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By Jan Kelly
How important are those
first few seconds in meeting a customer who is
apprehensive about the next hurdle in the buying
process and expecting the worst to happen?
The first few seconds set the stage for all that
will follow. You have only the first few seconds
to allay suspicions, defuse defensiveness, and
put the customer at ease with you and the F&I
process.
It isn't hard to imagine why a customer might be
"on guard." Put yourself in the place of the
customer who knows that somewhere in the
dealership someone other than the person who
sold the vehicle is busy crunching numbers that
will make or break this deal. Meanwhile, the
sales consultant who was so attentive a little
while ago is now struggling to make small talk
and seems anxious to be somewhere else.
If this scene seems familiar, you are missing a
prime opportunity to create a positive
atmosphere for your customer. All you need to do
is leave your office, go out to the
salesperson's workstation, and take the
initiative to meet your customer. |
Minding Your Manners
Physical and verbal mannerisms matter. Make sure your
body language and gestures model your words in four key
actions:
1) Make physical contact. Extend your right hand in a
friendly manner, offering to shake everyone's hand.
After all you are very glad they chose your store to
purchase their vehicle.
2) Establish eye contact. The eyes are indeed the
windows to our souls. You want to communicate a soul
full of openness and sincerity. Look each person
directly in the eyes as you shake hands — and smile!
3) Repeat the customer's name three times. The loveliest
word in any language is the sound of one's own name. If
you say the customer's name three times in the first two
minutes, you will enhance your ability to remember it
and use it. Your customer will feel like they matter and
you will have set the stage for making inquiries about
personal financial matters seem less intrusive.
4) Get the customer to say your name once during the
first two minutes. Present your business card and ask
the customer to write next to your name: "For questions,
call __________." Then ask the customer to place your
card in their wallet. You will be the last person they
see, and the first one they remember if they want to
talk to someone about the vehicle. Make sure they get
your name right!
WWWWWHO Are You?
Some dealerships now use signage like Financial Center,
Business Office, and even Escrow (!) Office in an
attempt to make their customers feel less intimidated by
the F&I process.
However, you will find that taking a few moments while
you are still in the sales consultant's workstation to
introduce yourself and your role in the sales process is
far more important than what the sign says.
Meeting of the Minds
While customers understand that paperwork usually
follows every vehicle sale and the paperwork needs to be
completed somewhere, few things create anxiety more than
being left behind to wait. Minutes seem like hours, and
each one that passes diminishes the CSI.
When customers are involved in the process hours seem
like minutes. The challenge is to create a friendly,
participative process from the start. And that means you
need to get out of your office to meet the customer and
get them involved.
Introduce yourself to customers at the sales
consultant's work area with the sales consultant
present. Identify your role at the dealership and
describe the process that is about to take place. Review
the sales figures. Your customers will appreciate
knowing that a change of face does not mean a change in
the numbers. And it will set the stage for full
disclosure.
Remember, no one will want to do business with you until
they believe you care about what is important to them,
and we will address the critical action of Building
Rapport in the next installment of "12 Steps to F&I
Succe$$". Until then, make your meetings matter!
Sample Introduction
Hello. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am
___________, one of the business managers here at the
dealership. Congratulations on your purchase. Thank you
for choosing us.
Together, you and I will be completing the title work
and finalizing all the funding details for your new
vehicle.
Before I verify the computer entries, I would like to
review the sales figures with you. According to my
instructions, both you and the sales manager have agreed
upon a sales price of $________ [use small numbers and
avoid the word 'thousands'], and we are paying $_____
[use large numbers such as one thousand five hundred
dollars] for the trade-in vehicle. I will be collecting
$_______ [use small numbers] as an initial payment, and
we have an estimated pay off of $_________ for the
trade-in vehicle. You spoke about finance terms of
______ months at _______ APR which is $______ per month.
Of course all terms are dependent upon final lender
approval.
As I mentioned earlier, I need to verify the computer
information and would like to invite you into my office
while I complete the data entry. It should only take a
few minutes. My office is [down the hall/around the
corner/up the stairs, etc].
 |
Jan Kelly,
president of Kelly Enterprises, is a sales
trainer and consultant, convention speaker and
frequent contributor to industry publications.
For additional information about training
opportunities, call (800) 336-4275 or visit
www.JLKelly.com.
"This article is Part 1 of a 12-part series
originally published in F&I Management and
Technology Magazine, August 2003 - September
2005. |
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