Robert Cialdini is a social scientist who wrote the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. In the book, Cialdini describes six different influences that get people to say “yes.” In this article, I would like to review those six influences and how that relates to selling vehicles, and add one more form of influence that will assist you in getting your customer to say “yes!”

Reciprocation — Human nature creates an urge to pay back debts. These debts can be in the…

 “Work harder.”

“Work more hours.”

“Put your nose to the grindstone.”

“You have to pay your dues.”

“Climb the ladder of success.”

Do all of these sayings sound familiar? These common phrases often espouse ideas that become anchored as limiting beliefs in your brain. Here’s the shocking news; these phrases often put into motion a cycle of struggle and failure. These common teachings may have kept you from having the kind of success you desire. The…

Don’t you hate to hear your customer say no? You spend a lot of time and energy with a customer and when you get to the final stage of the sales process, the customer says the dreaded no word. You were all excited and hoping for a sale and then poof, the air goes out of your sail. The good news is that you can change from getting no answers to yes answers.

First, you must recognize that getting a no answer isn’t accidental or bad luck. When a customer gives you a no answer it…

              Although I could certainly give more than just one more thing, this report is based upon specifically on one thing and this is prospecting.  Top sales performers know that lead generation equals dollar creation. Top performers look to create more leads from more sources and to have higher productivity from each source.

               First of all, I would invite you to create a marketing web. Take a piece of paper and put a dot in the middle.…

     Many people in the auto industry have been talking about evidence of a softening market. Lately, I have seen fear in the eyes of several salespeople, managers, and dealers. Good times and overabundance tends to spoil all of us and leads us to bad habits and a reduced sense of urgency that kills our business when things get tougher. What are you doing at your dealership right now to cushion for an economic downturn?

     The time to prepare for bad times is not when they hit, but…

            I have a confession to make. I am old enough to remember rotary phones and black and white TV without cable, satellite or remote controls. I grew up in a house without central air conditioning and the first several cars I owned ran on leaded gasoline. As I look back its fun to remember those things but I certainly don’t spend any time or effort trying to relive those times with those circumstances. Times have changed and so have I. For you to change, you must first let…

Most of all successful dealerships have a system or selling process that works for them. The system or process can vary according to the type of vehicles being sold, the demographics of the local marketplace and experience and personalities of the sales force. However, some of the more unsuccessful dealerships have strayed from their reason for having a system. Egos, over-control, lack of delegation and the dummying-down process of salespeople have given the retail auto industry a black…