Ziegler Supersystems, Inc Automobile Dealership Success Plan

Sales Manager Training - F&I, Menu Training - Automobile Dealership Consulting - Dealership Support

"Heartbeat of the Deal"

by Jim Ziegler

President, Ziegler Supersystems, Inc.

I have often said that a deal has a pulse…a rhythm…a heartbeat.  You know when you’re in the groove and you also know when the customer is losing patience and getting frustrated and when they are trying to leave because they’ve been there too long.

The two biggest bottlenecks in the sales process are…

1. Getting the customer into the F&I Office after the sale is closed
2. Getting a figure on the used car

I have heard some morons teaching that we need to get the entire sales process down to less than 45 minutes from handshake to taillights. 

I even heard the rumor that Honda was espousing this philosophy at one time or another.  Let me say this…a quality sale should never be a four-hour marathon BUT it should never be reduced to a handshake and taillights!  A quality sale takes some amount of time to build. (Remember, A quality sale that takes some time to build requires some time spent in preparation for that sale).  If we were ever to have forty-five minute sales, we would not be profitable.  REMEMBER…It is the customers who initiate the negotiations, not us.

If my sales people are going to

• Meet and greet the customer
• Establish a Relationship and Investigate Needs
• Select a Vehicle
• Present the Vehicle
• Demonstrate the Vehicle
• Inspect and evaluate the trade
• Sell the Dealership Service benefits and CSI
• Negotiate and Write-up the deal
• Perform the Financing
• Deliver the vehicle

MY QUESTION IS…what kind of idiot thinks all of that is going to happen in forty-five minutes?  If you try to affect a forty-five minute sale, I predict your CSI will head down hill in a heartbeat and the deal is out the window!

We already have a severe problem with sales people racing to get the customer into the closing booth without properly selling the car.

My philosophy has always been “Relationship-Based Selling” and that can’t happen in this in 45 minutes!  Of course we need to tighten up the sloppy sales process and eliminate the bottlenecks. 

My idea of a quality presentation is a controlled process with a lot of good feeling. 

REMEMBER THIS TOO…feelings sell cars, not logic. Only 10% of the population or less will buy a car based on logic. The customer has got to like you and the dealership and the car before they like the price.  All of the MBA's in Detroit and Japan and, in Germany are not understanding this.  (Stay Tuned for April's Dealer Advocate) These over-educated, no real world experience white shirts think it’s only about how cheap the car is.  Selling Cars Is A People Business!

A retail sale should take no more than one hour selling the car… then one half hour negotiating…and no more than an hour in F&I and delivery.  If a sale lasts more than three hours, from handshake to taillights, that’s too long…if the sale lasts less than two hours, someone is costing you money in lost opportunities!

The answer to this  is practice, practice, practice! If you don't have in-house training send your Sales and F&I Managers to us and get a set of our Ultimate Professional DVDs or VHS tapes. After our training, your Sales and F&I Managers, and your Sales People will understand that selling cars is not a job, but is a mindset and a very profitable career!

P.S. You know you have a good crew when they step up to the plate and deliver because they know you are depending on them!