Internet Business Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

On one of my very first deals in the car sales business was a middle aged man looking for a car for his wife.

We found the car he liked, in the color with all the options he wanted, except chrome wheels.

He really wanted the stock wheels, but in chrome.

I remembered that we had a set of chrome wheels exactly like he wanted in storage that we had taken off of another vehicle.

He asked how much they would cost and I, stupidly, said, “They shouldn’t cost anything, we already charged another customer the cost of new wheels.”

When I got to the sales office my manager asked how the conversation went. I told him exactly what I said, and exactly what the customer said.

He was furious. He was angry that I had given the customer something he wanted, and hadn’t got anything in exchange. This leads us to the point, DON’T GIVE AWAY ANYTHING! Which is exactly what my boss yelled at me as I walked out the door.

Whenever you are negotiating with a customer, and they ask for something, you should always get something back in return. For example:

Customer: “I want 20″ Chrome Wheels on my truck, can I get a discount on them?”
Salesman: “I might be able to get you a discount if you are ready to buy today, should I tell my manager you are ready to take the truck home?”

Customer: “Can I get 10 free oil changes like the store down the street is offering?”
Salesman: “If I can get you 10 free oil changes, are you ready to take this car home today?”

In both instances, you don’t promise anything, but you get a commitment from the customer.

Make sure you know that you can actually do what you are negotiating. You shouldn’t negotiate with chips that you don’t actually have.

Don’t forget the lesson, I never did, “DON’T GIVE AWAY ANYTHING!”