New starters don’t wash out for lack of process or product. It’s fear of rejection. In this solo episode, I explain how to toughen that muscle.
- Why “shy salespeople raise skinny kids,”
- How to use trial closes and mental-ownership questions to stack “little yeses”
- A simple habit that desensitises you to “no.”
- I also unpack the viral Krispy Kreme “Olympic rings” story and the “burger refill” ask to show why one word – “Why?” – turns brush-offs into conversations.
You’ll leave with word-tracks you can use today, tight trial closes, and practical ways to coach rookies so they ask for the business (and then shut up).
About Symco Training:
Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal.
To find out more visitwww.symcotraining.co.uk
Time, welcome to the Selling and the Motor Trade podcast in Association of Car Without. The online Car Changing Destination. Together we share tips and ideas on how to sell more cars, improve your service department, and generally put more profit into your department, dealership or dealer group. I'm your host, Simon Bowkett, or some of you might already know me as Skippy. First thing, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. Hi, welcome to another episode of Selling and the Motor Trade. What do you reckon the number one reason why brand new salespeople fail in the motor trade? Is it process? You probably think I'd be talking about process, make sure they understand the process, our sales process, whatever yours is.
I don't think it's that. Is it product knowledge, knowing about the product and so forth? Possibly, I think that's important, but customers do so much research before they get to us nowadays, either phoning in or emailing in. Is it laziness? Guys, I don't think someone signs up to work the hours we do on the motor trade if they're naturally lazy. I just don't buy it. They might become lazy, but even that are kind of doubt. They don't seem value in doing that demonstration drive or that video on the car, blah, blah, blah. Now, I'll tell you what I reckon the number one reason is fear of rejection. People can't put up with the nose. In fact, my first boss said to me, never forget Simon, shy salespeople, raise skinny kids.
What are you thinking meant by that? Listen, if you're too shy to ask for the business, you're going to not earn enough money to feed your kids. So, shy salespeople raise skinny kids. It's rejection. Now, Rex has a different way to explain it to me, but someone talking about there's a video I've seen on YouTube and you've just got to go and look at it. A guy goes in to a doughnut place, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and just Google that. It's had something at five or six million views now. And he just asks, hey, would you make me doughnuts in the shape of the Olympic rings? Expecting someone to say no, but, listen, I won't give away the punch line there.
Go and watch the video yourself, but you'll be amazed actually what happens. So, I had to find out what is this all about. And it's a man called Chiang. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that name right, my apologies. But this is a guy that through his life, he said, he was struggling with rejection. He would say that, you know, there's so many people we get on in business and in life where he wasn't able to do it. He talked about the amount of times he was in a board meeting with a Fortune 500 company. He had a really good idea. You want to talk about? He didn't say it in front of other people because of that rejection.
Rex Keene, he said to me, I was single at the time. He said, hey, Simon, who is one of your favorite pop stars, someone that you would fancy or a celebrity on TV or a movie star or someone I would know who it is. I actually said, Danny Minogue. He said, oh, good choice. He said, if you knew beyond a shut of a doubt, if you asked Danny Minogue to go out with you, she would say, yes, definitely. Would you ask her out? Yeah, of course it would. Why? Was she asked asked me? No, no, she won't, you're a stupid man. Don't be so silly. Okay. He said, well, why wouldn't you speak to Danny Minogue now?
Or Danny Minogue look like now? He said, ah, you're scared of rejection. But what's the worst thing that could happen? She could say, no. And actually, I think that's the same with car salespeople. We've got to ask a trial-close question. Now, listen, there's lots of them out there. At the end of a demonstration drive, we want to make sure that the car's right before it gets to the numbers. And there's so many variations of, hey, if everything stacks up right, is this the car you'd like to be driving thanks to it for a year's? Or do you like it? You'd like enough to want to own it. So what you're telling me is we're just going to get the numbers right.
That's the car for you. Okay. Listen, apart from the numbers, is there anything stopping you or knowing this car? All we're trying to do there is make sure the car's right before we get into the numbers. The amount of times I'll hear salespeople on a training course, they think they've asked that question, but they softened it. Okay. Do you think if we can kind of get the numbers right, this might be the car that you'd like to be driving the next two or three years? They almost give the customers an out there. They come across with no confidence. And the customers said, yeah, sure. But they haven't got commitment. In fact, don't we do that with relationships?
