AutoSuccess Feb05

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. biz . biz . biz February 2005 A SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIA

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AutoSuccess addresses the specific, researched needs of new car and light truck dealerships by providing entrepreneurial, cutting-edge, solution-based editorials to increase dealership profits and reduce expensesAutoSuccess, magazine, sales, new, used, selling, salespeople, vehicle, dealer, dealership, leadership, marketingFor similar content visit http://www.autosuccesssocial.com/

Transcript of AutoSuccess Feb05

Page 1: AutoSuccess Feb05

.biz.biz.biz

February 2005

A SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIAL ISSUE NADA SPECIA

Page 2: AutoSuccess Feb05

CHRIS YATES

MIKE LAVEZZI

JEREMY TAUNTON

STEVE JACKSON

TRACY BEAUDRY

MOLLY HURST

WESTERN US

Tracy Beaudry, Internet DirectorBeaudry Motor CompanyTUCSON, AZ

Jeremy Taunton, Internet ManagerManly HondaSANTA ROSA, CA

Matthew Duke, Fleet and Internet Sales ManagerKearny Mesa ToyotaSAN DIEGO, CA

Manuel Souza, Internet DirectorAnderson HondaPALO ALTO, CA

Wendy Diep, Internet Sales DirectorHonda of PasadenaPASADENA, CA

Mike Lavezzi, Internet Director;Chris Yates, Internet Fleet ManagerPacific HondaSAN DIEGO, CA

Steve Jackson, Fleet ManagerMagnussen’s Dodge Chrysler JeepAUBURN, CA

Anhtuan Truong, Internet DirectorPiercey ToyotaSAN JOSE, CA

Kevin Pang, Internet Sales ManagerSan Francisco Toyota & ScionSAN FRANCISCO, CA

Molly Hurst, Internet DirectorAirport Marina HondaLOS ANGELES, CA

We Congratulatethe Top Internet Sales Professionals & Organizations of 2004

To learn more about these dealers’

winning strategies, visit www.dealix.com

or call 866. 253. 5125.

Dealix Drives Success.

The Dealix Dealer NewsletterThe Leading Resource for Online Automotive Sales

NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

Page 3: AutoSuccess Feb05

ED HARRIS

DAVID HANDEL

ANGELO CHAVEZ

JOHN PHOTOPULOS

SCOTT HAYNES

MARK KANTER

ANN VIGNEAULT

KEVIN REILLY

GUIDO DAVILA

BOB BOZAK

RON DAVENPORT

MIKE ZAVELL

CENTRAL US

Jay Clemmons, Internet Director;Rebecca Clemmons, Internet SalesHoward HyundaiELMHURST, IL

Scott Haynes, Director of Internet ServicesPenske HondaINDIANAPOLIS, IN

Don Boyle, New Car DirectorHonda Cars of McKinneyMcKINNEY, TX

John A. Photopulos, Marketing ManagerArlington Toyota & ScionBUFFALO GROVE, IL

Angelo Chavez, Internet Sales DirectorBurt ToyotaENGLEWOOD, CO

David Handel, Internet Director;Phil Kwiek, Internet Sales Manager;Chris Petranech, Internet Sales ManagerRosen HondaGURNEE, IL

Bill Blackburn, E-Commerce ManagerPhil Long HyundaiCOLORADO SPRINGS, CO

Ed Harris, Internet Sales ManagerSuperior Toyota, Chevrolet, HummerMISSION, KS

David Handel, Internet Director;Debbie Storck, Internet Sales Manager;Linda Treasure, Internet Sales ManagerRosen Nissan Suzuki KiaMILWAUKEE, WI

Mark Kanter, Internet Director;Ryan Daly, Internet Sales Manager;Wesley Tadlock, Internet Sales ManagerBill Jacobs VolkswagenNAPERVILLE, IL

EASTERN US

Ron Davenport, Internet Sales Manager;Garrett Enck, Internet Sales Manager;Mark Lenny, Internet Sales ManagerKeenan HondaDOYLESTOWN, PA

Paul Laudenslager, Internet Sales ManagerHendrick Honda of WoodbridgeWOODBRIDGE, VA

Terry Wiseman, General Manager;Bob Bozak, Business Development DirectorPeters Honda KiaNASHUA, NH

Guido Davila, Internet Manager;Jennifer Hanley, Internet ManagerKing HyundaiDEERFIELD BEACH, FL

Bijan Karimi, Internet ManagerCollege Park HyundaiCOLLEGE PARK, MD

Dave Kelleher, Internet Sales Manager;Peter Galich, Julius Crane, Jackie Barkley,Internet SalesSport HondaSILVER SPRING, MD

Kevin Reilly, General ManagerAlexandria HyundaiALEXANDRIA, VA

Ann Vigneault, Business Development ManagerHarr on Gold Star–ToyotaWORCESTER, MA

Mike Zavell, Internet Sales ManagerGunther Volkswagen of Coconut CreekPOMPANO BEACH, FL

Don Graff, Director of E-CommerceFlemington Ford Lincoln Mercury NissanFLEMINGTON, NJ

C O R P O R A T I O NA Division of The Cobalt Group, Inc.

Page 4: AutoSuccess Feb05

� BZ Results 3124

� J&L Marketing 4731

� Dealix 5415

� Autobase 4819

� TimeHighway.com 4430

� The Joe Verde Group 931

� ProResponse 3058

� American Auto Exchange 5755

� Ultimate Warranty Corp. 1411

� The WolÞ ngton Group 527

Autobase, Inc. has provided the automotive retail market with premier customer relationship management (CRM) solutions since 1988. Autobase Sales Center�, the ß agship of the Autobase suite, is now in its sixth generation of development, boasting 17 years of successful implementation in dealerships of every demographic. Over 15,000 auto professionals go to work every day and use Sales Center� to sell more cars. Newly-released and already manufacturer-endorsed for it�s innovative approach to business development, the Autobase Loyalty Center� is the most recent addition to their suite of solutions. Their rich history, strong reputation, comprehensive industry knowledge, and pioneering work in feature-rich CRM and BDC technology have long impacted the bottom line for proactive dealers nationwide.

ProResponse, Inc. CRM with proven results, represents nearly 300 dealers nationwide. Their services are geared toward total showroom control with ProScan® Touch Screen driver�s license reader, prospect tracking (phone, ß oor and Internet), and sold customer follow-up for Þ ve years. ProResponse is a service company assisting dealers each day with database management, data cleansing, data mining, and effective target marketing. They are e-mail enabled and FTC compliant, running prospects and customers against the �Do Not Call� list daily. They provide on-site training and monthly service visits �In Your Dealership�. Their programs are also written in Spanish and French. They seamlessly integrate with Who�s Calling, Call Source, Call Bright, Call Command, EPencil and many others.

Founded in 2001, American Auto Exchange is revolutionizing the way dealers conduct business by Þ nally assembling all the pieces necessary to running a streamlined, high tech used car operation. Through the use of the aaXchange tools, dealers are dramatically improving the way they operate their used car departments.American Auto Exchange works with thousands of dealerships across the United States who have chosen to utilize the American Auto Exchange Real Time Vehicle Trading Network, the aaXchange proprietary Vehicle Management System (VMS) and a new integrated intelligent vehicle launch product with Ebay.

NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

In 2005, Dealix is expanding their quality and service initiatives, continuing to help dealers sell more cars, more efÞ ciently. Their combined efforts with The Cobalt Group will bring an even more dynamic product to their customers to increase sales and help improve dealership efÞ ciencies. Dealix has been rated the number one lead provider in studies by J.D. Power and the Dotcominsider. Their goal is to continue to win over customers with high quality leads and superior service. The Dealix Quality Team enhanced their lead scrubbing and call veriÞ cation technologies to ensure customers receive leads only from the most serious car buyers. Dealix is committed to provide even better one-on-one service and has expanded it�s Lead Acquisition Network, adding hundreds more of the best auto sites on the web.

TimeHighway.com is the premier, on-line solution for service department appointment scheduling, allowing dealership customers to make a conÞ rmed service appointment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. BeneÞ ts to the dealership include: replacing telephone-based scheduling with Internet technology that enhances the effectiveness and customer satisfaction of the dealership, reduces in-bound telephone calls and drives trafÞ c to the dealer�s website. Customers prefer the ease and convenience of the Internet to do their banking, shopping, make travel arrangements, etc. and now with TimeHighway.com, they can schedule their service appointments online, no more waiting on hold to make an appointment.

The WolÞ ngton Group produces high performance sales events on behalf of new car dealerships across the country, with no outsourcing or subcontractors. The Þ rm maintains long term relationships with dealerships, providing marketing territories and strategies that help The WolÞ ngton Group dealers outperform their markets. A WolÞ ngton Group produced event brings an atmosphere of fun and excitement to the dealership, creating a great buying experience for the consumer and a positive selling experience for the dealer�s sales team. Harry WolÞ ngton, President, provides his insight and experience to auto dealerships through his six sales teams. �Being a small company, we are more focused on each individual event. Our dealers get an attention to detail from our staff paralleled by none.� It�s this philosophy that has earned The WolÞ ngton Group a spot in this year�s �Best of the Best�

Ultimate Warranty Corp. provides leading-edge service contracts and ancillary F&I products. More than 7,000 dealers have recognized the advantages and have beneÞ ted from selling Ultimate Warranty Corp. products. Ultimate�s package has proven that it can propel its client base to the front of the pack in terms of quality, proÞ tability, compliance, customer retention, and CSI. Stop by the booth, and Ultimate Warranty Corp.can show you how they are making a great thing even better in 2005. Ultimate Warranty Corp. has some great new things to offer to its clients at no additional cost. Ultimate Warranty can truly show you how to do more with less.

Established in 1991, J&L Marketing is without equal when comparing automotive direct marketing companies. Their philosophy is simple - there are only three ways to grow your dealership: 1) Increase your number of customers, 2) Increase your average gross per deal and 3) Increase the frequency of repurchase � get more residual value out of each customer. With a customer base of over 6,000 dealers and managers nationwide their ground-breaking J&L Marketing Growth Strategy� is producing staggering results and has eliminated the number one challenge for most dealerships - trafÞ c.

BZ Results is a digital marketing & training company that has a great new system that helps dealers sell & service more vehicles proÞ tably. BZ�s clients include United Auto Group, Group 1, Herb Chambers, Red McCombs, Sheehy, Paul Miller, Larry Miller, Courtesy Chevrolet, Tasca and others. BZ dealers are selling 100-700 incremental units a month from this revolutionary new system. To get a free 180 second tour of this new system visit: BZResults.com

JOE VERDE � Your Training Partner Since 1985, the Joe Verde Group has been helping dealerships improve their sales and gross by providing the best sales and sales management training in the automobile business. Joe Verde�s up-to-date sales training helps dealerships implement effective sales training that works to build a solid sales team and long term, satisÞ ed customer base. Joe�s management training addresses today�s challenges and tomorrow�s needs by helping dealers build top performing management teams. The bottom line� the Joe Verde Group provides a dealership with clear-cut solutions that boost their sales, proÞ ts and customer satisfaction.

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NADA 2005TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST

N E W O R L E A N S

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NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

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To Whom It May Concern:

Like most dealers we were skeptical regarding utilizing an outside company in conducting a sales event involving a mass mailer etc. If this concern was not great enough, the thought of a company bringing in their own sales and management staff interacting directly with our customers was inconceivable.

We value our customers as friends and absolutely did not desire to compromise this relationship in any manner. There are a plethora of companies that perform mass mailings with undocumented results.

We found our personal experience with the Wolfi ngton Group to be extremely professional and our customers were treated with the utmost respect. In addition to a wonderful experience, we set a new record for our bottom line.

THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY!

ASK YOUR 20 GROUP!toll free 800.331.9361

Belinda Wortherspoon,Wolfi ngton Group Call Center Operator

Pontiac-Oldsmobile-GMC-Isuzu

NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

SPRINGFIELDAuto Mart

Route 106, North SpringÞ eld, Vermont 05150

(802) 886-2281 � Fax (802) 886-2505

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NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

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NADA2005

TOP 10BEST OF THE BEST

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Chess Champion ProvidesVehicle That Drives Youth to Success Chula Schlesinger

Smile - It Increases Your �Face Value� Zig Ziglar

How to Increase Customer andEmployee Satisfaction and Loyalty Karen Dillon

Where the Online Car Buyers AreAuto Sites Explode on the Web David Kain

Do You Know Where Your Sales People Are Joe Verde

Six Keys to Selling an Additional 200 Vehicles in One Month Roy Reutter

What Does it Take to Succeed in Sales Michael York

CRM - All the Bells and Whistles David Goodison

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Kirk Manzo

2005 eDealers of the Year: How They Did It Patrick Luck

If You Want Real Growth StartWith the Simple Fundamentals, Part 1 Scott Joseph

Sharpening Your Conversation Skills Brian Tracy

Finding and Keeping Career-Oriented Sales People Bryan Anderson

Four Keys to Integrity Selling Sean WolÞ ngton

Making This Your Best Year Ever Jim Adams

The Meet and Greet Anthony Hall

How Auto Dealers Can Increase ProÞ ts Sellingand Installing Spectrally Selective Applied Window Film Marty Watts

Supercharge Your Selling With Conviction and Humor Leland Glynn

The Turn Tony Dupaquier

Ebay is the Way for Franchised Dealers Who Have the Key Bruce Thompson

What are They ThinkingReading Your Customers� Body Language Patti Wood

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AutoSuccess Magazine is published monthly at 756 South First Street, Suite 202, Louisville, Kentucky, 40202; 502.588.3155, fax 502.588.3170. Direct all subscription and customer service inquiries to 877.818.6620 [email protected]. Subscription rate is $75 per year. AutoSuccess welcomes unsolicited editorials and graphics (not responsible for their return). All submitted editorials and graphics are subject to editing for grammar, content, and page length. AutoSuccess provides its contributing writers latitude in expressing advice and solutions; views expressed are not necessarily those of AutoSuccess and by no means reflect any guarantees. Always confer with legal counsel before implementing changes in procedures.© All contents copyrighted by AutoSuccess Magazine, a Division of Systems Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without express written consent from AutoSuccess. AutoSuccess may occasionally make readers’ names available to other companies whose products and/or services may be of interest; readers may request that names be removed by calling 877.818.6620. Printed in the USA.Postmaster: Send address changes to AutoSuccess Magazine, 756 South First Street, Suite 202, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.

