Numbskull Selling

I've run into my fair share of salespeople over the years. One that I had working for me took me on an appointment to help him close an advertising program. He introduced me, "This is Scott, my boss. He's here for the kill."

I quickly smiled and said we usually don't kill anything or anyone, we do the opposite and help breath life back into business that need our help.

That salesperson was gone in two weeks.

What follows is from a blog from a real estate agent who shares his recent customer service horror story when car shopping. Read it and learn.

You can also click on the title and go to his site.

Ah…the lost art of Customer Satisfaction, err I mean Customer anything…

This week I have an Excellent example of what NEVER to do in any Selling Environment.

Last Thursday, I thought it would be a great day to get a new car. I drive a Dodge Ram and actually love my truck, but I’ve had it a few years and would like a vehicle with better gas mileage.

Just to be clear, I am NOT a “car guy.” I don’t know much about the different car options, how they perform, what kind of gas mileage they get, or really much of anything. When I go look at cars, I need a good or at least marginally competent sales person to ACTUALLY help me.

The second point to understand is that I am NOT a “shopper.” When I go to a store, I buy something. I won’t go from place to place looking for a “deal” or anything like that. For the most part I am very quick and decisive.

Recap:

• I need a sales person to help me.
• I WILL be buying something.
• I WILL make a decision on the spot.
• I am an easy sale…or in other words, I am a Sales Person’s Dream Prospect!

In preparation for what could be a time consuming car purchase transaction, my pregnant wife and I dropped our kids off with my mother, changed out vehicles so that I could just turn my truck into the dealership at the conclusion of the sale, and mapped out the dealership to visit.

So we show up at a fairly large dealership in our area, park my truck and start walking the lot. To set the scene, it is a VERY HOT July day in Texas and we are walking on VERY HOT pavement so it felt like it was 110 degrees or so walking around….we aren’t shopping….we ARE BUYING.

After a few minutes of looking around, we were approached very passively by what I guess was a sales person. He half heartedly greeted us and didn’t ask us anything….nothing.

In the awkwardness of the moment, I decided I would just “tee up” the sale. I said, I would like to trade in my truck and get a new car, but I don’t know what to get. I continued with saying that I am looking for some sort of four door sedan type vehicle that gets good gas mileage, but I don’t have my heart set on anything.

I let him know that I was not knowledgeable on any vehicles and that I needed help. I told him that I like how the Acura’s look and I enjoy how they drive. At this, he basically said he had some Acura’s on a different lot and pointed in the distance.

After another awkward moment, my wife and I got in my truck, drove to this other lot, walked around aimlessly for a few minutes then decided it was time to go somewhere else.

Amazing!

Dealership 1-No concept of HELPING.

So, we are off to dealership number two.

While driving to another dealership, I decided that I THINK I want an Acura. Perhaps that will make it easier if the sales guy doesn’t understand how to ask questions I thought.

We pulled into a parking spot at an Acura dealership in Irving, TX and decided to attempt this thing again.

Only a few seconds after arriving, we are approached by a salesperson. Again, we were half-heartedly greeted …then it got interesting!

After hearing my name, the salesman asked me what payment I was looking for….literally the first question he asked.

I responded that I didn’t really know the payment that I was looking for. It was the car that was important to me. Again, he asked the payment I wanted. At this, I again said, let’s not worry about the payment. I really need your help to find the right car for me.

Without hesitation, he says, “I can’t help you without knowing what payment you want.”

Um…What?

Maybe the single most ridiculous thing I have heard in a while.

In any case, I could see this guy was clueless as to how to interact and help people, so I said okay. I told him that if he only wanted to talk payments, he could tell me what the payment is for this car and that car (at this statement I was pointing to two different vehicles).

He says, “Which one do you want?” To that, I said, “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about either car, but you want to talk about payments, so let’s talk payments.” I went further, asking him to give me a side by side comparison of both vehicles.

After a bit of back and forth about how he can’t do that for me, I told him I could do it for him if I had a calculator, so I talk him into going inside the office. At this, his Manager comes in to speak to my wife and me.

He sits down, and just starts rambling on and on, making assumption after assumption about us. At this point, these people STILL have no knowledge about what I do for a living, my income, credit situation or anything besides my first name.

At the conclusion of this guy talking, my wife and I basically tell him that he wasn’t right about anything he just tried to guess about us. I even informed him that it is easier to just simply ask me and I will tell him what he needs to know.

Still didn’t happen though….

This exercise in futility basically ended with the Sales Manager telling us that his cars would come with a payment in the range of $400-$600 per month and that he didn’t have anything for us.

WOW!

Without knowing who I am or what I do…or anything, he assumed I could not afford a car from him. At that, I started to laugh and walked out of the the office.

When I stepped out of my truck at “an Acura dealership in Irving, TX”, I knew the monthly payment range and was find with this range. All I needed was someone to help me pick out the right car!

This situation was unbelievably disrespectful. Do you think I have told this story to my Sphere of Influence?

You bet I have. I would be doing a disservice to others if I allowed them to be subjected to the same thing I was.

Here are Some TIPs if the GOAL is to sell ANYTHING:

• ALWAYS ask good inquisitive questions of your prospects BEFORE anything else.
• NEVER Curb Qualify a Prospect Based on ANYTHING-this means don’t judge people by their dress appearance, vehicle, hair style, age, race, nothing. Qualify with questions.
• Be Respectful of your prospects, you never know who you are speaking with-Referrals are the BEST way to gain future business.
• Desire to HELP Others. If you don’t have a desire to help others improve their current situation, selling is not the right profession to choose.

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