Welcome all, as January is roaring to an end.  I recently attended a memorial for my Grandma, a feisty 95, and heard something, that upon reflection bears repeating.

My oldest and wisest cousin (he is going to have a big fat head when he reads this) stood up to talk about our Grandma, and said "It is in the doing.".  He went on to talk about many of the things we had done, and learned from our Grandma that we still carry as a bond today, most notably learning how to play Scrabble when we were little.

The memories of my Grandma touched me on that day, but my cousins statement has me thinking about many other areas of life as the days have rolled forward.  Most notably Dealership synergy and retaining Sales Consultants.

When a new Sales Consultant is hired, their view of this industry and consideration for working in your organization long term is established in the first few months.  It is based on availability of clients, earning potential, and a feeling of belonging to a team.  This feeling of belonging is created through the learning of the job, and how hands on the first few months are.  Sales Managers always wonder why Sales Consultants reach out to me, when we have only met for a few days.  It is because I am hands on, and embedding a sharing skill in their DNA.

A prime example is the dreaded snow removal.  For those of us in the Northeast it is grueling to clear off hundreds of cars, move them to plow, and know that business will be slow for that day.  As bad a task as this is there is an upside.  After the snow is cleared almost every Dealer buys pizza for everyone who froze their tail off outside.  While everyone is sitting around eating pizza, there are no stories of stealing clients, no complaining about a lack of customers, no issues with the Management, only stories of clearing snow.  Sales Consultants new and old talk about the worst storms, the times they cleared the lot the fastest, the client that came in and bought a car in the middle of a storm.  They are united in the doing.

It would be so easy to recreate this feeling in the beginning while training a walk around, or a service tour, greeting a client, etc...

We are all busy, there are reports, inventory, ads to write, meetings to go to, and deals to work.  In the middle of all that make the commitment to grow these new employees through doing.  They will stick with you through thick and thin.

Rapport is a topic that is often discussed in the automotive industry. According to Wikipedia, rapport occurs when two or more people feel that they are in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar or relate well to each other. The questions are "How do you really build rapport with someone on the phone?" and "Does rapport really matter?" People are more receptive to people like themselves. To build rapport on the phone, make sure you take the correct approach. Before you ever pick up the phone, you must be confident in yourself, your dealership, and in your products. Notice, I said confident...not cocky. You never want to talk down to your customers. Have a tone in your voice that makes them feel comfortable and welcome. Your customers should get a feeling of chatting with an old friend. Find common ground, if possible. The more comfortable they are with you, the more they will listen and trust you. Many trainers will teach you to mirror your customer. Mirroring someone is easy in person. On the phone, you can mirror the customer's enthusiasm, urgency, and tone. You wouldn't expect to have the same conversation with one customer who is "all business" and with one who is very laid back. The tone of the conversation is different, but it should still be a conversation. We aren't robots. This is not an automated service. They want to speak WITH another human being. To answer the other question, ABSOLUTELY! If you can build rapport with someone, they are more likely to set an appointment, show for the appointment, and work with the sales team. The better your rapport, the more influence you have. Would you rather deal with someone you have no connection to or someone who feels like a friend? Most people, both at a dealership and in life, would rather go to their "connections" than to total strangers. If you build rapport with a customer, you get beyond the stranger category. Your customers are more easily swayed or influenced by someone they are connected to than Joe Smoe who works down the street. Just make sure your influence is positive. You can just as easily send them running if you build the wrong kind of rapport. When you ask questions, give them the respect of listening to their responses. Identify their concerns, wants, and needs. If they have concerns, explain the answers. Dealing with customers is building relationships. But like everything else, building rapport and relationships is a skill. It must be practiced to be perfected. Find out what works for you. Once you start working at it, building rapport will become "just the way you do it" and it will seem effortless.

In the automotive industry, there is a lot of emphasis put on price. In society, we often hear the word value. These two words seem to be interchangeable. Are they really? I don't think so. Most of us have paid a price for something that had a value higher or lower than what we paid. Some of the things in our lives that we value the most didn't have a price and we wouldn't sell for any price...such as our families, our memories, and our time. When speaking to customers who are focusing on price, try to build the value of the vehicles instead of giving a price. The value of a vehicle is about more than the money. If you investigate correctly and actually listen to the customer's responses, you should be able to find the perfect vehicle for their needs. The value is in how they will use it, how it will make their life better, and how much enjoyment they will receive from it. The price is just dollars and cents. Don't get me wrong...money has a big impact on people. There aren't many people who have money to burn. But if you can show them how the value is more than the price, it seems that they are getting a better deal. Let's face it. Only about 20% of customers are truly price motivated. Building value for them is much more effective than focusing on price.