1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude; Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

756 South 1st Street, Suite 202 Louisville, Kentucky 40202! Toll Free: 877.818.6620 " Facsimile: 502.588.3170

Choose Freedom • Support Our Troops

Patrick Luck, Editor & Publisher• [email protected]

Susan Goodman, Vice President• [email protected]

Courtney HillSales-improvement Strategist

[email protected]

Thomas Williams, Creative Director• [email protected]

Success Driven Solutions

Page 11: AutoSuccess Feb05
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www.autosuccess.biz12

Chess Champion ProvidesVehicle That Drives Youth to Success

ChulaSchlesingersf special feature

An 8-year old girl sits alone in her dingy downtown apartment, looking longingly out her living room window. She would

love to go out into the summer sunshine and play, but her neighborhood is too dangerous. Her mother, a single parent, forbids her to go outside alone. Because her mother has to work two jobs, she is not home to spend time with her or take her to the park.

The child spends hour upon hour alone, with no companion except for the mindless and violent television shows continuously playing in the background. After years of this hopelessness, the young girl decides she has had enough of waiting for something to happen, opens the door and walks out into the violent and frightening inner city. On her way to the city park, two blocks from her home, she is gunned down by a gang member randomly shooting pedestrians in a drive-by shooting.

Orrin Hudson, founder and president of Be Someone Inc has vowed to end this senseless violence in his lifetime. He has spent countless hours mentoring children to help them overcome their feelings of hopelessness and despair. He focuses on their innate talents and abilities and demonstrates to them they can create and manifest their dreams.

Orrin’s students range in age from 5 to 17. He has mentored more than 15,000 students in more than 30 schools in fi ve states. He has taught very young children to be chess champions, even beating college chess players. His dramatic techniques and uproariously funny teaching style captivates young people and adults alike.

Orrin launched his crime prevention program, Be Someone Inc in 2001 after learning about an incident in Queens, N.Y. in which a young man shot and killed several people in a Wendy’s Restaurant for a mere $2,000. As a former U.S. Air Force and Alabama State Trooper veteran, Orrin could not live with himself if he had not taken action to stop this type of crime.

Using the game of chess as a metaphor for life, Orrin teaches children the basic principles necessary to succeed in everyday living. He teaches children to push pawns,

not drugs; to think it out, not shoot it out.

His amazing results have been documented through national news media such as Fox News, CBS, TBS, PBS, USA Today and hundreds of local media outlets. He has been recognized by civic and corporate leaders and is the recipient of numerous leadership and community service awards including the 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, 2004 TBS Pathfi nder’s Award for Education, 2004 Atlanta Braves Community Service Award, and others. While these awards refl ect the appreciation of the communities that have been positively affected by his ceaseless work, they do not, however, begin to address the need for fi nancial assistance to keep his programs running.

Orrin begins by detailing how the game of chess is played and how it relates to life. In chess, as in life, each facet and piece fi ts together in an intricate play of vital forces. Each plays a role, and the combined strengths work in tandem to ensure success.

The chessboard is tantamount to the stage upon which our lives are played out. Each individual is given the same amount of resources, strengths, weaknesses and possibilities. It is up to each of us to harmonize these into the most compelling game our skill set can devise. We can choose to be immobile, complacent or mount a vigorous offensive. We can even choose not to play. Make no mistake, the choices are ours alone, and we decide how the game of our lives will be played out by the thoughts we entertain, the decisions we make, the actions we take and the habits we instate.

The King is the crowned jewel of the chessboard. Protecting him and advancing his goals are the ultimate objectives of all action in the game. He is the reason the game is played. In life, you are the King. Whether you are male or female, you are the orchastrator and center of your reigning universe. You dictate all personal morality, objectives, aspirations and goals. Secure in the midst of your powerful advisors, mentors and protectors, you are free to create, devise strategy and advance your army against life’s obstacles.

The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board, based on her far reaching infl uence

and ability to move in all directions. She represents a higher vision and the pure feminine power of creation and intuition. She is the King’s closest confi dant and through his ear exerts her will upon the board. In life, the Queen represents your connection to the higher powers of intuition and spiritual guidance. Her infl uence is felt across the board and the army trembles at her powerful wrath. By developing the intellectual and spiritual powers of the Queen, you become connected to the universal presence that directs all activity, mastering the game at its highest level.

The Rook is a majestic castle on a glistening hill, it’s banners afl oat on a gentle breeze. It represents the land for which the King battles, giving life, sustenance and abundance to all its subjects. The Rook protects the King and Queen and offers a safe haven in which to heal, thrive and grow. In life, every person needs a safe environment in which to explore his or her own abilities, talents and dreams. We long for a comfortable, safe abode from which to reach out to new challenges, yet feel we are protected should we make an honest mistake.

The Bishop’s strength is in his inherent spirituality and willingness to sacrifi ce himself for a higher calling. He must be true to his inner voice and divine direction, standing fi rm in truth and justice to ensure morality and ethics are protected. He is the King’s conscience and spiritual advisor. In life, there is a tremendous void felt if we are disconnected from our divine guidance. We need to feel we are on the correct path. We search for clues that we are pursuing our highest possible goals based on our innate skills and desires. Every person needs to feel he or she has worth, and is worthy of the life he or she has chosen to pursue.

Strength and valor combine within the Knight to make him the King’s strongest protector. He wages war on the chess board and willingly sacrifi ces his life so that his liege may continue his reign. The Knight’s special abilities and strength of character make him a formidable foe. In life, he represents combining strength, courage and honor to create a powerful strategic action plan, protecting vital resources and acquiring the spoils of war. Without the courage of the Knight, we might not push

continued on page 44

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february 2005 13

Smile - It Increases Your �Face Value�

ZigZiglarsts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

What makes you smile? Earning the Sales Person of the Month award? Seeing a lot of traffi c on a rainy day? Receiving a

list of qualifi ed leads that really are qualifi ed? Actually fi nding a buyer who doesn’t lead with price? Or maybe it is your children? Seeing on old friend? Holding hands with your spouse as you walk in the mall?

Here are some reminders. These should bring a smile to your face.

The fi rst date with your spouse.

What you told your best friend after that fi rst date.

Your last year of high school.

Your favorite high school teacher.

Having someone laugh at your joke.

Remembering to tell that joke again.

Your fi rst car.

Paying off your present car.

Your child’s fi rst day at school.

Your child’s last day at college.

Yours and your spouse’s special song.

Your spouse actually remembering the name of that song.

If you need a smile today, you may want to fi nd your wedding album. Or you may want

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to locate the pictures of your family’s fi rst vacation. Memories cause smiles.

Keep smilin’.

Zig Ziglar is the chairman of the board of Ziglar Training Systems in Dallas, TX. He can be contacted at 866.873.0026, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Page 14: AutoSuccess Feb05

www.autosuccess.biz14

KarenDillon

How to Increase Customer andEmployee Satisfaction and Loyalty

An important area that affects customer satisfaction and loyalty is the satisfaction of the dealership employees.

Do you or the service manager communicate regularly with each of your employees in the service department of your dealership? Have you provided a work environment that leads to high levels of employee satisfaction? Your customer-facing employees in the service department can provide excellent ideas and suggestions for improved effi ciency, productivity and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Are you asking for their feedback? People like to feel involved and like to feel that their opinions and input are important. Provide continuing education and training in proper customer communication to your employees. They need to feel comfortable and confi dent with their responsibilities as it relates to customer contact. Impress upon each and every employee the importance of addressing the customer by name and thanking him or her for their business.

Happy employees will produce happy customers. In the reverse, an employee who is not happy in his or her job can have a very negative effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty at your dealership.

We’ve all experienced well-run fi ve star hotels or restaurants that make one feel special on every visit. Provide the same experience for each of your customers who visit your service department, and not only will customer satisfaction and loyalty increase, but you will also see an increase in parts and accessory sales, as well as new and used vehicle sales. Although every department in the dealership may be operated as a separate profi t center, we need to understand they are tied together. If a customer has a negative experience in the sales department, it has a defi nite effect on parts and service and vice versa. The cost of acquiring a new customer is far greater than the cost of maintaining an existing one. Customers can be satisfi ed and not loyal, but they won’t be loyal and not satisfi ed

How many of your sales people check the daily service log to see if any of their customers are coming in for service, so they can greet them? This is an excellent time to follow up with the customer to be sure all is well and ask for referrals. This practice also

lets the customer know his or her business is important after the sale and can help create customers for life.

Recognize that the function of the service advisor is really as a customer service representative. The person in this position should have good communication skills and enjoy dealing with people. This is far more important than technical knowledge. You have technicians to diagnose the problem with the vehicle. The main function of the service advisor should be to develop a rapport and build trust with the customer, and then note his or her requests and vehicle complaints. This will develop trust, better customer satisfaction and loyalty, which leads to increased sales.

Four major complaints that customers have regarding the service department are:

1. When calling to make a service appointment, they are placed on hold for an extended period.2. Delay in being waited on when bringing vehicle in for service.3. Not being notifi ed of repairs made to vehicle or when vehicle is completed.4. Not meeting the time deadline promised.

To address the complaints above:1. Providing your customers the ability to make a confi rmed service appointment online will reduce inbound telephone calls and provide an easy and convenient way for them to make an appointment at your dealership – no more waiting on hold. A recent NADA survey emphasizes that customers are looking for this functionality:

NADA Survey: 94 percent of New Car Dealers Use Internet(Sourced: Auto Remarketing, Dec. 17, 2004)

Situation1. NADA says Internet use by new vehicle dealers is at 94 percent this year.2. Survey was conducted by group’s Industry Analysis Division.3. Of dealers not using Internet, 37 percent plan online presence in the next 6 months.

SigniÞ cant1. Ninety-four percent of dealers have Web sites, up from 93 percent previous year.2. Of all the sites, 98 percent are interactive.3. Most sites allow shoppers to view inventory and MSRP; also fi ll out fi nance forms.

4. Many others allow online ordering and links to relevant Web sites.5. Most popular feature to consumers is the ability to request price quotes.6. Also want ability to schedule service and sales appointments online.

2. The customer should always be met immediately and greeted by name. Although the phones are ringing and things are hectic, the customer on the service drive should have the service advisor’s total attention. Many studies have been completed that refl ect that average dollars per RO decreases during the busy months. This is because the service department is busy and the customer is rushed through the write-up process, and up-sell opportunities are missed. You must emphasize consistency every day with every customer. The service advisor must take the necessary time to review service history and up-sell needed maintenance services.

3. The customer should be contacted for approval of any needed repairs or maintenance not included on the original repair order, but discovered during servicing the vehicle. When the customer drops off the car, if you are confi dent the work will be completed by a certain time, let him or her know to pick up the vehicle at that time. If something unforeseen occurs, be certain to notify the customer.

4. If you follow the recommendation in No. 3, you won’t have this issue.

Take a survey of your service department customers. Open the survey with your stated mission. For example, “Our mission is to give our customers perfect service through uncompromising commitment to continuous improvement.”

Improving any process requires change, and change is diffi cult to implement. People don’t resist change - they resist being changed. When you have included your personnel in the process from the beginning and communicated what you are trying to accomplish, you will fi nd them much more willing to do their part to assist the dealership in achieving your goals for outstanding customer satisfaction and loyalty in the service department.

Karen Dillon is the president of TimeHighway.com. She can be contacted at 800.901.3170, or by e-mail [email protected].

sts ms ls fi s

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Page 15: AutoSuccess Feb05

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Page 16: AutoSuccess Feb05

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Where the Online Car Buyers AreAuto Sites Explode on the Web

DavidKainsts ms ls fi s

marketing solution

As the Internet landscape continues to mature, Internet sites that attract auto consumers have exploded in number.

It’s very similar to what has happened with TV. Where before we had the three main networks ABC, NBC and CBS; the advent of cable has created hundreds of specialty channels that attract specifi c segments of consumers. Think, the Food Network, the Outdoor Living Network, MTV, E! the list goes on.

