Having just finished a morning plyometric workout (and still "huffing and puffing" like an old steam engine), I sat down at my console where an AUTOMOTIVE NEWS alert was waiting for me.  I clicked away and found an article titled, "The Sales Game Has Changed..."

This article has multiple highlights of statements offered by both Grant Cardone and Joe Verde.

Let me first say I don't fully agree with either of these two gents on their selling methodologies, yet BOTH certainly carry some good training stuff to rummage through and pick up some helpful nuggets.

The article was very clever to "dare us" to pick a side between Cardone's statements hinting that relationships don't matter ("Cardone and others say salespeople don't need relationships with consumers...they need to get the sale done") and Verde stating the opposite ("Spending less time with the customer is exactly the opposite of the correct answer...").

Where it became strangely twisted was when Cardone was summarized with this..."Cardone says he is working with dealerships across the country to commit to a simplified three- to five-step sales process that results in what he calls 'the 53-minute sale'..."

Huh?  Forget about relationships because TRUST is built on SPEED ALONE???

I agree with increasing efficiency, yet efficiency from the eyes, ears, and heart of the client...not from a "timed sales method".  Can you imagine the disaster that awaits dealers who use "Time spent on a Deal" as a performance measuring point for salespeople?  "Hey Billy.  Even though this is the 3rd car you've sold Mr. Johnson, that deal lasted 67 minutes.  Get it down to 53 or you're outta here!"

Let's not set benchmarks for average time spent with clients, but rather benchmarks on maximizing "Touch Points" and minimizing "Dead time".   THE proper, professional selling methodologies that allow for these benchmarks to be measured on each individual transaction are the methodologies to embrace.

In so doing, we decide per client how much technology to use...or not to use at all.  We understand the necessary depth of each conversational relationship, the attention span offered by the client (based on knowledge, health, education, previous experiences, current problems, and personality type), and the complexity of the transaction (multiple trades, out-of-state titles, hidden payoffs, DL issues, etc...).

...and "Yes", these benchmarks are fairly simple to manage, coach, and train!

Kudos to Ted Kraybill for offering an important opinion, "I believe the future will see a move to empower one salesperson to handle all that (The entire transaction, front to back)."

Sales success is defined by the TRUST established between the salesperson and the client. And this TRUST is what overcomes misunderstood ads, missing vehicles, check engine lights, bad reputation postings, and the car washer going down.

Make no mistake about it, TRUST is built on relationships ...not a stopwatch.