Auto Dealer Monthly, September 2014

OVER THE CURB QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWER Many articles books and sales are based importance of questions reason Th e can and do your quality and in the showroom When you wake up in the morning do you ask yourself what problems await you in the day ahead Ask a negative question and your brain will provide an appropriate answer You may fi nd yourself plagued by feelings of inadequacy unpreparedness or just plain old bad luck all before you even get out of bed Try asking yourself Why am I so lucky Your brain will reward you My point is that every question has an answer so ask better questions With that in mind lets consider the quality of the questions we ask of our customers and whether we ask enough How many times have you asked a customer what they they thought their trade in was worth before you presented your fi gures and backed them up with a thirdparty value How many sales managers have you seen jump into the presentation and demonstration without even asking the customer what they like about the vehicle Th ere is something to be said for promoting a sense of urgency but skipping the interview process entirely can derail a potential sale A few high quality questions can get the deal going in the right direction and let each customer know you have a genuine interest in their wants and needs Lets start with these three rapport building questions Jason Heard is the general sales manager at Frank Ancona Honda in Olathe Kan He is a 20 year industry veteran with extensive sales and sales management experience JHeard@ AutoDealerMonthly com 36 AUTO DEALER MONTHLY SEPTEMBER 2014 1 HOW WILL YOU USE THE VEHICLE Th is is a very open ended question and an excellent conversation starter People love to talk about their families and most people like to talk about their work Th eir answers will help guide your presentation If theyre taking the kids to school or joining a carpool talk about the ease of access cabin space and rear legroom Do they like to take road trips or go camping or skiing Talk about the cargo space and quiet ride If theyre fl ying solo focus on performance and drivability 2 WHAT ARE YOU DRIVING NOW Take a moment to get to know the customers current vehicle Most drivers have some affi nity for their old ride but if they just want to complain let them Your goal is to tailor the presentation of their next car or truck to their old one What do they like about it What would they change You can lead them down the path to the perfect selection and pick up tons of useful information along the way 3 WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO GET INTO THE MARKET NOW It may sound like idle chatter but this question can help you get outstanding results If your customer is in the market because of a recent promotion for instance you can get them talking about the new job and congratulate them If they have a baby on the way show them how simple and easy it is to install a car seat and put a stroller in the trunk If they just totaled a vehicle they probably have safety on their mind Ask how their car performed in the crash and demonstrate your vehicles long list of safety features Loyal new car and lease customers will want to know they are sticking with a safe brand Th e list of useful questions is endless and there is no shortage of expert advice available in these pages and beyond But the questions listed above are proven winners Work on asking better questions and you will get better results And remember to start with the questions you ask yourself book training programs trainin upon the importan tions and for good questions you ask c signifi cantly aff ect significantly affffect ity of life at home By Jason Heard Quality questions yield positive answers useful information and closed deals ISTOCKPHOTO COM NLSHOP