What this means for auto consumers is that they have a wide array of sources from which to get information on buying a new vehicle. What it means for dealers is that there are destinations on the Web to lure virtually every kind of automotive consumer. This is where the Internet lead aggregators come in - they make it easy for dealers to capture not just some, but the majority of car buying interest on the Web. The key strategy here is to connect with every potential customer. Industry statistics show time and time again that serious car buyers can be found at any number of the hundreds of sites on the Web that offer good automotive content and compelling offers.

While almost every dealership today has its own Web site to tap into the marketing effi ciencies offered by the Internet, it’s critical that dealers see their sites in the grand scheme of the online automotive universe. All of these sites, with great content and compelling offers, are competing for car buyers’ interest. Why not ensure that your dealership is represented at as many as possible?

The following categories comprise the third-party automotive site universe, and all attract your potential buyers.

Portals and Search Engines America Online, AOL Autos; Yahoo, Yahoo Autos; Microsoft Network, MSN Autos; Google; Alta Vista; Excite; eBay, eBay Motors; and more.

The most popular Internet sites, those that have become household words, are the experts in online consumer marketing. These are the big portals and search engines, many of which were born of and survived the Internet bubble. These companies have

dedicated staff, including statisticians and consumer marketing experts, who study online consumer behavior, mining and analyzing the data to see what makes Internet consumers stick around, shop, buy and interact. The expertise that these companies have in attracting online consumers is really unsurpassed. Your lead aggregator should have relationships with the best of them. That way, your dealership benefi ts from their marketing expertise, and you let them do the consumer marketing for you, while you concentrate on what you do best - selling cars.

Pure Play Automotive Sites Sprung from Traditional MediaEdmunds, Kelly Blue Book, Auto Trader, Road and Track, Automobile Magazine, Motor Trend, etc.

One of the most exciting online automotive categories that we’ve seen develop over the past couple years has sprung from offl ine brands that create a strong, dramatic online presence. By doing so, these traditionally offl ine publications now offer their loyal readers something even more interesting and interactive on the Net. They include all the famous brands that you remember from your childhood like when you picked up the latest Auto Trader at your local 7-11. As they did when they were print publications, the online versions of these publications attract serious car lovers. Automotive enthusiast magazines, like Motor Trend, have seen a very large increase in their online traffi c because they’ve done such a great job of giving their loyal readers a reason to get even more of their quality content online.

Pure Play Automotive Born on the WebCars.com, Automobiles.com, InvoiceDealers, AutoVantage, etc.

Other automotive sites developed their brands and loyal audience strictly on the Web. First to market, they built a strong online following by providing good content and offers. They’re known for attracting a strong following of progressive, Internet-savvy auto consumers.

Pure Play Automotive Enthusiast SitesVW Vortex, Chevy.net, PickupTruck.com, etc.

Even though they may not have top-of-mind awareness that some of the bigger sites

do, lesser known automotive sites attract auto consumers who are seriously into cars - the real auto enthusiast sites. These are Porsche lovers, VW lovers, pickup truck lovers, etc., for whom the OEM and general-interest sites are just not enough. They want information from a site that is strictly tailored to their discriminating taste. These consumers represent sophisticated auto consumers who can be a dealer’s ideal customer because they’re brand loyal and they know what they want.

Pure Play Automotive Buying Advice SitesCar BuyingTips, New Car Insider, ConsumerGuide, NexTag, etc.

Other sites that attract online consumers are natural meccas for auto buyers. Some consumers feel they get the most unbiased information at these kinds of sites. Buying advice Web sites are a great source for customers because they attract ready-to-buy prospects.

Traditional Media Goes Online with Auto CategoriesCBS, NBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune.

Traditional newspaper and broadcast companies have also gotten in on the action, launching strong online presences that have automotive sections. The fact that they all have automotive categories demonstrates the popularity of this vertical among consumers.

Never before have consumers had so many choices from which to get information on their next vehicle purchase, which creates an unprecedented need for dealers to make sure they are partnering with a major lead aggregator. Just relying on your dealership’s Web site to bring you your future customers is short-term thinking. While you do this, your competitors might be taking the prospects from not only your own back yard, but everyone else’s, too.

David Kain is the automotive Internet training specialist at Kain Automotive Inc. He can be contacted at 800.385.0095, or by e-mail at [email protected], or visit www.kainautomotive.com.

Page 17: AutoSuccess Feb05

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JoeVerde

Do You Know Where Your Sales People Are

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sales and training solution

No, not physically – that’s easy, they’re in the huddle talking about how slow it is, complaining because you don’t advertise

more or fi guring out who’ll go get lunch. No, I mean “Where they are regarding the skills, work habits and attitudes they need to help you grow?”

There are four areas that will increase your sales production this year. Read through these and decide which sales people need improvement in each area.

1. THEIR SKILLS

• Communication. They have to be able to talk, listen, read and use body language effectively. Any inability to communicate effectively should be a deal breaker in hiring.

• Verbal Skills / Listening. Socrates gave us the secret to success in sales: “if you want the right answer, just ask the right question”. Covey also reminds us in sales that you should “seek fi rst to understand, then to be understood.” (Investigate then Present.)

• Presentation. The “Basics” not only have to be followed, each step has specifi c requirements:

Good First Impression - Requires proper dress, appearance, attitude and a proper and timely approach.

Effective Greeting – To move the sale forward requires they eliminate “How can I help you?” and substitute “Welcome to ___ Motors, I’m __ and you’re __?”

Rapport - Finding common ground is critical because 71 percent buy because they like their sales person.

Investigation - Means knowing how to ask the right questions to fi nd buying needs and hot buttons. (Investigation is not about price.)

Presentation and Demonstration (two different steps) - Both require product knowledge, questioning skills, selling skills and the ability to translate each feature into advantages and benefi ts to each customer.

Service Presentation - Requires a good working relationship between sales and service so they can sell service after the sale.

Prove It All - Evidence Manuals are a critical step of selling and are used to prove what the sales person has been telling the customer.

Tip #1: You can’t talk price and follow the basics. Learn how to by-pass price.

Tip #2: 100 percent + 100 percent = A Sale. To sell more, sales people have to follow 100 percent of the steps with 100 percent of the prospects.

• Closing and Objection Handling. They have to ask for the order effectively and handle each of the seven objections they’ll get when they try to close the sale.

Closing takes guts, persistence, no fear of rejection, and a dozen+ closing questions in their skill box.

Fact 1: Closing isn’t about price and “If I could, would you” is costing you sales daily.

Fact 2: Eighty percent of all sales are made after their fi fth attempt to close the sale, but most sales people only know one close and only ask one time.

• Follow Up and Prospecting. Until sales people learn how to follow up, set up an effective process and follow up 100 percent of their sold and unsold prospects, your dealership can’t grow.

Prospecting takes guts, persistence, time management, no fear, phone skills, questioning skills and the determination to be consistent every day.

Follow up requires all the above, plus organizational and writing skills.

• Telephones. 90 percent of your dealership’s success depends on telephone skills. Without those skills, you can’t prospect, follow up unsold prospects or build your business.

Good phone skills require good communication skills, the ability to get control with questions, staying off price, getting numbers, names and making appointments that stick.

• Negotiation. Running back and forth from the desk to the customer dropping price or splitting things isn’t negotiating. Negotiating, like selling, closing and handling phones, is a skill that doesn’t come with their business cards – it has to be taught and developed.

• Time Management. You don’t manage time or sales. You manage the activities that use up your time and you manage your sales person’s activities to generate sales.

2. WORK HABITS

• Go To Work To Work. Every employee in your dealership is required to work their full shift except sales people. Each minute of their day should be spent doing something to sell a vehicle, either with a customer on the lot or on the phone. Yet instead of managing their activities, most managers just watch sales people waste their day and mumble “you just can’t fi nd good sales people these days.”

3. ATTITUDES

Success Attitude / Work Attitude. In every book on selling or success, you’ll fi nd a chapter on attitude. It isn’t at the end of the book – it’s always the fi rst chapter because “Attitude Is Everything”.

4. CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

Your short term and long term success depends on you and your sales people building a loyal customer base. Buying sales (ups) costs a ton and produces a tough to close price shopper who gives you lower than average gross profi t and CSI scores, and who will buy their next vehicle from whichever dealer has the best deal then, too. Build a loyal customer base and grow every year.

These four areas control your success. There’s obviously lots more to cover in each area, so talk about every point in your next management meeting because you can’t afford to be Market Driven any longer. It’s time for management to take control of your dealership and drive it to more growth in 2005! Don’t just “hope” – train and manage – and have your best year ever!

Joe Verde is the president of the Joe Verde Group. He can be contacted at 866.429.6689, or by e-mail at [email protected], or visit www.joeverde.com.

Page 19: AutoSuccess Feb05

february 2005 19

Six Keys to Selling anAdditional 200 Vehicles in One Month

RoyReutter

At the Sheehy Auto Stores, we sell about 26,000 cars per year across 12 dealerships with 18 franchises and 1,000 employees.

Just two years ago, an organization this size was only getting 904 Internet leads and only selling 103 vehicles across all 12 stores. If 70 percent of the car buyers use the Internet to research and shop for a car, we were missing that opportunity, and we knew it. At that time we were involved in the Internet, but we weren’t dedicated.

In April of 2003, our Internet leads shot up to 2,567 and we sold 279 vehicles. Since then, we’ve been averaging 2,500 leads per month and 254 Internet sales per month with a high of 298 and a goal of 300 sales on average.

I share this with you not to impress you, but to impress upon you that with the right technology, the right marketing strategy, the right people, process and pricing you sell a lot of cars on the Internet. I’ve summarized Sheehy’s six keys to using the Internet to sell cars and encourage you to visit our Web site at www.sheehy.com to learn more.

1. Technology: Research your options and measure your results. Our system includes a high-end custom Web site, a prospecting and CRM tool that automates much of the e-mail activity and a suite of multi-media e-mails

that help drive traffi c through bulk e-mail marketing.

2. Marketing Strategy:Traffi c to our Web site has exploded with the use of advanced search engine placement and bulk e-mail marketing. We’re able to send thousands of e-mail campaigns that generate measurable traffi c with just a few clicks and at no additional cost. Our system enables us to eliminate the poor performing lead providers and only keep those with a high closing ratio like AutoTrader and Dealix. With 12 different dealerships in our group, we get the most bang for the buck by advertising just www.sheehy.com as opposed to 12 different URLs. As a result of our Internet marketing strategy, our cost per sale has dropped to $197.

3. People:Eight of our 12 stores use an Internet department and the other four use a BDC model, but what sets the super performers apart from the rest is not the business model, it’s the people. Recruit, hire and train the right people to staff your department and you can overcome a multitude of other obstacles. We look for rookies with no prior sales experience but with great phone and follow-up skills and we commit to a training program that will get them comfortable with our process, our scripts, our templates and tools.

4. Process:It’s crucial to document your process for handling leads and to map out every step for

turning leads into appointments that show. At Sheehy, we’ve been able to track that if we can set the appointment, our closing ratio is 60 percent. Knowing this, we do everything we can to fi ne tune our process so that rather than hit the delete key upon receiving one of our e-mails, customers move one step closer to coming in. We also know that the phones are the key to selling appointments. Use technology to automate as much of the process as possible. Build value in the dealership, the people and the product, and you won’t have to sell price.

5. Pricing: Customers in the Washington, D.C., market have computers that are equipped with a delete key, and they’re not afraid to use it if you don’t answer the question they asked. When they hit the Request a Quote button at our Web site they expect to get a quote, not make a new friend. Knowing this, we respond to all Internet leads with a detailed personal response that includes price and payment information on the vehicle they’re interested in, as well as three to four others that are less expensive. We also post MSRP and Internet price online because that’s what customers are looking for.

6. Measure/Manage:Track everything. We always monitor the number of leads by source, response rate and time, number of appointments, appointment percent, show percent, closing percent, cost per lead, response time and cost per sale. This information helps us determine what’s working, what’s not and when it’s time to make an adjustment. One of the best parts about the Internet is that everything is measurable.

If you’re interested in knowing more about any of the six keys to using the Internet to sell extra cars, send me an e-mail.

Roy Reutter is the eBusiness director at Sheehy Auto Stores. He can be contacted at 800.350.9775, or by emial [email protected].

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MichaelYork

What Does it Take to Succeed in Sales

sts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

Ever feel like you’re overpaid as a sales person? Not likely. But let me offer a reason for asking that question.

Sales is autonomy and independence. It is a tremendous opportunity and constant scrutiny. It is not a profession for the faint of heart, or thin of skin. As a director of sales, I once had an owner who told me over and over, “Michael, in selling, you get a report card every week.”

I saw a list recently of the 10 most overpaid jobs in today’s marketplace, because as one of the writers stated, “some things are just too important to allow them to be screwed up.” Like airplane pilots and … underperforming sales people, which is somewhere around 80 percent of them (see 80/20 rule). Sales people are everywhere, but true selling professionals are still a minority. Ever hear the one about sales being a numbers game? Sales is an indicators game. Indicators are numbers that offer evidence toward any conclusion. And the only verdict, ladies and gentlemen of today’s economic jury, is that most sales people are under-performers.

Underperforming sales people are too busy to read, too busy to write hand-written notes, too busy to improve their performance, too busy to strive for top performance among their peers, and too busy to get power letters from customers who are amazed by their show … or just too boring to amaze customers at all.

