According to Gary, "The Worst Salesperson is out for themselves...the second worst salesperson is 100% in the camp of the customer and is not doing something that is benefiting their business."
Think Money
Going for gross starts before you meet the customer. If you are not convinced that the product you are selling is worth more than you are asking for it, you will never be able to ask your customer for enough to make serious gross and serious commission. As an example, I have spent most of my career in the car business selling Hondas. It is difficult to believe that the $32,000 sticker price on a fully-loaded Honda Accord, but when you think about the options your potential customers will be comparing to it makes it easy. It is not uncommon for a shopper to compare a Honda and an Acura, and at $32,000 (full sticker) the price of a Honda Accord is a great value compared to an Acura TL or even ILX. Consider also that a comparably equipped Chevrolet Impala would come in just below that after all rebates, and I had true conviction, and the information to back it, that an Accord was a higher quality purchase for my customer.
They can get the car you have elsewhere, but they can't get you. There have been times that I have actually come out and told a customer this, but I never realized it until customers began commenting that my ability to demonstrate the car made them feel like they were getting a better car than the other guy was selling them because they were going to get better value out of it than they previously thought. As a short example, I had a customer stop in to look at fully loaded Honda Odyssey after looking at the same vehicle at a neighboring dealership. They had the vehicle, we did not, but the customer bought from me because I did a demonstration on a base model and was able to paint the picture for how they would really be able to use everything on the Touring edition, including the Navigation and DVD that was not present in the model that I was showing them.
The customers that like you the most, pay you the most. I've heard manager after manager say this in the exact opposite way, but them liking you comes before paying you. This comes in two forms. They must relate to you on a personal level. If they talk about needing a particular vehicle because of their pets or kids, share a brief story about your own. If they are looking for gas mileage because of a commute or trip-taking, mention to them an experience you had getting great gas mileage out of a vehicle you have available. The point is, they cannot see you as a car-selling robot that the manager comes in and turns on everyday. Be a human being. You also must be seen as more of an expert than any other salesperson they have interacted with. This means phone, e-mail, and in-person interactions. I will go into more details in Part III of Volume Vs. Gross
They know what you do, and that is why they are on your lot. I had been in telesales, retail sales, and insurance sales for nearly a decade before I got into automotive sales, and one of the most exciting things I was told early on in this new career was "people know what we sell here, and that is the reason they come see us." We as automotive sales professionals are not bothering people at dinnertime like a telemarketer or selling 10,000 different products out of a storefront inside a mall. When we are face-to-face with a customer there is little question as to why this interaction is to take place, and a true professional is in a position of power.
You have to enjoy the ask. If you think Lebron James never has the butterflies when he steps to the free throw line late in a playoff game or that Tom Brady has never felt that rush of electricity we know as "jitters" when he starts his 4th quarter 2-minute drill, you are crazy. The difference between people who play and true professionals, is that the professionals feed off of that. They don't just overcome it, they seek it out, and the more they experience it and conquer it, the more they are going to experience it and conquer it. If you are nervous to ask a customer for $5,000 down when they came in asking about the $199 lease, you are not alone. If you have actually made the ask and walked away with at least $4,000 you are among a select group of professionals that can truly close for gross.
More importantly, if you are able to make and come through on that ask, you are not only close high-gross deals, but your volume has grown since that first time so now you are conquering both sides of the equation like a true automotive sales professional.