After reading Christopher S. Penn’s article about the over saturation of content, I’m going to do my best to keep this short and sweet. After nearly a decade consulting with dealers, to this day, I still see these very simple, “Oso special,” techniques being overlooked all the time. If you’re a BDC agent, an Internet sales manager, or someone watching Disney Junior, you can plan on taking action today.
Empathy
As I’ve said countless times to our clients, empathy goes a million miles. Saying things like “I’ve been there before,” “I’d feel the same way,” and “I totally see where you’re coming from” is a way to immediately resonate with reasonable customers (as with people, in general). It allows you to explore their point of view before you share yours. Moreover, it helps the customer feel like you are working towards the same goal, as a team. Instead of reading the script verbatim, take the time to show you’re a person, too. Let them open up and make the sale for you.
Managing Expectations
Whether it’s on the website, in a call script, or in an email template, we leave a lot to chance. Having a separate button on a website that says “Additional Savings,” just begs the question how much? When an agent says “I’ll call you back in just a bit,” begs when? When an email template uses a stock photo that doesn’t resemble the actual car, it screams WTF?! Stop setting yourself up for failure. If you’re not prepared to negotiate, don’t ask for it. If it’s going to take 10 minutes, tell them 15 minutes. If your 200,000 mile used car has blemishes, show them. Be open and honest with a customer. OR, don’t complain when they cut off correspondence.
Stop Making Assumptions
If you’ve worked at a car dealership, you’ve heard “when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.” I’m all for making hypotheses based on data, so if you have a theory about a customer, PROVE IT before you act on it. Intuition comes from long-term experience in a given capacity, not a few months on the job. Don’t jump to the conclusion that someone has financial issues just because they’re looking at an inexpensive vehicle. Some people get rich from taking risks, while others get wealthy by being frugal. Just because someone puts a bogus name in a lead, doesn’t mean that they’re not a buyer. In fact, they can be very sharp, and turn into a long term customer. You don’t know what you don’t know.
Astonishingly simple, right? It’s so simple that it gets overlooked. It’s time to stop. Stop passive listening, being vague, and jumping to conclusions. Get good at the little things. They will lead you to bigger things.
