Mark's 37 High Voltage Showroom Floor Best Practices

Stanley Milgram was a Yale professor perhaps best known for his electric shock experiments testing just how far the ordinary person would go when deferring to authority figures. The number 37 comes from the number of participants who delivered the maximum shock, immortalized in the Peter Gabriel song, "Milgram’s 37."

I couldn’t resist the parallel. The following are my 37 showroom floor best practices assured to deliver high voltage results to your showroom floor sales efforts. Some might even shock you.

Be able to create and articulate your inimitable marketplace superiority. When the customer goes to several stores before buying, understand that the customer is primarily shopping you. How can you differentiate yourself from others? If you don’t know why I should do business with you, neither will your customer. You need to create your inimitable marketplace superiority. And by the way, statements like “we have great selection, a great facility and terrific staff” don’t cut it.
You sell the bike, first. No exceptions. You don’t go visit F&I to explore interest rates, you don’t go talk to the accessory guys to see if you can make it lower/louder/bluer, you sell the bike, first.
To “accsellerate” your sales, you should sell out of stock (SOS). Do not end your product conversations by saying things like, “… and I think it’s available in blue and red and cosmic orange.” The bike you should sell is the bike you can see.
Understand the power of the present moment. Now is all that matters. Be present with your customers. If you’re not, things called “micro expressions” give you away. You can’t tell you’re communicating this way, but unconsciously, the customer knows. And what you’re really communicating is that they’re not important enough for your attention.
Adopt the “good deal” mentality. Customers need to be treated well, and you need to be well compensated. Otherwise, the relationship doesn’t work.
When business is not coming to you like “manna from heaven,” there are two areas to increase your activities: prospecting and referrals.
Arrange your showroom floor to help you sell. Leverage your store’s traffic zones. You have a dead spot. Put your fast-moving motorcycles there. You have an active spot. Put slow-moving bikes there. And face the attractive side of the motorcycle to the traffic patterns (hint: it’s the right).
Use two-for questions as an alternative to the awful, “May I help you?” Rather ,“Day off?” “Running errands?” “Lunch break?” “Come far?”
Use an “amazing fact” to start the conversation off right. “Did you know this drive system has the lowest parasitic drag of any manufactured today?”
Step one of any sales progression is to get the person’s name and contact information.
It’s imperative to find out where the customer is in terms of buying cycle. “Are you looking to ride this month?” or “Are you hopeful to be burning gas by Sturgis?”
Today’s customer is better researched than ever before. Find out how well. “Sounds like you know what you’re talking about! May I ask where have you done your research?”
You need product knowledge horsepower. Be able to cite five significant technical aspects of the motorcycle not found in the brochure, and knowledge-wise, you’ll be in the top five percent in the county. Anyone can look in a brochure. Prove how they can be better off by spending time with you!
Do me a favor, involve the customer. “Please do me a favor and throw a leg over this motorcycle.” Or ,“Do me a favor, tell me what you think about this clutch effort.”
Get great at test rides. Get the back issues of MPN with our test rides articles in them.
Set the stage for referrals up front. “We’re planning on doing such a great job for you that when we’re done, you’re going to want to tell your friends and family about your experience. Fair enough?”
Take your customer’s picture with your camera or phone, then email it to them. It’s a great way to capture their contact information and stay in touch. Plus, you can put in your CRM system and recognize them when they come in again.
Be able to handle the big five objections: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire and no trust.
Be able to answer this question: “Why should I do business with you?”
And this question: “The guy down the road is cheaper, why should I do business with you?”
Leverage the principle of ingratiation and the rule of three. “Great question! There are really three reasons you should do business with us.”
Use the ART of communication: Acknowledge the customer’s objection. Respond in a convincing, compelling and conversational way. Then Transition to what’s next.
Don’t let customization questions throw you off track. Answer and then get back to selling the bike. “If you can dream it, we can do it. Here’s what I recommend. First, let’s make sure you’re on the bike that’s right for you. Then we’ll introduce you to our accessory expert who will make your dreams a reality. Which bike were you looking at?” Sell the bike, first.
Don’t let financing questions throw you off track. Sell the bike, first. Having no answer here makes them suspicious of you or will have them questioning your competency. Bad answers could legally expose you and the dealership to “unjust enrichment” or “payment packing” claims (see your attorney for details). Good answers position you well and move you back to talking about the bike.
Ask for the permission to move forward with a trial close. “What do you think?”
If the response is affirmative, ask for the business. “Should we write it up?”
Have a strategy for price negotiation. Whether you’re a premium price and premium experience retailer or your approach is “Don’t walk, let’s talk!” you still need an overall strategy for customers who ask for price concessions. (Sometimes it’s best to walk away from business.)
Never give a price concession without getting something in return. Use a quid pro quo. “Ok, we’ll include the freight and set-up, but there’s a quid pro quo. We’ll include the freight and set-up in the selling price, and you agree to bring two of your friends down to the store for a ‘behind the scenes’ tour. We’ll show them around and maybe get you a few new riding buddies. Fair enough?”
Pour cement on the deal immediately. “Congratulations! You’ve just purchased a great motorcycle. Here’s what’s going to happen next …” My favorite way to pour cement on a newly formed decision is to let the customer write their name on the sold tag and then hang it on the motorcycle.
Write up the deal using an effective tool like a deal worksheet. A credit application isn’t the right tool, here. Purchase orders sell the bike. Credit applications sell financing.
Overview purchase agreement documents and ask for the customer’s signature. If they are not burning gas that day, require a significant good faith deposit — $50 doesn’t cut it.
Have the customer relax and peruse accessory options for a few moments while you get management approvals. This does not mean leaving your customer unattended for half an hour to reconsider their decisions.
Create dealership synergy. Have an off-line conversation with your business manager about strengths, weaknesses, interests and personality types. Just like a volleyball player sets up the ball for their partner to return, you too should set each other up for success.
Practice systematic sales informality. Accidentally, on purpose bump into your customer on the showroom floor. If your business manager meets the customer there, use our “name – frame – same of” introduction and the time tested FORM model (family, occupation, recreation, motivation) for conversations. Skip the clipboard and 21 personal financial questions. Leave those for the business office.
Don’t deliver motorcycles on Saturday. “We’re delivering bikes this week on Wednesday and Thursday, which night works for you?” This will minimize your Saturday deliveries by approximately 85 percent. Will you have to do some on Saturday? Sure, but leave some room for walk-in, spontaneous purchasers.
Learn how to rock. Sales and F&I (and really all your departments) should work together like a great rock band. Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford always knows where Joe Perry is going. Because they’ve worked at it and played together so long. It should be like with your sales and F&I crew.
Involve your service department in the final delivery of the motorcycle. It gets the service relationship off on the right foot and gets your sales people out selling more motorcycles.

Get plugged into these 37 best practices and watch your sales power peg the meter.

An award-winning author, top-rated trainer and founder of Peak Dealership Performance, Mark Rodgers holds a master’s degree in adult education and the National Speakers Association Certified Speaking Professional designation — only 500 people in the world have this coveted recognition. Contact [email protected] to improve your performance.