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The Power of First Impressions

Billy Crystal was hilarious as Fernando Lamas

For years on Saturday Night Live, Bill Crystal would dress up like the famous Spanish actor Fernando Lamas and tell his celebrity guest, 'You know my friend, it doesn't matter how you feel but how you look. And you look marvelous!' The way you look has a significant impact on your ability to sell cars. And I'm not talking about exterior beauty. Frankly, it goes much deeper than that.

The Power of First Impressions

You could be the most intelligent salesperson at the dealership, have the best closing techniques, and have the highest level of product knowledge but still not be the top salesperson. One of the reasons could be how you make your first impressions. Making a good first impression has a significant impact on sales success. Some of the factors that contribute to a good first impression include:

The cleanliness and condition of your clothes. Are they ironed and crisp or do they look like you just crawled out of bed?
How you keep your hair and/or beard. Whether long or short, is it clean and groomed nicely?
Your body language and location when a customer drives onto the lot. Do you huddle with other salespeople who wear dark glasses, smoke and drink coffee? Or are you ready to greet every customer without concern for your breath or what to do with your cigarette butts.
Hygiene and other factors. Do you wear deodorant? Is your cologne or perfume too strong? Do you greet customers while you're still chewing your lunch?

Consider the fact that you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Drop the ball on this one, and you've just lost a sale that impacts you, your dealership and your opportunities for future business.

For more information about key elements of the sales process, enroll in one of our performance improvement sales courses today!