101 Internet Sales Objections is the second book this year from Edward Coleman, author of Mastering the Art of Selling Cars Online. For this issue of the Dealix Dealer Newsletter, we sat down with Mr. Coleman to discuss how his latest book will help ISMs and other automotive sales professionals improve their selling game.
Kristen Stanton: Thanks once again for taking the time to speak to our readers about honing their selling skills. What can we expect from 101 Internet Sales Objections?
Eddie Coleman: 101 Internet Sales Objections is definitely a brass-knuckled book! It was designed and written to give Internet sales people, retail sales people, and closers effective responses to nearly every Internet related objection they’re likely to hear from potential buyers. Whether objections are presented in person, online, in the F&I office, over the phone, or in an e-mail, my purpose for writing this book was to provide Internet sales professionals with the tools they need to overcome those objections.
KS: Many of our readers are already familiar with Mastering the Art of Selling Cars Online. How is 101 Internet Sales Objections different?
EC: Mastering the Art of Selling Cars Online is really about what the title indicates, which is “mastering the art.” It is a book about succeeding as an e-dealer and covers everything from soup to nuts. It really is an e-dealer extremist’s book. There are simple and factual reasons why some dealers sell hundreds of cars per month with the assistance of the Internet, while others with equal capabilities do not. Mastering the Art Of Selling Cars Online was designed and written to put a dealer at absolute “cause” over their online sales success with absolute “predictability.” 101 Internet Sales Objections was designed as a battlefield manual for use when a sale is actually being negotiated.
KS: Do you recommend 101 Internet Sales Objections to be used more as a daily reference guide?
EC: Definitely! In order to handle an objection one must know what the objection is. Now, one way to handle objections is to flatten the prospect’s button before a subject arises. However, most objections are handled after a customer has already objected to one thing or another. As such, sales people are constantly in a state of “waiting.” Waiting consists of two primary components: readiness and timing. Readiness is the ability to hold something in suspension in anticipation of an event. Timing is the ability to evaluate a situation, see an opportunity, and then take advantage of it at the appropriate time. A sales person who is prepared to handle Internet related objections with the correct combination of waiting and timing is one who “owns” their prospect’s objections.
KS: What do you mean by “owning” an objection?
EC: When a sales person successfully “owns” a prospect’s objections, they will then internalize the concept of objections as a “positive condition” rather than a negative one. It all really goes back to waiting. There are two primary types of waiting “passive waiting” and “active waiting.” Just like in many of the fighting arts, passive waiting means to wait in reserve for the prospect to act. Once the prospect moves across the line towards an actual target - in this case in the form of an objection - the prepared sales person blocks the objections and then counters with an answer.
“Active waiting” means that an individual has the ability to gently apply pressure while he or she waits. This is known as “triggering.” When one is triggering, one owns the moment and thus can be more at “cause” over the eventual outcome. 101 Internet Sales Objections is designed to show a sales person how to move across what we call the “Critical Distance Line,” towards the prospect and trigger their objections with certainty and professionalism.
KS: It sounds like the guidelines you present in this book can be used by both Internet and traditional floor sales people.
EC: Absolutely! Retail sales people run into almost as many Internet-related sales objections as the ISM who focuses solely on Internet customers. Prospects who walk into the retail dealership come armed with references to informational websites, online trade evaluation services, online pricing sources, and so on. 101 Internet Sales Objections is a tool that the retail sales person can use to sharpen their skills on a daily basis. The book provides an on-the-spot reference guide for opening up the customer while appearing professional and educated, regardless of the questions they’re confronted with. Secondly, Internet related objections are where retail sales people have lost control of the majority of buyers industry-wide over the past two years. This is an area of sales training that can dramatically increase a retail sales person’s performance.
KS: What about other automotive personnel? There seem to be a lot of tools in this book that can help others improve their performance.
EC: 101 Internet Sales Objections can also help closers and finance managers keep their gross on a car deal by having an effective means for handling buyers that believe they already have all the answers. In the later stage of the sales cycle, we hold our gross margin primarily through being recognized as the expert by the customer. With Internet customers this is increasingly more difficult to do. This book helps to position closers and finance managers as experts within their industry. This leads to credibility and ultimately more control over the sales process.
KS: Thanks again for speaking with us today. Are there any final comments you would like to add?
EC: With the winter auto selling season upon us, I think 101 Internet Sales Objections will be a great asset to any ISM or other automotive sales professional who wants to be at the top of their selling game and prepared for any type of customer. And I want to say thanks again to Dealix for providing a wealth of best sales practices to the e-dealer community.
Eddie Coleman is the CEO Hyperdrive Technologies, Inc., an automotive training and consulting company, and the author of the industry best seller Mastering the Art of Selling Cars Online. He can be reached by email at: eddie@hyperdrivetech.com or on the Web at www.masteringtheart.com.
