ndon hardison and while my students are out doing their lunch and things, it gives me an opportunity to get some experts in From other parts of the country, so you sales people that are viewing in.
Thank you.
I hope there’s some managers on here too, because if you forgot in order for those people to be successful, you need to make sure that you’re coaching them to their success.
But we’re honored here today to have mr jim webb all the way from the great state of texas.
He is the founder and ceo of xp2 virtual but jim.
How about uh introducing yourself giving us that 30 000 foot view of who you are what you do hello brandon thanks for having me today, i look forward to visiting with you for a little bit.
I am in college station texas today and i got into this car business uh back in 1995, so i’ve been in a little while seen a lot of things, a lot of changes and have been actually started in the car business.
With my dad, when i was a young man as a porter learned how to clean a car ride and i’ve advanced all the way through our great business, to to a general manager position at one time and most recently have been working as a director of business Development, so i feel, like i’ve got a pretty good handle on what specifically is going on today in this business.
Excellent, excellent love it now.
Here’s the thing that i would like to address, and maybe you’re running it to some of the same things in your part of the country.
We have these sales consultants.
If you have a halfway decent hr department that they sourced and found someone.
It’s not like.
The old days, if you’re breathing start monday, we want to get better than that, but no matter what we have these sales people and many of them do well, but some of them start off with bad habits.
They shadow the wrong person, they’re told the wrong thing: they get frustrated and what gets me they tell people.
Ah automobiles, you can’t make money, selling automobiles and i try to tell people people buy cars every day.
I’m sorry, you didn’t get the training.
So here’s my thing: what would be? Maybe one thing that you think if i want to be the best that i can be in 2020 and going beyond as a salesperson? Is there maybe one thing we can start off the conversation with sure i i think that to step up and above the rest and there’s plenty of salespeople out there, but i i have always felt like that.
You need to be different and i’m not talking about dressing with a bow tie, even though that works, i’m talking about uh being an expert, i think one of the best things that all those newbies that you’re working with right now can can do today is to Make a decision that i’m going to become an expert in this business? Okay, and you don’t do that all in one day, you do it every day and you do that becoming a student of the business.
You you practice, you drill! You rehearse! You study, you practice! You drill and you rehearse and when you’re a student of a business, it’s not just the cars, you learn.
You learn about the industry and sometimes the best way to to to do.
That is to ask people who have been in a while, but to spend spend time every day becoming a student of the business.
I have always taken pride in the fact that i just couldn’t get enough information about the successful people in our business.
I love to read about them.
I love to talk to them.
I like to see uh, you know the stories behind what somebody’s done to overcome right, to get where they’re at because there’s a commonality and all that what i’ve found and there’s not a whole lot of differences in those people.
The key thing and the main thing for people to start with, though, is that decision to become a student.
I i think, that’s probably more so than anything is that i decide you’re going to become an expert.
I’m i’m with you, i’m glad you uh brought that up, because you said that evil word practice uh as adults, not talking about kids, because they’re still growing, but as adults in our class.
We role play.
We put them on film, we look back at the and they don’t.
I don’t want to practice.
Well, if you don’t practice amongst people that are trying to get better like you, who are you going to practice on and we know the answer, the customer and guess who’s going to win the customer right with that money.
Oh say it again: cost us money, i’ve! Never you know i i can remember one of my first mentors in in sales told me he said if you don’t practice to know what to say, there’s no other way than to look at what you’re going to do with that customer than his practice, and that Becomes very expensive practice and i don’t know even as a young man i i mean i was able to get that in my head.
Pretty quick and uh uh and realized that oh okay, so practice before i go in and actually put on, the show actually go to work as a pro.
So absolutely i i i like that um, how about, if we’re talking about being sincere uh having empathy uh for the customers, because we we throw those words around a lot as as management, empathy, empathy being sincere uh.
If you look at that, what does that mean to you um? Well, one of the very first things that i notice anytime, that i’m around a manager with a salesperson most of the managers that i talk to have been salespeople at one time or the other, and any of those managers that treat salespeople like anything other than gold.
They don’t have a lot of empathy because they’ve done forgot what got them where they’re at, but i digress i from a sale from a sales person’s standpoint with their customers.
Empathy will set them apart as much as anything, because their sincere curiosity about that customer shows they care right.
And if you, if you truly have empathy, you want to put yourself in the shoes of the other person so that you can have an understanding.
