Sales System

Control Follow Up

Conrol Problems

We all lose sales trying to control a situation, which we can not control.

By that I mean you can only control yourself and not control someone else in their decision.

You can suggest and let your knowledge be a part of the decision, but you can not force someone to make a decision.

Automobile Dealerships, I think have lost so many customers by trying to force decisions right now. If you have ever purchased an automobile, then you know they will always ask, if I can get you that price right now would you buy today.

Why not let the customer make that decision, based on how the salesperson has done their job. Instead they have the sales manager; finance manager and anyone else who can speak drive the customer crazy, with why not today?

This has been a major problem in the auto industry for many years and I see a few dealers moving from that approach and becoming more successful. This trend will continue, as dealers are becoming more sensitive to customer needs for service and not so much as a sale right now approach.

Customers are more educated and know what their needs are now as opposed to what their emotions were 20 years ago. Cost of the product and maintaining their purchase is far more prevalent than it use to be.

Do we want to be considered the auto industry of the 21st century? I say no and the approach we take in the next few years are going to determine our positive or negative way we are seen by customers. I am speaking of each industry that is doing business today that means everyone.

Your approach to customers today can determine whether you are looking forward or peering in the rear view mirror. Let’s look at the electronic industry and see if you can relate to this.

You go into a major electronic store and you are looking for a small appliance and a salesperson ask you can they help you, and you explain that your small appliance just broke and you need one. The salesperson points to the small appliance area and says thank you for shopping whatever store you are in.

If you would have said you wanted a refrigerator or flat screen TV, they would have followed you like a puppy. The difference being the cost of the purchase and their commission is not much on a small appliance.

The next day your TV goes out and now you need a, you guessed it, flat screen TV, would you go back to the same store and look for the person who pointed to the small appliance department and sent you over there to look for yourself? No! You probably would not even recognize them in the first place, but you know that store has good prices and you go there to purchase your TV.

That salesperson just lost a good commission and you still purchased the TV there. Now if they would have only took some time to show you instead of pointing you to the small appliance department, then you would have looked them up and purchased the TV from them.