Price conversations with RV buyers can be difficult for salespeople. Joe Verde Group Instructor Sean Gardner said selling customers based on price will always be tough. Instead, he said salespeople need to get customers excited about the RV.
For that reason, he recommended a conversational approach that steers customers away from price concerns in the early stages. He said when consumers bring up price, salespeople should redirect the conversation to the RV and its features.
“I am going to show you how to close without using the price,” Gardner said during the RVDA Convention/Expo. “You are going to leave here with somewhat of a silver bullet, because you can do everything perfectly, and the customer could still say, ‘I appreciate the three hours you have given me on a Saturday, but I am going to shop this price.’”
Gardner said customers often are unsure what questions to ask when considering an RV, aside from price. Salespeople can help consumers by changing the conversation.
“Within the first five minutes, 95% of customers are going to ask, ‘What is the price on this fifth wheel?’” Gardner said. “I am going to say, ‘It is just over $120,000. So, are you thinking fifth wheel then? Or would you like to look at some travel trailers too?’ I did not dodge on the price, but that is also not what I am talking about.”
Gardner said 90% of initial price questions can be set aside with a confident response, shifting the conversation to the consumer’s needs and wants. Garnder said answering the price question is important, but salespeople should avoid getting stuck on price.
Gardner said consumers who are concerned about their trade-in value can have their questions turned back toward the new RV. Salespeople can ask the consumers what they liked about their old RV, and what they did not like. The questions bring the conversation back to buying a new RV.
Gardner said consumers go through three stages before reaching the buying stage: the like, listen and believe stages. He said the like stage is the most important of the four because it occurs before the buying stage.
“A lot of salespeople get price-focused in the warm-up,” Gardner said. “They sit down at the desk with the customer, and their questions are, ‘What price range are you guys looking to stay in? Are you going to be using our financing, or are you going to pay cash? Do you have a trade-in? Do you owe anything on that?’ You are already too price-focused. Your job in the warm-up is to make friends and help them feel comfortable. You need to find their wants, needs and hot buttons.”
Gardner said salespeople need to ask what type of RV consumers are interested in, how they might use the RV, what features are important, and how many people will sleep in the RV. He said a retired couple looking for a full-time home will have different needs from a family of five camping on occasional weekends.
“This is great information,” Gardner said. “It has nothing to do with asking the customers what price range they are looking at.”
Information gathered from consumers can guide them in the RV selection process. He said salespeople should review the dealerships’ inventory daily to understand how each RV fits potential customers.
“Sell them on the RV,” he said. “‘You guys wanted this extra room, right? You wanted the full-size appliances. You wanted the extra storage space this RV has.’ That is selling the on the RV.”
Eventually, Gardner said, price becomes part of the negotiation. For consumers financing an RV, monthly payments often matter more than the price.
“There is another word for payments. It is budget,” Gardner said. “Budget is a customer-friendly term. Budget is going to make your negotiations a lot easier. The only thing you can do with price is go up or down, but there is a lot your F&I department can do to help customers fit an RV into their budget.”
Gardner said closing sales is important but involves more than finalizing the deal.
“Closing is any question you ask or anything you do that moves the sale forward,” he said. “You are closing the customer from the second they walk on the lot. You keep closing by doing a great job with each step of the selling process.”
