50 per cent of Sales Consultants do not ask for the sale!
When beginning a training relationship with a dealer group, at the launch training seminars we poll all attending Sales Consultants with a simple “yes” or “no” question: “Do you ask for the sale each and every time (provided the customer has selected a vehicle) in a clear, concise and confident manner?”
Whether Canada or the U.S., east coast or west coast, whether metropolitan or rural, the answers are consistently the same. 60 per cent of Sales Consultants say “Yes, I ask for the sale every time,” while 40 per cent say “No.”
With further discussion and clarification, 10 per cent of the 60 per cent group sheepishly admit that they do not really ask the customer to buy the vehicle. Think about this. Millions of dollars are spent by OEMs on both institutional and incentive-based marketing.
Dealerships spend hundreds of thousands ($500/customer?) in complex omni-channel marketing initiatives, all with the goal of having a customer visit either our digital or bricks/mortar dealerships.
Once there (mission accomplished) only half of the sales team actually asks the customer to buy a vehicle. Of the half that are not asked, many are willing, eager and able to buy a vehicle today! Furthermore, most are actually impressed and complimentary of the Sales Consultant’s performance and the amenities of the dealership.
Ah, my fair Sales Managers and General Managers, you are saying to yourselves: “Chris, not my team, no way, they’re sharks — they’re aggressive. They always ask!” Statistically, this is actually not the case.
In fact, of all the Sales Consultants that we’ve formally polled over the years (and collected data), it is Sales Consultants with 5 years of experience or more that are the least likely to ask the customer for the sale.
I want to repeat this; up to HALF of the customers that select a vehicle from your dealership (online or in the showroom) are not asked to buy the vehicle.
In fact, of all the Sales Consultants that we’ve formally polled over the years (and collected data), it is Sales Consultants with 5 years of experience or more that are the least likely to ask the customer for the sale.
The reasons and rationale from Sales Consultants vary:
- “They’re just beginning their shopping experience.”
- “I don’t think they’re ready to buy.”
- “They want to go home and think about it.”
- “I don’t want to be a pushy salesman.”
- “I don’t want to upset the customer.”
- “I’m nervous/uneasy/afraid to ask for the sale.”
- “I don’t know how to ask for the sale.”
- “I don’t know the words.”
- “Don’t worry, they love me. They’ll be back to do business with me.”
There are also many situations where a Sales Consultant thinks and truly believes they have asked for the sale, but they haven’t. Instead, they’ve nervously hedged around the question and have not been forthright, or assumed that the customer knew their intention. However, the question or intention is often unclear to the customer and sometimes confusing.
There are many ways to ask for the sale (we have documented well over 50 different asks), and the closing question used will certainly depend on the Sales Consultant’s style, the customer and the specific situation. For example:
- “Would you like to buy the car?”
- “Is this the car that you would like to own?”
- “Is this the truck that you would like to see in your driveway?”
- “On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you be with respect to your decision-making process on this vehicle? How could I move it closer to a 10 and have you go ahead with this vehicle?”
- “I’m going to create a few payment options for you to look at. If the numbers fit your budget, would you consider going ahead with this car?”
- “Would you like to pick up the car Tuesday or Thursday?… early in the week or later in the week?… Today or tomorrow?”
We could certainly debate which closing questions (or even assumptive closes) achieve the best results.
However, the broader question is simply, are any of these questions even being asked (whichever your preference)?
Is a Sales Manager actually present on the showroom floor listening / eavesdropping to various customer interactions? Do we absolutely know for certain that Sales Consultants are consistently asking for the sale in a clear, concise and confident manner?
Are the Sales Managers training the Sales Consultants as to when and how to ask for the sale? For Sales Consultants that are nervous or fearful, are Sales Managers assisting them by stepping into customer situations and demonstrating how to ask?
In an industry that can be overwhelming with marketing concepts and channels, technology (and AI) that are all built for the purpose of attracting customers to your dealership, I simply beg the question: “Are you asking the customer to buy a vehicle once there?”
When every one of your Sales Consultants asks for the sale every time, sales and closing ratios will increase immediately — without spending more money.
