NetForum - Message Replies

Forum: Idea Exchange

Topic: What Would YOU Do?

Posted by: Joe Boyer (joeboyer@ocslink.com )
Organization:Neil Norton Cadillac-Pontiac
Date posted: Wed Mar 1 12:16:43 EST 2000
Subject: Own What You Sell
Message:
I'd been selling Cadillacs and Pontiacs for about six weeks before a customer asked me, "So, what do you drive?" I stammered around before I admitted I drove a Ford Ranger while my wife drove an antiquated Chevy Astro. Obviously, I didn't make the sale. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't effectively sell a vehicle to a customer that I wouldn't own myself. I knew I needed to get a Pontiac, but I kept putting it off. After all, I just landed the job, money was tight, the time wasn't quite right, etc. Then it dawned on me I was using the same lame excuses on myself that customers used on me. I was stalling myself! As soon as I could, I bought a beautiful new Pontiac Montana minivan for my adoring spouse. If I can do it, I told myself, Mr. Customer can too. In the interval since, I've sold enough new Montanas to make the payments on mine and upped my overall sale-to-up ratio from 17 to 25 percent. The Ranger is next to go. My suggestion is to stand out in the lot on Monday and observe what your sales staff drive to work. If you're selling Fords and they're driving imports, everybody is missing out.

Subject: Own what you WANT
Reply Posted by: Katrina Souder (Cargirl5@hotmail.com )
Organization: Brotherton Cadillac
Date Posted: Sat Sep 1 15:33:40 2001
Message:
If you go with the "own what you sell" rule, you will see a hell of a lot of salespeople buying new cars every few months. I sell Cadillacs, and plan to stay here for the next 15 years, but previously to get enough experience to sell luxury cars, I sold Nissan for three years and Acura for a few months. Face it, the majority of sales people move around a few times during their career.
Being able to say, "yes, I own a Pontiac" is great in theory when you are selling Pontiacs, but if you are a good sales person it doesn't make a bit of difference what you drive. (By the way, I drive a demo Cadillac Catera and my husband drives a Nissan truck, but when I buy my Corvette I don't plan to go to work for Chevy first.)
I do get your point however, in that you have a hell of a lot of validity with your sales pitch when you can say, "Hey, I believe so much in this product that I bought one myself."

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