Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
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industry expert / advertising & marketing the ones with white, gold or orange stitching? Maybe if I just get black jeans, it will make me look slimmer. I am nearly ready to give up and stay true to my casual attire of a sport coat and slacks. Spending time with a customer and asking the right questions will close the sale eight out of 10 times. It's All In The Presentation and Word Tracks Then it just appeared out of nowhere, a store like no other I've ever seen. It had great curb appeal, and I thought, "OK, this is a nice-looking store from the outside, so let's try again." I entered the store and the first thing I noticed was how everything was in place, lined perfectly, organ- ized and merchandised to move you through the store. It was well thought out to in- crease a shopper's time within the store (side note—time on site and time in store, see the resemblance?), and I instantly felt at ease since the store had a nice color palette, good lighting, was not cramped and even smelled of a hint of bergamot and a dash of leather. I felt a calming effect. I was then greeted by a gentle- man who was clean shaven, pressed, and wearing pair of John Lobb Hutton shoes shined to perfection and a very nice Italian-cut, 180-count, 3-button suit with a seven-fold tie and splash of color with his pocket square. "Good evening, sir, my name is Walter, and thank you for stop- ping into Billionaire Couture. Have you ever had the oppor- tunity of visiting us before?" I did not even have the chance to say, "No, thanks, I am just looking," so I just said, "Ummm, no." Walter went on, "Well, excel- lent, sir, and thank you for being our guest this evening. So if I may, allow me to briefly explain our clothing line. We are a haute couture line exclu- sively for men of discerning taste, style and fashion sense. Every garment we offer has a story to tell and a personality to reveal." I was speechless, so I murmured, "OK." He asked, "So if I may ask your name, Mr. …?" I said, "Call me Paul." "Thank you, Paul, and again, I am Walter." He then went into a very in- formative presentation of the Italian craftsmanship, the fab- ric, the warranty, the on-site alteration, and the VIP serv- ices and a few other things. "Wow," I thought, "Walter has his why-buy-me presentation perfected." He was impressive, well spoken, confident and knowledgeable. I asked him if he was the owner and he said, "Oh, no Paul, but thank you. I am a client advisor." He had my at- tention since he was so fo- cused on me as his guest, and I was not his only guest. Create a culture in your dealership so every team mem- ber knows the unique selling proposition and everyone must become your dealership brand advocate. This only happens with regular training. Setting The Bait Then he said, "Is there any- thing you are looking for in particular this evening, or would you like to browse?" I told him I would like to browse. He said, "Excellent, Paul, and may I get you a cup of tea or sparkling water?" "No, thank you," I said. I spent some time looking at shoes, pocket squares and the most exquisite tailored shirts. He saw the sparkle in my eye, and he stepped in and said, "If I may, Paul, allow me to ex- plain how our shirts are made, but before I do, are you sure I could not offer you a cup of Earl Grey?" I said, "Sure," and then tea was served from another gentleman as Walter pointed out the details of stitching, thread count, fabric, hand-carved buttons and even a special cutout for the "modern male" who wears a larger watch. Oh yeah, that's what I am talking about, a modern man. He had me! I wanted the shirt. And when I pulled out the price tag, WOWZZA, but I stayed composed and did not blink or show my pain. After all, Walter is spending a lot of time with me and just gave me some tea, so I have to buy something. OK, I can justify it. The buttons are handmade, no other shirt maker has a war- ranty like this and he has a VIP program. Wait, what the heck do I need a warranty or VIP program for on a shirt? I was sold in my own mind somehow. I was commit- ted; this shirt was sharp! Create the stage and perform so a customer receives the "wow" factor. Shopping for a car is much like shopping for a pair of jeans. You can associate each step of shopping for jeans with the car-shopping process. The Close Was Easy I said, "So Walter, do you have jeans?" 19