I do not like buying cars. And just a few minutes after I walked into a dealership many years ago to test drive a car, I was reminded why I hated it so much. The salespeople. Oh, the salespeople. Especially the salespeople that do not seem to know that it isn’t 1972 anymore.
Many years ago, when my wife was expecting, we decided that it was time for a new car. At the time we lived in Colorado and we determined that my two-wheel drive pickup truck with ZERO snow traction was not an ideal car (even if it was our second car) to have to drive our young baby in.
So I did lots and lots of research. After about a month I settled on the car I wanted. I went into the dealership closest to our home and told the salesperson exactly what I wanted-and asked him if he had what I was looking for.
He said he did.
He pulled the car around and I noticed it was a higher-level package than I wanted. Since this was not our primary vehicle, I didn’t need anything fancy like “upgraded upholstery,” “alloy wheels” and a spoiler on the hatchback lid. First problem.
I let him know that the first thing I wanted to do was test drive the car. I knew the specs of the vehicle, after I had been researching it for a month! I just wanted to see if I liked the way it handled on the road.
So, of course, before we jump in, he opens the hood to show off the engine. Second problem.
I’m sorry folks, this is a car with a 110 hp engine, which will go 0-60 in two minutes or something. (Okay, it’s not that bad!) What the heck was he showing off?? I looked at the engine and remember thinking something like, “Yep, that’s an engine!” He closed the hood and finally we were going to drive the car.
The salesperson drove off the lot and then pulled off to the side of the road to do the transition from his driving it to my driving it. But before he did that, he wanted to show me one more thing…third problem.
He turns the car hard left to show the incredible turning radius of the vehicle and the agility of the “drive-by-wire” steering. The funny thing is, I already let him know I did tons of research and in looking back, wouldn’t it have been better for me to drive the vehicle myself to experience the drive-by-wire steering???
By this time, I’m ticked…and convinced he was like EVERY salesperson I’ve met. I did my test drive, and liked the car but had a feeling that this dealership wasn’t a good fit.
I gave them a chance, and they blew it. It’s like they didn’t listen to a word I said. They never tailored their approach to fit me, and it was clear that they were trying to jam a square peg into a round hole and I hated it.
After I left that dealership I contacted another one about an hour away and gave him my requirements and wanted to know the “out the door price.” Within minutes he let me know that he had the car I wanted, gave me the final price, which was in line with what my research told me was fair. I headed down to complete the paperwork and they ended up delivering the car to my home a few days later.
What Went Wrong/Right?
As you can tell by this story, my buying language is that of someone who does a ton of research and comes in ultra prepared. I don’t need a lot of “chit-chat” or “razzle-dazzle”…I need the salesperson to get out of the way and simply give me what I have asked for.
He kept trying to give me what he wanted to give me. Or perhaps, what he had been trained, by LOTS of old school car people to give me. Which just irritated me!
In contrast the second salesperson immediately recognized my buying language and gave me what I wanted … and he made the sale. That might’ve been his easiest sales of the day!
Are you speaking your customer’s language?
At first glance it may seem that leasing apartments or selling your service is a straightforward process. You take the prospect to the model, you ask a few questions, you make the sale, right?
Wrong.
We all have a unique language that we speak when buying. A language constructed by our personalities, our perspectives and experiences. When a salesperson speaks our language there is a connection-which makes it more likely that s/he will make the sale. When the salesperson doesn’t speak our language, well, you may go to another dealership an hour away to buy a car!
The same is true for your customers! To increase your chances of making a sale you need to speak their languages.
The first piece of advice I have for you when meeting with a customer is to PAY ATTENTION! When your customer gives you the signs that you’re connecting, keep doing what you’re doing! And when there is a clear disconnect between you and your prospects stop doing what you’re doing and do something different!
This might mean you might need to talk more. Talk less. Ask more questions. Ask less questions. Just head straight for the model. Spend more time chatting over coffee before heading to the model. Get the picture?
