6 Business Takeaways from a Car Salesperson

Sales is not a career for the faint of heart. Not only is it an extremely competitive field — strategies for a successful pitch can also vary dramatically from client to client and industry to industry.

For example, convincing the buying committee of a Fortune 500 to invest in your business solution takes time, planning, and preparation; it’s a sale that will not happen overnight. However, a jeweler selling a diamond ring to a love-struck bachelor is merely reading the buyer to find the right price range, and will likely close the sale that day. Two very situations, but both require a degree of persuasion and finesse.​

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Since the art of selling looks so different depending on the industry, many professionals view car salespersons as the ultimate masters of the craft. Why? When selling cars, you’re dealing with a multitude of buyers and products. The products are always somewhat expensive (even if they’re on the cheaper side of a used car lot), and you never know the buyer’s intent and needs when they walk through your door.

For this reason, a car salesperson has to know how to read their audience and adapt their pitch on the fly. This requires a keen sensibility to read into a potential buyer’s body language and intent. Are they looking to buy, or are they simply browsing? If they are interested in purchasing, how pushy should you be?

It’s a true balancing act, and one that requires years of experience to hone. That’s why successful car salespersons within the industry have a lot to impart to sales professionals. So what kind of insights do they have? We’ve provided a few examples below.

• Appeal to the customer’s emotions: As an expert of your trade, it may be tempting to use technical jargon to show your depth of knowledge on the subject. If you’re selling B2C, though, this is not a good approach. Instead, you want to show the customer how your product can satisfy their wants and needs — then justify it with logic.
• Always think of the long term: You want their business in the future, right? It’s in your best interest to put their needs above the sale. This will keep you from being too pushy or dishonest in your sales pitch.
• Mirror their tone and language: Meet your customer where they’re at. In other words, adapt to their style of communication (within reason) so that they are comfortable. This means knowing when to use fancy jargon and when not to.

To see what all you can learn from a car salesperson, check out the infographic from The Zebra below.

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