12 minute read
What's Happening: 10 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Salesperson
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
Top Sales Pros Jayson Cook, Amari Schwartz and Elias Ventura discuss strategies for self-improvement on the sales floor.
Amari Schwartz, who works in sales at Distinctive Ride in Wasilla, Alaska, said she first thinks of knowledge and qualifying the client when she considers improving sales. “I believe to be successful and efficient, a salesperson needs to have product knowledge, install knowledge and knowledge on consumers’ buying habits,” she explained. “I have seen a lot of sales lost because of lack of product knowledge. I have also seen an equal amount of money lost because of misquoted labor charges.” In 2018, Schwartz was named Sales Pro of the Year by Mobile Electronics magazine.
Elias Ventura of Safe and Sound Mobile Electronics in Manassas, Va.—who was named Sales Pro of the Year in 2016— stated that he always self-reflects on things he could be doing better. “There are times on the sales floor when I forget the most basic, key, ‘sales 101’ things I should be doing,” he said. “It happens to the best of us.”
#1. Qualify the Client
Schwartz said a salesperson can’t sell anything if they haven’t first qualified their client. “What are their needs and wants? Do they have a budget? Do they know what they want? Or, do you need to help guide them to the right product or service?” she said.
A customer might come into the store and say they want a pair of speakers, said Jayson Cook of Columbus Car Audio and Accessories, but it may not be what
they’re really looking for. Cook was named Sales Pro of the Year in 2019. “You could just sell them the speakers they asked for,” he said, “but that might not be what they really need. In the customer’s car, I will look at the bass and treble settings on the radio. Is either setting cranked up? Have them point out what they like and don’t like about the system they already have.”
Customers will say they want more bass, he added, and Cook will recommend a subwoofer. “First they say no. Instead of telling them they’re wrong, we go inside and I turn on a display and I play a $1,500 pair of speakers. They say, ‘It sounds similar to what I already have.’ I turn the sub on, and they say, ‘I like that.’” That’s what they needed, he explained, but they didn’t realize it until they experienced the demonstration.
When the salesperson goes out to the customer’s car, they can get to the root cause and find a solution, Cook said. “If I just sold them a set of speakers, I made the sale, but they’ll never come back. I may have sold them what they asked for, but it wasn’t what they really wanted, which was a subwoofer.”
If the salesperson is just selling the customer a pair of speakers without listening to the customer, asking qualifying questions and finding out what they really need, Cook added, “You’re not a salesperson. You’re just a clerk.”
#2. Build Relationships
Cook said customers can find the product they are looking for just about anywhere. Building a relationship with the client will make them stay instead of going to a different store in town. “They will see the value. I have a ton of repeat clients who come to us because we built a reputation and a relationship. They know what to expect.” Building a relationship is also about staying in touch. “Stay in contact with the client and the technician working on the vehicle so everyone is on the same page,” Cook said. “Whether it’s an audio upgrade or a radio install, you have to make sure everyone knows what’s expected.”
If the customer calls in or emails, he added, it’s important to invite them into the store. “Everyone has their own idea of what sounds good. I want to listen to the car with them,” he said, adding that’s important to let the client play their own music at the volume they enjoy, so the salesperson can see what they like and what they don’t like.
“At that point, outside your building, you’re on neutral ground. They’re more comfortable. You’re not just a sales guy anymore. You’ve built a relationship.”
#3. Regularly Attend Trainings
Salespeople agree regularly attending trainings is essential to professional growth, especially considering how quickly the industry evolves. Ventura underscored the importance of training events and learning from industry peers. “We have a great many events nationwide and locally. Events like KnowledgeFest are the pinnacle of what this industry has available for us to grow and learn,” he said. “Ask your rep about
local training opportunities.” He added it’s important to talk with manufacturers and distributors at events like KnowledgeFest, ask them questions and learn from them.
Cook said understanding the product you’re selling begins with training. “You have to be able to explain the differences in products. You have to have an understanding of how these products work. Any time a training is available, you should do it.” Although product trainings can sometimes feel repetitive, Cook said he always gets something out of it. Without continuous training, salespeople will fall behind.
“If you’re not staying on top of it, someone else is, and that other person may be down the street from you,” he added.
#4. Network and Share Ideas
Ventura said he learns a lot from networking with industry peers. Facebook Groups can be valuable tools for networking and sharing ideas, including groups like Mobile Electronics Syndicate, Educar Integration and Acoustics, KnowledgeFest Group and T-Tapped, to name a few. Cook recommended the group he helped start specifically for salespeople: 12v Sales Pros. “We’re there to help grow the industry in the front of the store,” Cook said. “There are so many salespeople in the group who are great at what they do, and we are more than willing to help.”
Ventura added that his friendships in the industry have greatly influenced his professional growth. “What’s better than being able to pick up the phone and call someone with a question or input on a problem?” he said. “Or just have dinner and chat about what’s going on in your stores, good or bad. This is a weekly thing for me, and I enjoy being able to help others and to ask for help. This is how you make industry friends for life.”
These kinds of connections are made in the 12v Sales Pros Facebook Group, according to Cook. “We talk about how to handle client emails, follow-ups and how to make the sale happen,” he said, adding that it’s a place to be vocal about the sales process, and talk to other people in the industry about what’s working for them.
#5. Build Your Confidence
It’s essential for salespeople to have confidence in themselves, according to Schwartz. “I know when I have ‘off’ days, it impacts my sales numbers. I sell the best when I look good, feel good and smile,” she said. “This also ties into kindness. I greet every client with a smile. It’s important to consciously think about how you are making your client feel.”
