“Selling RVs gets easier the longer you do it.”
Do you agree with that statement?
The truth is, selling RVs does get easier for some sales professionals, but not for others.
Some get better. Some get bitter or stuck in less-than-ideal habits.
Slow sales seasons can drive more salespeople into a downward spiral if you are not mindful.
Hearing salespeople discuss challenging market conditions is interesting. They tend to divide into two camps. One camp includes salespeople seeking to vent. Another camp includes salespeople seeking solutions.
Some will use the downturn as an excuse to soothe their egos over poor results. Others use slow sales as fuel to dig deeper, search for answers, and develop their reaction time to meet and overcome the new challenges.
Recently, I asked top sales pros what percentage of their customers are repeat or referral buyers, and the results were enviable. One even said that they had so many repeat customers they would bring in other sales members to work the referrals, despite the slow retail market.
How many deals did you do with repeat customers this past year?
How many referrals did you get this past year?
In sales, you are responsible for your results. If you do not make it happen, it will not happen.
The blueprint for any business is its business plan. How are you going to take your business where you want it to go? What are your goals, and what are your paths to achieve them?
Achieving success starts with defining your goals.
One piece of advice that served me very well in sales was to take my goal and double it. Now, plan for how you will hit that much more daunting goal.
Some people call this a stretch goal, something to reach for beyond the achievable. You may not hit it, but you will likely achieve more than you would with a smaller goal.
Write down a stretch goal for yourself and look at it. The activity is a quick way to see what camp your mind is currently in. Is your mind saying, “Let’s go for it!” Is your mind saying, “No way!”
How many deals, or what percentage of your business, do you want to get from repeat customers?
How many referrals do you want to generate annually?
What are you doing to make those goals a reality? What else can you do to give your business an edge?
‘You’re either growing, or you’re dying’
Top producers tend to stay curious and interested in learning what is working for others in the field. Top producers are open to trying new things that may be out of their comfort zone. Top salespeople never feel like they have arrived and can rest on their past success.
When I interview leading sales performers to discover their best practices, they are often quick to say, “I would like to see how other salespeople respond. Send me the list of best practices when you have them.”
How do you react to hearing about other sales professionals’ successes or best practices?
Again, two camps often divide when considering the answer. One says, “I know that/I’ve heard that before.” Another group says, “I need to do that more,” or “I used to be better at that, and I need to get back to it.”
Knowing something and acting on it can be entirely different. Act with discipline and consistency, even when you do not feel like the practice is a key differentiator. As one top sales pro said, “I have a Post-it note on my computer that reads ‘I don’t have to feel like doing something to do it.’”
Here are some best practices from top sales producers. As you read them, pay attention to which camp your mind takes you towards.
“Every year, I send out at least 250 Christmas cards with a handwritten note to my customers. You create your own momentum.”
“If anyone in sales overpromises something, they have to work with the technician to get it done for the customer. Learning how to support service helps sales.”
“I write down and capture everything. The customers see I am truly listening.”
“The dealership has a CRM I use to recall every detail. I can look years back and recall everything the customer liked/did not like. They are so surprised!”
“I set alarms in my phone to remind myself when to follow up.”
“I am responsive. Being there for them after the sale with a quick video call to help them out goes a long way. It may ruin my weekend, but it helps make my year.”
“When issues come up with customers, if you acknowledge the issues, own them and work towards a resolution, that will be the best customer you ever had.”
What are you doing to ensure that the customers you are interacting with will be loyal to you in the future and enthusiastically refer other customers?
Pay close attention to what you are thinking and doing to stay firmly in the right camp. Plan your day to ensure you excel at providing a consistent, high-quality experience where your customers feel heard, understood, and valued, regardless of when they buy.
Valerie Ziebron is a leading industry expert and top-rated speaker. She has delivered thousands of presentations for dealers and their OEM partners to help dealerships ‘flip the switch’ from reactive to proactive business practices.
