When car shoppers decide where to buy a car, they spend nearly 13 hours researching, primarily online. They gather information in many different places: the inventory, prices, and True Market Value.
Consumers want to know as much information as possible about their car, which is why a car salesman's job has changed. Salespeople are now expected to be people-wrights — and not just good with cars.
Here are the best car sales training tips to help those looking to become a good car salespeople and to help car dealers train future successful car salespeople.
A car salesperson's salary depends on the dealership commission structure and how well they can create a good impression with a customer.
What Does It Take To Be A Good Car Salesman?
Below are 11 tips on how to be a good car salesperson. These tips will make you a top earner in the industry.
- Know-How to Deal with Difficult Customers
- What your customers want from you
- Why do your customers need you to know more than Google
- Customer service is a crucial aspect of any business.
- What great things do you do for your car dealership?
- How to mention product price last during a sale
- Use downtime to increase your productivity
- The perils of being too impatient
- Tire kickers are on the rise
- After the sale, send follow-up emails to your customers.
- Guide to leveraging online marketing techniques
Ways to Get Your Customers to Remember Your Business and You
A car salesperson needs to remember their customers by name. It can be challenging to remember many names, but you should take an interest in them and ensure you remember them, so you don't offend your potential clients.
60% of customers are more likely to become repeat buyers when they experience personalized interactions. Personalize the content and relate it to the customer's interests, and you can create an excellent first impression.
Good car salespeople will take the time to learn a customer's name, send them an introductory video email, use the customer's name in their messages, and provide incentives during the buying process.
1. Know what your customers want and show them
One key to being a good car salesperson is figuring out what your customers want and delivering on their expectations. It would help if you asked them the right questions and listened to what they said. This is considered a good car salesperson skill.
Opening up options to those with a specific car can lead them to consider a broader range of vehicles. So, when asking your customer what they want from their next car, ask about their feelings or favorite features and introduce other options similar to what they enjoy or prefer.
Walk-around videos with a car salesperson can help you find your perfect car. These videos allow customers to explore various options before entering the lot.
Use customer knowledge to help the customer remember their good experience at the dealership.
2. Use what you know about search engine rank to rank higher
One of the keys to being a great car salesperson is asking the right questions and listening twice as much as they talk. When customers come to your dealership, they've done their research beforehand. If you can make them feel comfortable by asking the right questions, such as "What sort of features or feelings do you want from your vehicle?" there is a higher chance they will choose your car.
Sending a walk-around video before the person visits the lot can entice them and make it easier to find their dream car. The car salesperson can show them all the options for the vehicles on display to compare prices and get them to purchase without changing their mind.
Remember what the customer says and use it in conversation when they return. This will improve your chances of gaining a new lead for the dealership.
3. Treat every customer right and show your appreciation
One of the top car sales tips is never to judge a book by its cover. This can mean the difference between success and failure. When conversing with a couple, ask both of them the same questions, show the same amount of attention, and give them the same amount of value.
In addition, please don't assume that the customer with the suit is someone more willing to invest more in their car than the customer wearing cut-offs.
4. Avoid being unprofessional
When customers mention their dislike for your competition, focus on what makes your company different. If someone has a negative experience with your dealership, agreeing with them is not necessary. Instead, let your potential customer know that you're sorry they had a bad experience and that you want to fix the problem. Talk about how your dealership offers the best service in town for over a decade and is rated 5 stars by the BBB.
5. Mention price last
Some salespeople back up and let you experience the car before they make their pitch. When you are ready to buy the car, that is the time to discuss cash down payments and monthly payments.
It's good to involve your sales manager in the conversation, so they can help you streamline price negotiations and maximize the worth of your car.
7. Use Your Downtime Wisely
Using your time wisely, many dealerships only have slow days or weeks. Have the best salesperson know it is essential to use this downtime to make them better at their job.
You can increase your sales by doing different tasks such as reading or research. You also can start by catching up on the latest automotive news, following up with your prospects, and brainstorming with your team on how you can improve the sales process.
8. Get Tiny Quotes Without the Wait
Patience is indeed a virtue. It holds especially true in the art of being a good car salesperson because people don't want to be sold to, not by desperate or pushy salespersons. Instead, try asking open-ended questions and avoid any sense of urgency.
After you connect with potential customers, send them a personalized video thanking them and emphasizing the benefits they'll experience by purchasing your products.
Being a good car salesperson pays off, and you'll be able to see your efforts come to fruition if you stick with it and keep cultivating relationships.
9. Be mindful of tire-kickers
Tired kickers are a common type of customer. But, the car salesman must deal with unhappy customers who give this name to these people. Be patient with your customers, but pay more attention to those customers who are less likely to make a purchase.
