The finance guy who sunk the deal without pulling credit
Buying a car can be a difficult enough all on its own, but a recent experience at one of the mainline car dealers here in town is worth noting. My sister Janette has a 14-year-old car, and my mother was driving it from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Minneapolis one recent Saturday and one of the wheels fell off.
I was dispatched to pick up mom in the middle of Wisconsin, and the conversation immediately turned to should we get a newer car for my sister.
Having found one online that was reasonably interesting and close to home we went to the dealership to have a look. As a person engaged in the business of sales and marketing, what happened next was baffling.
Mom and I walked into the dealership to find four employees chatting off to the side. We stood in the entrance for some time waiting to be greeted or acknowledged, and after an uncomfortable amount of time finally the finance manager called out from where he was standing, “Are you Jeff?” I answered no. His follow-up question was something to the effect of, “are you interested in this brand of car.” Again my answer was no.
Now, I have never been in the car business, but from what I understand one of the cardinal rules is that you never want to put your customer in a position to have to say no while in the dealership. Rather than asking a question to which someone has a very good chance of saying
no, the better tactic would have been for him simply to greet us with his name and ask how he could help.
I can’t say the rest of the visit went much better. The salesman who helped us had been selling cars for just a couple of days. The script he had been taught in his training seemed forced and uncomfortable on many occasions throughout the inspection and test drive. It is likely his teachers taught him about controlling the visit and the psychology of selling, and he complied as though those things would help him sell more cars.
As we headed back to the dealership to drop the car off the newbie salesman asked what we thought. Mom and I thought the car was nice but couldn’t see giving this dealership any money given the circumstances. Too bad, because we were highly motivated to buy a car.
Which brings me to the advice for Camden business owners: When a customer visits you in person or calls you on the phone, stick to this simply rule: Greet them promptly, state your name clearly, and ask them how you can help meet their needs. If you listen to what they say, you can make a determination as to the proper course of action. You’ll have much greater success in business if you deliver what the client asks for.
You’ll see this method of sales in place at Rex Mills—and you can test us by calling the shop at 612-333-8000. Just about every time the phone is answered, it is answered quickly, professionally, and with the question “How can I help you.” Try it in your line of business and you are likely to see great results.
Dan Gustafson is the proprietor of Rex Mills, a printing and marketing firm serving small to medium sized clients in North Minneapolis and nationwide.