How to Test Drive a Used Car From a Dealer

On December 30, 2014, my vehicle was stopped at a red light. The driver of an F350 traveling at 70 KM/h was distracted. And my vehicle was written off. (For those of you who follow me on twitter - this is why my feed has been dark - time once reserved for social media is now invested in recovery - I will return, hopefully in a couple of weeks).

The last five weeks have been an incredible journey through different customer service programs. From insurance companies, car rental agencies, doctors, physiotherapy clinics, to car dealers, banks, and more.

As impactful as the accident has been on my life, the interactions that followed are providing inspiration and validation for the methods that I use and teach in my field of work.

My wife, Annie, and I visited a number of auto dealers in Southern Alberta following the crash. There were common themes with three styles, and one stand out. Let's investigate.

Common-Style 1: Feature Dump: Before entering the non-profit sector I sold electronics. In one my first sales training sessions ever our educator was focused on eliminating the "feature dump". He would have us sell him a TV in front of the crowd, and if we started offering information that he hadn't asked for or wasn't relevant to the conversation, he would yell "feature dump" and you were done for that round.

At the car dealerships, I wasn't comfortable yelling "feature dump" at someone. I did try redirecting a number of times to bring the sales people back to my level, but this was mostly ignored. The feature dump is typically reinforced with a cursory explanation of why you need said feature.

A perfect example of this was on salesperson, "AJ", at a dealership in Calgary. After explaining clearly the features that mattered the most to Annie and I, AJ insisted on showing us vehicles that were "just right" for us, but that lacked simple options such as bluetooth and cruise control. Even after I very clearly explained that Annie and I were not interested in purchasing a vehicle without certain key features, AJ called me the following week to let me know that "my vehicle" was detailed and ready for pick up. Maybe I wasn't clear? Nope - I was. But AJ wasn't listening. To his credit, AJ did ask for the sale.

Common-Style 2: The silent type: At another Calgary dealership, we met "Matt". Matt is a nice guy, and he understood our motivation quickly by asking a few key questions. He brought a vehicle to us from the lot, and we went for a drive. The drive was great, but Matt just sat in the back seat and didn't talk. He listened to us. And that was creepy, so we didn't talk. The drive ended, and Matt wished us well. He never called or emailed to follow-up. He never asked for the sale.

Common-Style 3: The aggressor / Let me get my manager: Ugh. This is what most people fear when walking into a car dealership - and this day felt like we were on a comedy show. Ill-fitting suits, bad haircuts, and winks when a man who smelled of stale tobacco shook my hand. Annie and I had test-driven one vehicle from a major auto manufacturer lot in Okotoks, and were not completely sold on it. The salesperson was fine - friendly and personable during the test drive. But when we got back and I was wishing him well, he said "but you don't know my best price." I told him that we weren't at that point, yet, and I was not going to sign any offers to purchase. "No, no, no. Nothing like that. Let's go talk in my office." As soon as we arrived in the office, "Ed" ran off to the manager's office. They came back "ready to make a deal today." They had the offer to purchase forms in hand. I explained that I wasn't signing anything, and they seemed confused. They asked what it would take to "get us into that ride today ." I said that I wasn't buying that day, and they pushed. And pushed. And one stood behind Annie while one stood in front of me. I stood, and said that if they knocked $5,000 off the price that I would consider it. They agreed and started writing it down, and Annie and I made a hasty exit. If someone is willing to fight to get you to sign right now, and will drop 25% of their price in an instant - run.

The Stand-Out: When we arrived in High River, we were not expecting to buy a vehicle. Our sales person, Don Mills, came out from the show room with a snow brush in hand and spoke calmly with us. He asked why we were interested in a particular line of vehicle - a mini-van (which I am re-branding as our family adventure van). Once he understood why were in this line of vehicles, he grabbed the keys to one and said, "see you in a bit." No drama, and no ride along. Don went back to his office and we went for a drive around High River. On our return, Don took a few moments to talk about the van with us. He asked what mattered. He understood why it mattered - I have a family with multiple child car seats, and we live an active life. He told us about the key features that will impact our life as vehicle owners. After a few moments of talking, once we had exhausted all of our questions and it was time for Annie and I to talk privately, Don said "I'll leave you two. I'll be in my office." A few minutes later Don emerged. He had run the value of our Santa Fe through his system, to compare it to the offer made by our insurance company. He also had the total price to move the van off of his lot. We bought a vehicle from Don that day.

How is this relevant to fundraisers? Fundraising is often called a sales position. It involves relationships and influence. Information sharing and active listening. And some fundraisers are more proficient than others.

Let's compare styles:

1. Feature Dump: As fundraisers, we want to tell our stories. We want to jump right into how much we have invested, where we invested, and what the real difference that we are making is. But does the donor care? Are they motivated by what you are talking about, or do they want to hear about your survivorship or education programs? Feature dumping only works if the donor is interested in hearing it. Find out what motivates your donor, then tell that story.
2. The silent type: When the donor pours their heart out, shares their motivations and life story, and the fundraiser is too afraid to assist the donor in making a gift. I have seen this many times - people who are amazing at forging great and trusting relationships, yet they lack the confidence to take it to the next level.
3. The aggressor: I am personally a donor to a number of organizations. One of them invited me for coffee late last year. I thought that I was meeting with my contact - a fundraising coordinator - to talk about the weather and have a friendly chat about renewing my pledge. Instead, I was at a table with my contact, the CEO and a board member. Without any warning, I was caught off guard. I was uncomfortable. And I wanted to leave. My relationship with this non-profit is not at a level where I would consider extending to a major gift level, and the topic had never - not once - come up with my contact. As a fellow fundraiser, I felt for these folks as I tried to politely renew my monthly pledge and move on.
4. Don in High River: This is the consultative approach that you want. It shows that you are listening, and gives you the opportunity to provide information that is relevant to your donors. There is no time wasted, no undue influence, and no sense of salesmanship. It's just you and your donor trying to achieve a goal. You are having a conversation, as oppose to outwardly trying to influence. CEOs and Boards - Shawn Verhoeven at HORN delivers a great training program on consultative recruitment - if you are in need of professional development for your teams, I recommend talking to HORN about building a program for your organization.

Thanks for reading! My other posts about fundraising are here.

And if you live in Alberta and need a new vehicle, look up Don Mills at Country Chrysler.

How to Test Drive a Used Car From a Dealer

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fundraising-used-car-sales-method-conor-tapp

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