by Joe Verde 
In class, we ask, “Was anyone ever in a play?” There’s always a “Yes”. Then we ask “Did you have a script to learn and follow?” “Of course.” So we ask “If you hadn’t had the script and just winged it’, wouldn’t you have given a pretty poor performance?” “Sure” is always the answer.
Now, a few quick questions for you in sales…
When you’re with a prospect, aren’t you on stage just like in that play? Isn’t your prospect waiting for a performance (presentation)? Aren’t you supposed to follow the basics every time? (Greet, build rapport, investigate, present, demonstrate, overcome objections and close the sale.) Isn’t that what your dealership hired you to do with every prospect?
If you wing it every time and don’t have a good plan that works – won’t the result be no sale most of the time?
You make money when you make a sale and you get zip if you don’t – that’s a fact.
Since that’s true and since most sales follow the same basic guidelines, since most customers object to the same things just in different words, wouldn’t it make sense and wouldn’t you make more sales and more money if you went ahead and took the time to plan what you’ll say to close the sale, plan ahead for what you’ll say to overcome the same objections you always hear, and plan ahead on what to include in your walk around presentation? Of course, the answer is “Yes”, again.
What’s a script book? It’s a collection of the “best things” to say that will move you closer to the sale. Take your greeting. You’ve said “Can I help you?” enough times to know you’ll get “Just looking” 90% of the time. You also know that 75% of the time “Welcome to ABC Motors, I’m Joe and you’re…?” will get you their name instead (and no objection).
So if you were creating a greeting script book, you’ll only put in the greeting that works best and you’d leave out “What’s Up?”, “What can I sell you today?” and all those other worthless ways we all learned to greet people on the lot.
Common sense would tell you to collect the very best ways to greet, build rapport, investigate, present, demonstrate, ask for the order, handle objections and transition into moving inside, once you have a commitment.
Not rocket science, just common sense. And if you’ve been to my classes or watched my videos or ever seen this newsletter before, you’ve heard or read “word for word” scripts that work. The problem is you didn’t learn them and are still saying the same old “how can I help you?” and “well do you want to get it?” and you can’t figure out why you aren’t making more money.
It took me five years in sales to finally understand “scripts”. I didn’t like them because I thought they’d sound phony (which they do if you haven’t practiced enough) and that they wouldn’t work, so I never learned them and didn’t use them.
Then I heard a speaker say “everything you say now is scripted” and I got to thinking about it and he was right. I was using the same greeting, give or take, with every customer. If they asked what their trade was worth, I said almost the same thing every time. Same with closing and handling their objections. I was using my 8 car a month scripts.
That speaker also said, if you’re making $20,000 a year in sales, it’s because you’re using $20,000 scripts. And if you want to make $100,000, you’ll have to change your words. … He was right, I changed my words (scripts) and made more in 7 months than I made my first five years put together. Learn your scripts!
©2004 by The Joe Verde Group. All rights reserved. Reprinted here with permission.
Joe Verde has been in the car business since 1973 as a salesperson and manager, and since 1985 he has become the leader in sales and management training for our industry. His company, The Joe Verde Group, advises key decision makers in top dealerships internationally on how to achieve all of their sales and management goals. Joe has spoken at the ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, 2000 and 2001 annual NADA conventions and has been invited back again in 2002. Joe is also in constant demand to speak around the world to manufacturers groups, dealer 20-groups, state and local associations and other auto industry groups.
You can contact Joe at:
The Joe Verde Group
P.O. Box 267 San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693-0267
Phone: 1 (888) 717-2782
Fax: 1 (949) 489-3881
E-mail: [email protected]