You know that feeling when things are just going your way – like when you’re driving in your car and you’re catching all the green lights? That is not by accident.
It’s easy to relax a bit and give yourself permission to be on autopilot sometimes. It’s also the most dangerous thing you can do in terms of personal development. In order to keep the knife sharp, you must not only use it, but sharpen it. Daily if needed.
In order to differentiate yourself from the pack and be a true pro, you must commit every day with every deal to have the right spirit of intent. This means three things. Serving is the first one. In order to provide great service, you have to know your products. Read the front and back of every page of every form you have the customer signing and be the expert on where the information is when you are asked to clarify details about coverage or other such disclosures.
Be friendly but genuine at the same time. Remember to be polite and say thank you for the business. When you are not doing a deal, work on training your team.
By being respectful of the people you work with, you will continue to build relationships within your organization which will serve you down the road as well. By being very responsive and utilizing the feedback you elicit to make slight adjustments to your process, you will ultimately provide service that is second to none not only to your customers, but also to your team.
The second thing you must do is help! By helping your customers, you build your brand. Nothing is more powerful than the value of word of mouth marketing. You can help people before they even start becoming customers.
By planting seeds and managing the customer’s expectations, you can be authentic in your customer interactions. Take massive action! Start becoming the most helpful person you know. When you come to work, you do so to be helpful. You don’t have to be the biggest; in fact, you don’t want to be. Instead, strive for being the best, your best!
When you work for a great organization, you inherit the legacy of trust over time. It’s that same trust the customer has in you to help take care of them by protecting them with the right coverages and mix of products for their purchase.
The third and final thing you must figure out how to do is solve their problems. How is this done? By focusing on your listening. I mean really listening. Pay attention and sweat the details during your conversation with the customer.
This will basically give you the roadmap for how to solve their problems or concerns moving forward. You have to become hyper-aware, which if you have empathic tendencies, it might come easier to you.
This is where you give them an easy decision for what appears to be a really hard choice. When they object, and say it’s too much, you have to be confident in responding directly with, “How much too much is it?” Read that again. How much too much is it? They will tell you how to make their deal work!
Follow these basic three ideas and watch your personal performance and that of your team increase while building lasting relationships in and outside of the store.
Justin Gasman (above, left) is financial services director for McCaddon Cadillac Buick GMC in Boulder, CO.
