Welcome to FlexDealer’s June Office Hours recap! In previous months, we’ve been joined by Head of Automotive at Facebook, Bob Lanham, and CMO at Roadster, Michelle Denogean. This month’s featured guest speaker is Ali Reda, a master sales consultant at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac who is widely considered the top car salesman of all time.
In 2017, Reda shattered a 44-year-old world record for most cars sold in one year when he sold an astounding 1,582 cars. He also co-authored the book How to Sell 100 Cars a Month, and is on a mission to help salespeople in the automotive business set, achieve and surpass their biggest sales goals.
Tips and Takeaways From June’s Office Hours
June’s call had a clear focus: how can your dealership sell more cars? Using a relationship-focused approach, Ali walked us through the ways in which he believes salespeople in the auto retail business can reach more customers, make more connections, and surpass sales targets. Here are Ali’s top 5 tips and takeaways for how your dealership can sell more cars!
Ready to take your dealership to the next level? We’re here to help!
It’s Not All About Money
It can be easy to focus on numbers - after all, it’s called car sales, right? But Reda notes that solely focusing on capitalizing and turning a profit off of others won’t lead to the results you’re after. He adopts a mindset of service: how can you step up and lean on your network to turn things around for your community? Once you shift your focus onto helping others, things will begin to change - including your numbers.
Don’t Underestimate the Human Approach
There are endless ways to connect with others from behind a keyboard in our social media-driven society, but Reda challenges the depths of these online connections. Instead of focusing on interactions over social media, he prefers to operate via "the human connection" and suggests that genuine, trust-building interactions are the most valuable when it comes to the sales process. “People will remember meeting you and how you treated them - not whether you liked their photo on Facebook. Make a genuine impression - that’s how you create lifelong customers.”
When you remove the “what can I get out of this” and replace it with “what can I do for people right now,” things begin to change. It all falls into place when you do it for the right reasons.
Transactional Business vs. Relationship Business.
Reda is strongly in the camp that a “relationship approach” to sales will ultimately lead to higher conversions, more repeat customers, and the building of a respected and trustworthy brand within your community. When you see people as nothing more than a transaction, you’re missing out on an important fact: the majority of car shoppers have a problem that can be solved with the right vehicle. Listen, learn, build a relationship and solve their problem. You get a car sale out of it each time you solve a problem, and you’ve built a lasting relationship with a member of your community. That’s a huge win.
Find the right coach.
We hear the word “coach” and often think of sports teams or paid positions, but Reda suggests that a coach can be anyone - your parents, a friend, or a business mentor. A coach will help you become the best version of yourself and become aware of why you feel a certain way at certain times. Once you’ve developed your self-awareness, you can work towards becoming a better person. Not a better car salesperson, though that will likely follow suit, but a better person overall.
5. Accept that things take time. Yes, this process will take time! But that time is going to pass anyway, so why not fill it with things that will help you grow, improve and serve others? You owe it to yourself, your family, and your community to give it your best. Try to think of the time that will pass as an investment - if you’re consistently moving forward, then none of that time was wasted. When you invest in yourself, things can only go up!
Join Us Next Month for FlexDealer Office Hours!
June yielded our biggest turnout yet, and we hope that our clients left the call inspired to adopt Ali Reda’s helpful strategies. If you missed this month’s Office Hours, don’t worry - FlexDealer clients can look forward to a video recording of the complete session in their inboxes. Have an idea for next month’s topic? Don’t hesitate to drop us a line! We want to hear about what’s important to you and your dealership and organize an Office Hours experience that meets the needs of our clients.
Interested in taking part in future Flex Office Hours sessions? Contact us here at FlexDealer to learn more about our creative marketing services and all that we can offer your business!
