Sometimes the best strategy is just making it easy…
A few month ago I was in the market for a new car. With memories of January’s weather still fresh I quite fancied the look of the new Soduku 4X4. It was a nice balance between sturdy practicality, comfort and economy. Pleasingly styled without being too aggressive. A road test was duly arranged and considerable thought given to engine options, colour and interior trim. I was also confident of the trade-in value of my existing car which was regularly serviced and carefully cared for.
A done deal? Well not quite. Dave (the salesman) looked at my current vehicle and sucked on his teeth. “It’s a convertible and you’ve got outstanding finance” . “True” I said, “But the finance is a lot less than the value. When it’s settled there’ll be money for a deposit. And summer’s coming – it’ll fly off the forecourt”. “Well It would be a lot easier if you came back when the agreement is settled” he countered. “Makes the whole thing cleaner and we all know where we stand”. So I left with a philosophical shrug. Easier for whom? Anyway, there was no rush and there were only two months to go. I returned to studying the options list: xenon headlights or a touch-screen sat-nav?
And then, as is so often the case, events got in the way. My car got valeted and looked very smart in the spring sunshine; even better, a rattle under the dashboard was traced to a long-lost pair of sunglasses. As the weather got better so did the idea of a convertible. And then the thought became a dilemma. I knew I’d decided to keep it when I got a slight scuff on one of the alloys repaired.
While the names have been changed to protect the innocent, this little illustration is entirely true. I was a serious customer and if things had been made just a little bit easier I’d have signed on the line. I would have stuck to the deal too, whatever the siren calls from my existing car. Maybe there would have been a few twinges, but I would have found a way to rationalise these and been very happy with my decision. That’s what buyers do. But this also shows a classic problem of sales performance. Most organisations want to help their people deal more effectively with difficult situations – intense competition, price pressure, new regulations and it’s entirely right that they do. But there are as many sales lost, if not more, by salespeople who struggle with selling’s essentials, who over-complicate the situation and walk past the close. What might happen to a Business that was able to convert every open-minded, broadly positive prospect into a customer?
Meanwhile, the salesman and his sales manager may (or may not) be wondering where I’ve gone – “Don’t worry Dave, He was probably just a tyre-kicker”.
Mike Hawthorne, Managing Director
achieveglobaluk
mikehawthorne
