Pick Up The Phone!

I’ve seen way to many people rise & dive in this industry. They ride a certain wave when they’re successful, without keeping track on what worked & what didn’t. Before they know it, they’re diving & falling & have no idea on what to do. The auto industry isn’t rocket science. It is based on key factors that drive success. Apart from following process, self-development, reverse engineering results, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty & consistent training, one major key to success is this: pick up the damn phone!

Over & over & over, I get all the right cues from Sales Professionals about how they can succeed; how they can sell to a customer live, face to face…but when it comes to picking up the phone & making calls…they get afraid. Objections, obstacles & excuses kick in.

Want to be successful in this industry?

Learn to pick up the phone first & pick up the phone last before you go home. Simply pick up the phone, track what works, what doesn’t work & monitor your successes & be consistent with it. Simple. Obviously there is more to the equation of making that action, but like I have said in my previous posts: one of the massive obstacles to successes is simply replacing busy work for progress. Just because you work hard all day doesn’t make you’re successful. Just because your busy all day doesn’t mean you’re successful. It just means your busy & working hard.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying not to work hard or to be busy….but be effective; be proficient; be productive; be smart; be cognizant of what works towards successful results. When it comes to making phone calls, you need to be ready, prepared & planned. There has to be an astonishing amount of effort put towards being ready, being prepared and planning how the calls goes….irrespective who you will be calling.

You’re going to have to take time out of your day & lay out an action plan: what will you say, how will you respond, how will you overcome the objections etc. You will then have to roll play with various individuals to see how the call would go. With all this happening, there comes product knowledge. You must know the product more than the consumer. You must drive the product more than your consumer would. You must own the product in order for you to build value in it. Finally, with all the above, you can prepare & be ready to pick up the phone. Make sure your desk is clear. Make sure your mind is clear. Smile. Pump yourself up. Own the situation. Embrace the opportunity. Be positive & energetic. Success & results come from how bad you want it. There is absolutely no limits to readiness, preparation & planning.

Everyday, I walk through the dealership & simply observe. I say my hellos. I seek out what the day looks like to them & watch the day begin. As the day proceeds, I see everyone become busy; running around; talking to clients; making phone calls etc…& I find that admirable. However, I remember when I sat down & spoke to an employee who simply was working hard on everything they had on the go. I heard everything to the moon & back: I woke up late. I didn’t sleep well. My customer is shopping me. My other customer wants best price. I have no money. I’m sick. Can I go home. etc…. Heard it before? It’s like the world is ending & there is no control to turn it around.

It urkes me so much because I know we all have the power to change for the better…if we want it bad enough. Sometimes, we gotta ignore all the bad things that happen & focus on what we want. It’s called reverse-engeineering. If someone says I want to make $6000 selling cars…the first question I ask is – how many cars do you need to sell? How many people do you need to talk to? How many calls do you have to make? How many cards, referral calls, video messages etc…What actions do you have to take to make that $6000 happen. Sometimes we get lost in the goal without know what steps to take to make it happen.

That’s why for me, preparation, being ready & planning is key.

So back to the point of this blog, if you’re going to make the first call when you get in & the last call before you leave & every other call in between – preparation is key. Once you have everything you need to succeed, even if you have no idea what to say, your chance for success is greater. Why? Because you already know what you want, how you want it, know & believe in the product & passionate without belief. Once you’re ready to know the customer’s wants & needs & know what it could take to give them what they want, everything will fall into place.

So, some of you may be saying: well, sometimes we just blocked, distracted & lose our direction when making calls. Well, it’s true. It happens. You’re not perfect. You’re not god & you’re not supposed to know all the answers. What you are supposed to know is what you need to do to get back up & pull yourself together so it doesn’t happen again. Figure out what you need to do to get unstuck. What you need to do to get back on track. But DO NOT WASTE TIME or have a PITTY PARTY. Get up & get back at it. Pick up the phone again & make that call. You won’t have any idea what to say next cause you just fell, but the longer it takes for you to get back on the phone, the longer it’ll take for you to perfect a call.

Trust me, sometimes completing a task is better than the task being completed perfectly. Just do it. Get active. Get proactive. Get realistic. Get passionate. Get motivated. Get excited. Get pumped. Get focused. Get moving. Get rhythm. Once you get on that momentum…shit, nothing stops you. Nothing.

So, the next time you think you can’t do it…say FUCK IT. I will do it. Get ready, plan the chart & get prepared. Pick yourself up. Psych yourself up & go do it. Just stop sitting around & being lazy. Get your ass moving…cause if you don’t…you’ll be left alone in others’ dust!

Period!

What are you challenges when it comes to picking up the phone to network, create business & make things happen for your success? Go!