Make Money on Your Sales Event
Before it Even Begins!

Written for AutoSuccess Magazine
August 2002

By Scott Joseph

Here’s my dream: I’m at the US Open going toe-to-toe with Tiger. I’ve warmed up, I’m loose, and I am playing some incredible golf. The sun is shining down, and Tiger looks nervous. The day is good. Now, here is my nightmare: I am grabbed out of the crowd, and told that I have to fill an extra slot in the US Open. I haven’t practiced, I’m stiff and nervous, and the sun is beating down on me. Tiger just keeps looking at me and shaking his head. Every shot is bad and embarrassing, and the day looks long. What a horrible nightmare.

But, if you notice, the big difference between my best dream and worst nightmare is one thing- preparation. Preparation and practice will make or break any event, and this especially holds true in the automotive industry. The mindset your employees have going into a big sales event will be the main factor in whether this is just another humdrum promotion (oh yea, we are having a sale today), or a record-breaking blowout.

By creating an attitude of excitement and readiness, you will arm your people and prepare them to start working deals ahead of the promotion- making money on your sales event before it even begins! You just need to make sure that every member of your sales force is informed and ready. And here is the first secret: everyone who draws a paycheck from your dealership is part of your sales force. From the receptionist who answers the phone with the proper greeting to the people actually inking deals- everyone associated with your dealership helps sell your vehicles. Everyone has a role to play, and their efforts will combine to affect the number of vehicles that roll off of your lot.

So, what can we do to guarantee that the sales force is ready for our event? Here is secret number two: Don’t start the morning of the event, or the day before the event. Give your team an entire week of momentum to prepare, practice, and sell before the promotion even starts. Inform everyone on staff about the details of the promotion, to spread word-of-mouth advertising and add credibility when people question them about the promotion. This will guarantee that the event comes across as genuine and exciting. Nothing will decrease your sales quicker than the customer not believing that they are receiving a good deal.

Next secret: Invite the people who are already your biggest fans- your previous customers. Even if you don’t mail to your previous customer database, call them before the event and tell them that it is occurring. If they are in the market for a new vehicle, they will appreciate the notice. If they aren’t currently in the market, you have just helped to create top-of-mind awareness of your dealership, so they will be more likely to think of you when they are in the market. Your goal here is to make the previous customer feel special. Use this phone call (regardless of if they are receiving an invitation in the mail) as a gentle reminder or a notification- not a sales call. You are doing them a favor by telling them about this opportunity, not attempting to make a sale over the phone.

Easy secret: Most of your traffic before the event won’t be walk-ins, it will come from people who are curious about the letter that they just received. They will call to clarify details or to check on the inventory of a particular model that interests them. In other words, you will be getting a lot of phone traffic. Effectively dealing with these interested customers will provide you with your biggest leads, and will be the primary way that you can sell vehicles before the event even begins.

Have greetings prepared for your receptionist to use when answering the phone, which specifically mention the upcoming sales event. This creates interest with people who may not know about the promotion. Give them a phone log to record every call, appointment, and RSVP. Recording these calls and appointments gives you a comprehensive list to work before the event, a suggestion of what the customers are interested in, and a way to hold the sales staff accountable for every interested customer.

Another secret: Advertise your event every way possible. We have already discussed the valuable word-of-mouth advertising that your people will be doing before the sale date. Now, let’s capture the service and parts customers, and the be-backs who come into your dealership before the event. One of the easiest ways of accomplishing this is with a customer flyer. Explain the main points of the promotion in an easy-to-read flyer, and pass them out to your already loyal service and parts customers, or to prospects who leave your dealership without buying.

Flip side of that secret: As well as holding meetings and telling your employees about the upcoming event, create an employee memorandum that explains all the details. It is crucial that every employee understand every aspect of the promotion. When your employees go home at night, or bump into their neighbor in the grocery store, you want them to be excited about the upcoming event, and to be impressed with the savings that will be available. The last thing you want is for an employee to dismiss the promotion as “just another sale.” That attitude will kill the event before it even starts.

Use all these secrets in the week before the promotion, and you will be surprised with the results. Your sales force will be prepared, and will have spent the entire week “warming up” with practice shots before the sales event. They will be looser, prepared, and ready to deal with the flood of customers on the big day. And, when you look back over the numbers, you will discover that sales have been made all week long. How about that? Deals worked all week long, and an incredible sales blowout at the end of the week. Sounds like a hole-in-one to me. Tiger should be nervous.




Next month: Marketing Lists That Work!

Read another AutoSuccess article:

April 2001:
Seven Advantages of Direct Mail for the Automotive Industry

June 2001:

Testing and Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Advertising to Improve Your Profit

July 2001:

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September 2001:
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October 2001:
The Secret of Out-Performing All Your Other Advertising!

November 2001:
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December 2001:
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January 2002:
Secrets to Improve Your Sales and Profit With Direct Mail

February 2002:
How to Sell One to Two More Deals for Each 100 Pieces of Mail You Send!

March 2002:
The Seven Biggest Marketing Mistakes Everybody is Making, and How to Avoid Them!

April 2002:
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May 2002:
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June 2002
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July 2002
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September 2002
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