Successful Salespeople Are Made, Not Born
Ask yourself this question: Have you definitively chosen automotive sales as your career?
In many cases, it is unfortunately a job that some folks are doing until they find something better. This is one of the biggest reasons there is so much salesperson turnover in our industry. The other major reason for the high turnover is that far too many salespeople are constantly shopping for the proverbial greener grass. The percentage of gross paid out in commissions, the salespeople incentives, a demo, but most of all, the amount of walk-in traffic is better 'over there' are some of the main reasons for those 'hopper' salespeople.
In order to become a successful salesperson, the key is to put down roots.
Ask yourself this question: Have you definitively chosen automotive sales as your career?
In many cases, it is unfortunately a job that some folks are doing until they find something better. This is one of the biggest reasons there is so much salesperson turnover in our industry. The other major reason for the high turnover is that far too many salespeople are constantly shopping for the proverbial greener grass. The percentage of gross paid out in commissions, the salespeople incentives, a demo, but most of all, the amount of walk-in traffic is better 'over there' are some of the main reasons for those 'hopper' salespeople.
In order to become a successful salesperson, the key is to put down roots.
Any salesperson will be more successful if they stay with one dealership, regardless of the product, than one who hops around. The reason being, you become a fixture, you become associated with the dealership you work for and the products you sell. You will also become, in a short time, the only salesperson with any tenure in the dealership, as there will continue to be plenty of hoppers that come and go. Think for a moment about how many vehicles are sold each month and year, and you'll realize that after only a few years you are the only salesperson who was selling in that dealership only a few years ago. So what does this mean?
Well, simply put, customers who purchased a vehicle from another salesperson three years ago don't have a salesperson representative anymore, and when the time comes for them to purchase another vehicle, yours will be the face that they recognize and, in turn, will be more inclined to do business with you over other salespeople. By virtue of time alone, you will meet a lot of the customers in the dealership, those who bought from you, those who bought from other salespeople that are no longer there and those who bought at other dealerships who service their vehicle at your dealership. Being the salesperson that is always there will ultimately result in all of those customers knowing who you are as well, and when they are referring customers to the dealership, again, you are the one they know. All of the suppliers to your company, neighboring companies, and the community at large all associate you with the dealership and the dealership with you, and when they have referrals or need vehicles themselves, who will they turn to?
There are additional advantages to staying in one place as well. The staff of the entire dealership becomes more familiar with you, and when their family and friends ask them about a new or pre-owned vehicle, they will be more apt to refer those customers to you.
So, you reach a point where most of the customers know you and prefer to deal with you, the staff is referring customers to you and when the owner/dealer/general manager needs a salesperson to take care of a customer, who do you think they will choose?
All of the factors mentioned here are, in fact, by-products of putting down roots. There are a lot of ways to become a successful salesperson; proper prospecting, proper follow-up and by following an effective sales process. Imagine how many sales you would generate if you followed all of these guidelines AND you did so all in one dealership. You would build a sales portfolio that dealerships would kill for, but remember, it's not only you, it's the support that you get from the dealership and the products you sell.
Good selling!
Well, simply put, customers who purchased a vehicle from another salesperson three years ago don't have a salesperson representative anymore, and when the time comes for them to purchase another vehicle, yours will be the face that they recognize and, in turn, will be more inclined to do business with you over other salespeople. By virtue of time alone, you will meet a lot of the customers in the dealership, those who bought from you, those who bought from other salespeople that are no longer there and those who bought at other dealerships who service their vehicle at your dealership. Being the salesperson that is always there will ultimately result in all of those customers knowing who you are as well, and when they are referring customers to the dealership, again, you are the one they know. All of the suppliers to your company, neighboring companies, and the community at large all associate you with the dealership and the dealership with you, and when they have referrals or need vehicles themselves, who will they turn to?
There are additional advantages to staying in one place as well. The staff of the entire dealership becomes more familiar with you, and when their family and friends ask them about a new or pre-owned vehicle, they will be more apt to refer those customers to you.
So, you reach a point where most of the customers know you and prefer to deal with you, the staff is referring customers to you and when the owner/dealer/general manager needs a salesperson to take care of a customer, who do you think they will choose?
All of the factors mentioned here are, in fact, by-products of putting down roots. There are a lot of ways to become a successful salesperson; proper prospecting, proper follow-up and by following an effective sales process. Imagine how many sales you would generate if you followed all of these guidelines AND you did so all in one dealership. You would build a sales portfolio that dealerships would kill for, but remember, it's not only you, it's the support that you get from the dealership and the products you sell.
Good selling!