Building Customer Relationships

Training Tips from Dealer Synergy

One of the biggest keys to remember about automotive sales is building the relationship with the customer. From the first email to the first phone call, to the keys in their hands...it all builds the relationship. We all know that buying a vehicle is one of the most significant purchases in a person's life. If we are going to get someone to buy from us, we must earn their trust. We could have the best prices, best service departments, earn more awards, and give away the most to charity, but if we don't work on building a good relationship with our customers, it all goes to waste. When you greet someone on the phone or on the lot, the customers tie you to the entire dealership. Treating customers with respect will go a long way. Think of them as family (if you get along with your family). How would you want your parents, grandparents, or siblings to be treated if they contacted your dealership? Would you want someone to answer the phone and rush to the next call...blowing off most of what they said to rush to make their quota? No. You would want their experience to be pleasant. You would want their concerns heard and addressed. You would want them to feel comfortable and know they are getting the best vehicle to fit their needs and the best deal on that vehicle. Think about these things on the next customer you encounter. What kind of impression are you making on them? What are they going to tell all of their friends and family about you and the dealership? 

http://www.internetsales20group.com

 How to Work a Car Deal - Automotive Sales Training - Jim Ziegler

Coming Soon...

Are You Selling or Are You Buying?

Have you ever had this conversation?

You: “Hi Mr. Customer, it’s me John from ABC Chevy and I just wanted to follow-up with you to see if you are still in the market for that 2010 Chevy Silverado that you e-mailed me about yesterday? I have a 2PM appointment slot open just for you today so that you can come down and let me demo the vehicle for you.

Client: “Hi John, thanks for getting back to me so soon with your e-mails and call. I am still in the market, I just don’t know if I have made up my mind about yet and my friend has a new Toyota Tundra that he swears is the best thing since sliced bread. I think might just wait.

If you have ever sold vehicles before, odds are you have had this conversation. Odds are you have had this conversation many times. It’s what you say next that will determine if you are selling or if you are buying.

You: Mr. Customer I can see you value your friends opinion and as luck has it I have a used Toyota Tundra on the lot as well that I would be more than happy to do a side by side comparison with you. I can demo each vehicle for you and weigh the pros and cons of each truck that will allow you to make an educated decision on what truck would work best for you. Does 2PM today sound good for you, or will tomorrow work better?

This is a great close and with this close you are planting the seeds of thought into the customers mind, the customer now feels that he has more than one option at your dealership and he is more likely to set an appointment with you and more importantly show! YOU JUST SOLD THE APPOINTMENT!

The following statement is what you do not want to say.

You:

Mr. Customer, I completely understand that you want to wait on your next purchase and when you decide that you are ready to buy, please consider ABC Chevy.

Though this statement is cordial and proper, you just bought what the client was selling. He said that he wanted to wait till after the first of the year and you bought it by saying that you understood and to consider your dealership when he decided to make a purchase. Sure you may sell a few customers this way, but I guarantee that in the end you will never reach your true potential as a stellar salesperson and you might as well use the empty showroom to get some exercise.

To everyone out there making a living in sales remember this:

1. Be fully prepared! What I mean by this is to make sure that you know your product inside and out, do research on you competitors product so that you will be easily able to compare your product to your competitors and always be asking relevant questions to discover a potential clients pain points.
2. Be excited! A few years ago I wrote a article about The Billy Mays Persona. We all remember him and how he was always excited about selling his products to the masses. Now I don’t mean that you need to yell and be spastic, all I am saying is to be passionate about what you are selling! When you are making cold calls and follow-up calls don’t be a monotone lame duck on the phone, be passionate about what you are selling, because if you believe that your product works then odds are your customers will too.
3. Always be closing! If you have followed steps 1 and 2 then you have put yourself in the position to always be trying to close the deal. 

Jason Parman

Internet Marketing and Digital Strategist

jasonparman@live.com

www.jasonparman.wordpress.com

Did my first "One-on-One" phone training with LA Williams today and it's safe to say I'm hooked! It was nice to be the focus and have all of my questions/concerns answered without any distractions. I've always enjoyed LA's technique because it sounds so genuine yet effortless. His ability to connect with customers, people he's never even met before, blows my mind. Thanks for the motivation LA, I really appreciate it!

