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The SIP Review
Aug. 6th 2008
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Sales Improvement Professionals Inc.
1281 E. Magnolia, #D-145 - Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
Office: (970) 635-5675 - Fax: (970) 635-5676
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Greetings!
A New Bike!
Bought a new bike this last month. Actually, Jon and I bought a new Harley. He was riding a Sportster, a small, fast, loud Harley. It goes quick, but it is not set up for a long ride, especially with two up. He had added drag bars, Heinz pipes, forward controls (all this makes sense if you are a biker, just go along if you are not, the message is still good), and had really made it his bike.
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The Background
Mike (Jon's brother) and I have touring bikes. Big seats, windshields, highway pegs, air suspension, all that sort of stuff. So Jon really wanted a touring bike. The real problem is that when you have added about $4000 worth of stuff to the bike, they give you nothing extra for it in trade. So Jon and I were looking at new bikes on a Friday recently. As we left, Jon said, it would really be good to have a new touring bike, so we could all ride together, the Hinshaw males bonding. See how smooth that was, it turned into a benefit for Mike and I, not just Jon. So I made him a bet. I said if he could sell $6000 worth of websites that day, on a Friday afternoon no less, I would make up the difference in the trade allowance. He took it. He called me at 2:45 PM. Said get out your checkbook, I did it! I asked if he had really sold $6000 worth, I understand the law of up-selling and rounding up. He said no, he actually was at $7000! I was amazed, then realized how powerful motivation is when it is internalized. I can't motivate anyone, they must motivate themselves.
So off we went that evening to look at new bikes. We had already been to Thunder Mountain Harley, where we had purchased two bikes in the past. They had a two year old cop bike, with full gear on it, pipes, cruise control, radio, the works. Only problem, it had been dropped a couple of times. There are ways to discover that, and we did. I ride the same year cop bike, they are sweet. Mine was never dropped, only had 3100 miles on it when I purchased it last year. This one had 28,000, and it had been rode hard. We told the sales rep it was not as clean as what we wanted, we were going to look elsewhere. He was polite, told us they got in new bikes all the time, so stop back again. So we went to another Harley store.
The First Stop
We went into the new store with a mission, find a two year old cop bike, low miles, make a deal. Just so you know, the cops in Colorado all ride Harleys, they keep them two years, trade them in on new ones. Every Harley dealer has them on the floor. They had the right bike, already had a great two up seat with backrest and all, only 5700 miles, right price. So we start the fun part, negotiating. I teach how to negotiate in my seminars, Jon has a black belt in it. He also has a black belt in Karate, not gonna intimidate him. So we have this young (low 20s) kid working with us. He rode some kind of Honda CBR thing, all fast, not a touring bone in him. So we told him what we wanted, trade in value, etc. He said he would do his best, which is sales speak for not gonna happen. He came back asking for us to put $3000 more into the trade. We said no. Just no. He said why not. Now, if you are a salesman, and the customer says no, don't say why not. That is just not a good answer. Go back to the things they want out of the new thing they are buying, then tell them the price reflects everything they wanted.
The Problem
He didn't do that. We said we can go back to Thunder Mountain, we'll buy one there for less than that kind of money. He started to argue with us, told us it was not possible, he knew the dealers and the values of the bikes. He was wrong. To prove him wrong, we walked out, went down to TM, and traded for a new one. More to the story. We asked for our original sales rep, they said he was out with family that evening. We were introduced to a new guy, just as good. We told him we had been in earlier, and the first guy had done a great job, he should get credit. He said he would be sure, and then gave us full attention.
The Difference
He was a great salesman, almost my age, and rode a Road King, which we related to. He asked what kind of riding are we going to do, how long we had ridden, what sort of rides we had gone on in the past, the kind of questions that bring you to a sale, not a walk out. We told him we were looking at the cop bikes (please don't take the word cop in a negative sense, I buy cops breakfast and lunch all the time. These are just known as cop bikes), only the one we wanted had high miles and had been dropped. He said why not look at new. So we did, and he had even more room for our trade then on the old one. And a warranty, and special maintenance package, it made sense. He was very helpful, attentive, and listened, not at all like the other store's rep. He also put together a better package for us, and our needs, which he did after a series of questions. Not only that, he bonded with us, talked about dogs (one of our favorite topics) as well as family and grandkids. Then he had Jon pick one out. In a fantastic turn of events, Jon found the last Electra Glide on the floor that was not loaded with a ton of stuff he did not want, in the color (chopper blue) that he loved. These things sell fast, and when you have a hot bike, it doesn't make sense to discount them, and in fact, they were adding things like GPS and CD players that ran the number up there. His didn't have those sort of adds and it fit him perfect. He has now put on the pipes, new lower windshield, pegs, grips, and a great seat with a back rest for Shalaine.
Morals to the story?
Lots. First, don't argue with the customer. They will win. It is OK to show that they may be mistaken, but don't take them on headfirst, they will walk to save face, or to prove you wrong. Next, ask questions. Even if the customer says that they know exactly what they want, ask questions. And get that emotional connection. It is how sales are done today. Finally, don't think that if they don't buy one thing, they won't buy. Keep offering them solutions till they do buy. It may take a while, but we usually have a lot of options we can offer in terms of accessories, efficiency, warranty, and even controls. When they say they are going somewhere else, never assume it is over. Be gracious, polite, wish them well. They probably won't get treated as well as you were treating them, many come back, and in some cases, spend even more. We did, and it was a positive experience.
Jon and Mike and I are planning our first big trip up to Mount Rushmore this month, we'll keep you in the loop. We'll talk later.
Thanks for Listening,
Jim Hinshaw - Owner SIP Inc.
Email: Jim@SipTraining.com
www.SIPTrainging.com
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