Now, my wife is Emma. I met her. She was the business manager of the dealership I was working at. I'll be in trouble talking about my wife on this. Okay. But I hope she doesn't mind. Actually, if she minds, you might never even see this episode. But I remember I thought, well, I quite like her. It's that first date moment. Okay. And it's a bit sort of scary, isn't it? Because what if someone says, no, all I have to say is, hey, listen, after work, do you want to have a drink after work? Would you like to go and have a coffee? Hey, lunch time, should we go and get some lunch? Okay. There's so many things I could have done, which is just nice.
Yes. But remember, soften it. So, do you think maybe the staff do that we got on Friday, do you think, should I maybe pick you up from work? And she said, yeah, that'd be lovely. And then I thought, oh, yeah, yeah, I'll get the other guys as well and pick you up. Guys, I want it to be a date. It should have been date. I really fancied her. But I was worried about the rejection and coming across and getting that no. And actually, I'd been a salesperson. I was a sales manager of the dealership at that point. But it's a natural human trait. The same thing happens when it comes to the close. We know we just need to ask the closing question and shut up.
Shall we secure it? How did you want to do that over the 36 months? Or is it more comfortable for you over the 48? Hey, you said you wanted the Pitygate gearbox and we've got that for you. You said you want to pick the car up on the 16 to the next month before the school holiday start. And we can have that for you on that date. You said you want to emit your gray and we can get that color for you. You said you want to keep your payments under 8.9 here a month and we're coming in at 8.45. So that's why we found the right car for you and shut up. Okay? Or hand us on.
I'll be able to have the car for you ready for your next Thursday or would you do me a favor? Well, you can meet on Friday. Just get that car right. A nice simple closing question and then shut up. And too often I get salespeople either don't ask the question. In fact, that happens lots. Salespeople say, oh, Skippy, I was told just to put the deal in front of a customer. And then shut up. Okay? Well, yes, you've got to be quiet. But you could ask the closing question first. I think sometimes that's their excuse. Or sometimes salespeople, they put the deal in front of the customer and they say, so what do you think?
What are your thoughts? How's that sound? I think they're almost softening it because they're worried about the rejection the same as I was when I asked my wife out on that first date. So how do we overcome rejection if it's a natural thing built into us? And why is it built into us? You know, from what I read, it's back to cave mandates. You see, back in cave mandates, we wanted to be part of the group, not outside the group because part of the group, it was safety in numbers. Outside the group, it was almost certain death because we needed to rely on other people for basic survival. We needed someone that was the expert at hunting and fishing and growing stuff.
Someone to keep an eye out at night when the rest of the group is sleeping. So it's over to the tiger doesn't come and get them. So I actually rejection, rejection outside the group was almost certain death. Now on this day and age, rejection is not going to be certain death. But even go back to school where you were pit for the football team on what side? Didn't you hate to be the last person pit? You wanted me to first, didn't you? Because there's that fear of rejection is just bubbling under the surface. I think it's in all of us. So how do we get over it? I'll tell you this guy, he's got a great idea there.
He said, you know what, I'm going to go and get some rejection as much objection as I possibly can over the next 100 days. And he said, I'm going to ask for some silly things and just see how people react. And the idea is if I get lots of nose, he'll almost desensitize himself to the nose. Actually, a light bulb went off in the head. That's where some experienced salespeople, some great salespeople, maybe they've just desensitized themselves to rejection of the stage. So let me tell you some of the stuff he does. And I don't want to steal his thunder. Okay. But first one, he goes up to a stranger and just asks, Hey, listen, would you loan me a hundred dollars?
He tells the story great where he goes into his office, he finds a big burly bloke. He goes up to and he said, and his heart was beating out of his chest there. Okay. And actually, I thought it might be easy because it's pretty much, you know, what's going to be a no, that would help. He walks up and said, excuse me, to this big burly bloke, would you loan me a hundred dollars? I go and laughs and I said, no, why? But actually, I think that's true. The guy did say no. You'd expect him to say no. But he still said, why? Why do you want the hundred dollars? Now, this guy tells the story brilliantly where he never waited around.
