Who wants to sign up for some homework? Someone? Anyone? Bueller? No? Who wants to drive or fly somewhere for a few days of training? Again, I hear crickets. Okay, who wants to sit in their office after their initial training and never have to sit through another class or be video-taped one more time? I hear several of you saying yes to this. Most of us hate to leave our comfort zones for training and many of us know that we will come back to a mess that we have to clean up. How then do you stay on top of your job or better yourself?
As most of you know, between your Jeram Marketing representative and trainer, you have access to ongoing F&I training. But that doesn’t leave you totally off the hook for finding ways to challenge yourself and stay updated on sales techniques. In two areas of this newsletter we have given you some ways to do just that. But there are still things that you can do for yourself to improve your numbers, as well as your income. The challenge is making yourself do it on a regular basis.
First, test yourself. You can do this with product knowledge, sales objections, or presentation. Here are some questions you can test yourself on: Does the service contract you sell cover wear and tear? What is the definition of a breakdown? What is the definition of wear and tear? What does the manufacturer’s warranty cover and what doesn’t it cover? Define a defect. How is a GAP claim filed? Who factory warrants the tires?
Another method is to literally write out your menu presentation as you think you deliver it. Then take a critical look at it and rate it using specific criteria: Interest, length of time it takes to deliver it, how easily understood it is by a first time or repeat buyer, how genuine it sounds, and finally, how effective it is. Of course, you must then make the necessary changes.
Make a list of the most common objections you hear from your customers. Then add your responses to them. Again, critically judge how effective they are and how much sense they make to a customer. If you were in their shoes, would you change your mind? If not, look for resources to improve these skills.
Finally, consider your closing techniques. Rate them according to their effectiveness. If you can’t list several closes such as trial closes, positive choice closes, etc., again, seek help.
Of course you should attend training sessions off site for many reasons such as trainer input, new information, and class interaction, as well as the immediate lift it gives you. But in between, exercise some initiative and control your own destiny by training yourself.
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