The Plan” first and then the verbiage. Please feel free to copy and paste this, or make a form to keep at your desk area, when you encounter the “I’ll just sell ‘er myself” customer. Put realistic numbers in the blanks, copy it and laminate it and keep it in a file at your desk. You will need it someday.

SELLING THE TRADE:

1. Answer all the phone calls

2. Meet really nice and polite strangers

3. Avoid Theft

4. Demonstrate the vehicle

5. “Sell” them your vehicle

6. Wait for financial approval

7. Verify the funds

8. Handle the disappointments and un-truths

9. Deliver the vehicle

Net amount over my offer $______________________

Fix/Clean & Service vehicle $______________________

Discount $______________________

Additional Monthly Payments (while you wait to sell/verify funds/have repairs made-etc. $__________________

Advertising $______________________

Repairs $______________________

Additional depreciation $______________________

Tax Credit (taxed only on trade diff $___________________

Unexpected stuff (flat tire/repairs/damage caused by potential buyers/other unknown factors) $______________________

Total Expenses and Discounts $_______________________

Difference $___________ or <$____________>

You can get the idea of where I am going here. We all know how much stronger the written word is than the spoken word. I can justify my numbers and plant several seeds of doubt into the customer’s head and heart.

#1=Answer phone calls-we are living in a time of instant gratification. If/when someone calls about your car, and you do not get back to them within a few minutes, they are gone, or worse yet, they do not answer, you leave a message and start the phone-tag game. They have probably moved on to a different car. You have seen this on the lot yourself. They come into your store, looking for a Caliber and they leave in a 1 Ton Cummins Diesel Dually…..and they are happy! The majority of the time, people do not buy what they came to look at.

Paint the Picture: The shopper sees your ad in the flyer/shopper/newspaper. They call you at 9:37 in the morning and you cannot possibly get home until 8:37 that night. They tell (promise) you they will be there at 8:45 p.m. “sharp”. You hustle home after your day’s work and after the meeting at church or school, and wait…and wait….and wait….and wait…..and nothing. Now it’s 10:00 and you finally can sit down and relax. They call at 10:18 and tell you they’ll “be right over”, and tonight is the only chance they have to look at the car. You just got the baby to sleep and any noise will wake her….your husband/wife/neighbors-etc. Before you start painting this picture-sit down and write your script and plan exactly what you are going to say. Every word I spoke here is true, the customer just never had it explained to them in a common sense fashion like this before. If you “wing it” it will sound like it, and that is the last thing you need.

I will finish this subject in my next article. Don’t miss it!

Thank you!

See you later on down the road!

Sam Milton-The King of Auto Sales

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KING OF AUTO SALES©

“I’ve been thinking…©”

Today’s Marketplace-the Modern Shopper and Today’s Educated Consumer

The 10 types of customers out there….how to read them and how to close them.

  1. The “Yes-Man”…nods their head and says Yes to almost everything,
     because they think it will pacify the salesperson. This person is
     scared to be ‘sold’. Consider asking this person a direct
     question, like: “Do you plan to make a buying decision today?”
     Normally, you would not be quite this direct, but you must do
     something shocking to move this person off of center, and stop
     them from being agreeable.

  2. The “Know it All”…Thinks they know more than you do. Let this
     person trap himself. Act as if you are “learning” a lot from them,
     by telling him how excited you are to be gleaning their knowledge
     and how impressed you are by their wealth of knowledge and
     experience. When you finally get a chance, say: “It sure sounds to
     me based on what you are saying, it sure sounds like we’ve found a
     perfect match-doesn’t it???….Let’s go inside/to my desk and work
     out some of the smaller details now.” This is one you really need
     to practice up on, with one of your co-workers, because whatever
     carefully voiced words you use, will positively have to make
     everything sound like they are their ideas, and since they are
     their ideas, it should not be hard to follow through. Often times
     they will buy to save face, especially if they are with someone
     they are trying to impress even more than you.

  3. The “High-Roller”…wants you to know how much they are worth, how
     much they make, how important they are-etc. This is often a facade
     they would desperately like you to buy into. Go along with this
     person, and be (act) very impressed. Pay very close attention to
     them and they will often trap themselves, most of the time by
     merely feeding their own ego large amounts of themselves. Cash
     this person’s check immediately, if not sooner.

  4. The “Analytical” tends to be intelligent and knowledgeable. They
     have probably armed themself well, with internet, factory
     articles, consumer’s guides and associated reports, blog info, and
     other automotive publications. They are cautious, slow moving and
     protective of their statements and answers. Be courteous, sincere,
     and be ready to back up anything you say or allude to, with
     documentation and/or facts. Deal will be based on logic and
     information, so tone down the enthusiasm, because the analytical
     will not be buying it, nor are they even interested in that part
     of you, or the deal. “Just the facts, Ma’am/Sir!”

  5. The “Scared to Death” They are afraid and it shows! Treat this
     person with the softest ‘kid-gloves’. Slow down. Be patient. Speak
     clearly and distinctly. Slow down. Be patient, low-keyed and very
     (yes painfully slowly) slowly build up their confidence in you and
     the dealership and then the deal. Show this person the utmost
     respect, speak slowly, articulately and maybe even suggest moving
     out of the center of the showroom, to a more subdued, quiet place
     in the store, if possible.

