You all know about our “Sales Process” and “Steps to Sale.”
There is one thing nobody thinks or talks about: Customers’ Buying Process. What makes them buy? What is their steps to purchase? What is their game plan? Why would they buy from you or your dealership?
Customers’ Steps To Buying
- Salesperson LISTENS to what they say.
- They LIKE the salesperson.
- They LISTEN to the salesperson.
- They TRUST the salesperson.
- They TALK to the salesperson.
- The BUY from the salesperson.
How do you think this information helps you sell more cars, make more gross?
You are still expected to follow your sales process but knowing customers’ buying process will make your much more successful. Once you understand the information below and keep it in your mind whenever you are interacting with a customer by email, on the phone or in person, you will have a clear path to sale.
Customers must like you first.
If they like you, they will talk to you.
Once the customers start talking to you, you should be able to get them open up to you by using good questioning skills. Asking good questions will lead you to discover your customers’ “WHY!” Why are they in market right now? Why did they choose the particular models or the vehicles they are considering? What are their hopes and dreams, wants and needs?
When you listen actively by repeating some answers and and asking for clarifications on others, you will demonstrate that you care about your customers. They will begin to trust you.
When they trust you, they will buy from you. They will even tell you how you can sell them a car.
You must earn your customers’ trust before you ask for their business.
Even when you are responding a phone inquiry, you must earn the caller’s trust before you ask for their phone number or go for an appointment. Sure, in the past you might have been able to get customers phone numbers to call them back or made appointments without establishing much of a trust. Think back on those instances and remember how many of those numbers were fake or not picked up when you called back. Think about the appointments you made but did not show. Do you want better results? Keep customers’ buying process in your mind.
Basics segment included basic information about question types. Asking right questions the right way is critical to your success. You need to know more than what type of questions available. You need to know how to ask them.
Many salespeople use wrong open-ended questions at the wrong time of the conversation. Open-ended questions are supposed to be designed to give you maximum information by forcing customer to elaborate. What is an example of a wrong open-ended question? “When can you come in?” is a question asked on the phone for an attempt to schedule an appointment. What is a better question to ask? An alternate choice question like “Does Saturday morning or afternoon work better for you?”
Here are a few examples of wrong questions to ask:
What color are you looking for?
What options are important to you?
How much were you thinking about putting down?
Why are these wrong questions? Because the answers you may get make it harder for you to sell a car. What if you don’t have the model in the color or with the options they are looking for? What if they say “No money down?” Don’t ask questions that may generate answers that may put roadblocks on your steps to sale.
Ask questions you know the answer to. Ask alternate choice questions that limit the customers’ response to the choices you provide.
Even when asking alternate choice questions don’t ask questions that will make your customers to think to come up with a logical answer. Those are mostly related to the vehicle like “do you want one with cloth or leather?”
Ask questions that will evoke emotions. These are questions that will help customer take mental ownership by imagining themselves using the vehicle like “Where will you taking your first trip in your new [model]?” These are the questions that involve customers in imagining themselves enjoying their new vehicle or dealing with you.