So many times people today get to going so fast that the only thing their mind does is: listen long enough to figure out what they’re going to say.
Next, they need to listen long enough to care so that they can help solve the salute that solve the pain, and the only way to do that is is to be curious enough to ask good questions to become tremendous question.
Askers um, you know i i mean slow to listen, uh.
You know slow to speak, quick to listen.
I i actually write that down and have that uh on my computer screen, so that when i’m talking to uh anybody, whether it’s a customer or a salesperson or a manager, i remember that, because that is so key when it comes to empathy uh.
You know that customer can feel a sincere empathetic person and they can do it very quickly.
One of the main things we can do to show sincerity is that when we ask a question that we listen through to the end and when we take action, we take action based on what we heard.
That’s one of the best ways to show sincerity and um.
I i just think that that empathy, you know setting ourselves apart today, uh in the in the in in the uh in our environment, so many sales, people and managers think it’s about price.
Well, let those people chase price that want to, but then let the pros out there build relationships by being experts by being empathetic.
You can see them all over social media uh.
Some of these guys that have such a presence uh out there are experts at their product they’re.
Also, if you hear them talk about their customers, they know deep things about their customers uh.
You know, i i teach one thing and that’s to use the uh.
The crm to make notes okay, well, the only reason to make a note as a salesperson is, if i have information.
So i have a customer come in at six o’clock in the evening, but he’s got to leave in 15 to 20 minutes because sally has a t-ball game.
Okay, i listened.
I heard why don’t i make a note about that.
So the next time that i talk to mr brown, i asked him: how was sally’s t-ball game that will go so much further than anybody can understand, because that says you care and uh.
You know you say care in the car business, somebody’s gon na, say man that dude jim he’s, weak and uh.
Hey, call me weak all you want caring about people got me where i’m at and uh that’s what you got ta.
Do you thank you for that? You you gave a whole lot of things in there, but let’s go back to that.
Investigation needs analysis.
Asking high gang questions.
I heard you use the word pain whatever you want to call it.
I see so many so-called professionals they skip through rush through.
I keep telling them the car is not going anywhere.
I guarantee you, we know where the second set of keys are, and we know where to put petrol this this step.
This questioning is very important, not the interrogation, but, like you said, those saw things about the family, about the recreation.
Those are the key things that you need.
Well, i don’t know, understand how we can expect to be a professional or somebody to consider us a professional and, if somebody’s coming in to replace a vehicle.
Now that’s a number two most expensive purchase.
Most people will make and we do not ask what do you like about the one you’re replacing, and what would you change those two questions as simple as logical as they are they get skipped, i would say, 75 of the time is safe and probably more and To me, i just i don’t really i don’t.
I could never understand what somebody that’s.
The only thing that keeps them from doing it is is a lack of belief and fear that they’re, because of that lack of belief in themselves that they’re going to lose something.
If they ask too much – and i just i don’t – i don’t understand – because i as a consumer – if i was a consumer and i’m consuming a product today – a computer whatever it is, and it’s going to cost money if you’re the salesperson, i’m going to respect you For asking questions like that, yes, because you’re trying to put yourself in my shoes – you may you may the computer you own – may not be something i can use you guys.
The commenter, i think i want, may not even work, and so how do? How do we know what vehicle and understand now i do understand, i understand so that the customers are really really difficult to deal with, sometimes um and they come in and you you ask any questions at all and and they shut you down.
So what do we do now we’re going to not ask anybody anything correct, uh right.
I think that you can’t take that five percent that are just horribly rude to everybody, including their spouse and everybody else, and then decide that’s how i’m going to handle my whole process.
No, i’m i’m going to take care of everybody.
Like i’m a pro i i love it now, here’s one other thing and then we’ll move on you just uh brought up something else there with that uh that listening thing, even though, if it’s maybe a bad question, still are we listening for the response.
I try to tell people is that i you, jim webb, anybody in the country has never passed a mind.
Reading class, i don’t know the only way.
I know that i understand is to recap: let me make sure i’m having a good wednesday jim.
You said that you had to have this technology package, because sales people don’t agree just make sure we’re on the same page.
What you just said was this: is that right i oh i agree and and and we they look at that as being a trial close.
I didn’t that’s just making sure on the same page.
Don’t call it closing if that scares you you know, that’s my whole deal if you’re, if you’re, if saying close scares, you then don’t call it that it’s a question, but i don’t know how else to to do it.
