It's not a demo drive - although that should also be offered to every customer who visits the dealership. And no, it's not a credit check. So what is it?

Case Study:  About 20 years ago I was sitting in church listening to the pastor talk about the importance of building relationships with people before opening up a discussion about God. He used the example of a good friend of his who happened to be a top producing car salesman. The pastor began his story, "I asked Jim what made him the top producer at his dealership."  Jim answered, "It's simple. I give every new customer I meet a tour of our dealership before we do anything else. I take him or her to the service department where he or she meets the manager. I introduce my sales manager, the receptionist, and the business office staff. I show the customer the restrooms, where to get a cup of coffee and how to use the phone. By the time we're done, the customer knows everything about my dealership and who the people are who work there."  So then I asked, "Why do you do that?"  "Because," Jim said, "selling is all about building relationships first. If my customers don't trust me and my company, they're not likely to buy a car!"

Will it work for you?   You may think giving everyone a tour of the dealership is a waste of time or an odd idea. But consider this: when I decided to get into the business of selling cars about 10 years ago, I remembered this story and started doing it myself. And guess what? It worked! In fact, out of 10 salespeople at my dealership and about 50 in the auto group, I became the number one salesperson after just 3 months in the business (that?s the month I sold over 20 for the first time).

Key elements of the 'Tour'  If you plan on giving this a try, here are a few ideas that will help you be more successful:  Greeting - If you?re going to set up the tour correctly, you need to ask the right question. After the initial exchange, be sure to ask, "Is this your first visit to our dealership?" This will help set up the reason for the tour. Transition - Once you've confirmed that this is the first visit, invite the customer on the tour by saying (you can use your own words), "Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the buying experience usually only takes a few hours, but owning the vehicle takes years. And the people who take care of you in the years ahead can make all the difference in the world. So I'd like to show you around so you can get to know a little more about our dealership and our people before we begin looking at cars. Is that okay with you?"  Tour Stops - Here are the places and people you should see while on the tour:

• Service department - Manager and/or advisors
• Sales office - Sales Manager
• Reception - The key contact person in your dealership
• Customer lounge - focus on any refreshments or conveniences
• Children's area - If you have one, be sure to show it off
• Business area - for working while at the dealership
• Other key areas specific to your dealership