Customer (Marketing) Prospecting

When I first entered the car business my sales manager ask me to make a list of all the people I knew. Then he asked me to contact these people and ask if they or anyone they knew were in the market for a new vehicle. I was worried that the next thing he was going to get me to do was go door to door. I was starting to think I was in the life insurance business, which is not,  what I thought I was hired for. I thought my job description was to answer incoming sales calls and talk to walk in customers.  Customer Prospecting, forget it, most of us hate it. Although, I think we “salespeople” have forgotten actually how much the manufacturer and dealerships market and prospect for us everyday, I know I did.

Think about it;

Prospecting and Marketing have the exact same meaning; looking, searching, exploring… The manufactures call it marketing and so do the dealers. So, If we “salespeople” look at it from a marketing view point, then it all makes sense.

Auto manufactures continuously prospect / market everyday via auto shows, national television, radio, magazines, display signs, newspapers, billboards, sponsoring events, charities, and more. The manufacturers are the industry’s number one prospecting group, followed by the dealerships.

The dealerships are second in customer prospecting via local television, radio, internet, newspapers ads, community donations, sponsoring local sports teams and much more.

The third is the salesperson, which in my opinion has dropped the ball. Don’t get me wrong, not all salespeople are poor customer prospectors (marketers), just a large number of them.

Customer prospecting is a very important factor in contributing to the success of a new sales person. If you are an experienced sales person and are not delivering 150 units per year, then your future success depends on it too. The success of a sales person has a direct relation to the success of the dealership. When times are good, almost every sales person can sell some vehicles. This falls into what I like to call, “just having a heart beat”, call yourself a sales person and stand in the showroom. The customers will walk in and 10% of them will buy from you just because you are there.

I’ve said it many times in my sales meetings “Consistency and Game Plan”. Sales people that have a systematic strategy of prospecting will simply have a larger potential customer base to draw from than a non-prospecting sales person. This added base of customers per month is what will distinguish an average sales person from an exceptional one.

If you feel you or your sales team are underachieving in this regard, here are a few ideas you can start with to turn things around.

Make a list of 1000 plus names and telephone numbers of people that you do not know and put some thought into your list. Example: If your last name is Smith put the Smith’s on your list. From this list of 1000 unknown new prospects, if you can get 2 to 5 percent of them to purchase, that’s 20 to 50 more vehicles “over the curb” per year. This means approximately an extra $ 10,000.00 per year to every sales person that does it. So the question you can ask yourself is, is it worth doing?

Massive Rejection is the Key to marketing Success.

Your prospecting has to be done at the start of your shift or at the end, you can even do it from home. Make 5 to 10 calls per day, if you work 22 days in a month it adds up fast. Your calls have to be short and to the point.

Example Call:

“Hi,  My name is Darin George and I’m calling from ABC Motors and was wounding if you are in the market for a new or used vehicle?”

If the answer is Yes, continue…

If the answer is No, Thank them for their time and tell them if they ever need any help in getting a vehicle they could call You.

Here is a partial list of resources, methods, and groups of people to consider when making your prospecting list of 1000 people:

• family and friends
• the white pages in the telephone book
• the yellow pages, businesses etc.
• auto body and paint shops
• insurance offices
• general contractors
• the internet
• clubs and associations
• coffee shops
• your neighbors, your doctor or dentist
• newspapers, classified ads
• buy and sell newspapers
• auto traders, people are selling and buying from these magazines
• your service department, your mechanics can refer people to you
• do a group fax out to some local business
• you can even run an ad in your local paper

Be proud of your profession.

Tell everyone you know and meet that you are in the automotive industry. At one time or another, everyone will become dissatisfied with their current vehicle. The key is to know when they are ready for a new one. But bear in mind we’re talking ballpark here – you will never know the precise or exact moment when anyone is ready, even your brother or sister.

You or your sales people should never tell the sales management  there is nothing to do at the dealership – You can always do some “MARKETING”.

Remember it’s Marketing not Prospecting

Darin’s Wrap Up

I hope this months sales meeting has started your creative juices flowing. Have fun with your prospecting, Oh I’m sorry, Marketing. If you would like more info on this sales meeting topic, just call the College and ask for Darin.

The Drive to Sell Well