While sales can be one of the highest paying professions, it is also one of the most overpaid to those who settle into the status quo of perpetual underperformance.

The key element that separates the top 20 percent of all sales people (the 20 percent who sell 80 percent of all that is sold) from the rest is their personal motivation to excel.

Status Quo is the greatest enemy of excelling in sales! Thinking that the marketplace or the month of the year is the problem. Thinking we’re doing better than we really are. Thinking that you are doing better than you really are … that things are OK, or improving, or not as bad as they could be. And with thinking like that, they soon will be.

Whose job does it then become to shake

things up? Which manager is left to rattle the cages and become the bad cop in the play we’ve all seen before? Carrot or stick? Motivational speakers or sales trainers? Contests or penalties? What’s the motivation? The desire to excel! To become! Becoming is a process, which means it doesn’t happen in a day or a week or a year. And it doesn’t happen just because you made a sale today - or didn’t.

The selling entrepreneur has a different way of looking at the world - or should. If that’s you, then you cannot be subject to the indifference of most attitudes found in the marketplace today. You must be “on” when the curtain goes up on this day of selling performances. Think like an actor. Playing the role of a selling professional will have to do until you can actually become one. Based on your recent performance would anyone believe that you’re a selling professional? Or just a bad actor miscast in this role?

Most training is delivered to individuals who don’t think they need it … and the best sales presentations are made to those who don’t want to see them (or thought they didn’t).

Selling is simple: Move up or get out. What battle have you won lately? The selling show of many sales people today is not much different than delivery drivers or take-out restaurants. “What can I get for you today?” is not a professional selling question.

Stars, even selling stars, are created through their own unique presentation or performance that gives us a pleasurable buying experience.

How does your doctor sell? “You’ll be glad to know that we’re running a half-off special on all abdominal procedures this month.”

At that show, the concern is not the price! It’s bigger than price. The value is greater than the price.

And so it is with a majority of, but not all, selling or buying experiences.

Consumer Fact: Passion Before PriceIf someone is passionate about gardening he or she might spend $1,000 on a Japanese maple tree ... but he or she still wants the cheapest mulch. Because no one is passionate about mulch, price becomes a factor.

This marketplace owes you nothing but is

willing to pay almost anything for the right value proposition.

Stale, tired, boring, blah, blah, blah … makes the buyer look harder at the price. Excellent service and “make-my-life-easier” solutions tower over whatever number I have to pay to get it. And once I’ve found it, I’ll pay more not to lose it. The problem is that’s not how most sales people (the 80 percent) look at it.

Never conspire with the buyer to lower your fee.

When you conspire with the buyer to lower the price, two things are lost: Value and revenue. We can always negotiate less value that costs less, but if there is obvious value, the price becomes secondary.

Remember the last time you were in a fi ne restaurant and looked at the lobster? How much? Market price. You don’t buy lobster at drive-thru windows.

More facts:If price becomes the star of the show, the perception of value is lacking or not very impressive by the sales man or by the prospective buyer. What’s your value proposition? Or will you just take orders and justify the price?

Selling is not telling-selling as a professional is excelling and becoming known as an excellent professional at what you do.

That’s doing the things that are easy and the things that you know you should do, without being told to do them.

If you’re not excelling, or in the process of excelling, then you are failing at sales.

Michael York is an author and professional speaker. He can be contacted at 800.668.5015, or by e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MichaelYork.com.

Status Quo is the greatest enemy of excelling in sales!

Page 21: AutoSuccess Feb05

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DavidGoodison

The �M� in CRM Should Stand for Marketing

sts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

The term CRM found its way to the automobile industry in 1998. Before then it was simply known as follow-up. Now

CRM can mean anything from telephone surveys to complicated software to E-CRM to cookies.

When considering a CRM solution you should ask yourself, “What are my goals?” The usual answer is increase sales and CSI. Here are some of the challenges dealers have experienced and how you can avoid them, increasing your chances for success.

• Find a complete CRM solution, a solution that fi ts the culture of your store. What works at one dealership might not mesh at another. Is the system fl exible and can it be tailored to your dealership’s needs, management style and overall plan? Make sure your choice covers phone ups, fl oor traffi c, Internet hits and Sold/Lease Customer Follow-Up (CSI and Long Term) and Service. Will the system seamlessly integrate with lead generators and telephony service providers? Is it e-mail enabled? Does it provide FTC Do Not Call alerts? Will it save you time? Ninety percent of the capabilities with CRM systems never get used. Ask yourself: Do we already have some of these capabilities with our DMS? If so, why haven’t they been utilized? The answer is usually people. Who is going to do all the work? Will you need a dedicated employee and ongoing training? A good CRM provider won’t be labor-intensive.

• Check their references. Call the dealer, a manager, and even some sales reps to get all their feedback. How long have they been using it, and have they seen results? How is the vendor’s customer service?

• Remember on whom we are depending to use the system or service. Car guys, not computer geeks. Studies have shown that when sales people are tasked with such things as data

entry and editing customer records they spend 40 percent of their time on the computer. Their job is to sell, sell, sell. The process must be easy or it will never get used. Too often dealers spend enormous amounts of time and money purchasing and implementing high tech or powerful systems that end up getting as much use as that home gym they purchased last year that is now gathering dust and being used to hang laundry.

• The biggest reason CRM initiatives succeed is buy-in. Without strong ownership and management support you will never achieve your goals. Consider having a vendor make a presentation to your management team. Don’t overlook your sales force. If your managers want it, bring your sales force in on the decision. Some systems are seen as nothing more than Big Brother. If they perceive their mandatory compliance as nothing more than make work, they will fi nd ways around it. They have to see that there is something in it for them. WIIFM still applies. Do they see how will it increase their incomes? You need their enthusiastic acceptance or you’ll be policing it every day. When you get the vote from your managers and sales force then it will be their decision and their system. They’ll participate.

• The “M” in CRM should stand for “marketing.” Manage our customers? We want to market to them. We want to sell them, their friends and relatives: parts, service and their next car. How quickly can you access your customer info and, more importantly, how fast can you get your message to the customer? If you are not into database marketing then you are going to lose customers, and by the time you fi nd them they will be in some other dealer’s car. When the month is over it is all about the numbers.

David Goodison is the president and CEO of ProResponse. He can be contacted at 866.596.6889, or by e-mail [email protected].

Page 23: AutoSuccess Feb05

february 2005 23

KirkManzo

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

sts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

Have you noticed that the value most customers request for their trade is unrealistic? Why?

Think of the last time you met a proud parent, or even better, a grandparent. When given the opportunity to talk about their “little darling” (maniac), and of course show photos, is this what you heard, “Oh, let me show you a picture of my little Joey. Isn’t he adorable? And he’s so smart, too”? Meanwhile you are looking at this kid thinking, “Holy cow that’s a face that could stop a train, and my neighbor teaches your kid, and he’s dumber than a bag of hammers.”

Then you share your candid observations with the gloating parent, right? Of course not, instead you politely comment how cute little Joey is and how he is destined to graduate valedictorian of his class.

Well, your customers are no different with their trades. The idea that this car is “ours” can be very emotional for people. Remember, they have driven this vehicle every day for years, and they have become oblivious to that funky smell and stain in the back seat. You could tell them what their car is actually worth, but this probably would have the same effect as mooning them, not a good idea.

The most effective approach to adjusting trade expectations is to have your sales person inspect and examine the trade for condition with the customer. The best way to maximize the benefi ts of this devaluation strategy is to have the customer join the sales person in examining the trade from stem to stern. Sales people should open the hood, the trunk and all the doors. Also put all the windows down to ensure they will actually go back up. The idea is simply to examine the vehicle for condition, not for its value. Anyone can have an opinion regarding a trade-in’s value, but a vehicle’s condition, well, it is what it is.

You can enhance the credibility of this process by using a clipboard and a three-part trade-in evaluation form. After reviewing a series of 15 to 20 questions on the form, have the customer sign it acknowledging that all the information they have provided is true and accurate.

Once the customer has signed the trade form, and before the sales person returns to the showroom to write up the deal, the sales person should ask one fi nal question. We call this the Columbo question. Columbo, the bungling TV detective in a trench coat, would always ask a series of questions when interviewing a witness or suspect only to place his hand on the door knob preparing to leave. Then, as an afterthought, there was always one last question. Of course, of all the questions asked, the last question was the most important. The rest were just the setup.

This approach will be similar. Ask, ”Mr. or Mrs. Customer, I was just wondering, if you were to rate your car or truck on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being absolutely perfect condition, I’m talking mint showroom condition, how would you rate your car? Note: It is critical that you ask this question as an afterthought. Do Not make this question a big deal. The customer does not realize why you are asking. In the event that the customer does ask why, your sales person should simply reply, “Oh, I was just curious.” This number will become helpful later during the negotiations.

Given the structure of the question, it is very unlikely that a customer will respond with a 10 (absolutely perfect condition, mint showroom condition). Most of the sales people will hear six, seven, or eight the majority of the time.

Fast forward to the negotiations. You have offered to buy the car for $4,751 (vs what you think the trade is worth). The customer protests and says he or she is looking for $6,800! Now you are faced with a $2,000 gap. You could offer to split the difference, and while this is common, it’s not necessary.

Instead, instruct your sales person to respond, “Mr. Customer, that sure does seem high to me. By the way, how did you come up with that number?” Allow the customer to explain and justify his or her reason for the amount requested. The actual explanation is academic, since we will handle all responses using the same approach.

Once the customer has so eloquently (I’m being generous) explained why he or she believes the car is worth the higher amount,

your sales person should do the following. Pull out the copy of the trade evaluation form the customer signed earlier. The last copy of the form should have been provided to the customer after he or she signed and answered the 1-10 Columbo question. The customer’s number should have been marked on the top of the form. For this example, the number we will use is 7 out of 10.

Now review all the defi ciencies (tires, cracked windshield, stain in carpet, mileage, etc) and ask, “Was it your intent to address or correct these items?” Most customers will emphatically respond with a “NO, we are not spending another dime on this car.”

The sales person should then respond, “Well that is what my manager fi gured. Mr./Mrs Customer. There are costs associated with correcting these items, and we have made allowances for those expenses.”

Now we will use their 1-10 number (remember people don’t argue with their own data) to close the gap on the trade values. “Mr./Mrs. Customer, earlier when I asked you to rate your car on a scale of 1-10, you rated your car a 7. Based on this information and the condition of your vehicle, we will need to make a 30 percent market adjustment for your vehicle’s condition. Thirty percent of $6,800 is about $2,000 (680 x 3=2040). When we subtract the $2,000 from the $6,800 you are requesting, what you will fi nd, is that the $4,751 we are offering, is both fair, and it is reasonalbe. While this approach may not work with every customer (nothing works with everybody) it will help close the gap on what your customers are requesting as compared to the amount you are offering, and reduce your tendency to revisit the trade fi gures.

Good luck, and make something happen!

Kirk Manzo is the general manager at Ziegler Supersystems. He can be contacted at 800.858.6903, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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PatrickLuck

2005 eDealers of the Year:

How They Did ItOur January issue was dedicated to honoring the Top 10 eDealers of 2005 and this month we’ll provide insight into how they accomplished their results. The benchmark for consideration for this year’s award is results as measured by volume of Internet sales and successfully using the Internet and digital marketing to promote all profi t centers: new, used, F&I, service, parts, etc. The 2005 eDealers of the Year sold 80 to 800 additional units each month, while using their Web sites to drive additional revenue to all profi t centers. Success like this is possible for all dealers who have the know-how and ability to implement. In an effort to share best practices with our readers, we’re publishing our conversations with this year’s award winners below.

Question 1: What are the key elements of a successful Web site?Dick Hannah: We offer 12 different makes at our Web site, so it was important to us that we keep the online process simple and consistent for our customers. Our goal is extra sales, and to do that, we know we need to generate leads. One example of how

we do that is to be very aggressive with our focus on special fi nance. We provide a link through “Dick Hannah Says Yes” to the 6 steps to rebuilding your credit where we also post an online credit application. We get tons of leads through that.

Sheehy: We aim to generate extra sales and leads by offering transactional opportunities that the customers can’t fi nd on any other single Web site such as searchable inventory, model reviews, payment calculator, MSRP and invoice, trade-in information and so on. Customers can fi nd this information at various different sites. so we want to make sure they have no reason to leave www.Sheehy.com in search of it.

Schomp: Think like a consumer and devote your site to what the customers want to do online, which is research product information, fi nd a specifi c vehicle or service their car. It’s also crucial to present information in a way that’s interactive and to keep your inventory, specials and pricing up to date. Our Web site provider does that automatically, which takes a load off our staff.

Courtesy: Everything on our Web site is designed to help us sell extra cars by creating more leads, and so it’s important to track the source of all our leads. Our lead source reports tell us that one super lead generator is the Internet Specials pop up, which prompts the customer to fi ll out their name, phone number and e-mail address in order to print the coupon for $500 off any new or pre-owned vehicle.

Tasca: For a Web site to generate leads, it needs to stand out from the rest to get the customer’s attention. Our Web site does this because it looks and feels high-tech with multi-media technology that’s quick to load, highly engaging and works fast even on a low-speed connection. We also offer cool features like online coupons,

specials, virtual test drives, online credit applications, online trade appraisals and a full range of pricing information.

