Use the IPod or IPhone to Sell a Car!

One day--I got stupid. I was at Best Buy and happened to see the I-Phone. I still had over a year in my Sprint contract and knew it would cost $200 to break my contract but you know what? I met a salesperson that I liked and trusted--he showed me some cool things on the I-Phone and I bought on the spot. $399 + $200 to break the contract. I made a $500 spur-of-the-moment purchase decision. You know what else? I got my wife to put it on HER Best Buy card!

This article is not about the great job the salesperson did or how to get people to buy on the spot.

This article is about doing a little extra on your demo to build value and rapport.

Lets turn the car back 22 years--it's 1987 and I'm a 19 year old punk buying a new Toyota Tercel. The salesperson didn't let me drive and ordered me the wrong color, forgot to add air and the car came in without a radio. Looking back with 13 years of car salesperson's eyes--he probably needed a unit to hit a bonus and told me that my car was in and just sold me something else off the lot.

This article is not about switching people from one color to another nor is it about switching people on equipment.

This article is about doing a little extra on your demo to build value and rapport.

OK--what about the Toyota salesperson? Well, he didn't let me drive, when I told him it was the wrong color he told me, "If you don't like it--walk home." Wow! Why do I remember him? I remember him because when we went on the test drive (and only he drove) he put on racing gloves. The 86 Tercel was the boxiest car you could get and this dude put on racing gloves. In my mind I said, "Wow--this car looks like a race car!" and I bought it.

OK--what does all of this have to do with an I-Pod?

A lot!

Most of the new cars have a little phono-plug where a person can plug in their I-Pod. I decided the other day that I was going to plug in my I-Phone while on a test drive to show off that little feature. You know what? I have done it 3 times and sold all 3 cars!

The cool thing was on Saturday. I had a guy that wanted payoff ($17,400) for his truck and it was only worth $12,500. He was adamant. I somehow got him to drive and asked, "Do you have an I-Pod?" He said yes.

"What kind of music do you like?"

"Rock."

I pulled out my I-Phone and plugged it in. "We're about the same age--I also like Rock. You know what? Nothing tests a stereo like Pink Floyd." His eyes lit up. "What's your favorite Pink Floyd album?"

"Dark Side of the Moon."

I plugged it in and we happened to be in an Impala that had a Bose system. He messed with the base and treble and cranked it up and it sounded great! There was no way he was not going to buy the car after setting his radio up.

I had a lady today--"What kind of music do you like?"

"Country."

"Well, you won't find any country on this phone," I joked. So, I played a little Led Zeppelin through the phone and pre-set all of her radio stations to the XM country stations as well as her FM one. She loved it and bought.

I think I may be on to something here!

New Update for CSA 2008 Coming Soon!

Hi, Everyone! Hope all is going well.

I've been working on a new update for CSA 2008. Fixing a few bugs and I've added a new feature that allows you to easily backup your data without having to browse-to and copy folders. If I get froggy, I'll also add the ability to import your data from a spreadsheet.

I'm also working on a new manual for CSA 2008 that should make a lot of things much clearer.

Please check back from time to time for updates.

Marv

Car Sales Assistant 2008 Video Tutorials

Hi--I have just finished some video tutorials on how to do a few things on Car Sales Assistant 2008. There will be more to follow. If you would like to see something in particular, please let me know.

How to Log a Customer
CLICK HERE to Download the Full Size Video in WMV format.

This short video explains how to log a customer into CSA 2008. It also shows a quick overview of the customer screen including the difference between a phone up, prospect and sold customer as well as what all the check boxes do on the customer screen. This is the heart and soul of CSA 2008 so this video is pretty much a "must see!"

How to Make Phone Calls to Customers and Prospects
CLICK HERE to Download the Full Size Video in WMV format.

CSA 2008 automatically schedules follow up phone calls for your phone ups, prospects and sold customers depending on when you want them to be created. The phone ups show on the left side of your main screen as the number of calls that need to be made. Click the number and you will see a list of people who need to be called. These people will remain on the list until you actually call them. When you call them, you must "Complete the Phone Call" to take them from the list. This also gives you the option to leave notes as to what you talked about so you can build rapport with your customers.

How to License Car Sales Assistant 2008
CLICK HERE to Download the Full Size Video in WMV format.

