How to turn a banana into a sandwich.

One of the best things about traveling is experiencing how other people run their businesses.?It also allows you to have many different Sales presentations from many different people. This story is about how one motivated, knowledgeable and especially friendly Salesperson turned a banana into a bbq pork sandwich.

With chips.

Sometime ago I was training at a dealership in Ohio and one of my favorite things to do is to ask the people who live there “Where is the best place to eat?” I have had many memorable meals in great places from asking this simple question.

On this day I asked an even simpler question “Where is the closest place I can buy a little fresh fruit like a banana for lunch?” The service manager and parts manager said nearly instantaneously that there was a little shop just across the freeway in town (this dealership was in a very rural area of Ohio). They also mentioned that there was a little deli/sandwich shop inside the store and that many locals went there for lunch.

I thanked them for their referral and headed out the door for my banana.

Less than 5 minutes later I opened the door to a fantastic and friendly, memorable Sales experience. May I remind you that I started this quest in search of a banana?

First, when I opened the door, the store smelled great. For me, smells are important; as it is for many of you I’m sure. Ever walked into one of the major hotel brands and smelled the cookies? Or walked into the showroom and smelled “the new car” smell? How a place smells can set the mood and expectations of every person who walks in.

There is dealership that I trained located in central California that I hated to walk into, because the whole store (especially the showroom), had a pungent, lingering, industrial chemical smell. It was not inviting, but sterile and astringent (even irritating). I mentioned this to the Dealer Principal who was not willing to discuss it or change it. I’ll never know if it had something to do with him selling the point later due to the lack of sales…but if I had to guess…

Let me ask you this. Have you smelled your store lately? Better yet, have someone like a relative stop by and smell your work area. You might be surprised at what they say about your Service Department or the Showroom after they have smelled it. (By the way, this is one of the easiest fixes ever!)

Anyways, this placed smelled great.

To continue… as I walked in I was instantly greeted. I mentioned friendliness a few short paragraphs ago but I don’t think I can overstate this enough. Hire Friendly People. You can train skill sets, you can train processes, you can train policies and procedures…but you cannot train friendliness.

People want to do business with friendly people. So here is a little test you can do. For just one day in the service drive, do these three things.

1.??????Don’t greet anyone who walks into your Dealership. Allow them to stand there silently wondering if there is someone to help them, while they contemplate all their fears and create reasons why they should not be in your dealership in the first place.

2.??????Answer all their questions with a combination of grunts, one-word responses, mechanical jargon, mutterings under your breath, all the while maintaining little eye contact and staring at your computer screen. Also, make your customer feel rushed and don’t allow them to ask questions.

3.??????Don’t smile. Instead, frown and sigh whenever a customer asks a question. Don’t forget to talk over them, interrupt them and make sure they understand that you are smarter than they are because you are behind the counter.

Now this might sound crazy…but do you know how many dealerships I have been in and personally observed this style of communication? It sounds preposterous, doesn’t it? Why would anyone want to do business with a service advisor who is acting like this? They don’t. They leave. They find someplace else.

Back to the lunch…smells great, friendly greeting. I said hello and just casually walked past the deli counter and on a little shelf I spied that banana I was seeking. As I was reaching for that banana I was asked a closing question by the woman behind the counter.

“Can I make you a bbq pork sandwich? They are really good. It comes on a Kaiser roll.” And… she said it with enthusiasm and a smile. I am in Sales. Most of you reading this are in Sales. If you work in a Car Dealership YOU ARE IN SALES! And there is nothing like getting closed by a professional closer.

Can you guess what I did? I dropped the banana and said “Sure!” Instantly she upsold me with “The lunch special comes with chips and a drink. You can find something you like to drink in the display case and pick out a bag of chips from the rack over there.” Still smiling, still friendly. Not even a hint of hesitation. She knew her business.

Now I am getting a lunch special.

This woman not only understood that, she also had the advantage of knowledge. She knew her product, knew it was good, knew what she could sell it for and delivered it with an assumptive close.?I wanted to hire her for the dealership I was working with that week.

If you are an Advisor, and have difficulty making menu sales, remember this. Enthusiasm, friendliness and confidence will overcome any lack of knowledge or skills because your customer will believe in what you are saying because you believe in what you are saying.

Imagine if you studied a little bit, learned the sales process, learned the maintenance requirements, learned how to close with a question…what would your monthly sales be? Do you think you could increase your sales by 10, 15 or even 20%? What would that mean to your paycheck?

Imagine you did all of this and used a video MPI to convey to the customer items on their vehicle that needed attention. And you knew what to do even when the customer says "No".

What impact would that have on your service department's bottom line? Would your odds of increasing service sales go up or down?

As I approached the register, banana-less, I noticed there was a brand of chips hanging on the rack I was not familiar with. The other woman who was ringing me up (who was just as friendly and knowledgeable) asked me about my chip choice.

“I noticed that bag there. I have never seen that brand before.”

Her instant response…” Oh…you are gonna love them. They are made locally and are absolutely delicious. Hey, you are not from around here, are you?” I said that I was working in town with a local dealership for the week.

Again…another friendly response. “Great! Well you come back here anytime. We run daily specials and all of our sandwiches are made right here with local ingredients. Listen, I know you are going to like these chips…A LOT…so I am going to put one extra bag in here, so you don’t have to make another trip back to get another bag.”

Now I have the lunch special (a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with pickles and potato chips), and not one... but two bags of chips. And a drink. Guess what? I forgot all about the banana I had originally come in for and walked out of there a happy customer. Why? Because I wasn’t sold, I was asked to buy.

That is the real lesson. Always look out for the customer’s best interest. She knew I would like those chips. And she also knew that I might not have time to get back over to her store…so she upsold me using the best technique on the planet. Exert friendliness, apply your knowledge and assume the Sale!

By the way, it was a damn good bbq pork sandwich and yes…I would go back there again.

What about your customers? Are they getting a friendly and knowledgeable sales presentation? Are they coming back for more?

By Leonard Buchholz