The "Gas Savings" Close

Want an easy technique that will help you sell more cars? If so, read on!

Right now, gas is about $100 a barrel which means it is $3.10 a gallon at the pump across the street. To me, the price of gas is not the shock that it was a couple of years ago when it first hit $3.00 a gallon--we've gotten pretty used to it but you know what? It is still expensive and still a concern for a lot of people. It is also a great opportunity to help close people.

By the way--remember that math you learned in 3rd grade? Remember how you asked yourself if you would ever have to use it when you grew up? Well, you will in the next few minutes.

Lets say you have a customer who is coming out of a SUV and going into a car and lets say you are $30 per month away from putting a deal together.

I've heard some people say, "You'll save money on gas." True statement but not powerful. Instead of telling the customer that they will save money on gas, show them how they will save money. When using this technique, write the math out on a scrap piece of paper using your calculator (practice it ahead of time so you don't make mistakes.) It makes it seem spontaneous and adds to the power of this close. I taught everyone at work this closing technique and one guy made a spreadsheet and plugged in the numbers but to me, that is too--well, designed and if I was a customer, I would feel that it was a technique being used against me.

OK--back to business.

Step 0: Isolate and re-phrase the objection. Besides being only $30 away from enjoying your new car, is there anything else keeping you from taking it home today? No. OK--it sounds like you're on a budget like me and everyone else. Am I right? Yes. If we can fiddle with the numbers and figure out a way to get it within your budget will that work for you? Yes. Cool!
Step 1: Ask the customer how many miles they drive a month. 1000
Step 2: How many miles per gallon do you get? (If they don't answer, provide the answer for them) 15
Step 3: Do the math in front of them. Hmmmm--let's see. 1000 divided by 15 is 66. OK. You're using 66 gallons of gas a month driving your SUV. 66 times $3.10 per gallon is $204.60. It's costing you $204.60 per month to drive your SUV.
Step 4: Do the same math for your more gas-efficient car. Our car gets 23 miles per gallon so 1000 divided by 23 is 43 gallons. 43 times $3.10 is $133.30. So, our car will only cost you $133.30 per month to drive.
Step 4: Let it sink in for about 5 seconds and do the final math. Subtract our cost from their cost. $204.60 minus $133.30 is $71.30. If you get this car, you will save $71.30 per month.
Step 5: Close them. You know what? Even after taking care of the $30 that was keeping you from getting this new car, you will now have an extra $40 to put in your pocket each month. Sounds like we got this into your budget so let's go ahead and get the paperwork started. Would you like a cold drink or a cup of coffee while I get the ball rolling?

Very powerful close. I once worked at a dealership where I overheard another salesperson (1 month in the business) who was about to let a customer walk over $30 a month. The manager had already stripped the deal and he told the salesperson to go ahead and "flush them." I said, "Hey--let me have a crack at her--I don't want half-of the deal--I just want to see if I can close them." He let me--I did the gas close and they hooked right up without having to discount another dime. The salesperson still make a $100 mini (enough to pay the cable bill after all) and was very happy to have another unit.

Don't forget--www.CarSalesAssistant.com for all your software needs--at least if you want to sell more cars!