When you download the fully-working trial copy of CSA 2008, it works for 14 days. To continue using it after this time, you need to purchase it. After purchasing it, the program must be licensed since it is copy protected. Your data that you enter will still be there.

I know copy protection is a pain but I have put a lot of time and effort into my software and I don't over-charge for it. If I didn't have copy protection--well, you know what would happen. One person would buy it and the rest of the dealership would get it for free. ;-)

More to come!

"I Need to See if I Have a Job Before I Can Buy a Car."

"I need to see if I have a job before I buy a car."

I hear that daily. I sell cars in Michigan and it is no surprise that if the Big-3 disappears, so will Michigan. Most of the jobs here depend on one of the Big-3--whether it is a supplier, restaurant, car dealership or your average car salesperson (GULP!)

Well, I find it very hard to believe that the government will let that happen. After all, the Big-3 pretty much helped win World War 2 with its manufacturing base and GM helped save this country's economy after 9-11.

So, why the wait?

Well, to put it bluntly, a third of $25 Billion is enough to give, for example, GM a couple of months before they run out of cash. Our government that can spend $20 Billion a month in Iraq to help people who pretty much by now hate us wants to make sure that they don't throw away month that may cause the war to end (by lack of funds) one month earlier.

In other words, they want to make sure they get paid back. They want the Big-3 to be able to change their business practices so they no longer lose money but can pay it back. This will of course require concessions with the UAW, suppliers, excess dealers, etc.

You know what else it will require?

They will need to sell more cars!

OK--now we get to the meat and potatoes of this article.

Right now, I am doing nothing but calling customers. Unsold prospects, previous customers, etc. They are all telling me they want to wait until they see if GM is still there before they buy or if they will have a job.

I think GM will get their bailout and I think they will strive to sell more cars because right now, dealerships are not buying cars from GM and guess what--dealerships are really GM's customers, not the average consumer. The only way dealership will buy more cars is if they sell the ones they have right now (or at least think they will sell the ones they have right now.) Surely, someone at GM will be smart enough to see the relationship and make it worth it to buy a GM car, truck or SUV.

SUV? What's that? Oops--gas is back under $2.00 per gallon so I went back to my old ways. Sorry about that...

Car, truck or crossover.

What does that mean to you?

It means this: start a "vehicle shopping service" for your customers.

What is a "vehicle shopping service?" It's simple. You ask your customers what they want, when they want it, how much they want to spend and tell them that you check the programs daily and will call them when it is the optimum time to buy. When it becomes that time (after all of this blows over) then call them all and say, "Now is the time!" and you will sell a ton of cars.

I know it's stressful right now. I sold 15.5 last month--made a lot of money, led the dealership in the roughest market in the country (Michigan) and have exactly 0.5 out right now, November, 23. But I keep plugging away making my calls. When all this blows over, I will probably have a 30 car month.

It is hard to stay positive but we must. We are a rare breed. We have huge highs and huge lows but if you can make it through these lows and learn some great habits, you will have some VERY HUGH highs in the future.

Also, it is a great time to use a program like my Car Sales Assistant 2008 follow up CRM software. For time time being, I am offering a 25% off coupon because I know times are tough (and I only have 0.5 cars out... ;-) so use coupon code TAKE25 at checkout to get the discount. This is only for a limited time, by the way.

Here is a link to my store where you can purchase if you'd like...

Whether or not you use my software, I appreciate you reading this blog. Hopefully you can find one little tidbit to help you make a sale and get you through the roughest patch we will ever see in our careers.

Marv

Feel, Felt, Found

Want a quick and powerful method to overcome 90% of the objections out there?

Here you go--it is called feel, felt, found. How does it work? It would be easier to give an example.

CUSTOMER: I will not buy because the car is red.

YOU: I understand how you feel. I had a customer last week who felt the same way. You know what he found out though? He found out that he could settle for any color if the deal was good enough--he saved thousands of dollars and just called me yesterday and told me he loves his new car.

OK. Lets try another one.

CUSTOMER: I can't buy until the stock market picks up.

YOU: I understand how you feel. I had a customer just last week who felt the same way until he found out that the deals are excellent right now because of the bad economy. When the economy picks back up, the deals won't be nearly as good so you might as well take advantage of the savings and do business right now.

