Jobs in Auto Sales

I get frequent requests from people who want to learn more about sales and more particularly how to get into auto sales. With over 21,000 franchised car dealers in the U.S. I can say there are plenty of dealerships wanting to hire good salespeople. In most cases previous experience is not required.
The common mistake sales candidates make is not preparing a strategy. Here is a page on my website that will help prepare you for a successful interview.

http://www.masteringselling.com/auto-jobs.html

Mentoring Salespeople

I received another email for a request to serve as a mentor on an individual basis. I am first, extremely flattered. That means the information I am providing seems worthwhile and of benefit.
Unfortunately I cannot mentor on an individual basis. There is not enough time to do the job properly for thousands of pupils. What I can offer is an alternative. Reading this blog. Looking at the mentoring section of my website.

I do want to thank everyone who emails me with this request.

Best of luck in your selling efforts.

Sales Meetings or Training Meetings?

I had a request from a sales manager wanting to know the difference between a sales meeting and a training meeting. He concluded by asking if they really aren't the same. The short answer is NO, they are not. There is quite a difference and it's based on what the purpose is. You can find information on each type by following these links.

Sales Meeting
http://www.masteringselling.com/sales-meetings.html

Training Meeting
http://www.masteringselling.com/training.html

As always, best of luck in your sales efforts.

Automobile Sales Training

I had an email from a dealer yesterday who asked, "Who is responsible for training the salespeople at the dealership?" The simple answer is...You are, Mr. Dealer. Your management team does the training, or they should. But ultimately you are responsible for insuring it is done, done effectively and is beneficial. Here is where I directed him.

Dealers and GM's
http://www.masteringselling.com/automobile-dealer.html

Sales Leadership Skills

I received an inquiry from a sales manager regarding the best skills for leadership in sales. I directed him to this information. When is the last time you thought about what skills great leaders have?

Sales Leadership
http://www.masteringselling.com/sales-leadership.html

The Sales Desk

This series about auto dealer sales training continues to receive great response. The question was put to me, "What is the primary role of the sales desk." There are two answers, one from the perspective of sales management and the other from sales people. Here is the information:

For Salespeople
http://www.masteringselling.com/sales-desk.html

For Managers
http://www.masteringselling.com/desk-manager.html

More Auto Sales Training

The initial response to online auto dealer sales training has been phenomenal. Received lots of requests for more on presenting a four square to a customer. Hope you find this info helpful. Best of luck in your selling efforts.

Presenting a Four Square
http://www.masteringselling.com/four-square-presentation.html

Automobile Sales Training

The final steps in the Road to a Sale are completed. Thanks for the great and positive feedback this project has generated. Bookmark the site as one of your favorites, new information is added at regular intervals.

Step 10-Proper turn to F&I
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-10.html

Step 11- Proper Delivery
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-11.html

Step 12- Follow-up and ask for referrals
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-12.html

Automobile Sales Training Update

Steps 8 and 9 of the Road to a Sale are now completed. View them by clicking the links.

Step 8- A Commitment to do Business
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-8.html

Step 9- Negotiate and Close
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-9.html

Wishing you continuing success in your sales efforts.

New Car Dealer Invoice Pricing

Wow. I have had a lot of activity at my website about what car dealers pay for cars and questions about dealer invoice on cars. You can find the detailed information at

http://www.masteringselling.com/dealer-invoice.html

but here is a short discussion. All dealers pay the manufacturer exactly the same amount for like-equipped vehicles. There might be a very small difference in the total dealer invoice amount based on the ad group assesment the dealer belongs to but other than that there is no variation. It is part of the dealer's franchise agreement. Read the in-depth info by clicking the link above.

Road to a Sale

Thanks to all who have given great feedback and positive response to the Road to a Sale information for automobile salespeople. This is a work in progress and I am happy to say that 7 of the 12 steps are now available. They can be located here:

Step 1-Proper Meet and Greet
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-1.html

Step 2-Proper Fact Finding
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-2.html

Step 3-Selecting a Vehicle from Inventory
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-3.html

Step 4-World Class Product Presentation and Demonstration
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-4.html

Step 5-Evaluating the Customer's Trade-in
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-5.html

Step 6-What Being Seated and Relaxed is Really About
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-6.html

Step 7-The Trial Close
http://www.masteringselling.com/road-to-a-sale-step-7.html


Bookmark this blog or add the site http://www.masteringselling.com to your computer when you click the link.