Are you watching the Olympics?

Some very compelling story lines and great competitions. I'm always inspired by these athletes who have put in hours and hours to reach that level of excellence.

Sometimes when I watch with friends or family, I find myself distracted from the message by the comical comments people make concerning the appearance of the people. I think it must be natural. you've probably even done it.

"What's up with that dood's hair?"

"There's no way he was an Olympic athlete."

"Why does one eyebrow move up and not the other?"

"She look like she stank."

"Didn't she look in the mirror after she put THAT on?"

My take on this, and the sales message for us is that the PERSON behind the words-- their delivery and appearance-- makes a huge difference in how the message is interpreted.

I'm probably not going out on too much of a limb here by stating that you probably sell a pretty good product or service. But unless it sells itself, YOU play a major role in how it is perceived when you're on the phone talking about it. The better YOU are, the more you sell. The common sense and the obvious are tough to be improved upon.

Some people believe that communicating on the phone is a disadvantage because listeners can't see us. I believe that actually is an advantage... you don't need to worry about physical appearance. On the phone, it all relies on what they hear. That's why to be your best you need to work on it. Here are some ideas.

GET RID OF THE NONWORDS I find some people have this nasty habit to a very severe degree. When a listener counts how many times they hear "um" instead of focusing on the message you know there's a problem. The persuasive speakers, on the other hand, don't use these filler sounds, or at least their use is minimal.

Action Item: Susan Berkley, author of Voice Shaping, suggests that the first step to the cure is identifying the enemy. Record yourself and count how many fillers you use. Once you're aware of your most common non-words, consciously replace them with pauses.

You can also control the nonword habit by getting your spouse or friend or cubicle-neighbor to say "bingo" or some other code word every time you use a nonword. By the way, this also applies to habits such as "you know," "like," "I mean," and anything else you use way too often.

ENUNCIATE! A guest on The O'Reilly Factor mumbled so much I had to turn the volume WAY UP so I could try to make out what he said. If I didn't care about what he was saying, I wouldn't have worked so hard. And your listeners might not work that hard for you.

Action Item: Read this several times- "If, I, Place, an, invisible, comma, after, each, word, and, an, invisible, semicolon; after, some, words, my, speech, has, presence." This forces you to enunciate.

Action Item 2: Practice tongue twisters to articulate clearly. Recite this one now, several times while picking up speed each time: "Frank phoned four pharmaceutical factories feeling fresh and fulfilled."

GET UP TO SPEED The more persuasive of the talking heads during interviews make their talking points quickly and don't mince words. We all can learn from that. After all, why use 100 words when 50 could make the same point? And don't speak at 33 RPM's when your listeners are at 78. (You won't get that reference if you don't know what record players are.)

In the book, "Smart Speaking, " Laurie Schloff and Marcia Yudkin say that when you speak too slowly you could be perceived as boring, tried, or less intelligent than you actually are.

Action Item: Practice getting to your point more quickly. Ask yourself a question you get during calls. Use stopwatch and give yourself 45 seconds to answer. Then cut it to 30, then 20. Tape your response and refine your answer content and delivery.

FINISH WITH STRENGTH Professional speaker and presentation coach and trainer Marjorie Brody http://www.marjoriebrody.com/ cautions against letting your voice rise at the end of a sentence.

In her book, "Speaking your Way to the Top," she suggests recording yourself. If you notice your voice rising at the end of a sentence it sounds as though you are asking a question, are tentative, or are a junior-high girl. If you tend to swallow your last few words, that reduces the impact of what you're saying.

Action Item: Practice finishing sentences completely and drop your pitch slightly while keeping the volume strong.

The interest that others have in your message is largely controlled by YOU and your delivery. Strive to reach Olympic-level performance. When you do, you'll sell more cars, more profitably, more often.

Thank You

In the city I live in, there is a run down, nasty looking house taking up some prime commercial real-estate that I'm pretty sure every Realtor in town has taken a crack at trying to sell. Seriously! Every couple of months there is a new sign out front from some poor real-estate professional who gives the property a try. I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure this property has been on the market for quite a few years. 

Last night, my wife and I were driving past the house and I couldn't help but think that it was the appearance of the property that was causing the lack of interest. Think about it, even though the for sale sign mentions the great "Commercial Property" potential, there has been no movement on it whatsoever.

