Understanding Sales Processes for Success

David Lowe 0:00

So process produces predictable results , doesn't it ?

Grace Lupoi 0:03

It sure does .

David Lowe 0:04

But who's the process actually for ? Stay tuned to find out .

Grace Lupoi 0:18

Hi , welcome to Prepare to Win . I'm Grace Lupoi . I'm here with David Lowe and you just said we're talking about process and how it produces that predictable result . Right , and that's one thing that you taught me whenever I was first in service . Yeah , that's right , six years ago .

David Lowe 0:30

That's right . So , yeah , so , obviously , if you want to accomplish something , you come up and say where am I and what do I want and how do I get there ? Right , so that's the vision process that we all use Google map , right ? Where am I now ? Where do I want to go ? How do I get there ?

David Lowe 0:48

So I think sometimes people think processes are something that we have to follow . We forgot that processes were created to make the journey faster and better and easier . Right , so a process , and actually in today's episode , we're going to talk about the sales process . However , the principles we're talking about apply to kind of anything you're doing process-wise , right ? Especially if you're working with a team , right ? How do we communicate ? This is how we do things . We grab a new team member . We got to hand them . Our playbook is how we do things . We grab a new team member . We got to hand them our playbook , in other words , our set of processes . This is how we score , this is how we win . So we talked about well , we had a big class in here and we were talking about the process and we thought each step was designed to create an outcome . That's right . Nothing is random , right , and so as well , in the sale game , we're selling cars . We know when a buyer comes in . They're uncomfortable right .

David Lowe 1:51

So we said , hey , the first thing we got to do is establish relationship and trust right First of all . And so now , how do you do that ? So we came up and we said , let's go ahead and we call the step .

Grace Lupoi 2:05

The welcome step .

David Lowe 2:06

And the goal is to make .

David Lowe 2:07

Them feel comfortable Now is that for the customer or is that for the salesperson , the sales consultant ? So I've been to I don't know hundreds and hundreds of dealerships , of course , and it's interesting to watch the dynamics from the floor when you don't work there , and you can see people standing around looking out the window and you can see customers drive in , and you can also see a lot of salesmen starting the way Should I go out there ? Is this a buyer ? It's funny . They watch people get out of the car .

David Lowe 2:40

Yeah , and you don't even see two or three salesmen hanging out together and they're all watching who's going to go out . I've actually seen salesmen go hey , I'm going to lunch , you guys want that ? I don't even know what they're doing there . So it's really strange . So it seems like that initial contact , even for sales consultants right , it's just kind of uncomfortable . Yeah , it's important that we do a good job , so is the welcome step for the customer making them feel comfortable , or is it just as much there for the sales consultant ? Does that make sense ?

David Lowe 3:16

So , as we walk through this process , in this building professional relationship and trust , we know there's certain things we need to do . We just know it . We know we need to find out why people are here . So I think people think that the sales process is something we want to push our customers through . It's not , it's the natural order of things . Somebody walks in your shop hey , how can I help you ? So you want to know what they're doing and why did they come ? They came to you for a reason . What is it right ? And so the car business for years came up with these really bad things the interview or the qualification , or they called it a needs analysis . Well , we said well , time out , Mr Customer , we're going to right . So I think that there is a purpose to those things , though we have to understand what our buyer wants .

Grace Lupoi 4:09

But more importantly , why they want it and who they are who they are .

David Lowe 4:13

How is it going to make their family , their work and their play life , what they do with their spare time , how is it going to make their life better ? So we call it , of course , understand goals and we ask a series of really good questions that create conversation . Once again , who's it for ? So , yeah , as the sales consultant asks these good questions and listens , the buyer feels heard , feels listened to , and the sales consultant's confidence grows as the relationship grows . So what we're really trying to show you is that everything that's been created is not just for the customer , it's for the sales consultant as well .

David Lowe 4:54

We want to make selling cars a science , a craft , an art , something you can have a healthy pride in . I know there's a lot of trainers out there . It's all about the warrior lifestyle battle , battle , battle , fight , fight , fight , push , push , push . I think that's probably the lowest form of salesmanship available . And then pick that because everybody likes the brute force of it . They like to feel powerful . Me , I'd like to feel skillful . I think power comes from patience and skill , not from brute force . Right , ultimate power in terms of having that healthy pride into customers wanting to come back .

David Lowe 5:30

Yeah you could push anybody into doing things , that's true , but you don't feel good . So we said we want our salespeople to feel good , right , and we want the buyer to feel good .

