Successful Auto Repair Shop Owners Don't Sell, They Help Clients Buy

Don't Just Sell, Help Your Clients Buy by Rick White, President 180BIZ

There are all kinds of books out there about how to sell better, how to do a better job selling. But you know, one of the best ways to be a great salesperson is to remember what it was like to be a customer. It's kind of like a circle. There are days that we're the service provider and there are days that we're the customer. And I think stepping back and really digging into what the experience has been with you as the customer can help you increase your sales ability exponentially. Let's think about the lessons you've learned as a customer.

How were you treated? How did they engage you? Did they frustrate you? I'll give you a perfect example of frustration. I had to call a pharmacy yesterday to check on a prescription. When I called the automated attendant, asked for my birth date before they got me to the pharmacist, which is fine. What cracks me up is when the pharmacist then asked me what my birth date is. Okay. Now maybe that's just cause I'm from Massachusetts originally. But I think that's a waste of my time and wrong. If you're going to ask me the question, ask it once and listen. So, I can learn that, right? How that made me feel. I can learn to do a better job of listening.

So, what lessons can you learn from you being a customer? What did you love? What did you hate? What would you change now? That's the first thing is look for the lessons as a customer. Second thing I want you to do is step back and recognize that no one likes to be sold. How many times have you been in a situation where you were talking to a salesperson and thought they must have a plaque on their desk that said, “My job doesn't start until the customer says no.”? They were the pushiest S O Bs you ever saw. No one likes to be sold. Everyone loves to buy. Are you selling? Or are you helping people buy? It takes you from your perspective.

When you're focused on selling you're pushing your agenda. Instead, focus on the buying process, on what triggers the buyer, on what helps them make the decisions. How can you influence that? All of a sudden you're on the same side as your customer and you're helping them. You become an assistant buyer. Number one, what lessons can you learn from being a customer? Number two, no one likes to be sold. Everyone likes to buy. How are you creating a buying experience? How are you creating an environment that helps you influence your customer? So that's number two.

And then number three, as you learn these lessons from your buying experiences, understand that people tend to sell the way they like to buy. This is important. People tend to sell the way they like to buy. Which is fantastic. As long as you're talking to someone that's just like you. But what happens when they're not just like you? What happens when they want a different experience? Are you curious enough and aware enough to pick up on that and then provide it?

I had a talk with a client last week and I was telling him that you got to change things up based on the person you're dealing with. And he said to me, “Yeah, but then that changes my sales process.” It really doesn’t change your sales process.  That should remain the same.  Your process is the recipe to you creating sales. It's your presentation that changes. It's your engagement that changes. And instead of you expecting everyone to come to where you are, go to where the customer is. Does that make sense? If you learn this nuance you're going to see your sales skyrocket.

So, I hope you got these three things. Number one, look for lessons as a customer. Number two, no one likes to be sold, but everyone loves to buy. And number three, not everyone buys the same. If this video resonates with you today, please share the video, give someone else the gift of this message. We want to help as many people as we possibly can go from surviving to thriving. There's enough work out there for everyone. We don't have to worry about competition because truly there is more work out there than all of us can handle.

God, bless, stay safe and go make some money.