Do Not Be Afraid To Ask For It
We have spent the past ten to twenty years trying to distance ourselves from the stereotype that salespeople are pushy and only interested in making a sale to increase their commissions. While I agree with the intent and firmly believe that the basis for any professional salesperson is customer service, I do find it necessary to make the point that there is a difference between being pushy and giving the customer what they want or need.
The point is that at some stage in the selling process, you need to ask for the sale and not expect the customer to do it for you. I have some friends who were recently in the market for a mini-van and proceeded to a local dealership. It was a Saturday and they were anxious to buy. They found a van that they wanted and were ready to start talking about specifics such as, financing, trade-in value, and so on. The dealership told them that because it was Saturday they would not be able to get an answer on financing until Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. They were ready to buy that day and the salesperson missed the signs. My friends were so disenchanted with the experience that they took their business elsewhere.
Within four hours after finding a van they liked at another dealership, they drove home in their new mode of transportation. The dealership they finally bought from showed them four different vans, went over all financing options and had the deal done that night. The dealership had three different people working on all aspects of the sale and did everything they could to satisfy the wants of my friends.
There is a distinct difference between a pushy salesperson and one that gives the customer what they want. In the first scenario, my friends were ready to buy but the salesman was apparently not ready to sell as he asked them to come back in a few days when they could go over financing possibilities. That approach certainly is not pushy but it is also completely ineffective. In the second scenario, the salespeople found out what my friends wanted and needed then worked with them to find a deal that would work for them. Finding out what your customers need and working with them to fulfill those needs is not pushy; on the contrary, it is great customer service. Providing great customer service is not pushy, it is professional.
FINAO – Brad Huisken – President, IAS TRAINING
