Salesmanship

Stop Selling RVs - Start Selling Lifestyle and Relationships

By Bob Zagami

Customers do not buy RV's; they buy the RV lifestyle and select a unit that will best meet their needs. Whether it's touring, weekend camping, or a seasonal trailer on a lot by the lake … they buy what they need for the way they live the RV lifestyle.

Why then do most dealers try to sell a "product" once a prospect ventures on to the lot or into the showroom? Did you ever listen to what your sales reps first words are to potential clients:

"What can I sell you today."

"Are you looking for a new trailer (or motorhome) today?"

"Let me show you the new models from XYZ manufacturer."

Most sales reps don't know who they are talking to or why they even stopped at the dealership. All too often they immediately go into "sales mode" and start thinking about what is best for the dealer instead of what is best for the customer.

Chances are it has been some time since you made any dramatic changes at your dealership. Here's a different approach that may have some value when you do an internal audit of your sales practices and your closing ratios.

Let's assume that it is the prospect's first visit to your dealership.

Greet them with excitement and personality: "Good morning, I'm Bob Zagami, welcome to RV USA." (Wait for the prospect to introduce themselves … if they don't, simply ask them who they are.) "Have you ever visited our dealership before?" When they say no, invite them inside for a cup of coffee and a quick tour so that they will be comfortable with the products and services you offer. Don't worry, the RV's are not going to disappear from the lot - it just isn't the right time to start selling.

When your are getting the coffee or the soft drinks invite them to sit down, relax, and engage them in a discussion. If your dealership does not have a professional conference room then a well-kept customer lounge area might have to do. Ask questions that will allow you to find out who they are, what brought them into the dealership, what type of RV they presently own, how they use their RV, what type of camping they do, and a host of other things that should come up in an introductory conversation. People buy from people. The more comfortable you can make them with you and the dealership, the better your chances are of gaining their business.

We call this consultative selling. Find out what your customer needs and provide them with solutions. Stop trying to sell a product. Start selling the benefits they will receive from the product.

Now it is time to provide them with a tour of your facilities. If you are not proud of the appearance of your showroom, parts and accessories store, service department or layout of the lot, then why should they be? If you are not proud of it, then change it, because it is costing you more business than you realize.

As you do your tour, take every opportunity to introduce them to other employees and explain what role they play at your dealership. Make them feel comfortable, make them "want" to do business with your company.

Sure it's different, but think of how the prospect will now look at your company. You have given them several reasons to do business with your company and they have had an opportunity to get comfortable with you.

The lesson here is very simple, spend more quality time with the prospect at the beginning of the relationship and you will have a better opportunity of gaining their confidence and business.

By now you should know enough about them and their requirements that you can start to show them selections from your inventory that will meet their RV lifestyle.

The amount of time you spend pre-qualifying the client will actually shorten the selling cycle because you will concentrate only on those products that meet their needs. Because you spent time understanding their needs, they will be more willing to come back and visit again if you don't have the appropriate product in your inventory, or they will allow you to order the unit because they are comfortable with your dealership and you have earned their trust.

Product sales representatives feel that they must see a lot of prospects to close the amount of business they need to earn a living. The fact is that they don't spend "enough" time building a relationship and therefore the prospect feels no obligation to stay at the dealership. Product oriented sales also will reflect in lower profits, because you are dealing in commodities instead of perceived value.

Consultative sales representatives will spend more time with prospects, see less prospects, and will close more sales because they have established that critical relationship the customer wants when making an investment in their new RV. Consultative sales representatives show the "value-added" of doing business with your company, this value should reflect in higher profits. Your prospects are just like you and me … they will pay more for better service.

Unfortunately, many product-oriented sales representatives are not capable of making the transition to consultative selling. Many are not willing to invest in the relationship building phase that is so critical to establishing customers who will continue to come back to your dealership.

Remember, you are not selling RV's, you are providing solutions to your customers RV lifestyle requirements. You must strive to create an environment that will establish a long-term relationship with every person who enters your dealership.

Building relationships will grow your dealership because the customers will come back to a company they are comfortable doing business with. Once you have sold them the RV, there should be an estimated value of future business that you can and should maximize. You will want to make sure they return to the dealership to get authorized factory service. They should also become regular customers at parts and accessories store for the items needed to complement their RV lifestyle. They should be a source of referrals for friends and relatives who also enjoy RV'ing. Most importantly, you should be their first choice when it is time to upgrade or trade-in their current unit.

Want to see how well you are doing? Conduct a simple test. Pull the records of your last 100 sales. How many of these customers were repeat customers that were trading in a unit they purchased at your dealership? You may not like the statistic that you come up with, but you will quickly understand what this article is all about. It will also establish the base from which you can develop new programs and establish goals and objectives to improve your customer relationships.

Good luck and good selling.

RVN