A good test drive is often very much about the customer’s perception. No matter how good the vehicle, a test drive where the customer spends too much time in traffic or feels pressured by an over-eager sales pitch can leave a negative impression, making them less likely to buy. For car sales students, having a well-thought out plan about how to approach test drives can be crucial to a lucrative career.
What are some useful tactics that car sales students can use to ensure their test drives run smoothly? Read on to find out.
1. Good Car Sales Professionals Plan Their Test Drive Routes Carefully
Car sales professionals should never underestimate the importance of planning when it comes to test drives. Ideally, a test drive should take somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes, with a pleasant and uncongested route that takes in a number of different areas, including a decent amount of time on an open stretch of highway. This will allow the customer to experience the vehicle in as many different environments as possible.
Most salespeople will avoid poorly maintained roads, although if the vehicle provides an exceptionally smooth ride over rough terrain, a short spell off the beaten track can be a good way to demonstrate this to the customer.
A well-planned test drive route can make all the difference
2. Auto Sales College Graduates Should Let the Car Do the Talking
Auto sales college students should resist the urge to talk too much during a test drive. If you have a good product, this is the ideal time to let it speak for itself, allowing the customer to imagine what it will feel like to own and drive the vehicle.
That doesn’t mean that you should be silent for the entire trip. A good car salesperson uses a test drive to reiterate the positives aspects of a car, carefully choosing moments to remind the customer about them. For instance, you might mention a vehicle’s exceptional handling after the customer has taken a sharp corner, or point out the quietness of the engine during a stretch of open road.
3. Test Drives are a Great Time for Car Sales Pros to Highlight Features
Test drives also present an opportunity to demonstrate certain special features on the car. While allowing the customer to enjoy their drive, professionals with car sales training can pick certain stretches of the drive to show off the vehicle’s sound or entertainment systems, as well as other interior features like navigation equipment and air conditioning.
