For the past 15 years I’ve worked in and with sales teams and it seems every team is the same: a mix of three groups of people is always evident:

Group 1: The top performers, always always earning the big bucks and smashing targets
Group 2: The poor performers, more than likely on the way out
Group 3: The average rest, just doing enough to make quota and earn enough to get by.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing for your team, as even world class sporting teams have a mix of the three groups of performers. The challenge, however, is when you have a poor or average performer whom you know has the potential to be great. How do you develop their skills and belief so they flourish into a top performer?

In this article I’m going to give five (of many) activities that the top sales people in car dealerships across the world are doing right now to maximise their selling potential.

1. They practice their scripts
   I’m a firm believer that being great at sales is about learning the language of Sales. Just like learning another language, the language of Sales needs to be learnt and then practiced consistently. If you make cold prospecting calls, outbound follow-up calls or take inbound phone calls, you need to practice your phone techniques. Additionally, the top performers practice their questioning techniques, overcoming objection techniques and closing word tracks. To be truly great at sales, this should be done daily.
2. They use video
   I’ve been seeing this evolve over the last five years, but personalised video is massive! Whether it be using FaceTime calls when your customer can’t come in for you to walk them around the car, or prerecorded six position sells, video greetings and testimonial videos, the top performers are using video like never before to reach clients. It doesn’t have to be a Hollywood production, just press record!
3. They don’t take no for an answer
   Sales is about persistence, whether that means overcoming objections or continually following a client up when all seems lost. The top performers know that when a customer says “no”, they are actually saying “I don’t KNOW enough to make a decision”. Keeping consistent on being persistent without being pushy and manipulating is the key to being above the pack.
4. They understand their customer
   For the past few years I’ve been encouraging Dealers to have their top five questions all salespeople ask their clients to best understand their customers before proceeding to the presentation. If we are asking smart questions we get from our client the answers that help us tailor our sales process. This might sound basic, but the top sales people I see today are asking the best questions and know the most about their clients.
5. They have a plan for every day
   There is an old saying, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’, but still I walk into dealerships today and many salespeople don’t have a plan thought out for each day – and many don’t even use a diary! I’m a firm believer you must reverse engineer your success every day. If you want to sell one car for every one day you’re at work, you’d better have a plan to have up to 15 quality conversations every day. If you don’t, you’re only dreaming of that goal. Top sales performers have a daily prospecting plan, follow-up plan, marketing plan and appointments ready to make each day a success.

Top performers aren’t born; they are found, trained and equipped with the right resources.

As a special offer for all readers this month I want to equip you with a resource to help you and your teams become top sales performers.

I’ve just written a new book, ‘100 Days of Sales Greatness’, and I want to post you a copy free! I’ve got a limited number available for this offer, so visit 100daysofsalesgreatness.com to get your FREE COPY TODAY!

Dave Benson  
CEO/Sales Expert,
Train Retail Sell System