 "Contending With the Fear Factor"
How soon it is that many of us forget our first day selling cars—a day filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation, all a bit tempered by fear of the unknown. We are dealing with thoughts racing through our minds as we approach our first customer.
Will I remember what I learned about selling cars? Will the things the training taught me to do really be effective with a customer? What if I make a mistake?
Little did we realize at that moment that the consumer we were approaching was dealing with some of the same issues.
What if I buy the wrong car? What if they try to pressure me? What if I pay too much? What if I make a mistake?
This fear of making a mistake is the number one motivating factor behind the majority of your customers' actions and statements. Different customers may project the emotion of fear outwardly in varying forms. Some may stick their hands out, wave you off, and announce as you approach, “I just want to look around without being bothered.” Many more will proclaim, “I'm just looking,” or, “I'm not buying today,” as you attempt to greet them. Some may even try not to acknowledge your existence as they turn away from you and trudge off into the inventory without so much as a glance. No matter how inappropriate we deem their actions, they are all signs that your customer is experiencing the emotion of fear.
You may protest this concept and cite as an example the increased number of customers that are arriving at your dealership armed with facts, figures and instructions for the proper approach to buying a car.
It is true that they may be more informed, more assertive, and more prepared to do business. Nonetheless, in order to begin to understand your customers, you must recognize that it is the emotion of fear that has motivated them to make preparations for this event in advance—in much the same manner you should have prepared when you began your career selling cars.
The emotion of fear, in itself, is nothing more than the emotional part of your brain sending a warning signal to itself and to the rest of your body to prepare for an upcoming event. This is exactly what the customer has done. Does this preparation your customer has undertaken eliminate the emotion of fear or merely demonstrate the extent that some of your customers are willing to go in order to deal with the situation at hand?
If you have ever taken the time to read what is published in books or posted on the Internet about our industry and the process of buying a car, you would realize these advanced preparations may actually have the opposite effect of the one that was initially sought.
The practice of scaring the automotive-buying public into believing that without the purchase of a certain how-to book or the help of a particular online buying service it is surely doomed to exploitation by auto dealers has become big business for many companies these days. By saying this I am not implying that there aren't examples of misconduct in the automobile business just as in every other profession. Nor am I saying that a customer should remain ignorant and submit to the pitfalls of making an uninformed buying decision. But these companies, despite all their proclaimed best intentions, make a profit off of their ability to impart fear into the American consumer, allowing this negative image of the automotive-purchasing experience to thrive in the minds of consumers. This in turn helps to intensify the negative emotions that your customers are experiencing and gives them cause for concern regarding their level of preparedness.
Learn more about contending with your customers fears and the process of selling cars in From Zero to Hero, How to Master the Art of Selling Cars.
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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