Schwartz added that it’s important to notice whether the client seems comfortable, or resistant to the sale. She also noted a salesperson should pay attention to the tone of their own communication. “A lot of miscommunication and loss of sales comes from our body language,” she explained. “My dad [John Schwartz] always taught me that 12-volt product and services are not a need. We’re an accessory. He says, ‘No one needs us, but they want us.’” A salesperson, she added, should never take their clients for granted and should work on building confidence in themselves and their ability to inform and educate the client.
#6. Always Be Honest
Cook said a salesperson should “own everything” they do. “If you screw up, admit it. Whatever the case is, get in front of it and don’t make excuses,” he explained. “Just be honest.” Cook added that he recently made a mistake which he learned from. “I was supposed to take a car back to a dealership one morning, and life happened. I forgot.” Both Cook and the client were upset, he added, “but at the end of the day, it was my fault. Things happen and you will make mistakes, but it goes back to owning what you do. Whatever you say you’re going to do, make sure you do it, even if it means setting reminders on your phone.”
Schwartz said trying to make a sale can sometimes slide into dishonesty too easily, and a salesperson might be tempted to hide what’s really happening with a vehicle. “A good example is calling a client to ask for more time, and blaming it on running behind in scheduling, instead of telling them you’re having a signal issue with their amplifier installation.” The client will always be happier if the salesperson is honest with them, she noted. “It’s a harder conversation, but it will build trust in the relationship. That customer will become a repeat customer.”
#7. Build Value in the Sale
Sometimes salespeople are afraid to quote a number because it might not be received well. Ventura and Cook both agreed the customer requested the quote, and they will either say yes, or decline. “If they say no, don’t discount the product,” Cook warned. “Instead, show them something else that falls within their price range.”
If you explain what they’ll be getting, why they need it and how it matches what they are looking for, “there shouldn’t be any apprehension in sharing a quoted price,” Ventura said, adding that the salesperson shouldn’t just tell them a cost—they should also explain what the customer will be getting in a way that demonstrates value.
Ventura and Cook recommended using the top-down selling approach. “It’s better to build value by first showing the best product available, and going down from there,” Ventura said. Explaining and demonstrating product value will help bring the customer on board, he added. “But if you just throw a number out there, you haven’t built value at all.”
Cook said he was driving to work one day when he saw a truck for sale at a local dealership. “On the side, it said $17,000 off. To me, that means the truck is worth $17,000 less than what they thought it was,” he explained. Outside the realm of a special sale day in-store, “if a guy walks in and says, ‘Give me this product for $850 instead of the sale price of $1,000,’ and if you say yes, then you’ve lowered the value of the product and your own value.” By discounting a product just to get the sale, he added, “You’re lowering the value of that product to the customer.”
#8. Ask for the Sale
A difficult last step, Ventura said, is asking for the sale. “Be creative with it. I like to use what I call ‘pre-closing word choices.’ I use phrases like, ‘When we do this for you, we will…’ and ‘I really think we should use this solution in your car.’” Positive word choices are important, he added, noting, “Sometimes you can ask for the sale discretely and say, ‘Do you want to go over scheduling options?’ At the end of the day, we have to ask for the sale. Everyone has their own approach. Just make sure to do it.”
#9. Follow Up With Your Customer Following up with clients should be done in a timely manner, according to Ventura. “I’ll call a customer and say, ‘Hi, it’s Elias, calling you back as promised. Is now a good time to chat?’” Ventura noted this approach shows the client that the salesperson is being mindful of their time, adding that it’s important to remember when they first came to the store, it was on their available time.
“Chances are, if you follow up with them, they will buy,” Ventura said. “Following up is a key part of being a salesperson, and it’s important to be disciplined about it.”
#10. Be Excited
Cook said clients can tell when salespeople are excited about their work, and it impacts the sale. “They feed off our energy,” he added.
Excitement is an important tool for any salesperson, Schwartz said. “You want your client to feel happy about spending their money with you. Hype up the client for the sale, whether it’s a remote start or a full custom build,” she added. “You want your customer to feel understood, listened to, comfortable and confident. If you can do this, you can successfully and efficiently sell anything.”
Ventura agreed that a positive attitude is essential. “Nothing beats an upbeat, personable individual. I think of Corbin May of Visions Electronics as a perfect example of this,” he said. “Create a good first impression and pay attention to their wants and needs.” Always say thank you, Ventura added. “Let them know you appreciate them. They could have gone somewhere else, but they came to you.
For example, if you go outside to look at the customer’s car and your competitor did not, this will set you apart.”
Cook said the salesperson is always on the front line. “The tech can do the most beautiful job ever, but if it isn’t what the client is expecting, then you failed. It falls back on the salesperson because it wasn’t what the salesperson said it would be. You have to sell yourself and sell the shop. Follow through and make sure the outcome is exactly what you told them it would be.”
Cook added that numbers are important to pay attention to in-store, as well. “I track our numbers. Not just our store totals, but sales per hour, gross profit and average ticket amount,” he explained. “It’s as important to pay attention to as anything else.”
Remaining a student is important. “I simply recognize that I haven’t learned it all,” Ventura said, adding, “There’s always something new I can learn. I believe wholeheartedly we should encourage each other to reach that max potential, to keep learning and stay ahead of the game.” The industry should learn together, he said, “grow together. And work to positively influence those around us.”