Four signs that you are a tire kicker
- What the 'ideal customer profile' means, and how to use it
- They haven't done any research into the sales solution they need
- They think you're too expensive.
- It's essential not to make snap judgments and to treat all customers equally, but if someone comes in every day for a week and test drives half the cars on your lot without making a decision, help them find what they are looking for.
10. Ways to follow up with customers post-sale
When you've successfully sold someone their new car, you can develop a lifetime relationship with your customer. This is key, and it's something a good car salesperson will be able to teach you.
Send your customers a video to thank them and encourage them to leave reviews. This will leave a lasting impression and make you recallable.
11. How to drive online marketing initiatives
Video marketing is essential for car salespeople to thrive in today's market. To get people into your store, it's important to have a consistent message that ties various platforms together. Things to be sure and touch on include
- Your team and your culture
- Cars come in all shapes and sizes with different features.
- Take advantage of these specials.
- Some vehicle maintenance tips
- Automotive Expertise For Motor City Auto Customers
- Tips for Being a Successful Used Car Salesperson
Other ways to be a savvy used car salesperson:
- How to avoid selling too hard
- Advice on how to talk about cost without first talking about price
- Use this tip to avoid answering questions with misleading information.
- What's the interest rate on your loans?
1. Avoid these hard sell tactics
You typically start a car sale with the salesperson asking you a question like, "What do I have to do to get you into the car today?" and end it with the customer saying, "I was just looking."
Typically, the customer wants to buy whatever you're selling. They don't want to deal with a salesman's hard sell.
One way to reduce tension and haggling with a potential buyer is to be upfront about the car's price, so they are free to choose whether or not they are willing to buy it at that price.
Your prices should be a ballpark figure, an educated guess of your highest price, rather than an exact price. This gives people room to haggle and feel like they have won a good deal.
It would help if you were more honest about your price range and not overprice against your own willingness.
2. A simple rule for understanding payments
A used car salesperson's biggest mistake is asking about payment before discussing price. A high-quality salesman never brings up payment at the beginning of a conversation. They should be considerate and address the customers' budget and financing concerns to ensure they get the sale.
3. How to respond well to misleading questions
The best way to be a well-used car salesperson is to avoid misleading information. You can do this by straightforwardly answering customer questions. A customer who notices some paint chips on their new car storm the used car salesperson; however, the used car salesperson says it's "no big deal" and that he/she can touch it up. In reality, the car had been in an accident, and the used car salesperson neglected to mention this.
This is an example of how a lie from a used car salesperson can further isolate customers and cause them to lose trust.
4. You should be honest about money
There are many fees associated with car ownership. Yet, dealerships will usually not reveal all of these hidden fees. A smart way to avoid these appearance-related costs is to have an experienced technician explain them beforehand.
There are no problems with the prices, but it's about how upfront the customer is about them. This can make for a bad customer experience.
How to train hard-working and trustworthy car salespeople
When hiring an automotive salesperson, remember that they provide a service similar to that of a Customer Success Manager. To avoid high turnover rates, they must provide care and training to ensure that they are successful at fostering long-term relationships with clients.
Tips on car salesman training from a business management perspective
1. You need to help your customers understand the product.
New car salespeople need to be trained, and they should be familiar with how the company performs. This can also help with car sales tips.
Customers have access to a wealth of information online, so it is important to ensure your car's selling person is well versed with every detail. Employees need to have in-depth knowledge of the products they can provide to establish rapport with the customer when they come in.
2. How does your dealership work?
One way to train a new car salesperson is to let them observe your day-to-day operations at the dealership. Watch and listen to salespeople doing the job and see how they act. Listen closely to what they say, too.
3. Utilize CRM to make the customer experience more pleasant
Training a car salesperson on your CRM software is an absolute necessity. When it comes to these CRM, they're necessary for setting appointments, managing communication with potential buyers, and keeping relationships alive.
If you have an app for your CRM program, you should send new hires the link so they can contact you whenever they're not in the office. They can also use it to help with inventory management.
When salespeople are trained on CRM software, they reduce clerical work and can focus on developing clients or selling.
4. How to evaluate the "I'll be back."
One of the best ways to train a car salesperson is to have them learn from their experience. If a customer tells you that they're just going to "be back," they are not coming and are usually just trying to leave.
You need to use your experience as a learning tool for new car salespeople and ask them what they could have done differently. Consider feedback from yourself too.
Concluding Thoughts:
We have shared 100% of the car sales tips and techniques you will need to get started. To continue learning, we recommend that you:
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If you want to be a car salesperson, make sure you're patient and give it time before making a decision. Give yourself at least 90 days of working as a car salesperson before deciding if this job is for you. It takes time to adjust, but if you are committed to being successful and earning a good salary, then all the work that goes into it will be worth it.