Yes, there is truth in car sales and you can trust a car salesperson. The difficulty lies in breaking down the walls that separate customer and salesperson. Walls that keep both parties from their desired goal.
It’s not always as simple as getting the answers you want to hear. It is really about getting the correct answers to the right questions. As customer, we buy a product or service from an organization or a sales professional we have gotten to know and more importantly trust.
It’s interesting that we all start our mornings in similar ways. We get dressed, hopefully shower first, eat breakfast, kiss the family and off to make the Donuts in the morning. In most cases, we share the same values, hobbies, likes and dislikes. We go to the same restaurants, grocery stores, churches and in some cases our kids play on the same little league team, and get this — trust each other and work together as a unit towards a common goal. So what separates us (car salesperson vs. consumer) puts the huge wall of denial and deception? Is it me, you, or us? Everyday a salesperson feels the same pressure as you. There are bills to pay, kids to feed, mortgage or rent to pay, car payments, the list goes on, and on, and on. There are Quotas and goals to meet at work, his, or her boss never satisfied, always expecting more and demanding more; oh, and trying to pay less, and spend less while increasing production all at the same time. Yet somehow the perception of a salesperson is quite different.
Most seem to think salespeople change in phone booths and are able to leap small Hyundai’s in a single bound or, are trained in Customer Combat Classes in the fine art of Car-Jitsu, Carate, or Car Kwon Do. Wanting to only become one with your money, a monk in a plaid suit they are seen as a virtual sub- human selling machine. Reality, however, is really quite different. You see–no sale is made until a certain level of trust is established. Long gone are the days of past when Yankee drummers peddled the “one” potion to cure all aliments. So, since most sales people are not friends or relatives, it’s not expected that you walk in trusting or believing what one might have to share regardless of how factual. The facts are often clouded by perception and the media. So who can you trust? As a customer, I often rehearse all the ways to say no till you earn your yes, and indeed, sales people are customers too. We share the same fear of loss and being taken advantage of; we need the same reassurance of value. We need to be better informed and also better prepared .Yet we do the same thing, we rehearse our come backs and our way to get away.
It’s odd; because, in most cases, we really need or want the product or service which we seek. For example, you pull up to a car lot and it seems the sales people are circling like vultures in a Clint Eastwood movie. Your mouth gets dry, heart starts to pound, nerves kick into over drive, beads of sweat begin to form on our forehead, and then it happens, out comes the hand a hearty “Welcome to ABC Motors how can I be of service?” Your response: just Looking…and so it begins. This can be found on page one paragraph one of how to avoid your sales person in ten easy steps. The sales person begins to think O.K. my response? Ah what page of “How to sell your customer in ten easy steps” was the come back provided? And then as you glance at your crew of not so ready for prime time players, your significant other who quickly gives you the “Is that all you can muster up stare follows with a big smile and a bold friendly: “Hi, my name is _______and that’s my not so significant other, stupid. We would like to look at a new_____.” You think to yourself, you might as well have said come take me I’m yours, and hand over your wallet, or purse! Oh no! You did not just open up and let the sales person in. A whole months worth of rehearsing goes right out the window. You quickly reach in your back pocket, what’s page two paragraph one?
Our goal is really the same, YES the same. The goal is for you to have a new vehicle in your driveway. The problem is since we were young we have been told “never trust or marry a sales person”. A sales person is told all buyers are liars. So if both our lips are moving, how can we get to the truth? The solution is really quite simple; become well prepared or change the approach. You see, over time as a sales person, you begin to develop an attitude of service and realize your customer is your purpose. Coming up through the sales ranks, I was told “Nothing begins until a sale is made!” Actually nothing begins until a friend is made, so come in and make a friend. Remember the man, or woman in the morning, when a hand is extended take it. Look at the person first, sales person second. They are our friend on the inside and put their pants on one leg at a time, too.
So…..we want to hear from you: What makes a great car buying experience?
