Do you have what it takes to be an effective car salesperson? Luckily, the skills and aptitudes required to excel in this role can be taught, developed, and worked on with guidance from expert instructors. Students at schools like Automotive Training Centre learn the ins and outs of the auto sales industry and become well versed in the professional sales process, retail selling performance standards, and at maintaining customer satisfaction. What makes exceptional sales people stand out from the rest?
Read on to discover four habits essential to a successful automotive sales career.
1. Pros with Automotive Sales Careers Make a Good First Impression
Once you begin your career after automotive sales school, making a good first impression each time you meet a new customer will be important. In fact, according to some studies, seven seconds is all the time you have to make a positive first impression with a client who walks onto your dealership’s lot.
First impressions are extremely important for salespeople. If you form a negative impression, you will need to work hard to change the client’s perspective and have a chance at the sale. As a result, the best salespeople make creating a good first impression their top priority. Creating a warm and genuine connection, welcoming a shopper to the dealership, sharing your name and asking for theirs are all effective ways to start building rapport without jumping the gun right into a sales pitch.
2. Pros with Automotive Sales Careers Make a Habit of Taking Notes
Taking notes about your interactions with clients is a good habit for aspiring car salespeople to make. There’s nothing more impressive for a client than knowing you listened in detail to what they had to say. Even simple questions about a family member they brought up or an event they were attending can go a long way in building a relationship. Individuals are much more willing to buy from a person (and buy from them again!) they have developed an open connection with.
3. Pros with Automotive Sales Careers Emphasize Benefits, not Features
Truly great professionals with automotive sales careers make a habit of mentioning features, but really emphasizing the benefits these features bring. When selling a vehicle to a future client, you’re actually selling more than just a car. You’re selling a lifestyle, dream, or even an image your client wants to portray. Of course, every salesperson should educate their client on a vehicle’s features, but you should really be creating a story about the vehicle with your client as the main character.
By telling a story about the vehicle, you are emphasizing the “why” instead of the “what.” You will help your client see how the car will make an impact on their life and why they need it. For example, say you have a young and active family looking to purchase an SUV. Instead of emphasizing the vehicle’s exact storage space, tell them how it’s perfect for camping trips, storing hockey equipment, and fitting in gear for other fun adventures. There are plenty of cars that may have similar qualities to the one you’re selling, but it’s the why that will stand out with your client and make them purchase your vehicle.
4. Pros with Automotive Sales Careers Make a Habit of Always Learning
The final habit of exceptional salespeople is that they continue learning and developing new skills. There are always new techniques, theories, and research findings arising. Learning about emerging attitudes and opinions on the sales process will help you grow your skill set and take your career to new heights.
There are plenty of ways you can continue developing your skills after car sales college. A quick and easy way to do this is to find several sales or business blogs that you find interesting, and commit 20 minutes each day or week to reading them. You can also attend seminars and workshops that may be provided by your employer. In addition, sales conferences are held across Canada every year that provide excellent opportunities to learn from industry experts, expand your network, and develop cutting edge skills.
Are you interested in enrolling in car sales training in Toronto?
Contact Automotive Training Centres today to learn more!
