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Sales are often lost when your opinion gets in the way |
 Case Study
Jimmy was a former student of mine. He called me one morning in search of an inexpensive used car. Since we shared inventories with three other dealerships, I was able to secure a nice little Dodge Colt for an appointment later in the afternoon. The reconditioning manager assured me that the vehicle was in good condition for an eight year old car, and the price was right.
The vehicle arrived about ten minutes before Jimmy and his father showed up. I quickly inspected the vehicle’s exterior and was surprised at how straight and clean it was. But when I opened the door to check out the interior, I was hit with what could only be described as the smell of wet dog.
What Would You Do?
Since the issue at hand was subjective - and not related to the vehicle condition, reliability or safety – I chose to ignore it and let Jimmy and his father decide. As it turned out I made the right decision. Jimmy happily took delivery of his new car without one mention by him or his father about the smell inside the car.
About a week later, I saw Jimmy at the gas station filling up. When I looked inside the car, I was pleasantly amazed to see a beautiful Golden Retriever named Bonnie sitting in the back seat. He told me she went with him just about everywhere and that they both loved their new car. As it turns out, the dog smell may have been the reason Jimmy bought the car in the first place.
Keeping You to Yourself
When you let your opinion influence the customer it can cost you sales. I’ve heard sales people express their opinions about things like paint colors and new body styles and interiors, all before the customer has said anything about what they like or don’t like. And they’ve lost business because of it.
Your job as a salesperson is simple: Match the features and benefits of your products and services to a customer’s expressed wants and needs. Your opinion about subjective issues only matters if and when the customer asks for it.
For more information or for successful sales strategies, enroll in one of our performance improvement sales courses today! |
For more information or should you have any questions please contact:
shawn.ryder@autouniversity.com© 2008 Auto University - A Division of Ted Ings Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved 
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