How A 3×5 Card Helped Me In Sales

I was doing a ‘stats’ video a few weeks ago and reminded everyone how critical it is to not just hear stats, but to internalize them.

When I started selling cars the 2nd time, I wrote the stats we cover on different 3×5 cards and carried them with me for 30 days, so I could read the same card several times a day. Why?

When I was the 8 car guy, I honestly thought there were 4 types of people I’d talk to: buyers, lookers, shoppers, and those people who couldn’t buy a candy bar on credit, much less a car.

So logically, I always pre-qualified people for down, payments, trade, etc., to make sure they could buy. Plus, we were taught to get a quick commitment with, “If we found a car you like and to could save you enough money, are you ready to buy it today?”

If they said, “No”, we’d ask again, “But, I mean if the car was perfect and so was the deal, would you buy it now?” … Keep in mind, this was before we ever showed them anything. If they said, ‘No’ again, we handed them our dismissal slip (business card) and hoped for a ‘live one’ the next time.

In a video I did the other day on current stats, we covered:

• 90%+ of customers have done their research.
• 8 out of 10 who show up will be buying.
• 85% specifically came to the dealership to buy.
• 90% will be burning gas in a week.
• 86% are flexible and will not be driving home the exact vehicle they intended to buy.

These stats have only changed by a percent or two, but when I started selling cars again, even though I knew and understood those facts to be correct, I still didn’t see buyers. When people came on the lot, I still saw 4 types of people.

I knew I’d miss tons of sales if I couldn’t change my thinking about buyers, so I wrote those, and another 20 or so stats on those cards, and read them half a dozen times each day.

30 days later, after reading the stats hundreds of times, I only saw buyers, even when they said, “We’re just looking.” Within 30 days I’d convinced myself that even though that’s what they said, 8 out of 10 would still buy if I did my job.

From internalizing those facts, I also knew when customers said, “I want this & this & this,” I just needed to move past their ‘wants’ and focus on who it was for, how they’d use it, and why they were getting it. I knew 86% would end up leaving in a different color, with different equipment, or even in a completely different type of vehicle – again, if I just did my job.

I had to change my mind, so I could change my habits.

With new skills and a brand new attitude, I earned more in 7 months than my first 5 years combined, and you can too.

You just need an education, a clear process, and 3×5 cards. So get to class when you’re ready to double your sales and income, and bring some blank 3×5 cards with you.

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Get Joe Verde’s sales book, Get Everything You Want In Sales, now and put your career on the right track.