He just ran and just thought, good is me. How he tries in my life? Had he done stuff like that? He asked a question or he got some sort of objection and didn't ask why. Okay. That's the first one. Okay. So next one, he thought, right, okay, I'm teaching myself to desensistize myself to rejection. So next one, he went into quite funny, into a burger restaurant. At the end of it, he ate his meal. He went up and said, excuse me, can I have a burger refill? Because I want, he says, kind of like a drink refill, but it's just a burger. The guy said, no, mate, we don't do that here. That's not a thing.
He learned from his first experience. He said, why? He said, I don't know why they don't do it. We just do a drink. I don't know if it's too expensive or whatever. But I suppose I've speak to the manager about it. Have a look at this. Just by saying why, the guy's forcing to explain his reasons. Okay. Listen, when you get the rejection, that's not enough for my car. Okay. Down the road's cheaper. That monthly payment's too high. I'm not paying that amount. Okay. If you don't learn any of the text we talk about, just clarify why the customers give you that objection. If you're amazed how many times customers almost took themselves out of the objection themselves.
Now, don't get me wrong. There's so many other techniques that might work better. But actually have a look at this. He's asked something stupid. Can I have a burger refill? I don't know if I'd have the balls to ask that in a restaurant, but he did. But guys, number three, the doughnuts. He thought, you know what? I can ask why. He goes into a crispy cream and he says, hand this, can I have five doughnuts, crispy cream doughnuts in the shape of the Olympic symbols. He said, he knew it's just going to be a no. There's no chance they can do that. It's just going to be a no because all he wanted to do is get a hundred rejections to actually desensitize himself to it.
It didn't work. Day three, the lady. You've got to watch the video. Okay. Turns where it says, what color are they? How do they work? Are they intertwined? I can't remember what they look like. What colors were they? Actually, it's got to go into the proofer and then it's got to go into the right. I don't know how we can do that. How we do it? She gets a piece of paper. She starts drawing it. She scratches her head there. Okay. And then you know what? 15 minutes later, you guessed it. Go and have a look and see what turns up because let's take it back into our world, the motor trade. Shy salespeople raise skinny kids.
Salespeople, salesmen, just listen to this. I think rejection is why lots of their salespeople don't ask the closing question. So you've got to tee it up to them. I want lots of little guesses to get the big yes. Okay. And listen, you said you traveled to go away. Okay. The adaptive cruise control, they'll make life a lot easier on that long journey, won't it? That's a small little yes. Now, the way we teach that is there's lots of little guesses to get the big yes. But tell you what, it's great for the customers psyche. But I think it's as important for our salespeople to get those little guesses. I think it's important for a salesperson to ask that mental ownership question.
Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Customy, he said, you're a golfer. What golf course do you play at? The Belfry. Okay. Had this been nice next time you go to the Belfry, won't it? You see, that's a mental ownership question, but it might give your salesperson the confidence to ask that closing question and put up with that rejection until they become seasoned to it. Now, experienced people, you're going to get seasoned to rejection all the time. In fact, think through some of the best salespeople that I'm trained over my life. I remember one particular guy was a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesperson. Think that's true though. Knock on indoors. How much rejection would they have got? It was definitely desensitized to it.
Someone selling gas and oil door to door. Okay. They're desensitized to that rejection. So sales measures, heads of businesses, listening to this, let's help our brand new salespeople to overcome their natural resistance to rejection by making sure they get lots of little guesses before you get the big yes. Make sure you go and look at the mental ownership questions. And we've actually talked about that on this podcast, go and find it. Make sure we do a trial close, okay? Because that makes the actual closing question so much easier. And make sure they're not just putting in front of people and being quiet. We'll say, so what do you think? How's that sound? They've earned the right to ask for the business.
And I think we just need to make sure we're given the confidence to ask for the business. Because you know what? Selling starts when we've asked that closing question and then going to overcome the objections. And so often you'll close the sale but overcoming those objections. Guys, go and look for noose. Look for the rejection. Desensitize yourself. And I'll see you next time. That just leaves me to say that all details of this episode and other episodes on the selling in the motor trade can be found on our website simcotraining.co.uk. Go there to get a copy of our book, Words That Sell Cars. Go there to sign up to a free trial of our sales fitness online sales training program.
Easiest way to get hold of me is Simon Bowkett through LinkedIn. Thank you.
