Image courtesy of joebnfran
When you think of a used car salesman, what comes to mind? Sneaky, untrustworthy, aggressive, uncaring what else? What about marketing guru or sales genius? You wouldn’t think so off the top of your head, but if we take a closer look that’s exactly where they fit into the scheme of things. Hopefully, at the end of this article you’ll have changed your perspective on used car salesmen and how they can help you make sales online.
What’s their Story?
If you can sell a car you can sell pretty much sell anything. From the salesman’s point of view, getting your initial stock is expensive, keeping them on the lot is expensive, and having a physical location to sell them brings about more bills than owning a home. But, selling one of them is the golden ticket to living a lifestyle that is hardly blue collar.
So, you’ve got to give the salesman a little slack, it’s a hard business selling a car, even if it is a lemon and they know it. What’s fascinating to me is how they sell it and what we can learn as social media marketers from them.
Step 1 – Form a Relationship
The best car salesmen know that you have to really get on “the customer’s side” when it comes to selling. You’ve got to make them feel like you care, get to know them, and help them make the best car buying decision.
Fortunately for you, your platform is social media so you’ve already established a relationship with your fans, followers, friends, and associates in your field right? You don’t have to “make them feel like you care,” because you really do (at least you should). Here are a 10 tips on building relationships and here are a few more;
- I find that Facebook is great for cultivating relationships since it really brings things to a personal level. I enjoy chatting with you all there as well as other bloggers that I follow and it really brings people together. Note: I especially enjoy the business chat at my Fan Page as well.
- Don’t forget your local community online. We get so wrapped up in making connections all over the world that we forget to make them at home as well. Give Twitter Local or Twitter Search a try and connect with users in your own backyard.
- Remember the Biblical principle of Sowing and Reaping? That applies to relationship building as well. Sow good seeds [information, how-to's, links, articles, resources, etc.] into good ground [other bloggers, your followers, your fans, colleagues, etc.] and you’ll reap a harvest [donations, sales, endorsements, resources, tools, etc.]
Connecting people with information, articles, tools, etc. ultimately makes you a resource to people. By doing so you’ll leave a valuable impression on their minds and when they need something they’ll come to you.
Step 2 – Go for the Connection, Not the Sale
Ever notice when you’re looking at a car and the salesman says, “You and this car were made for each other,” “I can see you cruising down the highway with the wind in your hair in this baby!” Or, “Wanna give this puppy a quick test drive and see how she’ll handle on the open road?”
Connecting you with the product is a covert, yet genius way to sell because it puts the product in your hands or on your mind. A great used car salesman knows that if he can get you thinking of how you’ll use the car or put you in it, it’s only a matter of time before you sign on the dotted line.
How can you use this technique in social media? Here are a few ideas;
- Give free samples of your products
- Hand out free trial offers of your services
- Create video tutorials that demonstrate a particular skill, ability, or usage of a tool
- Start a contest or free give-away
- Write “How-to” blog posts that show people how to make the most of a product or service
- Create a podcast and interview people who have used your products or services
- Write white papers, case studies, or ebooks that demonstrate the benefits and results of using your product or service.
- Start a directory with the information of entrepreneurs within various fields of expertise
The possibilities are endless but the end result is the same; get your product or service in the hands of your market or in their imagination and you’ll make sales.
Step 3 – The Big Pitch
Once the car salesman has successfully established a relationship, connected you and the car in your imagination [or got you to test drive], he goes for the big pitch. This is the moment of truth, now or never, do or die. Let’s listen in on how the master used car salesman seals the deal;
“This baby’s only got 12,000 miles so you’ll definitely have reliable transportation, new tires, and I’ll throw in a limited warranty, and free car washes for a week! You ain’t gonna find a deal like this anytime soon! What do you think pal? Can I get you to sign here so you ride home in your new car?”
Look closely at the pure genius of the salesman. He clearly states the 4 laws of sales attraction;
- Features – what the product has.
- Benefits – what the product can do for the buyer.
- Value – what extras come with the product.
- Call to Action – what the prospect needs to do.
How does this translate for the social media marketer? It’s simple, when your viewer or prospect enters your sales funnel, make sure you clearly state the 4 laws of sales attraction mentioned above. Like a fisherman with too much bait on the end of his line, they’ll net you sales every time. However, they don’t work unless you’ve established the first two steps. Without them your net will simply break.
Imagine a spider spinning its web with the intricate patterns crossing each other to strengthen the core of the web. As you exercise the first 2 steps you’ll strengthen the foundation for which to lay your pitch upon.
The Wrap-Up
So, as you can see, used car salesmen are sneaky, uncaring, and pure marketing geniuses! You meet a few honest ones here and there, but the majority that I’ve met really have looked like the guy in this picture above. Do you agree with their sales tactics and methods? What else can we learn from them? What strategies are you using to sell your products and services online? Leave your comments below and let’s really talk this out!
P.S. – Don’t forget to cast your vote in this week’s poll, Has Social Media Marketing Changed the Online Sales Landscape?
Has Social Media Marketing Changed the Online Sales Landscape?
- Other (60%, 3 Votes)
- Yes, I trust and buy from everyone! (40%, 2 Votes)
- No, I still don't buy from people online! (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 5
Want More? Check out these awesome related articles;
How [not] to Make Money like a Used Car Salesman
Making Social Media Marketing Work
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About the Author
Rod