Question 2: How do you use the Web as a marketing medium? Dick Hannah: To make it easier to fi nd us on the Web, we use BZ Results for search engine optimization to ensure that we appear at the top of the list. We’ve also had a lot of success with our e-mail marketing campaigns, so we focus on gathering e-mails from our parts, service and sales customers to fuel the e-mail database for future digital marketing.

Schomp: We started attracting customers to our Web site by adding our URL to all conventional advertising and displaying huge banners and posters throughout the dealership. We use search engine optimization and e-mail marketing, but what I really love about the Web as marketing medium is that we use www.schomp.com as a way to build value in our dealership and present our pricing philosophy to our customers. We were one of the fi rst dealers to successfully adopt the one-price method of selling, and our customers love it. So, naturally we want to use www.schomp.com to get the word out and generate more leads for the store.

Red McCombs: We bought all the right URLs and use search engine placement services. We then put our URL on absolutely everything that has our name on it.

Courtesy: I took a look at how much we were spending on conventional advertising and tracked that for a few months before making the decision to transition away from print, TV and radio and move toward digital marketing. Our return on investment has gone up, our cost per sale has dropped and our traffi c and incremental sales have skyrocketed.

Tasca: We dominate the search engines, post

Use customizable e-mail templates for every scenario, such as price, trade, payments, availability, etc. The templates should increase the speed and professionalism of your response and set the stage for a phone call.

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banner ads with links to www.Tasca.com in the newspaper’s online automotive section and target large companies in our area by offering “fl eet purchase programs.” We’ve been able to measure that seven out of every 10 customers who visit our dealership are using the Web so we view it as a critical marketing tool.

Question 3: How do you use e-mail marketing? Paragon: We know that digital marketing is cost effective because everything is measurable, including the view rate and lead source. In just a couple minutes we can reach hundreds or thousands of customers with just a few clicks for less than the cost of a stamp.

Tasca: If FMCC comes out with an Explorer incentive, I can send a buzzmail to everyone who has been in on an Explorer, I can select just our lease renewal customers who are currently in an Explorer or even customers who were in to service their Explorer. There’s no limit to how I can target my campaigns, and our customers actually tell us how much they love our Buzzmails because it’s like watching a mini-movie about the product. It’s unlike anything else out there so it gets their attention.

Schomp: We’ve established a database of e-mail addresses so that we can send a mini-movie of a walk-around presentation straight to the customer’s inbox without requiring the customer to open an attachment. We simply select from a suite of multi-media e-mails that use the latest in compressed animation to send a “virtual test drive” of the vehicle they’re interested in.

Question 4: What�s one process best practice for handling leads that can help other dealers convert more leads into appointments and sales?Paragon: Get all team members together to clearly defi ne what needs to happen, how it needs to happen, who will be responsible and how they will be held accountable. Document your process and follow through to ensure every lead gets a fast, professional response that results in an appointment.

Courtesy: What some dealers don’t realize is that an Internet lead is just a phone up on steroids, so the single most important best practice is to get people who are great on the phone, make sure they are 100 percent profi cient with their scripts and create some

passion for setting the appointment so that they can overcome objections.

Red McCombs: Use customizable e-mail templates for every scenario, such as price, trade, payments, availability, etc. The templates should increase the speed and professionalism of your response and set the stage for a phone call.

Herb Chambers: The fi rst goal is to sell the appointment, not the car, and having a manager make the confi rmation calls can double the show ratio.

Tasca: Process best practices have to include accountability and automation. Whether you’re working out of an Internet department or a BDC, it’s important to establish accountability, and a great way to do that is to display an appointment board that is highly visible. We have found this to be an effective way to create excitement and top-of-mind awareness for all team members, managers and the dealer. As for automation, our system automates much of the follow-up and frees our people up to spend more time on the phone and selling cars.

Question 5: How do you handle pricing?Courtesy: We build value in our products, our people and the process and address price once they’re in the dealership and have driven the vehicle.

Schomp: We’re committed to a one-price selling with no negotiating, no additional fees and no commissions. It’s not always the lowest price, but people appreciate the philosophy and they feel they’re being treated fairly.

Sheehy: We quote price on the exact vehicle they’re looking for and we always partner that with a couple other lower-priced alternatives.

Dick Hannah: We show an Internet price for all our vehicles that appear in the specials section of our Web site, but we do not price the rest of the inventory. For used cars, we’ve successfully generated a lot of leads by educating clients on wholesale, retail and KBB and then we offer a “Get a Quote” button.

Tasca: We use a menu pricing strategy to build a fair profi t into every vehicle. Our pricing is the same on the showroom as it is on the Internet and we pay on CSI

rather than gross profi t. I feel strongly that our pricing strategy is the best, but I have also noticed that there are highly effective pricing strategies that are dramatically different from ours. The lesson here is that it’s important to get your leadership team together to weigh the pros and cons of each variable within a pricing strategy and defi ne what will work for you in your market. It’s imperative to involve every member of the leadership team to ensure you create a strategy that everyone can buy into, because the power is in the belief.

Question 6: What type of people do you hire to staff your Internet department or BDC? How do you train them? Courtesy: We look for people who are passionate about customer service. They don’t need to be superstar sales people or incredibly Internet savvy, but they have to love the phone and love serving the customer. Once we fi nd the right people, I make it my mission to create an environment that they’ll never want to leave, because we all know the cost of employee turnover.

Tasca: We have a recruiting, hiring and training process that we use whenever we’re hiring for any position in the dealership and we like to say that we hire out of inspiration, not desperation, so that means that we’re always on the lookout for energetic, talented people with a good work ethic and an eagerness to learn. We fi nd that the best new employees are referrals from someone who already works for the Tasca family of dealerships. A new candidate doesn’t necessarily need to have automotive experience because our new hire training program and on-going training are so extensive. We have a training company that we bring in for two days every month to help with our training needs.

Dick Hannah: Even though the Internet has made an incredible impact on the automotive industry, this still is and always will be a people business, so nothing is more important than quality people who are well trained. Training is a daily and ongoing process for our dealerships. We’ve developed a friendly business development team, and when we need to bring on someone new, we look for that “friendly” characteristic and an aptitude to successfully use the phone and e-mail for follow up.

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Red McCombs: We look for experienced car sales people and we have weekly sales meetings in which we train on our process, our phone scripts and how to handle common objections. We pay on a percentage of the total billed deal.

Sheehy: We like to fi nd people who are new to the business so that we can train them from the ground up without having to correct bad habits or address pre-conceived notions of what the Internet process should be. We pay salary plus commission and we offer incentives to drive our targeted objectives.

Question 7: What do you track?Sheehy: The best part about Internet marketing is that everything is measurable. Our technology provider automates the reports we need so it only takes a few minutes a week to get a great snapshot of how things are going, who is excelling and where the process needs fi ne-tuning. The most important numbers to track are: Number of visitors to the Web site, conversion ratio, closing ratio, average gross profi t and cost per sale by lead source.

Herb Chambers: The Internet makes it so easy to track absolutely everything, so we do. We measure lead volume, response time, closing percentage, cost per lead and cost per sale.

Dick Hannah: We measure everything and we can break it all down by lead source, by rooftop and by sales person.

Tasca: We track everything, but if I had to

say what we monitor the closest, it would be appointments, sales and CSI.

Red McCombs: You can get as granular as you want and track response time, appointment percentage, show ratio, closing ratio, average gross and CSI.

Question 8: What does the future hold for the auto industry and the Internet? Courtesy: We dropped a 2 million dollar ad budget and brought our cost per sale down to about $150 per vehicle while increasing sales anywhere from 80 to 180 units each month. It’s only a matter of time before other dealers do the same.

Dick Hannah: Invest in the best people, the best training and the best tools and the Internet will help increase sales and help your entire organization become more cost-effi cient.

Schomp: Two words: Incremental sales.

Herb Chambers: We’ve sold as many as 600 additional units online, and I see no reason for the trend not to continue.

Paragon: I know that for our stores the Internet has been the key to our growth; we’re selling an additional 200 cars per month between our Honda and Acura stores. Last year, our national ranking among Acura dealers was 117, and this year we’re ranked 40 and we’ve sold 205 percent of our objective. We’re taking business away from somebody, and I have to believe it’s the dealers who are not tapping into the power of Internet marketing.

Tasca: The most successful dealerships in the country are adapting to the way customers prefer to communicate and shop for cars.

Again, Congratulations!Congratulations to the Top 10 eDealers and thank you for sharing your insight on what it takes to use the Internet to sell more cars. If you have any questions regarding any of the best practices discussed in this article, please feel free to visit the dealers’ Web sites.

Patrick Luck is the editor and publisher of AutoSuccess Magazine. He can be contacted at 800.871.9723, or by e-mail at [email protected].

continued

www.ParagonCars.com

www.Schomp.com

www.HerbChambers.com

www.Earnhardt.com

www.DaveSmithMotors.com

www.DickHannah.com

www.Tasca.com

www.RedMcCombs.com

www.HouseofCourtesy.com

www.Sheehy.com

We use a menu pricing strategy to build a fair proÞ t into every vehicle. Our pricing is the same on the showroom as it is on the Internet and we pay on CSI rather than gross proÞ t.

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If You Want Real GrowthStart With the Simple Fundamentals, Part 1

ScottJoseph

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marketing solution

In this fi rst of two articles, let’s start by talking about the simple fundamentals of marketing – the obvious marketing

techniques that are the most powerful and make the most money. After all, you can do all sorts of advertising, but if you ignore the basics, the money just will not come easily.

Almost every print ad, radio or television commercial, even some direct mail pieces, are institutional-type advertising. At best, that produces deferred results. At worst – and this applies to 95 percent of all advertising out there – institutional advertising is an ineffective, vacuous, wasteful expense that accomplishes no productive purpose whatsoever.

No wonder most dealers say that attracting traffi c to their showroom is their single biggest challenge in selling cars today.

Most institutional advertising tells you how great the dealership paying for the advertising is, or how old and stable it is. It doesn’t convey any compelling reason for the buyer to favor your dealership over another. It doesn’t make a case for the product or service you sell.

In contrast, direct-response advertising’s very name is self-explanatory. It is designed to evoke an immediate response or action – a visit, a call or a purchasing decision from the buyer. The most effective form of direct-response advertising is direct mail. It presents factual, specifi c reasons why your company, product or service is superior to all others. Direct mail advertising directs people to action. It compels readers to call you or drive their cars down to trade them in on newer models. Used effectively, direct mail can produce tons of super qualifi ed ups. At its best, it literally compels people to call, visit and buy, and you can analyze the value, profi tability and performance of your advertising.

Direct-response advertising is much more effective than institutional advertising because your prospect doesn’t care one iota about you or your motivations. All the prospect cares about is what benefi t your product or service renders to him or

her. How will your product improve the prospect’s situation and save him or her effort, time and money? How will your product or service improve the prospect’s life, and why?

Give your prospects the answers to these kinds of questions and you’ll crush the competition pure and simple. By merely putting a higher percentage of your ad budget to direct-response compared to institutional advertising, you should improve your productivity and profi tability many times over.

Make it easy, appealing, desirable and even fun to buy and service a vehicle with you!It is critical that you put yourself in the customers’ or prospects’ position. You would be surprised how hard it can be (and this goes for almost any business) to do business with you.

If someone calls your dealership and reaches a sales person in a timely manner, can that sales person make a compelling response to the prospects’ or customers’ requests? Monitoring your sales calls can be an eye-opening experience.

When people come into your showroom, how well-versed are your sales people? How much time have you spent in preparing dialogues, phrases, questions and advice for your people to ask or offer the customer?

How much do you take your customers, prospects and business for granted? By merely stepping outside your offi ce and walking up to your dealership wearing the hypothetical shoes of a prospect, you may see a lot of fl aws in your operation. Once they are remedied, you can dramatically improve your current and repeat business potential.

By making it inviting, easy, informative, educational, inspiring and fun to do business with you, you’ll raise your company above your competition.

You cannot service too much. You cannot educate enough. You cannot inform too much. You cannot offer too much or follow through too far. You cannot make buying too easy. You cannot make calling or coming into your business too desirable.

Tell your customers whyWhenever you make an offer, ask for a sale, run an ad, have a sales person make a proposition to a customer or prospect or offer a product or service for sale at a specifi c price, always tell the reason.

Why can you sell a product or service at such a low price? Is it lower overhead or time to get rid of last year’s models? Why is your price so good?

If your event or offer is an especially appealing value, tell me why you’re making the offer to me. Is it because I am going to buy from you for the fi rst time, and it’s an exclusive offer to fi rst-time customers? Or is it because you’re overstocked and you want to get your capital out of slower-moving inventory, so you’re able and willing to sell me your product this one time only at a price well below market value?

Please tell me your reasons! Why should I patronize you instead of the competitor down the street? Tell me what you are doing, will do or will avoid doing that makes favoring your dealership better than dealing with someone else. Why can you handle my purchase better than someone else?

If you want real results, tell me all the reasons. The more factual, believable, credible and plausible reasons you give me for dealing with you, the more compelled I am to favor you with my business.

