Everybody has pointers and advice. The best pointers revolve around hard work and investment of time, although today’s technology helps to streamline and organize more efficiently. Most of us have had a period of time that we were in a ‘slump’ or were just not closing deals. Any number of reasons got us there, all of which really didn’t matter – we just needed to close a deal and get the positive energy going again. Even the best salespeople have a time where they ‘miss the mark’ or go a period of time without a positive result or closing a deal.
Think back to a time that maybe you had gone a while without a customer or an opportunity. When you finally got that customer, what did you do? What did you see others do? I remember a sales person that I worked with named Don. Don would literally have the customer move in with him. He would welcome them into the dealership like they were a long lost relative. This customer would have an experience like no other. As the phrase goes, they would need to “pack a lunch,” although Don would get their lunches and dinners anyway because they would be there for hours. I am not talking about wasteful hours; I am talking about quality hours. Don would get to know everything about the customers, their family and what they wanted or needed. He did a vehicle walk around that would make the designing engineer blush. He would get in the trunk of the car to show the room and hang on the door to demonstrate the strength of the hinges. You name it; Don did it, and did it well – like it was his last customer or last opportunity. I don’t mean that in a gimmicky way because Don was a pro. He would have customers with him for hours and they never complained. To them, it was an experience like none other they had ever received.
We have all either done this at some point or seen it. We hang on to the customer and don’t let go – heck, at some of the stores where I worked, you might not see another customer for days. They do not always close or buy then, or even ever. But most do because we took the time and gave them the experience that separated us from anyone else. What if we gave that experience to EVERY opportunity? What if we treated EVERY opportunity as if it were our last? Sometimes we get this way even when the opportunities are plentiful, like at the end of the month. We always seem to get into another gear at that time. What if we treated every day like the end of the month?
Try doing one thing different this week and treat EVERY opportunity like it was your last, your only one, or it was the end of the month. What would happen? Today, not all opportunities are in front of you. Many are leads you receive digitally or are just prior opportunities that you are following up. Give your opportunities the “Don” treatment. Use your CRM to treat every opportunity as if it were your last. Reach out and give every opportunity quality information – send eBrochures and comparative cars. Pick up the phone and call every follow up. Use your daily organizer to streamline and remind you. At times, people don’t answer because they are busy but we sometimes assume it’s because they are not interested. Just remember, if you are not treating each of your opportunities as if they were your last, then some one else will. I would say Don, but I am pretty sure he is happily retired now.
Bill Wittenmyer, Vice President