Feature Function Benefit Presentation

Had a request today to talk about Feature Function Benefit sales presentations. In a nut shell this technique tells the customer what it is-the feature, what it does-the function and why they should have it-the benefit. This technique and words to use can be found at:

http://www.masteringselling.com/salestraining-ffb.html

Online Automobile Sales Training

I have received a number of requests to add an online automobiles sales training course to MasteringSelling.com . I have begun the additions and they can be located at http://www.masteringselling.com/automobile-sales-training.html

Good luck in your selling efforts.

Learning Sales Skills

I had a comment made to me by a new sales trainer. She said, "Some people just don't get."
That is true. But I also had to remind her of a couple of things.

First, not everyone has the same amount of desire for or commitment to success.
Second, not everyone learns at the same rate. She wanted to know what was reasonable to expect in terms of time for people to "get up to speed." I told her the same thing about learning I told her about the desire and commitment comment above, not everyone has the same amount of desire to learn or "get up to speed.'

What I did offer her was a short list of the stages of learning. I advised her to categorize each of her people according to their level of knowledge and begin the training from that point.
Still awaiting the results from her but here are the levels of learning suggested to her.

1. UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE
People are not aware of the skills required. Most of your new hires and "rookies" fall into this category.

2. CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE
They are now aware that they lack a skill or level of knowledge. They realize that learning a new skill or improving a previous one will improve their effectiveness.

3. CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE
They can perform the skill “at will”. It is not yet second nature but they have the mechanics of the skill or knowledge .

4. UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE
The skill has become second nature. The salesperson has mastered the skill or knowledge and can use it effectively during the course of their daily business activities.

Are you a great teacher, trainer or sales manager? SiteSell can turn your knowledge into a business in your spare time.

The Difficult Propsect

I have received requests to talk about how to handle difficult prospects. Here is the short version:

Do not, as human nature makes us do, decide prematurely they are a "waste of time" or adopt an "I'll show you" stance. Neither of these will lead to a sale.

Give the propsect a chance to "get if off their chest". Just say..."Mr. Prospect, it sounds like you've had a bad experience with (the product, the company, another salesperson). Would you mind telling me what happened? I don't want give you the same experience."

This will allow them to blow off some steam, calm down and more importantly if you are paying attention tell you exactly what not to do if you want them to be a customer.

Only you can decide, at that moment, whether the prospect is lost forever or there is a chance to earn their business.

Election Day

Examine the candidates and the issues and Vote on Tuesday.

Sales Managers....You Are Not Alone

Research you may find interesting, or disturbing, dependent upon your point of view.

Two nationally known companies conducted a study that looked at sales processes, sales effectiveness and sales management effectiveness. Here are the results.


· 82.29% of the companies said they were not following the sales processes currently in place.
· 41.48% indicated their salespeople were performing below expectation
· 8.13% of salespeople were described as consistent peak performers
· 90.47% said salespeople to maintain a proper balance between prospecting, presentation, negotiation and business management
· 41.89% train on a sporadic basis
· 25.32% were not currently engaged in ongoing training
· 22.36% train weekly
· 10.43% train monthly
· 52.34% of sales management say they are too busy or do not have time to train

More detailed information can be found at MasteringSelling.com

Do You Know Your Value?

The greatest thing about being in sales is the income potential. Which leads to the title of this post. Do you know your value? Rather than spend hours figuring how much you make per hour worked, how much you make every time you make a sales call make it easy on yourself.
Look at your paycheck for the pay period and that is EXACTLY what you are worth. Every time you get paid you know.

The important decision to make is...is the amount sufficient to satisfy you? If so, congratulations. If not your course of action should be to improve your performance and boost your income. How?

By taking inventory of yourself. Are you really putting forth the effort? Are you growing? Are you working smarter, not harder? Do you manage your time effectively? Do you know your product or industry? How about your attitude?

MasteringSelling.com is a great place to take a refresher, remind yourself of the importance of attitude and develop a new sense of purpose.