A great example of this is just around the corner – March. Can anyone justify with a factual, believable, credible or plausible reason why March Madness is a better time for the customer or prospect to buy a car? If you can, that should be the main thrust of your March advertisements – not March Madness, Mania, Mayhem or whatever name you want to call it.

Next month part two will deal with “sticking with marketing campaigns that still work” and “always focus your ads on the intended customer and no one else.”

Scott Joseph is the president of J&L Marketing Inc. He can be contacted at 866.429.6846, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Sharpening Your Conversation Skills

BrianTracy

There are three aims and purposes of conversation. The fi rst is the plain enjoyment and pleasure of self-expression and

interaction with other people. One of the most enjoyable things we ever do is spend time with people we like and whose company we fi nd stimulating. This potential pleasure is the driving force behind all of our social activities. We like to get together with people with whom we have a lot in common and just share ideas, letting the conversation go where it will.

The second aim or purpose of conversation is to get to know the other person better. In sales, and in all kinds of business, you require prolonged exposure to another person in order to get a feel for how he or she thinks, feels and reacts. This can’t be accomplished in a short meeting.

The third aim of conversation is to build trust and credibility between the two people. This is perhaps the most important thing we do as we proceed through life, and it is only possible with the kind of continuous conversation that reveals us to each other.

In our personal relationships, there is no substitute for extended periods of conversation in the development of friendships and more intimate relationships. People who get along very well together have almost invariably spent a lot of time just talking about various subjects as they come up.

One of the very best ways to learn about another person is to spend unbroken time in his or her company. A two- or three-hour car trip is one of the most revealing experiences you will ever have with another human being. People who have gotten along well for many years, working or socializing together in brief stints, will often fi nd that an extended car trip brings out elements of their personalities they did not know existed.

Before you enter into any serious business or personal relationship with anyone, you should spend several hours with him or her

experiencing the ebb and fl ow of sustained conversation. It’s amazing what you will learn.

Many people think the art of good conversation is to speak in an interesting and arresting fashion, to be noted for your humor, ability to tell stories and your general knowledge of a variety of subjects. Many people feel that if they want to be better at conversation, they must become more articulate, outgoing and expressive. They must become better talkers.

Nothing could be further from the truth. As you’ve heard many times before, we come into this world with two ears and one mouth and we should use them in that same proportion. In conversation, this simply means that you should listen twice as much as you talk if you want to get a reputation for being an enjoyable person with whom to converse.

The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers. You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.

Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with yes or no. Open-ended questions encourage the speaker to expand on his or her thoughts and comments, and one question will lead to another. You can ask open-ended questions almost endlessly, drawing out of the other person everything he or she has to say on a particular subject.

In order to be an excellent conversationalist, you must resist the urge to dominate the discussion. The very best conversationalists seem to be low-key, easy-going, cheerful and genuinely interested in the other person. They seem to be quite content to listen when other people are talking, and they make their own contributions to the dialogue rather short and to the point.

In fact, good conversation has an easy ebb

and fl ow, like the tide coming in and going out. Whether it is between two people or among several, the conversation should shift back and forth, with each person getting an opportunity to talk. Conversation in this sense is like a ball that is tossed from person to person, with no one holding on to it for very long.

If you feel you have been talking for too long, you should stop and ask a question of someone in the group. You will be tossing the conversational ball and giving that individual an opportunity to converse.

Listening is the most important of all skills for successful conversation. Many people are very poor listeners. Since everyone enjoys talking, it takes a real effort to practice the fundamentals of excellent listening and to make them a habit.

Here are the four major rules for active listening in a conversation. They will work for you whether you are conversing with a sales prospect, a business associate, your manager, a friend or member of your family. They are powerful, practical and proven techniques to increase your infl uence with other people dramatically.

The fi rst key to effective listening is for you to listen attentively, without interruptions. When you pay close attention to another person, you convey to that person that you very much value what he or she has to say. This is very fl attering to your conversation partners, and they will respond warmly to your attentiveness.

The major reason most people are poor listeners is that they are busy preparing a reply while the other person is still speaking. In fact, they are not even listening closely to what the other person is saying. They are very much like boxers waiting for the other person to let his or her guard down so they can jump in with a quick verbal punch and take over the conversation.

But this is not for you. Effective listening requires that you lean slightly forward, face the other person directly and hang on every word. Listen as though there were nothing else in the world more fascinating

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to you than what the other person is saying. The very best listeners seem to have developed the knack of making the person who is speaking feel as if he or she were the only person in the world. Good conversationalists can even do this in the middle of a crowded room.

In addition to listening without interrupting, you should also nod, smile and agree with what the person is saying. Be active rather than passive. Indicate that you are totally engaged in the conversation. Make eye contact as the other person talks. Relax your body and, if you are standing, allow your weight to roll forward onto the balls of your feet. Only you will know you have done this, but the overall impression you will give is that your whole energy is now forward and focused on what the speaker is saying.

The second key to effective listening is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to fi ve seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.

First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing. Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity. The third benefi t of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind, and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

The third key to effective listening is to question for clarifi cation. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, “What do you mean, exactly?”

This is the most powerful question I’ve ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer. When you ask, “What do you mean?” the other person cannot stop himself or herself from

answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.

The fourth key to effective listening is to paraphrase the speaker’s words in your own words. After you’ve nodded and smiled, you can then say, “Let me see if I’ve got this right. What you’re saying is ...”.

By paraphrasing the speaker’s words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to fi nd you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

The reason listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust. The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening builds self-discipline in the listener. Because your mind can process words at 500 to 600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another person’s words. If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions. The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become. In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

The fi nal key to becoming a great conversationalist is to practice the friendship factor. The friendship factor is based on the three Cs of caring, courtesy and consideration.

It’s been said, “People don’t care how

much you know until they know how much you care.” Caring is the catalyst in all good relationships. The people you like the best and who like you the best are the ones with whom you have the most caring relationships. Whenever you show another person that you genuinely care about him or her, you come across better as a conversationalist and as a friend.

The second C in the friendship factor is courtesy. It is a magic quality of politeness that causes people to want to be around you. All good conversationalists make other people feel calm and comfortable in their presence. They never do or say anything that could hurt or offend the other person in any way. They are continually diplomatic, and they keep their concerns and irritations to themselves. They always remain warm and friendly on the outside.

The third C in the friendship factor is consideration. One of the major sources of positive emotions is the feeling that we are respected and considered highly by other people. Whenever you treat another person as an important and worthwhile human being, you trigger this consideration factor. You show that you not only value the conversation, you value the speaker, as well.

Becoming a good conversationalist is based on learning and practicing the Golden Rule. Treat other people the way you would like them to treat you. Just as you would like other people to ask you questions about you and to listen attentively to you when you talk, others would like the same courtesy extended to them. The purpose of conversation is not to dominate, control or be right. The purpose of conversation is to enjoy yourself and to make sure that others enjoy themselves when they are with you.

Brian Tracy is the chairman & CEO of Brian Tracy International. He can be contacted at 866.300.9881, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Finding and KeepingCareer-Oriented Sales People

BryanAnderson

Developing your business is best accomplished through building a team of career-oriented sales people. There is a

tremendous difference between a career-oriented sales person and a sales person spending his entire career in the car business.

Finding the Career-Oriented Sales person• When interviewing every potential new hire, whether he is a “green pea” or “old pro,” clearly defi ne the concept of business development. Every employee on your team should understand that your dealership is not interested in the next walk-in that wants to buy a car. You are interested in working every lead from every possible source (fl oor, phone, Internet, service, etc.) and selling them not one car, but for them to be customers for life. Your team must be committed to this ideal.

• Ask the “old pro” about his or her database of customers. How many

customers is he bringing with him? If he hasn’t kept accurate records of his owners, this will show how important, or unimportant, renewal business is to him.

• Make it a point to tell new sales associates that they will be assigned orphaned owners. A major part of their jobs will be to build relationships with these customers.

• Recognize the critical role sales management plays in business development. Anyone can desk deals, but the sales manager that builds the careers of his or her team and teaches, preaches and measures business development is the manager that will turn the most units each month.

• Don’t be afraid of a challenge – some of the best meeters, greeters, benefi t sellers and closers in the country simply have not been given the opportunity to practice true business development. They may have worked a fast track store, where they relied solely on new ups to make a living.

• Is your dealership the place to be? When showing your store to potential sales associates, be sure to show them the tools you offer that place emphasis on business development and career building. This demonstrates your interest in their long-term success. The right CRM, for example, has many times been the requisite tool for a manager to accept an offer. The same CRM may serve to bring and keep a career-oriented sales person as part of your team.

• Money is not necessarily the key factor to keeping the career-oriented sales person. A feeling of family that promotes job security for those who are proactively developing business is equally or more important.

• Inclusion, or being part of the policy and decision making process, even on a small level, can be a tremendous deterrent to having your business developers walk out the door.

• Flexible scheduling is perhaps as important to some sales people as anything. If you really want them to feel like entrepreneurs, you must be lenient in this area.

• Don’t assume that all sales people want to become managers or dealers. When talking with sales people about their futures and their goals, talk to them about their renewal business, not about how great a manager they might make some day.

Keep the call center in your effort to promote business development, but don’t neglect the point at where developing your business matters most: fi nding and keeping a career-oriented staff that will sell cars for years to come.

Bryan Anderson is the founder and president of Autobase Inc. He can be contacted at 800.350.9683, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Page 33: AutoSuccess Feb05

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M The Car Counselor (with Keith Whann)

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Sample Programming

Page 34: AutoSuccess Feb05

www.autosuccess.biz34

SeanWolfi ngton

Four Keys to Integrity SellingEver notice that the same 20 percent of the sales force is consistently at the top of the sales board while the other 80

percent will reach a mediocre plateau and stay there? Why do some people struggle to sell the same products in the same market to the same customers while others earn into the hundreds of thousands of dollars? What does this cost a dealership in terms of owner loyalty, CSI and employee turnover? More importantly, what is the key to success for the top 20 percent?

The answer is surprisingly simple and available to every new and used car sales person in dealerships everywhere: Top producers possess and cultivate the four key traits that enable them to sell with integrity and approach every prospect with the purpose of uncovering their true driving wants and needs so they can do the right thing for their customers. They focus on building value and believe that selling is something you do for your customers, not to your customers. Before you dismiss this for sounding a little too warm and fuzzy, I’d like to offer some ideas that you and your sales staff can put into action and make part of your daily routine. This article is the fi rst in a four-part series that will examine the four key traits of top-producing sales people so that you can nurture those traits in your staff and seek out those traits in your next interview situation to target which of your

prospective new hires have the potential to become top producers.

The Key Traits That Drive Successful Beliefs And Behaviors Are:

1. Achievement Drive 2. Goal Clarity3. Healthy Emotional Intelligence4. Excellent Social Skills

Achievement Drive: People are motivated by a variety of drivers including accuracy, comfort, security, power, prestige, social recognition, freedom and, of course, achievement. The primary motivator for top producers is achievement, which means these are people who get a charge out of beating the odds in order to accomplish their goals. They are so driven by the need to triumph over challenge and adversity on their way to accomplishing a task or mission that they often respond positively to “I bet you can’t …” with a fi ery “Oh, yeah, says who? Just watch me!” as they proceed to devour their objectives.

High achievement drive can fuel a person’s persistence, and with that comes a dogged determination and a never-give-up attitude. This enables these sales people to “thicken their skin” or “get deaf” when faced with particularly confrontational customers. When combined with healthy emotional intelligence and excellent social skills, not only do these sales people refuse to take rejection personally they also manage to win over the toughest of customers. Achievement drive is something everyone has, although it may be little more than a latent, potential power in some sales people, whereas others greet every day (even vacations and Sundays) with a need to accomplish something. Once released, achievement drive acts as a multiplier, meaning that when comparing people with similar product knowledge, sales and phone skills, experience, education and training, the sales person with the highest achievement drive has the greatest potential for reaching higher and higher sales goals because achievement drive will multiply the net effect of all their other skills, resources and abilities.

So, how can you cultivate achievement drive in yourself and your staff? It helps to conduct a self-evaluation to determine

where you’re at by rating yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 in the following areas:

1. What is my level of desire for higher goals?2. What is my level of self-motivation and commitment to high achievement?3. How fully do I believe that my goals are within reach and that I am deserving of those goals?4. How effectively do I plan rewards for myself as motivation for reaching my sales goals?5. How well does my need for achievement overpower my fear of rejection? 6. How well do I handle challenges, objections and failure?

If your score is less than 50, select the questions you’d like to improve and write an action plan to detail what you can do to take your score to a 50.

To get ideas for creating your action plan, it may help to fi nd a person you know who demonstrates a high achievement drive and ask them how they do it. Ask them about their goal-setting process, their inner reserve of self-motivation and commitment to high achievement. Ask them about the rewards they set for themselves and how they deal with their fear of rejection and ability to handle challenges, objections and failure. Whether you interview this person (or people) as though you were a reporter or whether you share a casual conversation you’ll be amazed what you can learn from someone who exhibits high achievement drive. Take what you learn, build it into your action plan and complete the most diffi cult activity fi rst each day. This will give you a surge of momentum and confi dence that you can build on through the course of the day and the week.

Look for the second article in this four-part series next month, where we will turn our attention to Goal Clarity.

