Pub. 7 2017 Issue 2

20 AUTOMOBILE DEALER NEWS ILLINOIS www.illinoisdealers.com Online companies that sell cars are now your competition, and to stay in business you will have to beat them at their own game. For example, one Chrysler dealer promises potential customers within a 20-mile radius that it can get them a car to test drive within 45 minutes of a request. Fortunately, there are some parts of the selling process — the face-to-face parts — that are the same as they’ve always been: • Remember to stay personal when dealing with potential customers. The ability to connect with other people is the key. Shake hands and look people in the eyes. Being nice, knowing the product, and listening are never going to be obsolete, despite what some experts suggest. Sales people should do their best to find out what it is potential customers want and then provide it. Do potential customers want to look at videos or a brochure? Would they enjoy social small talk or do they just want to get down to business? • Be willing to spend time with potential customers while still being considerate of their time. Joe Verde, who was called “the dean of auto retail sales training” by Automotive News Sales in a 2014 online article, says the closing rate goes up the longer a sales person spends time with a potential customer. One hour equates to a six-percent closing rate, 72 minutes means a 37-percent closing rate, and 100 minutes means a 57 percent closing rate. • Getting people into a car so that they can feel what that is like is critically important. Videos and photos don’t have a new-car smell, and actually sitting on a leather seat and staring at the wheel is much more rewarding than looking at a picture of exactly the same thing. • Customers still want plenty of time to read through any paperwork before they sign. • Interviewing skills matter. An interview is basically just a conversation that has a purpose behind it. In the context of buying a car, the person who should interview the customer is the business manager. One way for the customer manager to interview customers is while getting wet signatures on easy documents. As an example, suppose a customer trades in a car and the business manager need to have her sign a trade odometer form. If the odometer is 100,000 miles and the car is four years old, the manager could say, “Here is the trade odometer form. It looks like you drive about 25,000 miles a year. Does that seem about right?” Another approach is to find a digital interview about ownership that has to be completed as part of the sales paperwork, and send it to a customer’s email, smartphone, or tablet. Be careful when writing the questions for this, because you don’t want it to feel like an interrogation. However, it should always include one question about why the customer decided to buy the car. The answer will always fall into one of six different categories: • Appearance • Comfort or convenience • Dependability • Economy • Performance • Safety This sale boasts just under 3 acres of prime commercial real estate, Zoned B-2, fully operational business with buyer’s option to retain current experienced staff. Buyer gets “Renew Auto Sales” established name, 3 well maintained buildings, all equipment including 2 car haulers and 1 flatbed truck, 400 feet of frontage on busy E. Chicago St., current inventory of over 100 vehicles optional, 30 year customer database, business systems and the invaluable reputation of the Renew Auto Sales name in both the retail and wholesale markets of the greater Chicago area! RENEW AUTO SALES Business & Real Estate Calling all investors, auto sales & service business owners and friends. Over 50,000 cars sold, with Over 80% repeat customers since 1987! Come see how you can kick start or expand your profits with this fully operational, established turn-key auto sales business with service facility. Averages 700 retail and 900 wholesale sales per year at current location of over 20 years. Single owner business built on a reputation of selling quality used cars at a fair price, financed on-site. R APPOINTMENT REQUIRED: The Jon Johnson Group DIRECT: 847-271-7123 jjohnson@starckrealtors.com COMMERCIAL, INVESTMENT, LUXURY REAL ESTATE ©2017 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.’” Equal Housing Opportunity. See photos and aerial view at: http://tour.vht.com/433544922/840-e-chicago-st-elgin-il-601202/photos/idx OWNER RETIRING