I'm often asked by car salesmen for my advice on how they can be more effective at their jobs. So here are a few of my favorite car-selling tips:

• Know your products.
  One of the biggest mistakes that car salesmen make is to not bother to learn their products. It's a lot harder to sell a product if you don't know much about it. So take the time to become an expert on the vehicles you are selling. That will mean more sales for you. (And more confidence.)

• Don't act like a stereotypical car salesman.
  Don't do the usual lines and don't talk in the car salesman's lingo. It really turns customers off. Be real. Be yourself. Talk to your customers the same way you would talk to your parents or friends.

• Listen to your customers instead of talking so much.
  Pay close attention to what they tell you. The info they relate will help you to identify their needs, determine how you can best meet those needs and, ultimately, learn what it will take for you to make the sale.

• Sell by the "Golden Rule."
  That means treat your customers the same way that you would want to be treated. (That's a rare thing at some dealerships.)

• Be grateful for your customers.
  And stop thinking of them as stupid or as liars. Don't ever forget that you need them way more than they need you.

• Don't hide the facts.
  Don't feel that your job is to shroud the car buying process in a fog of mystery. Instead, educate your customers. Explain the process in simple non-lingoistic terms. They'll greatly appreciate it, I promise you.

• Sell yourself - and your dealership - not just the brand.
  It's one thing to get a prospect to buy the brand you are selling. It's quite another thing to get them to buy that vehicle from you. So don't just tell your prospects how good your customer service is -- show them.

• Work smart, not just hard.
  It isn't just the amount of hours you put in that counts - it's how smart you work with your customers. So focus on helping them. They'll remember you - and buy from you - if you do.