Non-Confrontational Sales
With the new millennium knocking at our door the tides of reality is once more reaching our consciousness. Many of you have heard that the current studies have indicated that the customer is in the driver’s seat during the buying process. Recently I spent the day with Marc Thomas of American Honda Finance, Honda Care division. We shared many ideas some old, some new all with one goal in mind to increase customer retention, and customer satisfaction with the process of buying a vehicle.
During my tenure with this industry the customers have always been in the drivers seat with regard to where they are going to shop and ultimately where to purchase their next vehicle. The sale business manager’s position has seemed to come full circle. In that it is our process that leaves the lasting impression on the customer.
Marc Thomas claims that the average time it takes a new owner to get into the sales business office is 90 minutes. I know from personal experience that the time from the commitment to purchase the vehicle to get into the business center is the most critical minutes. And those minutes seem like hours to both the sales consultant and the customer. I have found that the anxiety felt by the sales consultant during this critical time is transferred to the customer, and it is that anxiety which creates a negative light on the business center.
To relieve this pressure it is vital that the business manager meets the customer as soon as possible after the commitment to purchase the vehicle as been made. This introduction can be made at the sales consultant work area, and the business manager can then invite the customer to accompany then to their office.
During this introduction the business manager should identify what exactly is going to take place. Such as;” Hello, allow me to introduce myself, I am Jan Kelly one of the business managers here in the dealership. I will be completing the department of motor vehicle documentation as well as handling all your funding issues. Please come with me so that we may get started.”
The first item on the agenda should be to review the deal figures. It is imperative that the customer realize that the agreed upon selling price, initial payment, trade allowance has not changed. The customer must be set at ease in the up coming process.
The prime presentation time is the first twenty minutes from the time you cross the threshold of your office. So make good use of your time with the customer. Stay focused upon the job at hand.
It is OK to have the customer in your office while you are loading the computer. It gives you time to build some rapport. Having the customer view the process should relieve the stress levels on both sides of the desk. Although, every time the customer is asked for funds they experience some level of tension.
The customers like having choices, and they like to feel as if they participated in the process. Therefore, we must make our presentations fully participatory providing the customer alternatives, which meets their needs.
Does the phrase ” Non-Confrontational” mean that we can eliminate the customer interview? No, it means the interview is even more critical. We must join the customer on the road to discovery. Through building rapport, finding out about the customers likes and dislikes their wants and needs, we will be able to ascertain the exact benefits of our products which will satisfy the customers needs. It will be those benefits, which we will present to the customer.
Remember there is the 20/20/60 rule. Twenty percent of the customers will do what we want because we are who we are. Twenty percent of the customers will not do what we want because we are who we are. It is the balance, sixty percent who with a professional non-confrontational presentation, that offers solutions can be persuaded to do business with us. The key is professional presentation geared to the needs of the customer, offering alternatives creating a participatory process. The presenter must always bear in mind it is the customer who is in control, and who is empowered to make a choice.
Professionals have proof statements organized in an evidence book. Many new to the business will use a menu instrument to ensure they will give everyone the opportunity to hear about the benefits of all the products. The tried method is creating mental pictures with the assistance of a presentation book, keeping the flow simple and generic as possible. As we all know the names of the products change from time to time. It is important to keep the presentation simple and unconfusing. Keep the presentation fast paced answering the entire customer concerns. In our seminars the entire presentation process only takes a maximum of fifteen minutes and that includes the conversion to dealer financing. The key is to use your time efficiently, and stay focused.
Non-confrontational also means full disclosure. When we present the benefits of the products in a participatory fashion the customer has chosen to take advantage of the plan. The act of choosing eliminates the harsh reactions of self-discovery of foreign numbers on the installment contract the morning after delivery of the unit.
If you are currently referring to the business center as “the Finance Office”; it is our recommendation that you change you vocabulary to reflect the new attitudes towards the professional business center in your dealership. Your dealership has a “Business Center” for the customer’s convenience to complete all the transfer of title documentation, and take care of all the funding issues for each customer. The center is staffed with business managers, not finance managers.
Keep in mind, the best place for your customer to receive funding may be at their credit union, and some customers will be required to pay cash. In order to ease the transition from the sales consultant to the business center; eliminate the word finance from the titles and location designation.
We are a kinder and friendlier business center entering a new age. An age that will see many changes, and new products. Kelly Enterprises wishes you success along the road to the future.