Last time we showed you how you can use ideas from football to coach your salespeople into a championship squad. But the coaching doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t stop with training your sales staff. You can, and should, also coach your customers toward victories as well.
While the team executes the game plan, a coach ensures that good players become great. Encouraging them to go much further than they might have dreamed by providing leadership and guidance. Consider thinking of your leads as potentially great players that need the direction of your sales team to make the best possible decision when buying a car.
In our book, The Last Up, we talk about the five shifts that will help your team see remarkable progress in closing leads. It’s football season, so think of them as four downs to score, plus an extra point:
FIRST DOWN—Moving from Selling to Solving: It’s hard for a football team to execute a game plan if they are not speaking the same language. Your customer is looking to solve an automotive problem, but the typical car dealer is just looking to sell a car; the customer’s problem is irrelevant. Don’t be a typical car dealer; look to solve the problem and the sales will come more naturally.
SECOND DOWN—Moving from Confrontation to Collaboration: Effective teamwork is the hallmark of all great football teams—the players work together to win the game. Make sure your customers know that you are on their team—their needs and goals are your needs and goals. Once they feel comfortable knowing that you are on their side, the process starts to become smoother.
THIRD DOWN—Moving from Pitching to Probing: Some of the most successful player/coach partnerships of all time come from mutual respect and trust. Players that know the coach is listening to their thoughts and ideas play better. Don’t just run your typical pitch on your customers—LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY! The more you listen, the more you can potentially identify what your customer needs in order to say yes to a deal.
FOURTH DOWN—Moving from Getting to Giving: Listen to all-time great players talk about their relationships with their favorite coaches, and they will talk about the life lessons a coach gave them to make them not just better players, but better people. Do the same for your customers. Give them added value instead of just trying to offer them the cheapest deal. They will appreciate it and will pay a bit more if the value is there.
EXTRA POINT—Moving from Closing to Coaching: When you make your customers feel appreciated and give them your expertise and a fair deal, you will see them become customers now and in the future. You will build a star player, one you can count on down the line as well.
Want to know more about game-winning sales strategies? Let us send you a FREE copy of the new, groundbreaking book The Last Up. It will show you the secret to lighting up the scoreboard with incredible sales numbers that will make you feel like a winner. Just click here to get your free copy.