It's been said before and I'll say it again, just to ensure that you've heard it a 1000 and 1 times: successful sales people are taught, not born. I know what you're thinking, "That old axiom again!"
Yes! Have you ever stopped and really thought about those words? Have you really? If you have, then you know that the only difference between you and the best salespeople in the world is that they are selling by design, while you are selling by luck, yes even a broken clock is right at least twice a day.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be harsh, I just want you to understand that you already have what it takes to be successful in automotive sales. That right, as long as you have the desire the rest can be taught. You can be taught how to greet people, how to do a walk around and how to present numbers, you can even be taught how to close and follow-up with your customers, just as long as you have the desire to learn. Do you? I'm talking about the desire to begin and the desire to get past the no's, yes there will be no's, lots and lots of no's, you just have to be brave enough to be open-minded to the fact that you don't know it all, that you will never know it all.
The great American Ben Franklin once said, "Empty the coins of your purse into your mind and your mind will fill your purse with coins."
What he is talking about is investing in yourself! Buy books and CD's, attend seminars and watch DVD's. Learn from the masters and always strive to be the best. Sell by design or you will fail by default.
Automotive Sales Takes Discipline
Zig Ziglar said it best when he said: "Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to them, and the time will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them!"
In order to do what you want do when you want to do them, you MUST set aside some time, each and every day, to hone your craft. Each day you should work at making yourself better. Much like a diamond is crafted from coal, a sales professional takes time, hard work and constant pressure from ones-self, if you want to be highly success in automotive sales.
Take my advice, if you want to be mediocre, don't study. If you just want to get by, don't learn anything new. If you don't want to increase your sales, then keep doing what you're doing. Remember this: if you expect above-average results then you must learn, implement, and perform above-average concepts.
Continuing Education
Continuing education, success starts here. Here are some ideas for your continuing education plan:
- Set aside at least one hour, everyday, to learn something new. This could be a new close, negotiation tactics, presentation skills, or even how to connect with people.
- Listen to CD's or Mp3's in your car, both to and from work.
- Create a sales journal where you write down a short paragraph about everybody you worked with, both those you closed and those that you didn't. Then, take time to reflect on what you did right, what you did wrong and what you could do better next time. For me, the best time to reflect is just before bedtime.
- Use positive self-talk techniques, act as if! Write a short paragraph or two down on a piece of paper, about how great and successful you are. For instance, "I'm successful because I work hard. I have what it takes to sell 50 cars a month. I'm smart enough, determined enough and I deserve all the success in the world. Nothing can stop me, except me, and THAT will never happen. I am a car sales machine, I will treat every customer as a friend, and as a friend I will do everything I can to take care of them, I am a car sales machine!" Once you have it written down, read it out-loud 3 times a day. First in the morning, while looking in the mirror, second during lunch and lastly just before bedtime.
- Read! But don't just read, take notes and underline, highlight and commit to memory. If its worth doing then it's worth doing right!
What other things can you add to the list? What do you do to make yourself better?
Would you like to subscribe to new posts? Just enter your email address below and we will take care of the rest!