The solution I came up with is simple. Tear the sucker down. Pull out the grass and weeds and promote the empty dirt lot. Right now, the house is causing a major distraction in the minds of potential buyers because they can't see their business operating in such a disgusting place. Tear the building down and clean up the property and I think you'd be surprised at how fast this thing will sell. 

So How Does This Relate To Automotive Sales?

It actually relates well to any form of sales, but since this is an automotive and RV community, let's talk vehicle sales. You see, there are a couple of fundamentals about appearance that every sales person looking to improve their game should be mindful of. Let's take a few minutes to break a couple of them down. 

Dress For Success

I'm sure you've heard this one before right? According to an article on usatoday.com; Gladys Edmunds shares an experience she had at a major mortgage firm where everyone from the receptionist to the executives had too casual of an appearance. 

If you're interested in boosting your sales, take some time to consider whether or not your appearance at work is too casual and what effect it has on your demeanor. I'm not suggesting that you need to wear an expensive three piece suit to work (unless that's you're thing), but what I will say is that dressing for success has a positive impact on how you conduct yourself and how others deal with you. I'd encourage you to test it out and see if you notice any positive impact on sales and personal productivity. 

We talk about this all the time. Vehicles are often the second largest investment that people will make in their life, so think about what kind of experience you are offering if your appearance is too casual. What kind of experience and professional would you want to deal with if you were expected to fork out thousands of your hard earned dollars?

Eliminate Distractions

The whole idea here is to eliminate anything and everything that will shift the focus of your customer away from the vehicle. I'm not going to waste any time beating around the bush, so I will just come out and say it. Do you stink? Let's face it, we've all been in a situation where we've had to talk to someone that smells foul. It's pretty awful isn't it? 

I was in a dealership not too long ago and had a conversation with one of the sales consultants who was A.) Wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt and B.) Had the worst body odor I've come across in a long time. Oh, where's your compassion Mike?!? This article is my compassion. If you or anyone you know has an issue with smelling like a dumpster fire, you pass along this article for them to read.

Think about it though, how can your customer possibly stay focuses on your presentation if throughout the entire visit, they are trying to discreetly hold their noses, hold their breath or fan the air around their face? They're distracted and don't want to be around you anymore.

On the flip side, and in defense of smelly people everywhere; this can also be said of sales people who take a shower in cologne or perfume.

Think about the house again for a second. The reason I'm sure that property hasn't sold is because nobody can envision what their building will look like there because every time they do, they see this nasty looking house that get's in their way. 

I think you get where I'm going with this - let's just say if you create distractions for your customers, they aren't able to fully focus on what you are presenting.

Conclusion

Your appearance definitely has an impact on your sales. Of course there are a variety of other things that may impact sales performance, but how you present yourself is the easiest to change because you can do it as early as your next shift. Give it a try and see what happens.

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Question: Have you had an experience where appearance (either yours or someone else's) has impacted you positively or negatively? Share your experience in the comments below!

http://www.dealersynergy.com 

Sean V. Bradley & Robert Wiesman Training on Automotive (Internet) Sales At Dealer Synergy

We have Sean V Bradley here at the Dick Edwards Auto Group in Manhattan, KS!!!  We're in the process of building a brand new E-Commerce Dept and we're fortunate to be able to have Sean and his team at Dealer Synergy helping us with this mission!!! 

Ladies and gentleman, I had the honor to be with Sean Bradley for two days for some intense training!!!  I have to say it was amazing!!!!  Met with a dealer group that has been a client of Dealer Synergy for years, did some one on one with Sean and went live to a dealership to do some additional training.  The intensity and passion that Sean has is amazing!!!  Oh, by the way, I'm not getting paid to write this either!!!  Furthermore, the human capital that I acquired over the last two days I have to say is priceless. 

For those dealer groups or E-Commerce directors that are looking for a reputable verifiable consultaing company you won't be upset once you sign up with Dealer Synergy!!!!   

“The Lord IS GOOD TO ALL…”

- Psalm 145:9 (New King James Version)

This is not a “maybe He might be good, if you do this or that” kind of answer. This is a definite, “The Lord IS…” kind of an answer! He is good to all. His goodness is not only to a certain type of person. His goodness is for ALL people. He is good to everyone. No matter their age, race, ethnicity, nationality, social status, income level or gender, God is good to all humanity.

“If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him.”

- Matthew 7:11 (New King James Version)

This sounds like a good God to me. God will give you good things for you to enjoy in this life. He wants only good things for you.

