Connecting with your customers and building rapport is vital in becoming a good car salesperson. Customer service is key and the basis to how successful your career will be and how far you will move up the career ladder.
If you are a natural communicator and have a flair for sales, you’ll be a great car salesperson and will enjoy the challenges and joys that come with the role. And if you’re keen to progress in your career, there are plenty of opportunities for you once you’re in the industry.
Here are our 7 tips to becoming a successful car salesperson:
Treat every customer equally
Every person that walks in the door should be treated with respect and as an individual. They are not connected with the last person you spoke to, which may not have gone the best way as you had hoped. They are not your best friend who you can immediately joke with or be sarcastic with either! Each person should be greeted and treated with the same courtesy and respect right from the word go.
Make eye contact
When customers are coming into your office, it’s important to establish eye contact. Not only is this respectful but it shows that you are a) speaking to them and b) care about their needs. Eye contact is a basic communication habit and once used to doing it, can be a powerful tool in your kit bag.
Build rapport
Start as you mean to go on. Once greeted and communication has been established it’s time to build rapport. This means that you are understanding to the client’s needs and there to listen to what they are looking for and building upon that in any way that you can help or provide advice. You are the face of the business to that customer and the way you treat them will be their impression of the company. Therefore, be friendly and approachable, be available and attentive and always be the person that they want to return to when they have questions.
Don’t be pushy
People have preconceptions of what a car salesperson is like, so it’s time to change that preconception and be a genuine and attentive person that is there to provide what the customer wants, not what you want. Ask the right questions to establish a common ground and allow the customer to be themselves without the need to get on the defensive.
Discuss the prices
Some people can be on the defensive until they know and understand the prices and they expect a salesperson to go for the higher prices straight away. If you break this barrier from the beginning, you’ll provide an opportunity for feedback and discussion right from the beginning without any awkward moments.
Listen
A salesperson is good at talking! They are a natural communicator and enjoy speaking. However, remember that a good salesperson should also be good at listening. Understanding a customer's needs and gaining respect from them, comes from listening. Don’t be too quick to jump in with sales talk, allow them to speak and ask questions. You may miss out on a sale if the customer can’t get a word in!
Follow up
Closing a sale is not always easy and may take a few attempts of communicating in order to succeed. Try to obtain a phone number of means of contact prior to the end of a conversation and when you do call, always make it a continuation of where you left off. For example “Are there any further questions you’d like to ask about the car you test drove last week?’. While some people are not keen on the follow-up calls, others will appreciate the care and attention, which goes back to great customer service and being the face of the business.
Enjoy your job
If you enjoy your job, you’ll naturally be more successful. Find ways to keep busy and not be bored. Find ways to mix and change things around so that you’re not allowing yourself to fall into a mundane daily routine. Challenge yourself to new initiatives.
As with any job, you need to be happy and fulfilled or you’ll soon be on the lookout for a new one. By allowing yourself to become ‘good’ at a job and understanding what the role entails will strengthen your chances of success and will path the way to a long-standing career. If you’d like advice on finding your next automotive position, get in touch!