Enthusiasm Sells
Jeffrey F. Knott Author of the Award Winning book about car sales,
From Zero to Hero, How to Master the Art of Selling Cars
“Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it there is accomplishment. Without it there are only alibis.”
Henry Ford
If I had a dollar for each time I heard an older more experienced salesperson say, “A new broom sweeps clean.” “ He's just a flash in the pan.” Or “Its just beginners luck” when referring to the so-called “green pea” that had never sold cars before, but was managing to turn every “Up” he encountered into a commission for himself. I would have retired a rich man many years ago.
After witnessing what I believed to be this true phenomenon commonly referred to by many as “beginners luck” repeating itself time and again with each new, enthusiastic salesperson that hit the showroom floor I began to realize that it wasn't luck at all. Luck was merely the name other people used when they couldn't explain outstanding results derived mostly from simple unbridled enthusiasm in action.
“Experience and enthusiasm are two fine business attributes seldom found in one individual.”
William Feather
This is the type of enthusiasm that causes the “newby” to spring from bed with anticipation every morning and show up an hour early for work each and everyday because nothing is more important to him. The same enthusiasm that pushes him out to the curb to take that extra “Up” five minutes before closing on a Saturday evening and in turn causes him to stay an extra two hours to deliver yet another vehicle. The type of enthusiasm that elevates the “green pea” past all of the experienced, highly trained, professionals to the top of the sales board his first month on the floor. This is the type of enthusiasm I am referring to.
"There is no such thing as chance or accident; the words merely signify our ignorance of some real and immediate cause."
Adam Clarke
If you have trouble believing in the remarkable power of enthusiasm then stop and think for just a minute, which is more rational to believe? That this new salesperson that has no experience, very little training and no customer base just happens to have been gifted with the golden horseshoe of car selling? That their success is contributed strictly to luck? Or is it more realistic to believe that their successes are due mostly in part to their blind trust and the unbridled enthusiasm that have helped them to overcome obstacles and sell cars in the face of adversity.
“A salesman minus enthusiasm is just a clerk.”
Harry F. Banks
If you have been selling cars for any length of time sit back and imagine for a moment a time in your past when you had very little experience at the job or task you were starting yet you possessed a passion that could not be stopped by any means. Nothing anyone could say would have stopped you. No obstacles could be put in your way. Everything was just a challenge waiting for you to find the solution. You didn't have the knowledge you needed but you had the zeal to meet anything head on. This is the effect enthusiasm has on your outlook. Enthusiasm changes your entire perspective. It converts obstacles in to challenges. It transforms the lesser experienced, knowledge lacking salesperson into a superstar. You, like many others may write this off as nothing more than bull and rely strictly on your knowledge, ability to negotiate and the dealerships ability to supply you with a never ending supply of “ups” or you will get smart and come to the realization that enthusiasm is the ultimate secret weapon of all the great salespeople in this business. It is what transforms an average salesperson into the best of the best. Ask yourself, “How much more effective would I be if I were as enthusiastic about my job now as I was the first day I started?” Imagine what adding that level of enthusiasm combined with your present knowledge and experience could accomplish. It is a recipe for success.
“You can't sweep other people off their feet, if you can't be swept off your own.”
Clarence Day
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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 |
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