Automotive Intelligence Insights
Part 6

This article is part of the weekly Insights Series, in which Automotive Intelligence shares techniques, tips & tricks that you can use to become a better, smarter car salesperson, even in the times of corona. Part 6 (and 7) of AM-i Insights will consider the following question: how can you make sure to actually apply all the techniques we’ve discussed so far?

RECAP

What was part 5 about again? Without overemphasising the bad: we have to accept the fact that we’re living in a different world than the same time last year. Fewer customers are visiting showrooms, consumer confidence is declining and we cannot be sure how long it will take before everything returns to normal. In that sense, “we’re up against it”. The good thing is that we have new tools at our disposal, such as Online Consultation, and that customers have grown accustomed to using these resources. Moreover, these new tools support our own ability to proactively look for ways to improve our results. The main question is, are we willing to reinvent ourselves? To reread part 5 of AM-i Insights, click here:

Automotive Intelligence Insights Part 5

Greek mythology

Although Greek mythology may seem far removed from the world we live in, there are still lots of lessons it can teach us. What’s more, there are probably quite a few lessons that we have learned before and since forgotten, and this is a perfect time to take another look. Ulysses, the renowned Greek hero from Homer’s Odyssey, was on his way home after the Trojan war, when he encountered the Sirens, sweetly swinging demigoddesses who lured many ships and their crews to an inglorious death at the bottom of the sea. Ulysses had heard the stories, but still wanted to hear their beautiful voices. So, what did he do? He instructed his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and to tie him to the mast, so that he could no endanger himself or the ship if he were to fall under the Sirens’ spell. Nowadays, we call such deals with our ‘future selves’ a Ulysses Contract: because you know in advance that you will or will not be doing something, you can take certain precautions to ensure you will stick to important agreements.

Your ‘Ulysses contract’

Cool story, but what does this mean for you? In the past editions of AM-I insights, we’ve shared all sorts of techniques that you can use to identify more leads and generate more sales. However, there’s a considerable chance that you haven’t put them all into practice yet. That’s okay, though! Anyone who has ever planned to start going to the gym on the regular will know how difficult it can be to actually pack your gym bag, get on the bike and brave the cold weather to get an hour of exercise. That being said, you’ve had a pretty good excuse not to go for the past few months. Anyway, just like people have started working out in the open air to get their much needed exercise, we’ll also be thinking of ways to lock in the behavioural change we’re after, as discussed in parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The stand-up, planning and cooperation

After many different training sessions with various dealerships and car companies, we have learned that planning is the best way to lock in behavioural change. What we mean is a very explicit action that involves sitting down, taking your diary and blocking off timeslots to work on quotes every day. Time and time again, we saw that 9 out of 10 sales reps who had scheduled activities in their diary actually did what they had planned to do.

Explicit planning can be supported with a daily stand-up, a short daily meeting , usually at the start of the day, in which you and your team members discuss what you worked on yesterday, what you’ll be working on today and what your main challenges have been. Stand-ups originally came from software development as part of the Agile/Scrum philosophy, which is used to divide large, expensive projects into small, manageable steps as effectively as possible so that results can be achieved more quickly. Parts of this approach are now seeping into other industries as well. Daily stand-ups are particularly helpful because they foster:

• a stronger bond between team members
• greater awareness of what’s going on in the company
• better collaboration between team members
• a greater sense of responsibility towards yourself and team members

Not only will stand-ups help your colleagues realise when you need a helping hand, but they will also make it easier to coordinate, ensuring that everyone has some free time to make the necessary preparations (“I’ll do the showroom today, so that you can prepare your quotes in the morning”). And while we’re at it, remember the Ulysses contract. If you discuss what you’re planning to do with your colleagues, you’ll increase your odds that you’ll be able to tick it off and feel good about yourself the next day.

Share your tips and experiences

Help your colleagues improve their sales skills by sharing your tips with AM-i. If you have a golden tip or approach that works a treat with Online Consultation? Share your experiences by sending an email to support@am-i.nl and we’ll include them in AM-i Insights.

To find out more about AM-i Carstock and Online Consultation, visit the website and make an appointment for a live demo.

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