Ask five customers "What's a typical driving day like for you?" and you'll get five different answers. Yet most dealerships limit their demonstrations to only one route or, in the worst cases, they provide no demonstration at all. While your dealership may have a good reason for its demonstration process, don't forget the purpose of the demo drive--to get customers emotionally involved! And virtually every sales training organization agrees that buying a car is an emotional decision.

We teach the importance of moving a customer from left brain thinking (the logical side) to right brain thinking (the feeling side). While much of the activity leading up to the demonstration (greeting, fact finding, product presentation) stimulates left brain thinking, a good demo drive inspires and encourages mental ownership. It balances out facts with the feelings that allow a customer to make an emotional decision. And because every customer is unique, it's important to tailor the demonstration drive to information gathered during fact finding. While this may require some creative thinking for dealerships with limited driving environments, there are ways to vary speeds and driving conditions that most closely matches the customer�s driving habits.

The customer who drives on the highway is less likely to make the "emotional connection" if your demonstration is limited to city streets. If you have a weekend adventurer, the additional 15 minute drive to a hilly area might just close the deal! So whenever possible, customize your demonstrations to get your customers emotionally attached. You'll sell more cars and have more fun doing it.