“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
If you’re in the car business, you’ve heard this before. Most dealerships will tell their salespeople not to do this but I still see it all of the time. Salespeople are notorious for prejudging a customer when they drive up on the lot whether it’s based on what the customer is driving or how they look.
In my first job at a high-line dealership, I had an experience that ingrained this into my head and I learned never to do this.
At this dealership, we worked on an “up” list. For those not familiar with this, it’s basically a turn-based system for salespeople designed to distribute opportunities equally and avoid the mass of salespeople accosting the customer upon their arrival. This dealership was brand-new and, frankly, we didn’t get a lot of customers at that point. You could easily work all day and get one or no opportunities.
I was “on-deck” (meaning there was one salesperson in front of me) when a customer pulled up. The salesperson took one look at this customer, turned to me and asked me if I wanted to help them (essentially switching positions on the list with me). Given that this might be the only opportunity of the day for me (or for him for that matter), I was certainly willing to assist the customer.
I go out and do all the right stuff, bring the guy in to my desk and we promptly customize a vehicle and place an order for a car for him – at MSRP.
My desk was right near the receptionist. She kept looking over at me the whole time while I was with this customer. After the customer left, she asked me what the guy’s name was. I told her and she proceeded to freak out.
This customer’s name was Kerry King. He’s the guitarist for a little band named Slayer. I was never much into heavy metal but they’re a pretty well-known band. Here’s a picture of him (and this is pretty much how he was dressed when he came in):
The point is that not only did I make a sale, but I made a friend. The guy is nothing like you would “expect” him to be from his appearance. Everything you see is for an image. Hollywood incarnate.
I’m sure that any other sales managers or industry veterans have similar stories and we all share them with our salespeople and/or co-workers. We all like to hear interesting stories and experiences from fellow industry professionals.
Some people just don’t get it though. Whether its seeing that person and immediately thinking “bad credit” or not assisting a customer because they’re cherry-picking, this practice continues to this day.
The sad part is that typically someone has to have an experience similar to this before it really sinks in.
Managers that see this behavior should immediately take action. This behavior not only hurts the salesperson by affecting his wallet but it can also hurt the dealership by upsetting a customer and losing business.
Do not make light of this behavior. It is contagious and will cost you deals.
