Car Sales You Determine Your Success

Yes in used car sales most dealerships have a sales manager whose job is to coach and mentor the automobile salespeople. But most automobile sales managers, unfortunately, do not invest the energy or time in developing their sales people. Success in used car sales rests with the initiative of the automobile salesperson. If that is you, or if you are considering a career in selling automobiles, go for it.
YOU can and will succeed if you take control of your sales career development. As an automobile salesperson, you are in business for you. Treat your career as a business and you will succeed. But be careful you don't fall into any of the following pitfalls.
Failing To Prepare
Being prepared means knowing your product. In used car sales this means knowing what you have in inventory. It means knowing which units are 4 wheel drive, which are All Wheel Drive and what the difference is. It means knowing the features and power options available in your inventory. For example, vehicles with cruise control, air conditioning, power locks, keyless entry, sunroofs, which have manual transmissions or units with diesel engines.
Preparation is essential so that while qualifying your prospect you are visualizing the one or two vehicles in your inventory you want to present. You know what is available and where it is. It's then a smooth transition to selecting, presenting, and test driving the right vehicle.
By-the-way, when you are unprepared the prospect takes over the questioning. In used car sales, when the prospect starts asking all the questions she is in control. When the prospect is in control, your commission decreases proportionately - if you get the sale at all.
Choosing not to take the time to walk your lot checking for new arrivals and for what is no longer available means you are setting yourself up to be less effective. Choosing not to learn about the features and benefits of the units you have in inventory means you will miss opportunities to make a sale simply because you are unable to match the prospect to the right vehicle.
Failing To Schedule Your Time
Used car sales champions map out their month, week, and day. They schedule time for daily follow up on their sold and prospect lists. They plan time for sending holiday and special occasion cards. They map their month, week, and day because they understand that gabbing in the huddle, standing at the door waiting for a walk-in, hoping for an Up is unproductive. Career automobile sales people plan for success.
The danger for more experienced sales people is falling into the complacency black-hole. Complacency is that place where salespeople have had reasonable success as a result of doing the right things and now, for some strange reason, feel the momentum will continue simply because of past successes. So they stop tracking their activity, they stop reading and learning, they simply let slide all of the activities they did previously that moved them to where they are today.
The most successful people in auto sales jobs plan for success by mapping out their month, week, day, by avoiding the complacency black-hole, and by seeking feedback from mentors and customers. By-the-way, when you sincerely ask a customer if there was anything you could have done better that goes a long way in strengthening the trust in your relationship.