Ask Joe

Short Story …

When I first started selling cars, an older woman came on the lot and said she was the owner’s aunt. She looked at a used car and as soon as price came up, I immediately said, “Don’t worry about the price, we took it in on trade real cheap and I’m sure he’ll sell it to you for $100 over,” (or something close to that). I sold her the car and the owner immediately pulled me into his office and ripped my head off.

He said, “If I’m going to sell my friends and relatives cars, we’re going to make money on them, because I’ll have to take care of their problems forever and fix more things on their cars than I’ll have to for anyone else.” He said he never wanted to have to apologize to anyone (friends and family) for not making enough money on the deal to take care of their problems. He also said if they just wanted the cheapest price in town, they could buy it down the street.

He was right! I’ve also learned it’s the service you provide after the sale that determines whether you gave someone a good deal or bad deal … not just what they paid for the vehicle.

What does it cost a person when they’re stuck in service all day or when they have to come back in three times to get a problem taken care of? How much do you save them by being there to help them avoid that experience in Service? How much do they save when you refer them to the Tire Shop or the Upholstery Shop or other vendors your dealership uses when they need a service your dealership doesn’t provide?

By being a good salesperson, you save your customers a ton of money and even more in the “hassle factor” of getting things done in most dealerships.

Don’t feel bad about making a buck. Do two things and you’ll be fine: 1) hold gross and 2) make sure you take care of your customers better than anyone, anywhere else, ever will and they’ve truly gotten their best deal ever.

I constantly hear other salespeople who feel the same way … “I’m afraid to bring in a friend because my manager will want to hold gross on my friend.”

If that’s how you feel, remember that if you don’t sell them, your competition will. And we both know that most often they’ll pay too much down the street and still be stuck with the hassle factor and lost time, because that salesperson is nowhere to be found when they need help the most.

Because you do care – do your friends and family a favor, make sure they buy from you, and make sure your dealership earns a good profit so you can take good care of them after the sale.