 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

- Psalm 84:11 (New King James Version)

Do you see that this is a God who does not withhold the good things He has for you? He does not dangle the carrot in front of you and pull it away as you get closer to it. He does not keep moving away from you as you approach Him. On the contrary, He draws near to you as you draw near to Him. He is not a bad God. He is a good God. He has only good things for you. This verse tells us that “…he will withhold no good thing to those that walk uprightly”. The word “uprightly” means “honesty and integrity.” This word comes from the root word that means “complete, whole and entire” (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). What does all this mean? This means that when you walk in total, complete, entire honesty and integrity, you will receive every good thing that God has for you to receive in this life! Not bad; it’s all good because God is all good!

 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.”

- Psalm 34:8 (New King James Version)

The five natural senses can sometimes help us to know when something is either good or bad. We can see, touch, smell, hear and taste to help us know whether we like something or not. The sense of taste is awesome. When we eat something that is not good or may not be to our liking, the sense of taste tells you. Likewise, concerning the things of God, we have spiritual senses as well. One of which is the sense of taste. We can see this phrase used in Psalm 34:8. We can spiritually drink from the wells of salvation. We can spiritually eat from the bread of life. God wants us to taste His fruit. He wants us to get a taste of His flavor for our life. He wants us to bite into the life of God in Christ. He wants us to eat from the tree of life found in His Word. Why? Because when we taste the good things and the fruit of God, we will see that it is good. When you come in contact with the sweetness of God, you’ll have a spiritual sweet tooth for more. These are the sweets that will not decay your life or make your life rotten. These are the sweets that are good for you.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

- James 1:17 (New King James Version)

Every good gift comes from God. This encompasses anything that is profitable, useful, and constitutionally good. (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). God is the source of all good gifts and all perfect gifts. This word “perfect” does not mean “free from fault” or “to be without deficiency.” This word refers to that which meets the need of a person (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). Every gift that is for you alone or a gift that meets the need of someone else is from God. He is the giver and source of every good thing, gift and circumstance in this world. Taste and see that the Lord is Good!

“It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.” ~ Author Unknown

            I’d like to start out with a story that maybe some of us in the automotive industry can relate to. This deals with the number one obstacle of the sale. You! The demo is completed, they love the car, they love you, they love the ease of everything so far and now it has come to this. Your so-called friend now sits across from you and tells you that they will take delivery of their new vehicle if the numbers are right. The customer is sold and wants to drive the car home today. You are pumped up; full of confidence and the adrenaline begins to flow through your body. You go to the desk and you tell the GSM where they need to be in order for you to seal the deal. You explain everything word for word and as you are talking the GSM begins to pencil you the numbers. It’s as if he’s not even listening. You feel like Charlie Brown’s parents, “WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH!” It’s like everything you say doesn’t even matter. You look down at the up sheet to see if you’re in the ballpark and you notice that the number is way higher than where the customer wants to be. Not only are you not in the ballpark, but you’re not even in the same state. You than see that the customers trade that was explained to be a gem has 2 car accidents on the Carfax and is coming in thousands less than what they want for it. The GSM finishes writing the numbers, turns the paper to you and slowly slides the up sheet back into your hands and with a smile softly says, “let’s make this deal!” You think, “Ok I will if you’d just do the customers numbers!”

By this point your heart is racing, you have fallen into a deep black hole and feel like you are miles apart from where the customer is and where the desk wants to be. Your confidence doesn’t slowly disappear, but it has been shattered, blown up and destroyed. You put your head into your hands, look at the paper and start to try and close the desk on where the customer wants to be. You think, “Maybe he didn’t hear me so I’ll explain it again.” You finally come to grips with the fact that the desk is not budging so you peek over your shoulder to see what your customers are doing. As you look they see you look their way and smile at you as if you’re gonna come back and not only give them what they asked for on their trade but exceed that and give them a thousand more than they asked. You look back at the paper huff and blow out a deep breath. You get up, grab your paper, look at the GSM as if he’s the devil himself and with your head down looking at the paper, dragging your feet, in total disbelief and defeat you begin to walk back towards your customer. You sit down and as you’re shaking your head back and forth you say, “ Well, I have bad news. I’m so sorry to say that I CAN’T BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!”

