I had the luxury of being able to watch a rookie sales manager T.O. his first customer and it reminded me of a few things I've learned along the way.



He was our top salesperson for a few years and took a promotion to management recently. He's good at what he does and it was natural for him to go out and perform his first T.O. When he went out there, he went with confidence and purpose. He wore his best smile and greeted the customer professionally. Where he was located in the…

Do it on Purpose!!

Another part of relatedness and trust is the signals you send out about your

similarities (trustworthiness). This is real documented stuff. Pick up any book on

NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). You can get even better relatedness

through matching the clients’ breathing, posture and speech tempo. You can

listen for cues about how they get information, which will ensure that yours goes

“in.” For instance when they are a slow talker and use a…

What kryptonite is to Superman is what “I’m not buying today,” is to a salesperson, debilitating.  If you want to decapitate the high hopes of a salesperson, just whisper those four words and watch him fall faster than Michael Spinks did when he fought “Iron” Mike Tyson (91 seconds by the way).

A customer may be shouting that they aren’t buying today,…

So once again I ask the question at the heart of the matter.... Mr./MRS…

Your effectiveness in leadership will come from being around your team. You will have plenty of time at your desk to analyze reports, crunch numbers and work in your CRM, however resist the temptation to anchor down there and invest your time to the team.

You be the thermostat in your department and set the temperature every morning through your actions and by what…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Blockbuster Video has gone out of business. DISH Network, which owns Blockbuster, officially announced last week that they would be closing all 300 U.S. Stores. There was a time when local video stores were the dominant retail outlets to rent movies from. Then along came the mega-video stores like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster, which slowly but…

What a gift you are…

You’ve invested hundreds of hours on staying up-to-date with your product; you’re an expert at demonstrating the advantages your product has over your competitors’. You’re not like most salespeople who have to have a 48-hour notice on the product they will have to present to their peers-you’re always ready. You know what…

I am sure many of you will have heard the saying “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s meant to be.” While this may be good advice for relationships, it’s certainly not good advice for business. A recent whitepaper examined how many companies focus too much on share-of-market and the resulting damage. Market share has always been the leading measurement of success. The article examines why using only…

I was watching football Sunday and I got to thinking about the job of a receiver. I decided a receiver has three jobs:

1.        Catch the ball

Nothing positive can happen until the receiver completes the catch.

2.        Try to make additional yardage after the catch

For football fans, this is…

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.   –  John Wanamaker 

You all know how expensive advertising can be. Dealerships spend thousands of dollars every month on newspaper, radio, TV, billboards, SEM & SEO, web based ads, signage, etc. All of this is designed…

Have y'all seen this article in Automotive News?

The $1.5 BILLION valuation just astounds me. Would TrueCar going public bring more transparency to their business model and/or validate their "change of heart"?

"TrueCar said to consider IPO for next year"

"NEW YORK…

AutoNetTV debuted collision center-specific content for its digital display platforms at the 2013 NACE show. 

This content is viewed by consumers as they wait for their estimate to be completed or on the collision center’s website and is designed to address the question “What should your potential customer know when you return to discuss their estimate?”…

Automotive Friends- what is your preference? Internet Departments working cradle to the grave, or Internet Departments set up with BDC like setups? Explain your side and why.

I saw this great quote and had to share it with everyone. Our industry, Automotive, has had so many perception issues over the past 20+ years and we get really mad about most of the jokes right?

People say things like “that guy reminds me of a used car salesman” when they describe someone that they think is, well, less than honest.

For YEARS I would get so upset an debate these comments like “Hey, not everyone is like that stereotype from the 70′s movie….we’re people…

Most companies are using a sales process that dates back several decades. It was probably wrong then and it most definitely is wrong now. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not the process I object to; it’s some of the things you’ve been taught to do in it.

Let’s look at some of the bad advice you have been given over the years:

Find Their…

Hello everyone,



I wanted to reshare this article written for Dealer20.com



The broken process in our industry is sending a templated email with one or two phone calls and then trying the next day.



I call 4x a day, with a video message, a confirmation to that video message, a handwritten card or thank you postcard, a text message and I call 4x a day.



The process closes over 20% of internet traffic.…

There’s a fundamental psychology behind visualizations that make them work. Reading is fine. Audio and video are often the best. When data must be seen and engulfed in order to make an impact, this is where infographics have their niche in our attentions.

In this very simple infographic from…

WHY?

Don’t look at this picture from a religious perspective.  Look at this picture and ask yourself; “why is this person, at this time, causing such positive reactions and comments, and a loyal following from every corner of the globe?”  What is he doing?  Why does…