Sales Lessons are Always Out There

I made a bad decision with our new truck at the car dealer! I went between two parked trucks in the lot and didn’t make it through the opening, putting three small but noticeable dings in our beautiful vehicle. My friend Bryan said don’t worry about it, he will check with his body man and I could bring it back and get it fixed cheaply. Sure enough, he called me and said his person will be there Friday at  1 p.m. and to meet him at the dealership. So a little background, Bryan said it would probably cost around $100.00. I was pleased but skeptical about the price. The dent specialist looked at it and said sheepishly “it will be $300.” That sounded more realistic to me and I didn’t hesitate to say “that’s fine.”

Now here is the reason I’m writing. The young person starts to explain why he charges so much! Wait, I had already affirmed I wanted him to do the work and he is now going to explain why he charges “so much.” As a salesperson I was aghast and actually stopped him in his tracks! “Buddy, I said yes. No need to sell me any harder. The job is yours.” I trusted my friend – who also owns this very large dealership that has been around over 100 years – and I quite honestly thought it was a fair price. I could have haggled and acted shocked, but I didn’t. Due to the circumstances of the mishap and the embarrassment I felt, I was willing to just get it done. Other considerations were he was a young guy who is probably starting out and I didn’t want to quibble. Sure enough, three hours later I checked that it was finished. I drove back to the dealer (in my friend's truck which he loaned me) to find a beautifully restored vehicle.

What lessons can we take from this?

1) Know your Prospect. A better start for the young man might have been to find out the circumstances of the accident and the Prospect’s mental state: embarrassment, he is highly recommended, He was the VOC (vendor of choice) as Jeb Blount mentions in Inked.

2) He came recommended. A referral is a vote of confidence that other trusted people are putting their names on the line for you. This is like gold for a salesperson.

3) I said Yes! As I always preach, when you get buying signals, drop your presentation. The deal is done, good work, time to deliver.

4) Be humble. He didn’t come across like he was a know-it-all or that it was a stupid thing I did. Yes, I will use an overused yet appropriate cliché here, he stayed in his lane.

5) Keep your word. He delivered a beautiful finished product. He did what he said he would do in the time he said he would do it for the amount he quoted.

He also gave me something to write about so there you are.