Dealer Consultants

Why is the customer there?

Steve LemcoOne of my favorite questions I have for the class is: Why are the customers there? They easily give the correct answer of “Because we have what they want.” Yes indeed, that is why they are there.

I have never left home and drove some place to look at something I don’t want. I think that is true for most everybody. For the most part when the customers are at your dealership it’s because you have something they want. When it comes to motorcycles, the customer’s want meter is at the top level. Now if the salesperson is smiling with their want meter at their top level, then many good things will happen.

They want it; the salesperson wants them to have it, and there it is. How hard can it be? The best part is that the salesperson can make it very affordable with your super financing, and the customer can probably take it home today.

One of my biggest fears is the customers are not appreciated the way they should be. Salespeople begin to take them for granted, and their efforts drop. At this point, I tell the door-to-door salesman story to make my point clear.

On average, a door-to-door salesman gets invited inside to do a presentation about one time out of 20 door knocks. Yet door-to-door salesmen have one of the highest closing ratios amongst salespeople.

Here’s why:

It goes like this. Knock, knock, knock … Nobody’s home. Knock, knock, knock … “Come back when my husband is home.” Knock, knock, knock … “No, I am not interested.” Knock, knock, knock … Knock, knock, knock. Then finally somebody is home and also is interested in hearing what the salesperson has to say and invites them in.

The salesperson is so excited. He has been knocking on doors for hours just hoping someone was home and would listen to what they have to say. Because he did not quit and had the fortitude to keep knocking, and because he is so excited to give his presentation, this is why door-to-door salespeople have a very high closing percentage.

Just think what would happen if the next five doors he knocked on he got invited in to give a presentation. He would probably close all five. But 20 doors later his closing percentage would be considerably lower because he lost the Wow Factor of an interested customer.

He began to expect the door to open and a cheerful buyer would be on the other side. If not, he knew the next door would be available soon, and he would begin looking for the easy buyer.

The good problem we have is with every door our salesman knocks on, the customer is home and interested in what we have to say. Or in other words the salespeople are talking to people who took the time to drive to their dealership to hear what they had to say. Every show they give is to an interested customer. Hopefully every show that is given is done by an interested salesperson.

Note: One of the sales manager’s many jobs is to keep their salespeople’s mindset like that of an appreciative door-to-door salesman and ready to give a great show to the customer and show them how easy it is to take home their dream bike.

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This is the 11th part in a series of blogs about hiring new salespeople. To read the previous blogs in this series, click here.

Steve Lemco is the youngest brother of the late Ed Lemco and has been doing sales training and hiring for motorcycle dealers since 1983. He is the author of three sales books, the new “Training and Hiring New Salespeople,”  “Motorcycle Sales Made Easy” and “You Gotta-Wanna.” Steve has trained in every state in the U.S., as well as England, France, Australia and New Zealand. Steve incorporates motivational boards and games along with his training and hiring because he believes the best way to get the job done is to make it fun. 

Contact: stevelemco@aol.com


Website: www.stevelemco.com


Phone: 253/826-6110

 

 

 

 

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