Sean WolÞ ngton is an owner of BZResults.com. He can be contacted at 866.802.5753, or by e-mail atswolÞ [email protected].

High achievement drive can fuel a person�s persistence, and with that comes a dogged determination and a never-give-up attitude. This enables these sales people to �thicken their skin� or �get deaf� when faced with particularly confrontational customers.

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february 2005 35

Making ThisYour Best Year Ever

JimAdamssts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

Let’s start with an opportunity. This year you have received a huge opportunity. A local business owner has decided that you

have what it takes to run a successful business. In your initial meeting you fi nd that this business owner is willing to rent you an offi ce space, provide you with unlimited phone and mail service. The business owner has also agreed to provide training support for your new company and provide you millions of dollars in inventory free of charge. Your partner has even agreed to pay for the advertising to promote your product. Here’s the best part, your new partner will provide you with an attractive benefi t package and pay you a percentage of the profi t of every sale you make plus ongoing spiffs and bonuses for peak performance.

When you walked into your offi ce on the fi rst day of January 2005 this was your opportunity. I never met a dealer that charged the sales person rent on his or her offi ce space or made him or her help pay the fl oor plan payment on the inventory. Once you realize that your unlimited opportunity consists of making the most of every single minute you spend in the dealership, you will begin to understand the outstanding opportunity that is set before YOU every single day. This is your opportunity. The only question is, “what will you do with it?”

We all have fundamental needs. The need to pay our bills, provide for our family and feel like we are a part of something. In other words, just get by! Just getting by does not drive our hearts, desire and does not motivate us to reach out and grab the brass ring. Just getting by is the loser’s limp that keeps us from achieving our hearts’ desire and keeps us average, at best.

So what do we really want? Outside of those obvious things like a nice home, a new car or to be debt-free it is the truly personal things that motivate most people to action. To give our children the experiences we never had as children. To do things and go places we never thought we could. To help others that we never thought we could help. To have all the great things in life like a great family and a peace that comes with a job well done. It all starts

with a decision and an action. Zig Ziglar built his company on the mission statement that you can have anything in life that you want just by helping others get what they want. It is noteworthy to mention he also underscored that statement by saying, “if you do the things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.”

Once you realize the opportunity that is at hand you must have an internal, personal reason to achieve it. It all starts with a decision.

Dr Robert Schuller characterized the three keys to achieve your personal goals.

• A decision must be made. We spoke a lot about this.

• A plan must be laid. In the past we have discussed the nuts and bolts of planning, setting daily and weekly activity goals. Your daily game plan is critical to your success. If you have not developed a daily work plan, go to autosuccess.biz and review the past publications for articles like, “Put Yourself in Front of Three to Five Opportunities” and “It’s a Number’s Game”. They will help get you on the way to setting great daily activities goals.

• A price must be paid. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Automotive sales are the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work in the world. You must be committed to your plan every single day, even when you feel that you are just spinning your wheels. Obstacles fall in the path of consistent effort. How you handle the daily challenges will determine how willing you are to pay the price for success.

Remember that this is your opportunity, and the only person that can stand in your way is you. I wish you and your family the very best year. Make it a great one.

Jim Adams is the general sales manager at Roper Kia in Joplin, MO. He can be contacted at 800.905.0627, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Page 36: AutoSuccess Feb05

www.autosuccess.biz36

AnthonyHall

The Meet and Greet

sts ms ls fi s

sales and training solution

The Meet and Greet starts before we approach a customer as they get out of their car. We can relate the Meet and Greet

to the kick-off of a football game. It takes preparation before the game even starts. Let’s look at some of the key factors of the preparation.

Product Knowledge:It’s a must to know your product. We need to study our product like any other true professional. In today’s world there are so many different and varied options that address the needs of the customer. It’s imperative that we know all about our product and how it will meet the wants,

needs and desires of each customer we meet day to day. The dealership should have a library of source books and product audios or videos. Also, sales people should invest in auto magazine subscriptions like “Auto Week”, “Car and Driver”, “Road & Track”, etc. We must also attend every “Ride and Drive” or product class provided by the manufacturer.

Sales Skills:Develop your sales skills by attending sales seminars. There are many seminars in your area and across the country monthly. Be aware of these available opportunities to improve your skills. The local bookstore or library is full of books that will also help you improve and polish your sales skills. If you don’t like to read, buy audiocassettes

or CDs that are also available. These should be listened to each day on your way to the dealership. Learn the proper word tracks and practice them until they become a part of your conversations and a natural way of thinking. Learn presentation methods, questioning skills, become a better listener, learn how to handle objections and the art of negotiation.

Attitude:The better you can understand and grasp the fi rst two key factors the better your attitude will become due to increased overall knowledge. Attitude is determined on what you feed your mind on a day-to-day basis. Just like a computer, “garbage in, garbage out.” Saturate your mind with only positive things. Again, this can be accomplished with books, tapes or videos. Some great examples are, “The Power of Positive Thinking”, “Think and Grow Rich and Live A Thousand Lives”. Attitude is like a muscle: You need to work it and maintain it daily.

Through preparation we are ready to approach our customer with confi dence and sincere enthusiasm based on solid knowledge. A proper Meet and Greet is a time-sensitive procedure. If we approach a customer too quickly such as greeting them by opening their car door, we are pouncing on them. However, we are too late when the customer is already deep into the inventory. They would assume we do not care that they are at our dealership. The best opportunity is when they are a couple of steps from their car. Approach them with confi dence and enthusiasm and say, “welcome to ABC Motors. I’m glad you’re here.” Shake everyone’s hand with a fi rm and friendly handshake. Give everyone your business card. Ask a control question, remember, no control, no sale. Be prepared for the, “I’m just shopping” and “what’s your best price” responses. Use the proper word tracks to overcome these responses.

The more prepared you are, the more successful you will be.

Anthony Hall is a training consultant at Ziegler Supersystems. He can be contacted at 800.610.9047, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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february 2005 37

How Auto Dealers Can Increase ProÞ ts Selling andInstalling Spectrally Selective Applied Window Film

MartyWatts

Colorless spectrally selective applied window fi lm for vehicles offers lucrative business opportunities to auto

dealers. Spectrally selective means window fi lm that blocks unwanted heat while simultaneously transmitting desirable light into a vehicle.

Leading spectrally selective fi lms not only block out heat, but can provide increased insulation performance against vehicle interior heat loss in winter, protect against fading and shield vehicle occupants from ultraviolet radiation.

• A normal car requires about 35 square feet of fi lm, resulting in about $665 in additional revenue. Film installation usually takes no longer than two hours.

• Solar heat, fading and UV can be serious problems for vehicle occupants in Sun Belt climates like Florida, Texas, Arizona and southern California. Even in cold climate cities like Seattle, Chicago and Boston many vehicles experience over-heating and fading problems even in winter.

• Spectrally selective window fi lm is the most cost effective way to reduce heat entering a vehicle, reducing the use of air conditioning and improving fuel effi ciency. According to tests performed by the U.S. Department of Energy, depending on the type of fi lm installed, fuel economy can increase by 3 percent.

• Commercial vehicles are a signifi cant market as fl eet managers seek to maximize fuel effi ciency and increase driver productivity by reducing heat entering the vehicle.

How to evaluate a window Þ lm supplier:• Is there a toll-free number you can call?• Will the distributor send someone in person if you are having a problem? • Is there a promotion program in support of the fi lm product? Will the distributor provide brochures, videos, point-of-purchase displays and other sales promotion materials?• Will the manufacturer stand behind the guarantee should something go wrong with an installed product?

Becoming an installer of spectrally selective vehicle fi lm requires about $3,000 to $5,000 up front in equipment. Creating

and maintaining a dirt-free area for fi lm installation, similar to an area used for vehicle painting, is necessary. Comprehensive and easy-to-follow instruction manuals and videos are provided by fi lm manufacturers. Some even provide promotional materials and cooperative advertising programs.

Dealers interested only in selling, but not

installing, applied vehicle fi lm, should be able to fi nd several existing local vehicle fi lm installers happy to do the actual installation while leaving the selling and most of the profi ts to the dealership.

Marty Watts is the president and CEO of V-Kool, Inc. He can be contacted at 800.901.3053, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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Page 38: AutoSuccess Feb05

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Supercharge YourSelling With Conviction and Humor

LelandGlynn

I watched a potential sale go sideways today. I was visiting a Honda dealership — a beautiful, modern facility — in Southern

California. From all outward appearances the sales department does lots of things right. Consistently selling big volume at grosses that most dealers would be pleased to see on their statements, this dealership is getting the job done. I always look forward to waiting to meet the dealer principal because it gives me time to walk his inventory and watch the salespeople interact with customers. You would be surprised how much you could really learn if you had the ability to invisibly stand in your showroom as a spectator. But of course you don’t. They know you. So let me tell you what I saw at this top performing dealership. I overheard three sales people discussing equipment features on 2005 Honda models, and I gotta tell ya, they knew their product! I always found it a struggle to keep up on every innovation the manufacturer was promoting. But these guys were discussing the competitive advantagesof the increased diameter of the torsion bars, reciting the actual dimensions of Honda and its competitors. They conducted verbal autopsies of seat components, detailed audio choices by models and were fi red up! I raised my eyebrows as I turned away and said to myself, “wow, these guys are in the game!” I made a mental note to buy more ginseng and to memorize some baseball stats when I got home. I noticed one of these same salespeople later that morning with a customer. Since his desk was in the open showroom, I watched from a distance like the nosy person I am. Now, I don’t know how often you watch body language or how much faith you put in it, but I think you can read the tone or fl avor of an interaction pretty clearly from observing it. The sales person sat on one side of a desk and a young lady who appeared to be in her mid- to late twenties and looked like Honda’s ideal customer on the other side of the desk, standing. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was listening to the sales person. As I wandered closer, she sat down in one of our standard-issue metal frame showroom chairs. The sales person was telling her what types of vehicles she could afford. “I’ve got that red one that would be about $14,500. Now that doesn’t

include taxes and government fees, so your actual price will be higher, but it will keep you around the $300 mark you said was important to you. That’s what you said you wanted to pay.” Those words are subject to my need of ginseng, but it sums up the guts of the conversation I overheard. The young lady politely but fi rmly declined the offer, stood up and said she was going to continue to look someplace else. She walked toward the door as the sales person followed. She made a beeline for her car as he joined the little huddle of comrades outside the dealership. My heart goes out to that sales person; I know the feeling. I had watched a one-sided conversation without communication. And that’s the point. Don’t get me wrong: The factory-sponsored training is vital to our industry, but it’s not the only growth program needed to succeed in today’s market. People buy cars from people they likeImagine this scene: Last night the manager’s sister traded in her two-year-old, 37,000-mile car that she always had serviced at your store. She visited with everyone in the showroom while she waited to do the paperwork. This afternoon, a sales person is with a nice, older couple who are looking for that model, preferably a couple of years old, with less than 50,000 miles, and they don’t want to buy a former rental or fl eet car because they heard that it wasn’t a good idea. How much conviction and enthusiasm will that sales person have as he walks the couple out to reconditioning to see this car? How excited will he be as he shows them their new car? How do we put that excitement into every interaction he has with a consumer? John Blouin required that his salespeople take and pass a nine-week Dale Carnegie course. Oh sure, we went to all the factory training and ride-and-drives, but John recognized the value of warming up the interaction between sales person and consumer. My friend Harry Wolfi ngton seldom would chew out a sales person who released a customer without his approval. He would instead ask a series of questions like these: “Where does she work?” “What hours does she work?” “What is her day off?” “Where did she go to school?” “How long has she lived here?” raising his head higher and higher with each “I don’t know” or “I think” from the sales person. Point made. Harry could tell immediately the quality of the conversation

that had occurred, or not occurred, and the sales person was supplied with samples of basic common-ground questions. You can be sure the salespeople incorporated those types of questions into the conversation early. It was on-the-job training with just a touch of role modeling. Your staff is on stage every workday. Some understand it and some don’t. The ones that get it are probably your top performers. “Performers” do that little bit extra with every customer. They can forget a customer’s name and seem to instinctively know when is the right time to stop them and say with a smile, “You forgot my name, didn’t you? Hi, I’m Bill!” and extending a warm handshake at the same time getting the customers’ names again. That performer is the one wearing a smile right now in your showroom. Go look. He or she stands out, don’t they? They put that humor and good nature into everything they do. Be a role modelIf I were called upon to speak at your sales meeting tomorrow morning, I would go to a paperback store today and buy a joke book. I would browse through it and highlight a dozen of the ones that crack me up. Tomorrow I would start the meeting by announcing a $100 bonus for the fi rst delivery of the day, whoever and however. Just show me taillights and a temporary plate, and I will give you this Franklin. Then I would read my top four jokes and announce a $200 bonus for the last delivery of the day. Cash, momma don’t know! Two more jokes and the meeting is over. I would be the fi rst one out the door and the fi rst one into my showroom. I would attack any person I could fi nd there with an upbeat greeting, handshake and show them my new book and tell them that I have decided to become a motivational speaker. I’d be on stage. As I walked away to my offi ce, I’d leave them wondering, “What got into him?” There is no good reason for you not to try this tomorrow, yourself. Then watch the way your morning shapes up. I’ll bet you notice a difference. Don’t worry about all the other stuff you could have covered in the sales meeting. There will be more meetings. But once a week, or once a month take time to be sure you set the tone. Be a spark plug.

