We have all heard the sports phrase: “the best defense is a good offence”. It applies equally well when we think of some common objections we get when we ask for the business. Now we are not going to suggest that you adopt that pushy and aggressive tactic of ignoring or bypassing objections. We need to retire that throwback to the 60’s. Clients know when you have avoided their objection and the rapport you have worked hard to develop is suddenly gone. Instead, let’s explore those objections or stalls that we can “take away” before they can come up.
Here are three objections you might get after you have spent 30-60 minutes with your client figuring our their needs, showing them vehicles that would be a good fit, demonstrating, and building value in the dealership. When you ask for their commitment to purchase you get one of:
“I want to think about it”
“I need to talk to my spouse”
“I still need to shop around”
What is the characteristic that is common to all three of these stalls? They don’t really tell you what the true objection is! Want to think about it? – think about what? Talk to my spouse? – talk about what? Shop around? – for what?
In all three cases the real objection could be anything: the product, the features, the dealership, the salesperson, the price, trade value, or something else! Many times it can be just procrastination that causes them to use one of these stalls to leave without making a decision.
We can lower the odds that they will use one of these three if we do a better job in the interview and presentation. Find out how long they have been “thinking about” changing their vehicle or putting up with the current car that doesn’t meet their needs. Find out if they are the primary driver or if someone else has a say in the purchase decision. Find out how long they have been shopping or how many dealerships they have shopped. Do a great job in linking product features to their specific personal needs.
If you have done a great job you don’t leave anything to think about. If they still use the “think about it” stall you can honestly say: “from everything you have told me about your situation and needs, it seems like this vehicle is perfect for you. Can I ask, what is that thing that you’re still unsure about – that you need to think about”
The same goes for “need to talk to my spouse” – hard to use if they have said in the interview that it is their decision. If they still use it you can summarize how the vehicle meets all of their needs and say: “from everything you have told me about your situation and needs, it looks like this vehicle is perfect for you. Can I ask, if it was just up to you is this the vehicle you want? What do you think your spouse will say?”
It is hard for them to use “need to shop around” if they have said that they already have visited other dealerships – or don’t much like car shopping. If they still use it you can summarize how the vehicle meets all of their needs and say: “from everything you have told me about your situation and needs, it seems like this vehicle is perfect for you. Can I ask, what is that thing that you’re still unsure about – what are you hoping to find by shopping more?”
We aren’t going to suggest that this approach will work 100% of the time to eliminate stalls before they come up. However, if we get more information out in the interview process we can significantly reduce the number of times they do come up. That means more people saying yes and more sales for you!
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