Selling Cars Is Easy If You...

My name is Tianna Mick, and like most of you readers, I started out on the showroom floor at my local car dealership. I was a full-time college student, full-time restaurant line cook, and full-time losing my mind. I was drowning in debt and knew I wanted so much more than the average 19-year-old. So, I decided to quit college, quit flipping burgers, and grab my pickaxe to start mining into that ‘Automotive Industry Gold Mine’. 

When I stepped into the dealership, I was prepared and determined to dominate the showroom floor. I was ready to go on test drives, perform walkarounds, and meet new clients, but my manager thought watching the dealership lot door would suffice for my first couple of weeks. Everyday would be the same routine. I would watch that lot for hours, until hours felt like eternity. Until.. I would see headlights start turning towards me… and the car would pull up. It’s FINALLY my chance to sell! I fling open those glass doors, stick out my hand and say “Welcome to ABC Motors, my name is Tianna, and you are?” … then you hear those dreadful words, form that dreadful sentence… “Is Mr. Johnson working today?”… and you try not to break your smile, and try not to show the disappointment and hours of early arthritis development all over your face. You simply say, “Of course, follow me.” After days and days of the same interaction I realized. What if I could have people asking for me, instead of counting on being the first salesperson they are greeted by? I kept asking myself, “How can the salesman who spends the least time watching the lot… get the most customers on the lot?” Then it hit me, what if I invested all of that time ‘lot-watching’ into prospecting clients, calling clients, social media DMing clients, and an abundance more! I knew that if I wanted to get customers asking for me, first my customers had to know me.

Lastly, you need an audience. I am a young female, so my ideal customer would be other young females; however, that is only 50% of the buying market. Same for males, they have a harder time connecting with female clients. In order to expand your audience and appeal to all walks of life, you need to create strategic marketing strategies and campaigns to entice the audience you wouldn’t naturally be connected to. An effective way to do so is through “Why Buys”. You need to create a “Why Buy” for everyone in the market. Why should college students buy from me? “I know what it is like working with a budget and limited credit history, luckily we have over 40 different financial lenders to assist.” Why should senior citizens buy from me? “Get your car serviced without even leaving your home! I will personally pick up and drop off your vehicle after service is performed.”

Most salespeople neglect the most obvious and vital audience…their community! Use your community to help build and solidify your brand. For example, you should attend as many community events as possible (you know, when you aren’t working those bell-to-bells). If you can afford to, sponsor the local little league team, or school functions, this is an amazing way to not only show your support as a fellow community member, but to be seen as the “Friendly Neighborhood Car Salesman”. Effectively building your brand isn’t about immediate gratification, but rather the long game. Get your name out there so that when people are ready to buy, they will think of you. For more of an immediate gain, consider running Facebook/Instagram paid ads. This is actually an affordable way to instantly build an online audience within and outside of your local community. Think about it…not everyone watches TV, or listens to the radio, but more likely than not, they will have a Facebook or Instagram. 

Dealerships are franchises of a manufacturer, and I believe as a salesperson, I had to see myself as a franchise within the dealership. I was simply a business within a business. Unfortunately, the US education system did not teach me ‘Opening Your Own Business 101’, but luckily I had access to the wonderful World Wide Web, and started doing my research. I noticed that each and every business/brand had three similarities. 1. A memorable logo/name 2. Specific branding colors and 3. An audience. You want to look at your dealership as a shopping mall, and your desk is a little kiosk in the middle of the mall. (You know, that one where you try to not make eye contact with the salesperson, or even dare to take a tiny lotion sample.) So, when starting a business, think of a memorable name, I picked TGotYourKeys.com. Simple, rhymes, and easy to remember! Notice how I didn’t pick a car brand either? You do not want to attach your personal brand name to a major manufacturer, just in case (although I know you love your current position) you end up somewhere else. You want to be seen as your OWN brand! Secondly, pick your colors! Did you know certain colors make people feel different emotions? Red and yellow = Demands immediate attention, happiness, and even hunger (ex. McDonalds, Wendy’s, SubWay, etc.) Purple and Blue = Loyalty, Trustworthy, and Openness. (ex. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, American Express, TGotYourKeys, etc.) You would never see a blue Target store, or a red Walmart store.