Welcome to the Selling in the Motor Trade Podcast, an association with Symco Training. This is the weekly podcast where we share best practice tips and ideas on how to sell more cards, improve your service department and generally put more profit into your dealership or dealer group. I'm your host, Simon Bowkett. As some of you probably already know me as skipping, I will start with saying thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. Hi, welcome to another episode of Selling in the Motor Trade. Listen, last episode we talked about some of the words we should avoid and what we should say instead. And we just got really good reaction from it actually. Yes, there was a little free e-book. If you want that, go back and have a look at the episode first and also just send us an email. That's it. It's for me, direct if you want Simon at Symco Training or office at Symco Training, you'll get that quicker. And just ask for a copy of the e-book on words that you should use. And we'll get that through for your team. But let's continue on that thing just because we had such a good reaction from it. So here's some of the words that we should avoid and what you could say instead of. Now the first one is, I'll be honest with you. I'll be honest with you, Mr. Customer. That's a great price of your car. I'll be honest with you. That's the best interest rate we could do. Now you may have heard this before, but just don't say to someone, I'll be honest with you. It almost implies everything you set up to that point was a lie. So just stop saying, I'll be honest with you. Just take it straight out of your vocabulary. Cheap. Let's avoid the word cheap and say, hey, listen, this is a more cost effective. It's more affordable. And, Mr. Customer, let me just get a contract. The word contract almost in the customer's mind. I'm like going to, let's not look at the contract. Let's not sign a contract. Let's just call it an agreement. Let me just go and get the agreement with you. Contract can be binding and legal things come into mind, whereas an agreement is just what we're going to agree with. And Mr. Customer, we've got a problem with the delivery date on your car. Problem straight away, yeah, what's the problem? It's got a negative connotation. So hey, listen, we've got a challenge. We've got a bit of a challenge when we can get the car for you. Some people say an opportunity is there is an opportunity. Great. Let's find out what that is. And Mr. Customer, if we can get that deal, will you buy the car? We talked about last time, people like to own, not buy, but also acquire you could use. Should we acquire that? Again, last time I said, don't sign. Let's OK it there. Now you might say, approve it here or authorize it, something like that. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but some people say, don't talk about the cost of that car is going to be such and such. The investment is going to be such and such. If it is an investment, not sure about that one, but you might want to do that. By the way, Mr. Customer, sorry, I'm running late. You're running late. You're almost a publisher. I have Mr. and Mrs. Customer, so I'm running behind schedule. I pushed that back because I'm just running a bit behind schedule. Schedule means that you're professional. You run to a schedule. Running late just means that you're, I don't know, you haven't got something right. Oh, and by the way, something else. We're talking about words here because words that work and different ones you might try. I have a bit of a pet hate. There's this one. When I'm dealing with trying to buy a car myself, dealing with a state agent, trying to sell a place or buy a place, someone, in fact, I'm trying to sell a property in Australia at the moment. I spoke to an estate agent. I live in the UK. It's on halfway around the world. Two, maybe three times now. He's agreed to phone me. Oh, what's up me? At a certain time of the morning because of the time zones. It's sort of 637, 30 in the morning. Three times now, I've been up waiting for his call. He's what's up message or whatever about just going, having a look at these. Well, there's two properties I'm looking at selling. Look at these properties. Give me an idea of the market value of them. And he's just not done that. It's so frustrating. In fact, when I did speak to him, I could only get him to speak to me by speaking to one of someone else in his office asking about, do I want to increase the lease I have on these two properties? I said, well, actually, I've been speaking to your boss about maybe wanting to sell them. That's the only time he contacted me. But again, did he apologize? Did he sound really sorry about that? Did he not just say, because, hey, listen, we're all human. I forget all the time. What he sure said, so I'm really sorry about that. I forgot to call you Thursday morning when I said I would. OK, but no, there was always an excuse. Two times now, there's been an excuse. OK, oh, yes, the number that was given to me was not the right number there. The one you call to me on now. OK, and it's just bollocks. What's wrong with just saying to a customer? Now, first of all, of course, try not to make the mistake, but aren't we all human? And just turn around and say, Mr. Mrs. Customer, I'm not going to give you a excuse. I just forgot all about it. What happens to that trust then? OK, now, I think you can only get away with that once. OK, if you keep forgetting, then why don't they hold on? Let me get someone else. But please just don't go to bollocks bullshit straight away. Just say, hey, listen, I've got that wrong. Sorry, I made a mistake. My respect for you as a salesman has gone through the roof. I think most customers respect goes through the roof. OK, use car and says, saying you use car, you might say, pre-owned Johnny Starm, I started working with you years ago. He said, my pre-loved cars. He said that half tongue in cheek, actually. But he did say that. OK, what else have we got here? Oh, by the way, here's another pet hate of mine. OK? Deal. If we get that number, can we have a deal? Or people put it in the trial closed. If we get the numbers right, can we have a deal today on that? People don't like to feel like they've been dealt. So when it comes to your trial closed question, OK, your pre-closed question, your test closed, this is where we as car salespeople just want to make sure the car is right before we talk about the numbers. Don't say if you get the numbers right, will you buy it today? OK? Think that through. If we get the numbers right, employees, your numbers might not be right to start with. Will you buy it today? Or can we have a deal today? Let's just change that wording around. Have everything stuck up right? Apply the numbers, but doesn't say it. If everything stacks up right, is this the car you'd like to be driving the next two or three years? Or is this the car you'd like to own? Or is this the car you'd like to go ahead with it? Own, go ahead with, OK? People like to own things. Is that the car you'd love to secure? OK, people like security. Guys, this list of words you should use and shouldn't use, it could be endless. You can go on and on and on. And there's almost too many of them, OK? But go and try some of these things, OK? Have a listen to the episode we did last week as well, OK? And see how that can help your whole sales process. We'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, food linked in. Thank you.
