Let’s talk about three things that you can do right now to sell more cars.  More specifically, let’s talk about opportunities.  In this article, we’re going to take a look at ways to create more opportunities, ways to nurture them and finally, how you can close more of them.  Let’s dive right in…

#1 Generate More Opportunities

For the last 18 months, we’ve been selling every car on the lot (for a ton of cash), but the market is quickly shifting.  Write-downs are just around the corner, so if there was ever a time to start creating opportunities for yourself, your team or your dealership this is it.

All of us need to smash down the peddle and start putting all our energy into getting new opportunities through the door.

Managers and Dealers

It’s time to invest more.  If you haven’t been investing money into generating new leads for your teams, now is the time to start reaching into your pockets.  It’s time to help you teams, to create more opportunities where they can.

Salespeople

You need to start working your customer base. You need to be out hunting for referrals, searching for the second sale, and working to keep yourself top of mind with current and would-be customers.

Opportunities are just like money. No matter how much you have or how much you’re earning, it’s never enough.

Keep building opportunities wherever and whenever you can.

#2 Convert More Opportunities

Chances are that you’re starting to feel the shift in the market.  Maybe you’re noticing more cars on the lot, or fewer cars selling for over MSRP.  As things start to slow down, we have to start building the opportunities we need in order to stay ahead of the change and keep selling more cars.

That starts with taking action.

You don’t want to wait until you NEED to start finding new leads and new opportunities. Be proactive and start creating and converting them now.

The first action that you need to take, is to start treating each incoming lead like it could be your last.

People fill out that form, or call the dealership, because they’re looking for help.

They’re looking for YOUR help.  Your expertise and your advice.  They’re looking for you to provide them with information in order to help them make the best purchase possible, so you need to stop blowing them off.

Stop for a minute and consider all of the money that goes into generating incoming leads.  Consider all of the effort that the customer has to go through in order to become an incoming lead.  When you think about all of the things that need to happen in order to bring that lead to you, it makes you think twice about blowing it off, doesn’t it?

You just have to increase your output, meaning you need to invest more time and effort into those leads.  By doing that, you’ll wind up increasing your input, which will lead to more appointments, more opportunities and ultimately, more sales.

#3 Close More Opportunities

We’ve talked about creating opportunities, converting them and now it’s time to talk about how to close more opportunities.

Know Your Numbers

If you want to close more opportunities, first you need to start paying attention to your numbers so that you can measure your success. Pay close attention to your showroom KPIs (key performance indicators), which include:

  • Closing percentages
  • Test Driver Percentages
  • Write-up Percentages

You need to know your numbers before you can improve on them.

Listen to Understand

When you’re trying to close an opportunity, you first (and most importantly) need to understand what your customers actually needs.

Do they need a vehicle with lots of space?

Something fuel efficient?

An off-roading vehicle?

86% of people end up buying something completely different than what they came in for, so if you understand what they need, you will more than likely be able to find something for them on the lot.

Become THE WAY, don’t be IN THE WAY.   The opportunities are right in front of you.  You just have to decide if you’re going to grab onto them.

In short, if you want to sell more cars, you need to not only generate more opportunities for yourself, but you need to take the time to nurture incoming leads and really work to help your customers find vehicles that suit their needs and their lives.