Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or brand-new salesperson, here’s a little insight into customer psychology and the relationship between the work you do for a client, and their level of commitment to buy.
One of my favorite vacation destinations is Negril, Jamaica. Seven miles of white sandy beach. Almost always perfect weather. Great food, amazing people and cool music. Oh, and some of the best salespeople on the planet.
One walk down Seven Mile Beach will tell you almost everything you need to know about being a successful salesperson. Hard work. Tirelessly walking the beach looking for customers. Persistence, man, persistence. The word 'no' doesn’t exist in their vernacular. Some of my best sales knowledge was picked up on that beach.
One walk down Seven Mile Beach will tell you almost everything you need to know about being a successful salesperson.
I recall the experience of walking down the beach with my daughter when a young Jamaican man greeted us with a huge smile. “What a beautiful girl! I have a gift for her.” He bends down and ties a small handmade bracelet on her wrist. She was so happy. “Can I show you my other things?”
He understood that that gesture, that time he spent, that investment of a little handmade bracelet would increase my level of commitment to at least hear him out. At least look at his stuff. Maybe even buy something. If not me, then the next person would.
Another time I would see a wood carver and stop and take a look. He would take the time to show me how he works, tell me all about the wood, where it comes from, even show me how he carves it. He knows that it’s the work he is doing for me, the time he is spending, that is going to drive up my human instinct to return in kind somehow, the work he has done for me. In other words, buy something.
You see, they understood that selling is much more than a product and a price. It’s a psychological dance between them, the salesperson, and me the prospect. They understood that my commitment was greatly based on the amount of work and time they spent with me. It happens naturally.
The amount of work you can do for a prospect has a direct impact on the commitment level of the prospect.
The same thing happens in your car dealership. In very simple terms, the amount of work you can do for a prospect has a direct impact on the commitment level of the prospect. When you get that electronic lead, phone call or that customer walks through that door, yes building a relationship is job one, but finding work you can do for the prospect is your next goal. Brochures for new cars. Research. Vehicle history reports on used cars. Service records. Pictures. Video. Any reason you can think of to demonstrate to the prospect the simple message that you have invested time and work into the process, into the relationship, is going to have a massive impact on the level of commitment that client has to you. Work equals commitment. Time equals commitment.
Beyond actual work, and actual time, sending the message to a prospect that you are “going to work hard for them” or that you have “done this research” sends the subtle message that you are investing your time and effort. That means something.
So the next time you get a lead from any source, the first thing you need to do is figure out what it is you can say to, and do for, the client that will tell them that you are investing your time and energy in them, which in turn will drive up their commitment to you, and we all know sales is all about commitment. Good luck and good selling.