Grace Lupoi 5:43

That's right .

David Lowe 5:44

So everything we do has a purpose . Who is it for right ? And then we do that silent appraisal right . We log them in the computer to save time . Who are we saving time ? Both people . We do that silent play . We go look at a buyer's trade . Doesn't that give the buyer an opportunity to evaluate what they have and why they want to get rid of it , what they liked and what they didn't like ? Right , doesn't it just as well serve ?

Grace Lupoi 6:08

The sales consultant . There you go .

David Lowe 6:09

That's right and of course , but then we want to go out and sell that car and we have these processes suggesting the selected car right . We have a lot of cars and sometimes what a buyer asks for may not be actually what they want or what they buy . They don't know they do their best . They're on 12 to 14 websites . We know Car Now says 20 to 30 hours online and yet they come in and still haven't shopped . There's 350 models and then the combinations of colors and equipments . It's overwhelming , it's a lot .

David Lowe 6:42

So it's great if we can slow down a minute and say , hey , here's the car you asked about . Let me show you a couple of cars Like it for comparison's sake . Buyers want to feel like they've had options , choices , they made an informed decision , and a professional sales consultant will do that . Now it's also good for the consultant , because if it's basically I want just this car and only this car , right kind of thing , then we're not really consultants , we're just clerks and we may help them get that car . It may not be the best car for the buyer . Now the buyer doesn't come back Again both steps . And it was good . We walk around the car . We show them how that car fits their lifestyle . Who's that for ? Right ? It's for both people . It reminds the salesman . I'm helping these people improve their life . They came here with a problem and I'm helping them solve it .

Grace Lupoi 7:27

That's right .

David Lowe 7:28

And , of course , we tell the value story . Now , how does that impact the salesperson ?

Grace Lupoi 7:32

the value story- I think that's one of the stories that they don't realize how important it is Again , like you said , not just for the customer for themselves . When I have that , that conviction and that passion of what I'm talking about , it's so much more influential .

David Lowe 7:50

So most people don't know how cars are priced these days . I was at band practice yesterday and a drummer was like I'm going to buy a car , how much power do I have ?

David Lowe 7:55

in negotiating Right and our guitar player , brian , used to sell cars and he says , well , you know what it's changed , man , you know what I mean . No , people don't have the big margins anymore for these used cars online . He basically told our value store that Brian was a part of one of the Kia teams that we train and anyway he's informing our drummer that doesn't work like it used to work 10 years ago to him and he said the longer they have the car , probably the lower the margin , because they keep lowering it to drive traffic . So he was really explaining today's market pricing to our drummer was pretty excellent , right .

David Lowe 8:29

That is awesome , yeah , and so as , as we explain that value story to our buyer , not only are we helping them understand what a great deal looks like that whole package right but we're helping remind ourselves wow , I offer a lot of value for the money that's right . And you know what ? This is just a great deal out of the box . Let's not worry about pricing . Let's worry about making sure we have the right car .

Grace Lupoi 8:54

It does both .

David Lowe 8:55

And then , of course , the test drive . We know that mental ownership , but I think for a salesperson to go on that drive and be there , lets me see my buyer . Is this something they're enjoying ? Is this something they're doing ? I don't want to sell you a car , Grace , I want you to be a car guy , I want you to keep coming back right , and so I know I have to sell you a car to earn that . But I have to sell it right if I want to be a master and of course I like watching that and hearing those things .

David Lowe 9:21

So being on a test drive is good for the customer . They feel more comfortable , but most of them some people say , can I go alone ? And I allow that . But for most people they're uncomfortable in a brand-new car , somebody else's car and having you be there following our outline really helps set the stage . So the dealership playbook outlines what to do and the why to do it and the how to do it right . Outlines it in great detail in a way that when you do it it's a benefit not just to the buyer but it's a benefit to you , the person doing it right .

David Lowe 9:55

Okay , and of course we have the trial close , which we want to update that to like you know the right car or something like that . You know , trial closed sounds like we're closing them , but it's been around forever , so we used it and really it's okay . I can say , grace , I'm going to trial close you now , and what I mean is I want to make sure that we've got to , before we go any farther , that this is a car that you would like to own . Does that make sense ? In other words , I want to make sure we've got the right car . That's so important . It's important for the buyer .

Grace Lupoi 10:27

And the sales consultant .