Leland Glynn is the vice president of the WolÞ ngton Group. He can be contacted at 800.905.0641, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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The Turn

TonyDupaquiersts ms ls fi s

f&i solution

The business manager needs to meet the customer at the time of commitment. The benefi ts for sales

people of turning over customers to the business offi ce at the time of commitment is to secure the sale and protect the front-end gross of the deal.

The business offi ce secures the deal by not only doing contracts but also by giving the customer mental ownership. This mental ownership may be more important than physical ownership. Once the customer signs the paperwork, even if it is only the odometer, title application and power of attorney, he or she takes mental ownership of the new vehicle. This becomes even more important on outside fi nance deals.

If a sales person allows a customer to go to a credit union without a turnover, the chances of loosing the deal go up dramatically. The customer will most likely shop at other dealerships, and the credit union may not want to fi nance the customer the way it is structured.

The dealership can be exposed to severe consequences if a product or service is not offered to every customer. These products and services need to be offered by the individual in the store who has the qualifi cations, knowledge and licensing to offer such products.

The business manager must go out and take every turn. For the sales person, it will put the customer at ease and increase the odds of the customer signing up now.

This also presents a better opportunity for the customer to buy more products from the business offi ce. For the dealership, it increases customer satisfaction and loyalty which means to you more repeat and referral business. What this really means to you is an increase in overall market share.

Educate, train and motivate your sales force. They will benefi t from the turnover by more deliveries with higher grosses.

Tony Dupaquier is the director of F&I training for American Financial & Automotive Services Inc. He can be contacted at 866.856.6754, or by e-mail [email protected].

february 2005 39

Page 40: AutoSuccess Feb05

Ebay is the Way forFranchised Dealers Who Have the Key

BruceThompsonsts ms ls fi s

marketing solution

How do you unlock the power of Ebay for your dealership? What if you found out Bob’s used car lot down the street with

an inventory of seven cars is selling 20 cars a month on Ebay while your dealership with it’s prime location and fi ber connection and dedicated Internet sales team is selling four cars a month on Ebay.

Here’s why.

The CEO of Ebay says an SUV is sold on Ebay every 20 minutes. More than 70 percent of these buyers cross state lines to buy their cars. Ebay projects sales of almost $40 billion in 2005. And on Ebay Motors alone there are nearly seven million visitors a day with projected unit sales this year topping 500,000.

Here’s another key statistic: They’re loyal buyers. How many of your buyers shop just your dealership? Almost 60 percent of Ebay Motors’ buyers just shop Ebay.

I know of at least one story on Ebay where the buyer was picked up at the airport by the seller. (I’m told this is a common occurrence with an Ebay Motors sale.) Remember, they’re willing to factor in the cost of a plane trip to buy the right car at the right price.

Can a dealer afford to pick up the buyer of a used car at the airport and bring them to the dealership? Can a dealer afford not to?

The number one reason people prefer Ebay over traditional car sales is they like that they no longer have to deal with the sales person. When you factor in just the SUV sales alone, dealerships are losing more than 25,000 used SUV sales a year – just to Ebay.

The cost of doing business on Ebay is a $40 registration fee and a $40 transaction fee. Simon Rothman, Ebay Motors’ vice president proudly says, “We sell more cars before 9 a.m. than most dealers sell all year.

The key to unlocking Ebay Motors is not using it the way other dealerships use the Internet. Integrate Ebay with what you are now doing.

Step one is to model your used car history. Get a history of cars at your dealership. How fast does a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo with am/fm cassette, 98,000 miles and no cd sell on average at your dealership? What cars sell the quickest at your dealership and what cars typically average the most gross at your dealership – throughout at least the last three years?

Knowing this information is critical to

unlocking the power of Ebay Motors for your dealership. It’s also critical to running your used car operations like you run the rest of your dealership. Once you know this information then you must understand what to do with the historical profi le.

Step two is integrating this profi le with that of other dealers. There is technology that can empower your used car manager to compare a prospective used car purchase with the sales of the same car at other geographically or model-similar dealers.

Buyers are changing almost as fast as buyer habits. Information is the key in used car operations and the application of that knowledge as a productivity tool will increase profi ts.

Now that the used car manager has this information as a productivity tool, he or she needs to be able to compare the same information with how that car can do on Ebay Motors.

Wouldn’t it be great to know that the ’98 Rodeo sells for $800 more a copy and 33 percent faster at a competing dealership 100 miles down the highway and in an average of seven days for $1,200 more a copy on Ebay Motors?

And what if you could instantly calculate all of that information with every single appraisal system on line?

This is how to unlock the power of Ebay Motors for your dealership.

It’s not the answer. It’s a tool in the tool box of the used car manager.

And then think what it would do to actually pick those buyers up at the airport when they fl y in from out of town? They’ve already factored that into their cost.

Bruce Thompson is the chief executive ofÞ cer and founder of American Auto Exchange. He can be contacted at 800.901.3017, or by e-mail [email protected].

www.autosuccess.biz40

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sales and training solution

What are They Thinking?Reading Your Customers� Body Language

You’re standing on the lot giving a presentation to a couple, wouldn’t it be great if you could get inside their minds

and know what are thinking? Actually, you can – by reading their body language. Once you know what a prospect is thinking, you can adapt your message. Learning body language signals can help you discover the answers to the following questions.

1. Do they understand?

There is a lot of complex information that you give a customer when you’re selling a vehicle. Some of it may seem simple to you, but diffi cult for them. How do you know if they are confused and need you to explain or simplify or slow down your message? When customers are confused, they will move in a random way, picking things up and putting them down. They will shift in their seats or shuffl e their feet. Their brows may furrow and they may rub their eyes or face typically downward as if they could clear their head of the confusion or touch their temple or forehead symbolically pushing the on button for their brains. Their eyes may blink open and closed as if they hope they could see more clearly. Also look for cues that look asymmetrical, symbolically saying, I am a little off the mark. They may tilt their head to the side, lean to one side, shut one eye and squint or show one facial expression on one side of the face and another on the other side. If someone wants to ask a clarifying question but isn’t sure it’s safe, he or she may cover her mouth with her hand.

2. Are they bored? Yes, you can give so much information, or information that a customer does not fi nd relevant to them, to see if you are looking for signals that show they have shut down or turned off. Sitting or standing, they may turn away. They may turn just their heads, or their hearts or their entire torsos. They may slouch their shoulders when standing or slump down if sitting in a chair. They may also put their heads to the side or

down, break eye contact, fi x their eyes into space or close their eyes for brief or even long periods. They may have a vacant look on their faces because they aren’t tuned in. Do not ignore these messages and think they are just tired.

3. Are they frustrated, impatient or ready

to go?

If they have gone from boredom to irritation, there may be big hints that they want to move on to another point or are ready to leave the lot or sales fl oor, such as looking towards the exit, jingling their keys adjusting or playing with their purses, checking their watches or their PDAs. If they are extroverted and sitting down, they may symbolically run from the room by crossing their feet and moving the dangling feet quickly up and down, jiggling the crossed-over knees, or tapping the feet.

4. Are they buying in? Do they feel

attacked? Are they defensive or angry?

Sometimes when your talking price or contracts or credit history your prospects may send you defensive messages. Take note of the following signals so you can be gentle and soften your pitch. Look to see if they symbolically protect themselves by shutting down, getting away or attacking. They shut down by crossing the arms, legs or ankles or shutting their mouths into a thin line. They may grimace and cover their mouths with their hands. They will “run” away by looking away, turning the hearts and upper torsos away, or pointing the legs or feet toward the exit and exhaling quickly and loudly. They will symbolically attack by clenching the teeth, jaws, lips or hands. They may square off the body to you in a confrontational way, putting their hands on their hips.

5. Are they resentful? Do they not like you

or dislike your viewpoint or content.

If prospects feel injured or mistreated by you, your message, the car your showing them, or the deal you are offering them you may see them do the following: cross their arms, stiffen their backs or limbs, grimace, look or turn away or show the signs of

anger mentioned previous paragraph.

6. Do they doubt you or your claims? Do

they think you�re lying?

When a customer is suspicious of the deal you are offering, she will look at you in a judging way. A suspicious person is trying to form an opinion. Her body shows her discomfort. Look for furrowed brows, squinting eyes, peering down, tilting the head or tightening the lips, as if to stop a disparaging comment. If the person does not believe you, you’ll see grimacing and exhaling through clenched teeth, head shaking or a tight smile masking displeasure.

7. Do they get it?

When prospects are excited and happy, they fi ll up with those good feelings. Look for a sudden shift usually upward and a big inhale, shifting the weight, usually forward or bouncing in the seat or a rocking motion. This is the car or deal he or she wants.

8. Are they interested and excited?

Prospects signal their interest by smiling, tilting the head (to hear better), furrowing the brow in concentration but not with a pained look and by leaning forward and blinking (with excitement so as not to miss anything). They are “up” for what you are saying, so their overall posture will be up and attentive, as well. These are signals you can go for the close.

Make a list of body language positions mentioned in this article with the “signal” next to them and keep it in front of you during your next sales pitch. You may wish to start with just a few so you don’t spend so much time watching body language that you do not connect. This will help you practice your observation skills as you seek to improve your prospect’s engagement with your sales presentation.

Patti Wood is the president of Communication Dynamics. She can be contacted at 800.849.3651, or by e-mail at [email protected].

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SUMMIT IIBESTPRACTICES

Coming May 19th and 20th to the Venetian Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

The AutoSuccess Best Practice SUMMIT II

Stop by AutoSuccess booth #6055 for the NADA early bird registration for only $495, a list of presenters and more details...Or simply fi ll out the reply form found below and drop it by the booth, or fax toll free 866.665.7936, and information will be e-mailed to you. You can also get information by contacting us at 800.901.3062

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Page 44: AutoSuccess Feb05

continued

ourselves to the degree necessary to face the frightening obstacles life throws across our paths. When striving for success we must have an action plan, a reasonable time frame in which to execute it, and the courage to do what is necessary to manifest it on a daily basis.

An unwitting student of the game often fails to recognize the power of the Pawn, ignoring that each person on the team is an important contributing factor without which the infrastructure cannot stand. In life, the Pawn contains rich and varied symbolism. On one hand, it represents each move and decision available to us, which ultimately is the gestalt of who we really are. Conversely, it represents the highest possibilities of which we can become. The Pawn is not just a Pawn. He can be transformed into a Queen, Bishop or Knight. He contains all possibilities for future success.

Timing is refl ective of our abilities to keep pace with the game. Through concentration and problem solving several moves ahead we are able to outpace our opponent. Timing is a learned skill - the result of past mistakes and recognizing the developing patterns on the face of the chess board. In life, timing is what attracts opportunities to our experiences in a marriage of creative growth. With strategic timing we learn how and where to place ourselves in the game of life to best advance to the ultimate goal - checkmate.

Once his students have mastered the game, Orrin shares other strategies for creating goals. Here are just a few of the time-tested techniques he teaches:

• Start with getting clear about what you want to accomplish. Once you have a clear picture of your goal, develop a realistic timeline in which to create it, and track your progress.

• One of the fastest ways to develop a plan and track your progress is by journaling daily. There are two main reasons for this. By daily writing out your observations and aspirations, you are connecting directly with your higher power to place your order for these things to manifest. You are channeling your best energy and higher intuitive powers. These daily notations also give you a track record of what you have accomplished, what insights you have had, and help you develop a plan for reaching your goals. They serve to shore up your resolve and help you fi ght off negativity by proving to you that you really are making progress. When nay-sayers or your own inner dialog

slants toward the negative, you can tap back into your recorded successes and reinforce your resolve to move ahead.

• Once your plan is in place, you must take action. This seems to be the most diffi cult variable in the equation to master. Nothing is more powerful for creation than positive, consistent activity toward a specifi c goal. Fight yourself to save your future by making yourself do those things you least want to do fi rst. Take an honest look at the activities of your day. Are you just doing busy work, or are you busy working toward the accomplishment of your goals? Many times we sabotage ourselves with busy work when we should be working on the critical inch of our business. We may get distracted with easier, less important tasks so we don’t have to face working through the diffi cult ones. The problem with this is it wastes our most precious asset ... time.

• Develop a network of mentors, teachers and associates who want more for you than you want for yourself. Surround yourself with positive role models that will not accept your excuses or let you be less than your personal best. In chess, you are only as good as your best opponent, because you have no reason to challenge yourself beyond that level. In other words, if you are the smartest or most successful person in your work group or master-mind team, you need a new team.

• Teaching is the best way to learn a subject. Sharing is the best way to gain knowledge and accumulate wealth. Make a point to contribute daily to the lives of others through your energy, knowledge, love, support and physical resources. Tithing regularly places you in the rhythm of universal abundance.

You can partner with Be Someone by volunteering your time, ideas and resources. These results-oriented programs are precariously hanging in the balance, awaiting necessary funding to keep them running.

Be Someone special ... sponsor a child today, or partner with us to change the lives of countless children, ensuring hope for their American dreams.

For more information about Be Someone, please visit www.besomeone.org.

Orrin Hudson can be contacted at 800.901.3057, or by e-mail at [email protected].

continued from page 12

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