Are all objections overcomable?

[MauricioVincenzo]

Ok, so I get every other Sunday off, but decided to go in today cuz of the holiday weekend and then got yelled at for not selling any cars. Basically I talked to 6 people and every one of them had an excuse for not buying today. I'd like to know what I did wrong/what you would do in these situations......

#1-Looked at new Expeditions, not doing anything until the 2014's come out, wife doesn't even want an Expedition, but he's "hoping" he can talk her into one. Got info, gave card, will follow up.

#2-Older guy with his wife, looking for a small vehicle to flat tow, has a bad back and has had 2 operations, needed to find something comfortable to sit in. Did not find any Ford vehicles comfortable. I asked if there were any vehicles they found that were comfortable, they said a Volvo, but Volvo's can't be towed. I suggested an Escape and some padding they will have to do on their own as they found no vehicles that were comfortable that were able to be towed. They said they wanted to "go home and think about it". Got info, etc.......

#3-A female in a 1996 F-150 came in to see new trucks, did not want a 4-door, only extended cab. Showed her a 2012 F-150 XLT and a 2013 XTS, both ext. cabs. Suggested we take a spin around the block, she said she was not driving today and that she needed her husband anyway. I said "Let's take a drive to your house and show him there, wouldn't that be cool??....that way he can see the truck and give his yes or no right now"....she responds "My husband is in Idaho, that's where I live"..................Got info, etc.....

#4-Young couple driven in by their parents, they pull into customer parking, hop out and parents stay in the car with it running. Wife wants to see an Explorer with 2nd row Captain's Chairs and sunroof that is either black, white or silver. We don't have that but I suggest we drive an Explorer cuz they are going to drive the same..........we drive, wife likes it, so we go inside and I ask "If we can get what you want and the terms are agreeable, can we wrap this up today?" wife says she doesn't know cuz she wants to see the actual numbers first. GM says don't even think about doing a dealer trade on a holiday weekend. Got info, etc....

#5-Couple comes in looking for a pre-owned vehicle for daughter, have a pen and pad of paper with them to take notes. They ask where are the vehicles under $10,000. The only one we have is a 2005 Equinox with 125,000 miles on it. I explain that most of our pre-owned inventory are 2012 or newer, and a handful are 2011 or 2010 and maybe 4 cars that are older then that. I start asking questions and they say they really just want to take a look around and be left alone and not bothered. Try to get info, they don't wanna give it up, I give card.

#6-Couple with 20's something daughter come in looking for a 4WD Flex or truck for the daughter. They live about an hour away but came in cuz father has purchased a couple of vehicles here. They are not happy with what they see, but I point out our several 4WD Escapes. We drive an Escape, daughter says she thinks it's ok, but she knows she won't be happy with it "long term" and she really had her heart set on a Flex or truck and that there is a 4WD Flex and an ample supply of 4WD trucks closer to where they live. Give card, etc......

So??.........what would you do??

 

[Jlewis74]

Based on your other thread and this one I would be finding another dealership to work for. If a manager has a yell and scream at a sales person they should not be in the business. The other problem I see is when you talk about used car inventory as most being 2012 and newer this tells me they are not really running a used car operation just a not quite new operation. But it is their store and they can run it how they seem fit its up to you if you want to work there or not.

 

[ddavis]

I am assuming that the dealership doesn't use guest sheets. There are two major reasons that people fail in this business. They can't control the customer or they can't ask for the money.

I'm sorry but reading this, I see you following customers around the lot. Honestly, I can't remember taking six ups in a day. Did all of these talk to a manager before leaving?

 

[MauricioVincenzo]

No, it's rare for someone to talk to a manager before leaving.

 

[ddavis]

At every dealership, I have worked for, we had a cardinal rule: "nobody walks until somody talks" ...to that customer. If six customers left one of those stores without a TO, either you or one of the managers would be a memory.

 

[mbayo]

Mauricio,

I have to agree with Doug and Jeremy. Managers who don't regularly train their sales staff, won't go out on a T. O. before a customer leaves and refuse to write an order on a dealer trade subject to vehicle availability (in order to take a customer out of the market) sure make it difficult to sell a car. But you're asking for help so that you can do a better job with your future customers so here goes.....

No, all objections are not "overcomable" yet I believe there were at least 2 sales for you out of these opportunities and all 6 will more than likely buy a vehicle somewhere soon. In order to help you out I'd need to know more about how you're handling the first 5-10 minutes of the interaction since that is where the sale is set up.

What does your usual greeting sound like? I ask largely because it seems like you're getting a fair amount of resistance right out of the gate and while that's usually to be expected, the way you greet a customer can increase or decrease the likelihood of gaining rapport and control from the start.

Next, where do you do most of your fact-finding, on the lot or at your desk? While it can be done either way, you can increase control and focus in your deal by inviting the customer to your desk for the interview process. This way you can offer them a refreshment and take notes on wants and needs. Be sure to ask what is drawing them to the vehicle they're looking for and how they intend to use it to discover how adamant/flexible they are about what they are looking for. 4 of these 6 customers sound "switchable" to me, but it's crucial you don't take their objections at face value. For example, the $10,000 customer will often land themselves on a more expensive vehicle and if you get them excited enough about it their budget will magically increase so they can buy it.

The sale is actually made in the presentation and demonstration because when you do them right the customer is saying to themselves "I want it and I want it now!" So what do your walkarounds look like? Do they end with the customer in the front passenger seat so you can get in the driver's seat, show the audio system and HVAC in action then put the car in drive and seamlessly transition into the demo? Are you showing your customers what the vehicle can do in light of what they said they wanted in the interview then inviting them to do the same once you've reached a pre-planned turnaround point? If you ask them to take a demo you're giving them the opportunity to say no. The more people you get on a demo the more cars you'll write up so make the demo an extension of a quality walkaround and you'll get more of your customers to drive.

These are just some of the ideas I'd offer and I'd like most to know what the first 5-10 minutes of your face to face process look like because I'm convinced that while it's important that salespeople know how to close it's most crucial they learn how to be better "openers".

I hope this helps.....