Get the picture?

Anytime someone has negative equity in a trade, I can honestly understand how they feel because I have had--on average--$4500 in negative equity in my last three trades and I am in the car business!

If anyone ever complains because they can't afford a payment, I certainly understand how they feel because I support a wife and two kids with only my income and I understand what it is like to be on a budget.

This is a very powerful close--probably one of the most powerful. Please remember that sometimes, people will make a statement like "That is a high payment" and it should be treated as a statement unless they turn it into an objection like "I will not buy the car because that is a high payment." Then you can blast them with feel, felt, found, overcome the objection and hopefully find a bank to approve them.

CSA 2008 Downloading and Updating just got easier!

I finally broke down and bought a good install building program to make installation of CSA 2008 as well as the updates easier.

If you have ever had trouble downloading Car Sales Assistant 2008, you can now download it here.

Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
http://www.carsalesassistant.com/software/CSA2008_Setup.exe

Windows Vista:
http://www.carsalesassistant.com/software/CSA2008VistaSetup.exe

To update to the newest version (3.0.2) download and run the updater program
http://www.carsalesassistant.com/software/CSA2008_Update.exe

Marv

How to be Successful in this Economy

By now, I'm sure you have seen the results of the media and presidential election created bad economy. I know I have. By the way, this is my 4th election selling cars and they are bad times economically! Why? Because you have two guys running who are spouting nothing but negativity against each other all over the mass media. You have presidents spouting something they know nothing about (economics) saying "If this bailout doesn't pass, we will be in another great depression!" Uh--it passed and the stock market is tanking... You have CEO's of auto-makers worried more about selling fewer cars and saving a few bucks per car thank how to sell more cars! Wow--how did we get from there to here? Was it just people buying homes they couldn't afford? Was it me talking a bank into approving someone who had no business buying a car? Was it a war that jacked up fuel prices that made broke people broker? Was it lack of leadership? Was it the media? Yes--all of the above and more.

Today, when I was getting ready for and walking to my car, my neighbor came up to me and asked, "How are you selling cars when banks are not financing them anymore?"

Thanks, media!

"I sold 4 in the last 2 days," I answered.

"Wow--how in the world did you get them financed?"

Thanks, media!

"Just like all the ones for the last 12 years," I explained. "I take their credit information, submit them to a bank, and get them approved."

Maybe the banks have tightened up, maybe not. I haven't noticed. Everyone who has come in front of me and wanted to buy a car has gotten approved with the exception of one guy who wanted to buy a Corvette with no credit, no job, etc. The so-called credit crunch made no difference for him.

Now granted, banks are tightening up but don't you have more than one bank you can submit a customer to?

OK--how to be successful in today's "bad" economy.

• Stay away from the newspapers, news on tv, the internet--they have nothing good to say.
• If someone walks on the lot, greet them, do a great job building excitement and value and sell them. I promise you this--they would not be wasting the gas to come on the lot if they weren't interested.
• Stay away from the other salespeople--let them have their huddles talking about how bad it is. Walk right past them and grab every "up" you can.
• Tell customers it is a great opportunity. 12 years in the car business and I have never seen deals like the ones we have (over $8000 in rebates on certain vehicles).
• Maybe use the credit thing as a close. "If I can find a bank that still has money, would you like to get some of it before they run out?"
• DO NOT CHECK TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU HAVE IN YOUR 401k! You will just depress yourself. It will come back--just like it does EVERYTIME it falls (which has been about 20 times in my life alone and I am 41 years old.)
• Do a better job following up. 2 out of 4 of my sales in the last 2 days were from repeat customers and I have a few more in the works.
• Smile all day--it is catchy!
• Send out a post card to everyone in your database letting them know that you still have money to loan and that rates are cheaper than they have been in a long time.

That reminds me--my wife got a new credit card in the mail--the old one expired. You know what they guy on the phone asked? "Do you have any balance transfers? I can give you 1.9% for 1 year." Wow--what does that tell me? They would not be offering 1.9% if they were almost out of money.

Lastly...

• Get ready for the "BOOM!" It will happen like it always does after a bust. I don't care which person wins next election--America will have a new and fresh outlook and there will be a boom.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and go out and sell a car today!