How to lose a sale, especially a car sale

Recently I had such an amazing experience while shopping for a car that I decided to document it for you so here are the fundamental ways to NOT make every sale…

• Tell me I’m wrong:

Maybe I am wrong but if you straight up challenge me to my face, the old “I’ll show you” bubbles up from deep, dark places and I’ll drive a harder bargain than I would normally or I’ll just walk away because you hurt my little feelings.

–It’s even worse for you when you straight up tell me I’m wrong.

[Follows me to the rear of the car…

–After he got the key he handed us off to another salesman. Good thing for all of us.

• Don’t make eye contact.

That same guy didn’t make eye contact with us and then the sales manager at the end wouldn’t make eye contact either as he tried to act tough. Strange.

• Walk ahead of me.

Be a peer. Be a friend. Be a guide. Be a mentor. Be a servant. Be a BETR salesman (Bonding. Empathy. Trust. Rapport.) Stay by my side rather than run me through the gauntlet.

• Talk down to me

See the “Tell me I’m wrong” part.

When you play games with pricing and financing offers and how warranties work like I’m seven you’re going to have a problem.

Or when you try to scare me from buying private party because that car won’t have your super-duper inspection?

Talk to the hand.

• Fold your arms when you’re talking to me

Oh, you’re “disgusted” by us throwing out a low number after we tried to leave with a hungry child and you begged us to “make a reasonable offer” so you fold your arms, look away, and mumble something about “we’ll take it to auction before sell it for a loss…and we don’t sell these at a loss…we’re just trying to make something happen tonight”?

Come on, man! Then you randomly ask if I was in the military and you try to play the “Hey, me, too” card (Maybe you can re-enlist.)

• Lie to me

You tell me you’ve made me a great deal…by merely offering me the price you have it listed for online? You don’t think I have the Google on this pocket computer? Did you think I had no cell signal? Did you think I was just too star-struck being in your presence that I wouldn’t check and call you on your B.S.?

• Let your nerves get the best of you when we’re negotiating

If you’re tapping on the desk, tapping your foot on the floor, and clicking you pen like you’re in the drum corps…I’m going to put the screws to you then walk away because I know you’re not confident in what you’re selling.

And at the end of the day, confidence is all we’re ever really selling.

My reply to my car salesman friend on Facebook

Aaron, the reason we don’t bag on mortgage brokers or realtors is because in my 13 years in CA I’ve only purchased one house but probably 8 cars and have looked into purchasing maybe 10-12 times and didn’t because of the poor experience.

I’ve sold software to small businesses for 12+ years and everything you said about buyers applies to my industry as well.

I can’t tell you how many times a prospect went to a cheaper provider to save a few bucks on my software only to have such a bad experience they paid more to me later to fix it. (See this to know how much being cheap cost a prospect.)

The CEO says he has to speak to the CFO. The husband says he has to talk to his wife. The VP of Marketing says they have to speak to the VP of Sales. They show up late to appointments. The CEO says he’ll be on with the CFO and VP of Sales but doesn’t show so I have to decide whether I go ahead and present or reschedule.

That’s why I say

Close on the appointment. Close on their willingness, ability, and preparation to buy.

Then present. Then pitch. Ask me more questions. Seek to understand if I’m buying for function, practicality, or pride.

• Am I most concerned about the total price or the monthly payments?

• Am I most concerned about low down payment or low interest rate?

• Am I buying for me, for my spouse, for my child, for my parents?

• Am I an analytical buyer with spreadsheets completed in advance or did I stop by on a whim?

We must all seek to understand the customer before we sell them and we must adjust how we sell to match how the prospect buys.

It starts with how we position ourselves, how we approach the prospect, how we dress, how we greet them, and how we open.

It starts with better questions.

Few salespeople in any profession pay attention to all of the above.

Therefore, we as buyers lump all salespeople into the same pot because they lump us into the same pot.

If I see you as no different from anyone else then I see your product as no different, which means the only way you can differentiate yourself is on price. That is why car sales are in a race to the bottom.

That’s why everything is a race to the bottom.

Everything is a commodity these days, even healthcare is outsourced to India where MDs are reading X-rays, Cat scans, and MRIs, so don’t tell me

If you want to survive in sales today you must create two things:

• Better experiences

• A feeling of exclusivity.

Make those happen and you can charge more and win.

Now go sell something.