I i mean, as a as you know, as you advance in business, whether it be handling problems the customers have.
I still use those particular things every in every step of my business, whether it be it may be, a business to business.
Deal that i’m closing a big deal and i’m talking to a ceo of another company, i’m gon na, say hey mr ceo.
Let me make sure that i’m on the same page with you so to all the new people out there.
If you want to really do well get that down now, because you’ll use that from now on, uh always make sure you’re on the same page.
That’s that’s! That’s it see.
What gets me like, you said.
Some are terrified.
They weren’t about some customers, shutting them down, but the thing of it is they drove in yeah.
There was nobody out there with a funny sign said to turn in here they drove in so they need something information on something.
So let me just listen.
Let me make sure, and the other thing that gets me they’re – afraid to get assistance, they’re afraid to ask the best man boss.
This is what i got.
I just talked to jim.
He said x y and i try to tell them you’re, not in the managers meetings, that they know something about marketing advertising promotion.
They know something that you don’t.
Why wouldn’t you tap into that experience? You bet you’re supposed to anyway, and it’s not their decision to whether or not to do that or not.
You know it’s it’s uh yeah.
It doesn’t make any sense.
I mean that’s a that’s uh.
It doesn’t matter what you think about their ability.
Sometimes you just need to get somebody else’s head in this thing.
With you see, if we can figure something out, you got it, you got.
It now got to move on, because my people be back and i know you got to go uh.
What’s your thought when it’s applicable, because i know maybe a large dealer group they may crown on it, but websites for salespeople, can you can you elaborate? Can you talk on that for a second, oh yeah, i’d love to i i just don’t in today’s environment, if you’re a legit business, a legit business person, what will you have well you’ll have a website uh, most salespeople at a car dealership.
If somebody says what’s your website, they say www.
abcmotors.
com, my thing is: is why are you promoting that business? I i now don’t get me wrong.
I’ve been the dealer.
I i understand that, that’s what we’re pro i’m talking about a sales person that is wanting to stand out among anybody to get referrals to build their business.
Have people call them for whatever they need.
When somebody says, do you have a business card? Why don’t you have www.
jimweb.
com here’s the only business card you need of mine, uh and and on that that website is basically a digital business card and uh it’s not intended to do all the things that a car business dealership a a dealerships website.
Does it shouldn’t it should basically say this guy’s legit? It should show pictures of customers that are happy.
It should show it should be mobile, responsive because that’s what people are going to use it on as a is a cell phone, and it should give you credibility.
It should they should be able to make a phone call directly to you.
They should be able to pull up that website and text you if that’s what they want to do, and they should have a link to the dealerships site for uh inventory and those kind of things and uh.
Honestly.
I think that probably is one of the places that a lot of people miss it now, a pro in this business is going to do is going to have their own.
They may be putting together an app, but here’s what i found with this most of these website companies out there taking care of the dealership, but most salespeople, can’t afford the elaborate uh websites they can’t maintain it.
It costs too much money and uh.
So we’re trying to we’re trying to help with that and uh.
I i’m not here for a commercial, but i do have xp2virtual.
com and that again is xp2virtual.
com and anybody that’s interested just go there.
We’ve got some information on that site and and then you can gather some information from us and send us some and we’d be glad to get back with you.
But i i think that if you look at today and you don’t have a website, people just aren’t going to take you seriously and i want to stand out above.
I want somebody to say that guy was better to do business with and by the way i asked him for his business card and he gave me his website, so there you go.
No, no, all that is outstanding, because it’s all about who they’re gon na buy from right, they’re gon na buy absolutely so if you do these little things like you said, so they can remember or separate yourself, like you said from the rest of the pack, you Have a better opportunity, so the website brandon, there’s there’s one truth that has never changed in all the time that i’ve been in sales, okay, people buy from people and they buy from people that they like and trust, and that has never changed.
So you i like what you said, but i know you got ta run.
I got ta run but one more time.
How do the people reach out and get to you again? You can go to xp2virtual.
com or uh feel free to email me at jim jimwebonline.
com.
That’s jim jimwebonline.
com, that’s two b’s not one all right, brandon thanks a lot.
Okay, then, and everyone out there you go back out there last day of the month.
For some of you, some of your manufacturers may extend it another day or two take advantage of all of that, but, as always in parting, remember you go out and make it a champion.