Don’t Lose Confidence in Yourself

As exaggerated as this story is I believe it speaks to us in one way or another. The point of this entire case study is that if you lose confidence in yourself to close the sale you’ll never close the sale. We are the number one obstacles that obstruct the path of buyers saying yes and driving home in their new vehicles. When we lose the confidence in our-selves to present the customer the numbers that we are given, the customer can pick up on that and pull back their confidence to say yes. When you are confident in your presentation, demo, walk around, product and competitive knowledge your customer feeds off of that. The more confidence you display the more confident they will feel in making a major decision to purchase. A lot of your success in closing is dependent on your ability to empower your customers with the confidence they need to make a decision. How you speak, how you stand, the body language you show, the inflections and tone of your voice all have to do with the success and failure of instilling confidence into your customer. It begins with you. Be confident in your ability to sell, present numbers, deflect stalls and overcome objections in the sale. Practice your transition points of one word to the next. The more fluent and articulate you are with your words the more at ease people feel. The more you stumble, sigh, and trip through your words the more hesitant people feel. Your words and how you say your words are your tools that you use to be successful in what you do. We should take the time to practice using these tools.

“Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.” ~ Henry Ford

Always Think You Can

An unknown author said, “Success comes in cans, not cant's.” That is so true. Think you can close every deal. Think you can overcome every objection. Think you can be salesman of the month every month. Think you can be more productive than you’ve ever been. Think you can do the impossible and you will. Think you can reach your goals and you will. The ones who say they can’t usually end up getting passed up by the ones who think they can and just did. It’s more than just thinking you can in your mind but also in your heart. Your heart is the core of your being. It is the center of your-self. As a mirror reflects your face so your heart reflects back to you your true self-image.

Proverbs 23:7 (Amplified Bible) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Whatever you think you are in your heart that is what will eventually come out in your character and words. Allow your heart felt thoughts to help govern your actions and words. The more confident you are in your ability to believe that you can be successful and achieve outstanding accomplishments the more you will begin to experience what you already thought you can do. 

Think big! Think success! Think on good things! Think on things that instill a positive outcome!

"Before you change your thinking, you have to change what goes into your mind."

Zig Ziglar

As you think on things that empower you to be the best you can be and stay strong in your self-confidence you will overcome the hardest obstacle you’ll ever face in this life and achieve success, victory and promotions in all your endeavors. Please email me to receive a copy of an article to help strengthen your self-confidence.

Imagine you are blind, it's 9:00 AM and you just walked from the tarmac to witness the training of a brand new Automotive Internet Sales team.  You're excited to meet the people and watch them learn as you learn.  You've got your note taker all charged up and you get a phone call from the lead trainer saying he missed his flight and won't make it until the end of the day...but that he's done you a big favor and                          called the dealer and there on their way to pick you up.  What do you do?

Quite naturally, you're terrified.  Here you are in the airport, with zero agenda, thirty minutes away from the biggest moment in your career and you want your mommy.  But of course you represent the number one training/consulting firm in your industry, so you gotta take this shot.  You've been through the trainings, you know this stuff and you can teach it.  You just have to let them get to know/like/trust and believe you.  You make that your only mission...well, that's if you think like me!

I experienced this firsthand and let me tell you; it was exhilarating!  Standing there with seven brand new Internet Coordinators, three more experienced ICs and an internet director with over fifteen years in the car business...it was the rock star stage spotlight all over again.  We conducted preliminary introductions, then began to synergize!

Throughout the week, my goal was to show them not only how much I knew…but how much I truly cared about their success.  We discussed the numbers, we talked about the minds of the prospective customers and even dove into how important their personal success is to the entire automotive industry.  I had to show the entire place, that although I don’t have physical sight, I do have an amazing vision…and if they bought into it, they would reap the benefits.  Wow, did they ever.

I felt the love and respect from the moment I walked in the door.  From the managers, to the frontline employees, even a few customers expressed how they felt the excitement of change…an upgrade in quality.  My career was completely altered by these encounters.  I now have even more esteem for my company because I was privileged enough to come into contact with a dealer group that was tired of the old and ready to completely embrace the new.  We…were able to introduce them to the “new” they were searching for and more.  As per their testimony, it also changed the lives of the people with whom I interacted.  This is what Dealer Synergy is all about, a new approach to doing business in the automotive industry.

More importantly, this experience inflated my self-confidence balloon.  I already knew there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish, but the ability to transcend that belief into others was what I questioned.  Honestly, I thought I lacked it.  Well…I was proven absolutely positively wrong!  If you're thinking there’s something you can’t do, you’re more than likely in the wrong column as well.  Here’s the Bottom line…If I can jump on an airplane to a far away/strange land by myself and make out alright, then don’t tell me you can’t succeed at selling some cars over the internet!