 "Hunters and Farmers"
What could hunters and farmers possibly have to do with the process and those of us involved in the business of selling cars? Well, as far as the literary meaning for both is concerned the answer could be summed up with two words, “very little”. However figuratively speaking those of us involved in the car sales business could learn a lot from both groups, their evolvement over time and their long term existence, if only we take the time to look a little closer.
Thousands of years ago the world was only composed of two types of people, those who hunted and gathered to survive and those that farmed the lands to insure their existence. If we examine each group closely we can find many parallels to those of us making a living in the car sales industry in this day and age and in turn learn a lot regarding our ability to flourish on a long-term basis.
First lets look at both groups and their characteristics. Hunters as I mentioned earlier maintain their existence by hunting animals or gathering nuts and berries from the wild. Their existence as a whole was very short sited. Quite often they did not know what they would eat from one day to the next. All they knew was that each day they had to get up and begin the process all over again and as a result their ability to survive was determined by their hunting skills and by the amount of luck that they possessed.
You may know many car salesmen that survive in just such a manner. Each day they wake up and go to work with a very short sited plan. Their plan is to stand on the porch of the dealership and wait for the next customer to come in. Their level of skill and their luck alone determines the existence of these salespeople much like the hunters of the past.
The farmers on the other hand realized that they could establish themselves and survive on a longer-term basis by approaching their survival with a less short sited view. They knew that if they planted crops and harvested them that they ultimately establish a consistent, lucrative means of survival. Not only could they establish themselves a consistent means for survival they could even produce enough food to insure their long term existence through cold winters and sparse hunting seasons.
There are a few salesmen that you know that are quite similar to these farmers. Over time they have learned to plant seeds, cultivate the land and harvest the crop. They have become successful through their ability to approach the business of automobile sales just as farmers do.
Sure, everyone of us that begins selling cars starts out fresh without a customer following and we learn to survive using our survival instincts, just as the hunters use to, however in order for you to establish a long-term successful career in this business you must begin to take on the characteristics of the farmer. You must plant seeds by prospecting on a continual basis. You must cultivate the land by attending to your current customer database and you must harvest by staying in constant contact with both groups to insure that you are the first name that they think of when they think of buying an automobile. Otherwise your future is as unsure as the next “UP” that walks in the door. That is if and when one does.
Jeffrey F. Knott is the Author of From Zero to Hero, How to Master the Art of Selling Cars and can be reached by email: Jeff@Showroomtoday.com |
Past Issues
