Finish 2011 With A Bang – And Plan For 2012

This year is almost done, and next year is almost here…

You should be focused on two things right now; selling as many units as you can the rest of the year, and being ready for 2012 the minute it arrives. Start preparing right now to make 2012 a record year, and it’ll help you finish 2011 with a bang, too.

In our 27th year in business, we have two goals right now; finish 2011 as our 24th record year, and get all of our ducks in a row by January 1st, so we can make 2012 our 25th best year ever. You should be doing the same thing.

The difference between High Achievers and average salespeople centers around 3 key areas. Focus on these areas the rest of the year and you’ll finish strong.

Set your goals to improve next year, and 2012 will be your best year ever.
1. Personal Business Development. Your goal: Control your sales and your year by bringing more prospects into the dealership asking for you. Here’s how…
• Follow up with your unsold (working) prospects to get them back on the lot for another chance at a sale.
• Prospect in person and by phone to get more people into the dealership.
• Prospect with Social Media tools or sites to bring more onto the lot.
• Turn the incoming sales calls you get into appointments on the lot.
• Turn the Internet Leads you get into appointments on the lot.
Retain your previously sold customers so they always come back in to see you for their next 35 purchases.
2. Selling. This is exactly what it sounds like: Following all of the steps we cover in here, in class and on JVTN®. The steps include, but aren’t limited to…
• Your Wander Around … where you make a great 1st impression, build rapport, investigate, sell the dealership and select the best vehicle for your prospect (that you intend to send them home in).
• The Value Building Steps … your demonstration and targeted feature, advantage, benefit presentations for your Secondary and Primary Drivers.
• The Closing Process … Summary Close at the Landmark, Sold Line Close at 100 yards, a Dozen Action Closes and your Final Closing Question.
• Your Negotiation Process … The setup, the paperwork, and your presentation of the 3-Pass Process.
• Handling Objections … (being able to bypass or close on) all of your customer’s objections along the way.
• Using the 3 Types of Questions … that control the selling process.
3. Your Success Skills. These are the skills only High Achievers bother with. For the average salesperson they’re just way too much trouble.
• Your critical success skills include…
• Attitude: A positive, success-focused attitude. There’s nothing more critical to your success than your desire to succeed and your belief that you can.
• Tracking: (counting) each one of your selling opportunities on the lot.
• Tracking the things you do: your selling activities, like outgoing prospecting & follow up calls, demos, write ups, etc.
• Tracking your results in sales: your units delivered, gross and income.
• Averaging everything you do so you can find your trends.
• Charting all of your averages so you can see your trends.
• Using your tracking, averaging and charting to make accurate projections so you can set clear goals to improve in everything you do.
• Organizational Skills. These skills include having a specific daily plan, time management, and the ability to set clear priorities. Most 20 to 30 unit salespeople get stuck in a disorganized 15-unit salesperson’s body.

Tip: Go back through this list and pick your most important topic as your first priority. Start with that one, and then pick something different each month, and you will have your Best Year Ever!

For more information on selling, get Joe Verde’s latest book, “Earn Over $100,000 Selling Cars – Every Year.” Go to http://www.joeverde.com/ to get a free PDF or order a free soft cover book