  6. The “Couldn’t Care Less”…is nonchalant, and acts bored. Can seem
     rude, at times, and hard to get to know. They will act as if he
     doesn’t care, but please have no doubt that they are absorbing
     every word you speak! They are taking in all the information
     around them, good or bad, (the eyes will always be moving/eyelids
     will be fluttering-not much direct eye contact here). Start a
     little bit slower with this person, and slowly build a small
     amount of excitement, at first, and then build on that. Be
     prepared to go back and “visit” that event or words that got them
     even that least little bit excited, occasionally, during the sales
     process. Try to inject some excitement about the product here and
     there, without going overboard. “Easy does it” here, with this
     one. This is where asking questions and watching the eyes would be
     useful for you, to determine if they are an ‘auditory’, ‘visual’,
     or ‘kinesthetic’ person, (and yes-I will cover that subject in
     another article)

  7. The “I’m Just Looking”…This is a major defense shield, but it
     doesn’t mean a thing. Do not challenge this statement, but rather
     try to set the stage for a non-confrontational environment, with
     your response to the statement, and other statements you give
     also. Give your presentation with a low-dose of enthusiasm. Be
     professional, thorough and offer enthusiastic kindness and
     sincerity. Try to ask for the business differently that they did
     at the last store, or the last time this person bought a
     vehicle-because something about that process upset them, and they
     are still “wounded” by it.

  8. The “Curious”…wants information to take home, but is only slightly
     willing to listen to your walk-around presentation and take a
     demo-drive. Give them a dynamic/tailored presentation, with lots
     of showmanship. Let your enthusiasm get the customer excited,
     concentrating and slowly working on pride and ego. Tell them
     what’s in the brochures, with your walk-around presentation, so
     that when they do open the brochures, in the comfort and
     convenience of their living room, they will see and feel the
     picture you painted for them, in your showroom.

  9. The “Good Natured”…is polite, courteous and exhibits class. Is
     open-minded and respectful to you, and is genuine in their
     thoughts and words. Treat this person with charm and show them you
     are a true professional. Give them a truly professional
     walk-around presentation, and the level of information they
     desire, without going overboard in one area or another. Never,
     ever use high pressure, because that stuff will not float with
     this person.

 10. The “Rude-Skeptical”…comes in with a chip- – -(no-make that a
     brick) on their shoulder, and does not trust anyone, much less an
     automotive salesperson. Kill them with sincere kindness, and they
     won’t have anyone to fight with. Give them genuine friendship
     first, speak slowly and deliberately, and be a true professional.
     Be as agreeable as possible, and only ask for the sale when you
     feel there is a small level of trust there. If you are honest and
     sincere in your approach to your business, they may see the logic
     and the light. If you strap on the gloves with this person, you
     will be the person they will be talking bad about at that next
     store they go to, because they will not tolerate anything negative
     from you. They will go down the street, to the next store, just to
     see how they will be treated there, if you challenge them at yours.

Well-there you have a list of the 10 most common types of buyers out there today. There are some people over on the left side of the graph, who cannot buy a car and some people over on the right side of the graph, who are so “smart”-they don’t trust you or believe anything that you say (even though you are a pretty good sort of person). There is no big secret here, just figure out what kind of buyer you have in front of you, lower their anxiety level, get them to like you (I can’t tell you exactly how to do that in this note today-but I will later).

Remember-always sell yourself first….then the vehicle and then the store and service department. This holds true for almost anything you are selling, but especially cars. If they don’t “Buy” you, they probably won’t buy your product, or if they do buy your product, they will beat you up on the price and then rip your heart out on the survey because they bought a car they didn’t like or want or need, and because you sold them the wrong car. I know you may not like to hear this, but if you think about it and be honest with yourself…..in your heart-you know it’s true and very realistic.

See ya’ later on down the road©!!!

Sam I Am-the King of Auto Sales

According to researchers (I always love that one….like who are the “researchers”?),,,,There are certain Fears that severely hinder the cultivation of creativity and in some cases-the growth of society.

1. The Fear of making _mistakes_

2. The Fear of being _seen_ as a fool

3. The Fear of being _criticized_

4. The Fear of being _misused_

5. The Fear of _being alone_

6. The Fear of _disturbing tradition_ and making changes

7. The Fear of being _associated with ‘taboos’_

8. The Fear of losing _the security of habit_ (boy is that a big one)

9. The Fear of _losing the love_ of the group

10. The Fear of truly _being an individual_

There are two 8 word-“killer” phrases that should not be in your dealership……………(and the truth of the matter is….some people are so scared of saying anything else besides these phrases)…..

1. “We tried it before and it didn’t work!”

2. “This is the way we’ve always done it!”

· I have people write me almost daily, that have gone out on that little-tiny limb and tried something “new” that they tried 5 years ago…..and guess what they say: “It worked!” ………“I can’t believe it actually worked this time!”

· So-I guess sometimes it comes down to this: *_Do you want to be popular or do you want to make some money? _*

*_ _*

Fears….

They tell me some customers have “fears” when they enter our showroom….

I have organized these fears into these areas:

1. Fear of salespeople

2. Fear of failure

3. Fear of owing money

4. Fear of dishonesty

5. Fear of embarrassment

6. Fear of the unknown

7. Fear of past mistakes

8. Fear generated by others

9. Fear of emotional letdown

10. Fear of making another mistake

11. Fear of not knowing what to do

Your job is to help lower someone’s anxiety level and assure them everything is going to be alright. Let this show on you. Common sense will tell you…just make sure the vehicle you are showing them is the vehicle they want/need and the vehicle they are in love with BEFORE you start negotiating on it!!!

And remember….Profit is not a dirty word!