David Lowe 10:29

Yeah , as a sales consultant , I already know three things the price is too high , trade is too low and the payments are way more expected . Yeah , and so since I know that I also know a committed buyer is flexible , I am when I decide I want something

The Power of Process in Sales

David Lowe 10:44

. We were talking about the pickleball court . We had neighbors over Saturday . There was a birthday party in the neighborhood . We were all down there playing to like 11 o'clock . We had the lights on . One of the neighbors was asking me how we decided to do it , and so I was telling the story that we had that big open spot and it was during COVID , you know , 2021 . And I was like , you know what ? We should put a pickleball court . Let's see how much it is . And you know , I said , if it was around 20 grand , I think I would do it . And then , of course , it came back . It was like 30 grand and I'm like , yeah , I think we could , you know , stretch , and of course , we spent 50 grand .

David Lowe 11:27

That's how it worked out . So I think that's the way everything is . It starts with a commitment , and that means I do really want this , and so I will pay to take what it gets to get it , Cause if I can't afford it , then I'll have . Maybe I have to put just a little tiny basketball net down or something right . But if it's really what I want , I want to find a way to do it . This is good for the customer . It's good for the okay .

David Lowe 11:47

So , now we've got a win-win agreement . This is critical because I don't know any salesman that feels good when the buyer feels bad . I think that's . I know some people walk around , slam , you know , and there's a lot of trainers that kind of talk about that and I kind of think it's disgusting . I think most people want to do right by their customer Would you agree I ? Would You've been in the car business for a while . You've noticed that right .

Grace Lupoi 12:12

Right , yeah .

David Lowe 12:14

So I think we want to win-win . Now we know that our prices are already too low , they just are . There's this much margin in what we sell , this much in what everybody else in the world sells . Right , you go to Starbucks , that coffee , how much is that marked up ? You know , everywhere you go everybody has to have a profit and on our $50,000 car there's this much profit , we know so our initial pricing is always win-win . We want to feel good about that and so we do the dealership tour and that's just like . Grace , before you sit down and finalize this thing , I want to let you know I've got your back Right . Who's that for ? Well customer , how they feel about that . I feel great . You did them , I did . How did your customer feel ?

Grace Lupoi 12:57

They felt heard and they felt valued and I think the really trust went way up .

David Lowe 13:03

And so when I say to you so when's my first oil change ? What does that do for you ?

Grace Lupoi 13:06

Combine this car I'm good .

David Lowe 13:08

So again , a dual benefit . And so as we go through the process and in the way that we get our manager involved early with a manager , early manager introduction , so we're all together . It's no longer us against the manager , it's all of us want you to have the gore . It's really the market against us all . That's the only limiting factor . The market decides ultimately what we can do and can't do . And so the old game of manager versus that's so over . I know some people are still playing that . It's really stop it , it's gone , it's done Right . We need to be higher level than that . The market's really the thing . And how we do that , that's good for the customer . It's also good for whom .

Grace Lupoi 13:49

Us , yeah Us consultants .

David Lowe 13:51

We had a new manager that came through . He went through our been managing for 15 years in Texas . He went through our dealership playbook and he said I never want to go back to selling that way again . I just can't . I can't stand it , but I've been doing it for 15 years and I've hated it . Why wouldn't we do it this way ? It's going to make us more money and it feels so much better .

Grace Lupoi 14:12

Feel better as a professional .

David Lowe 14:14

That's the point . The real point is , if you're going to do something , do it with your whole heart , your whole mind , your whole strength . Do it well right , do it in a way that says I've got you , I got you All right , and of course , we do a delivery and follow-up . We're not going to really get into those , but those things really set the stage and keep us in touch with it , really help us build our business . So really , what we wanted to do today on this episode is we want to remind you the power of process in your life . You don't serve it , it serves you , and we want to know that the things that you think you're doing for someone else , you're really doing for yourself .

David Lowe 14:51

If I shortcut some of these steps , I'm not only stealing from my buyer , I'm stealing from myself . I'm not only weakening my buyer's commitment , I'm weakening my confidence , and so when I go through the process , the more steps that I can do with excellence the better . Yes , that's right , customer wins and you win .

The Power of the Process

David Lowe 15:11

So today's episode was all about who's the process for , and really we kind of talked about the power of the process . There's an end goal in mind and when you seek excellence , you want to do your very best with every guest , every opportunity that you have , and we believe that understanding that the process works for you and understanding what you do and how you do it matters not just to your customer but to you too , developing that healthy pride right .

Grace Lupoi 15:38

Awesome .

David Lowe 15:38

So I can't wait to see you for our next episode . Thank you so much for being with us . Good selling .