6 Practical Tips for Closing Automotive Sales. Tom Hopkins

      What are you going to do today that will lead to more sales? If you have a list of business-building activities to complete, wonderful! If you do not, let me show you one that has worked for others for many years.

      Early in my sales career, I identified activities to do during non-client times that would eventually lead to productivity. I would try to get as many of those activities worked into each day as possible. So, even when business was slow and I didn’t have anyone to talk with that day, I had other things to do that would bring me people to talk with.

      Eventually, I put these activities on a chart so I could track my efforts and be able to predict my future success. I would give each of these activities a point value and set a goal to achieve a certain number of points per day. I quickly saw the difference in my success level when I achieved 100 points in a day versus when I achieved 50.

      Here is a list of activities to build your business to the success level of your dreams:

       1. Identify new potential clients.

      Think of the various groups of people you know. In each group, there is likely to be at least one or two people who would have an interest or need for a new vehicle. To trigger your thinking, start with the people on the contact list on your mobile phone.

       2. Make calls to potential clients.

      Prepare a short message about new vehicles or services that would entice someone to want to experience them or to learn more. If you reach them in person, close for a time to get together. If you reach a voice messaging system, leave your message, but end with when and how they can best reach you. If you do not hear back from them within 48 hours, try again at a different time of the day.

       3. Contact existing clients for follow up.

      Commit to a regularly-scheduled follow up call or email with every client. Your goal is to be certain they are still satisfied with the vehicle they got from you; to determine if they need service; and to ask who they’ve talked with about their vehicle. If they’re telling others about their positive experience with you, ask them to provide you with referrals.

       4. Schedule demonstrations.

      Getting commitments for demonstrations is an extremely valuable activity. Be certain to send out a confirmation of the details immediately and to reconfirm everything early on the day of the meeting.

       5. Distribute product information.

      Carry information with you everywhere. Always be ready to leave something in the hands of someone new. Always ask for their business card or contact information and follow up immediately with a note of appreciation for their time.

       6. Prepare for your next presentation.

      You can’t be over-prepared to give a demonstration of a vehicle. If you have nothing else to do, practice! Have a fellow associate watch you and offer suggestions for improvement—whether it’s in what you say or in your body movements.

       7. Give presentations.

      This is the most fun part of our days. We all love the opportunity to show our vehicles to potential new clients. Unfortunately, we don’t get too many opportunities to do this if we haven’t been busy with all the other activities listed above.

       8. Referrals received.

      Give yourself a point for every referred lead you acquire each and every day. Referrals are like gold—but only when you do something with them.

       9. Thank you notes sent.

      Develop a habit of sending thank you notes to everyone you meet and talk with on a daily basis. I used to set a goal for sending 10 each day. That meant I needed to get out in the world physically or on the phone and talk with 10 people each day. I would thank past clients for their patronage. I would thank potential clients for sharing their time with me. I would send thank you notes to anyone who provided me service. They appreciated it and would often tell others about me—generating interest and leads.

       10. Attend business functions or sales meetings.

      If you are with a strong company that is dedicated to growth in your industry and your geographic area, attend every meeting you possibly can. They may all begin to sound the same after awhile but if you listen well, you will soon find yourself with new ideas for success.

      By making a game or challenge out of completing activities, I soon found myself becoming much more productive in business. If you would like to see a sample of the Daily Activity Graph I have used for my own productivity, http://www.tomhopkins.com/ free_resources.shtml. Use it as a model to help you develop one that is suited to your particular selling situation. Give special attention to sending Thank You notes. More than a few of my students have doubled and tripled their leads by doing so.

      When you meet someone for the first time in your dealership, your goal is three-fold. You want to get them to:

      1. Like you;

      2. Trust you; and

      3. Want to listen to you.

      Those three elements are absolutely necessary in order for them to make buying decisions based on the information you share with them.

      If they came in after calling and speaking with you, it’s likely you said the right things on the phone to get them to at least come in and see what you have available in both vehicles and terms. You’re starting out on the right foot here. They’ll be curious to learn more. That means they’ll be listening to you.

      However, their curiosity will only

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