Service Providers

What can today’s shoppers learn from your salespeople?

Fran O'HaganMany shoppers today walk through the door of a dealership armed with enough product information from the Internet to give a product “walk-around” themselves. The question is, “What can today’s shoppers learn from your salespeople?” We know the most successful salespeople are seen by the shoppers as helpful, rather than simply trying to sell a motorcycle without regard for the shopper’s interests or needs. But if all a salesperson knows about a particular motorcycle are the specs printed in a brochure or the stats listed on a Web site, then many of the most serious shoppers will find little value in talking with that salesperson.

What’s the answer? Encourage your salespeople to gather interesting and helpful facts and anecdotes about the various products your dealership sells. Facts and anecdotes that go beyond what’s listed in a brochure or Web site. Examples? How have other customers described riding the same model? What do the techs or service writers say about working on a new model? How do the factory reps describe the development process of a new model? What new components were developed for the new model, and why are they interesting? What unusual materials are used on the new model, such as titanium, magnesium, carbon fiber – and why?

Imagine how the conversations between salesperson and shopper will change when the salesperson mentions interesting, relevant facts and anecdotes instead of repeating specs and stats that many of today’s shoppers already know. Instead, the shoppers will find a knowledgeable, helpful “friend” who listens carefully to the shopper’s desires and needs and shares brand new information. The shopper will learn more about the motorcycle, and will gain appreciation and respect for the salesperson and your dealership.

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One Comment

  1. I’ve always found it invaluable to ride/drive/captain everything I’ve ever sold. If you can’t talk about personnal experience in ride, handling, etc., then your just waisting breath. You can talk all day about someone else’s reported experience, but it’s just that, second-hand infomation. Watch your client’s eyes when you tell them about your own time in or on the machine he’s interested in, they go from bored to truly interested.

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