Sound familiar?? While you may not have actually heard these words come our of your salesmen’s mouths, many have thoughts that say it so loud, it’s as though they spoke the words!

Why is it that so many of our sales people have such an aversion to simply following up with their own customers? They would prefer to stand by the front door and wait for the next new customer to drive up, and then race to be the one to greet them first. It can’t be because those “fresh” customers have higher closing ratios. In fact, you have a much higher likelihood of closing a customer that has already spent time with you, than one that is coming in to look for the first time.

So what is it? I have a few theories. First, I believe that many salespeople do not know: How to handle a customer, How to offer customer service, How to sell both the car and themselves. This is a big problem! But, it is not one that is solely their fault. While you may have to be born a salesman to do the job, most people still have to be taught how to sell a car.

There are a lot of items involved in selling a car. It is often difficult, especially for “green peas” to grasp all there is to know simply from shadowing another salesperson. Furthermore, those that are not taught correctly up-front, will have an even harder time adjusting to a different style later. Managers need to take this into account.

Make sure that you spend sufficient time with your new salespeople, even if they are new only to your store. Teach them your sales techniques and how to be organized. Then, keep teaching them again and again, and again. The long-term benefit that can be derived is enormous. Your salespeople will appreciate your interest in their success and will benefit from your knowledge. And, you will be rewarded with a much more productive and happy salespro.

Second, salespeople are generally looking for the quick buck, even if it takes them several days and a multitude of customers to get it. It is an odd phenomenon. It accomplishes little, and often puts many out of a job. They are in it for the short haul. The quick fix. Not only does this promote poor customer service, these salespeople burn through customers that will buy cars, just not from them. If they had followed up, shown some interest in the customer, sold the customer on their sincere desire to help with this most difficult decision of purchasing a new car, then your salesperson would have had a customer for life.

That is all that customers are really looking for, someone who they know is really trying to help them. Someone, whose interest continues beyond the point when the customer walks out the door, because the customer knows that if the salesperson has little interest in me after I leave before I buy, he’ll have no interest afterwards. And that is a very uncomfortable feeling.

If you have salespeople at your store that are closing 25, 30 cars per month and upwards, I would bet that they are one of the more thoughtful people that shows true concern and interest in their customers. Someone that the customer is comfortable with and knows will be there for them and their referrals if there ever was a need. That’s the only way to reach those numbers.

To me, this is a hiring issue. Be selective. Look to see how interested your potential hire is in you, and in working for you. How does he carry him, or herself? Does he, or she seem concerned about doing a good job for you? These are not all things that make a good salesperson, but they are the things that can make a good one, great!

Finally, many salespeople need a good tool for follow-up. Because many are less organized, or simply because your store is very busy, it becomes difficult to keep track of one’s customers and therefore impossible to follow-up. A good tool to track and follow-up with customers is imperative to be sure that follow-up is being done.

In choosing this tool, make sure that it is easy to use, and incorporates as much tracking as possible for the different actions of follow-up, i.e. incoming and outgoing calls, as well as letters. Additionally, make sure that as a manager, you both endorse and encourage the use of such a tool. Managers are there as leaders. If you do not motivate and encourage and lead as a manager, you will have no one who will follow you. And you should not blame those who do not follow a leader who had spoken no words.