RV Sales Training with Chuck Morgan Training From Experience

In part 3 of this multi-part series we will discuss the differences between those who sell on purpose (having an understanding of what they are doing), and those who sell on accident (merely show up for work and let things happen).
Let’s continue looking at a few of the differences between doing things on purpose and on accident.

5.  Sales people with purpose take responsibility for all outcomes.  Those who sell on accident shun responsibility and prefer to place blame on others.

Ivern Ball once said, “Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it’s addressed to someone else.”  When you blame others you give up your power to change. 

Part of being responsible for the outcome of an RV deal is in the understanding of what you as a salesperson are actually responsible for to begin with.  Responsibility involves specific tasks and have a beginning, middle, and an end.  Many of these tasks must be completed on an ongoing basis.

There are indirect as well as direct responsibilities.  Direct responsibilities are the first function of the salesperson and involves getting organized in your dealership, finding new customers (outside prospecting), planning sales calls, building relationships, understanding the steps to the RV sale, uncovering customers needs, showing how an RV provides solutions, making recommendations of RV’s that will meet the customers’ needs and presenting them, uncovering and solving objections, closing sales and following-up after the sales with service. In the RV business these activities can happen over a period of more than one visit to the dealership and in formal or informal ways.

Indirect responsibilities involve all the responsibilities salespeople must carry out to get themselves ready to sell, satisfy customers and create climate for continued sales. It almost always takes more of a salesperson’s time than direct selling to a customer and includes staying up to date on product knowledge, changing inventory, and improving selling skills, handling complaints, managing customers relationships, understanding the economy and how it affects the customers mindset, networking and many other functions.

All RV dealerships should have clear, understandable responsibilities for salespeople and managers in writing, that should be discussed prior to hiring, and also with all existing staff immediately following putting together your dealerships list of responsibilities.  You cannot hold anyone responsible for anything that was never clearly explained to them was their responsibility.  This will avoid, “that’s not my job.”

6.  Sales people with purpose begin a task at the earliest opportunity.  Those who sell on accident procrastinate, delay and run out of time. 

There is no shortage of wise sayings regarding procrastination:

Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin. - Victor Kiam

If you want to make an easy job semm mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. - Olin Miller

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. - William James

One key to eliminating procrastinating is to understand why you are doing it to begin with.  Some examples are:

Poor Time Management. Procrastination means not managing time wisely. You may be uncertain of your priorities, goals and objectives. You may also be overwhelmed with the task. 

Difficulty Concentrating. When you sit at your desk you find yourself daydreaming, staring into space, looking at or reading things that have nothing to do with the RV business instead of doing the task. Your environment is distracting and noisy.

Fear and Anxiety. You may be overwhelmed with the task and afraid of failing. As a result, you spend a great deal of time worrying about it and not actually doing anything constructive.

Negative Beliefs such as; “I cannot succeed in anything” and “I lack the necessary skills to perform the task” may allow you to stop yourself from getting work done.

Personal problems. For example, financial difficulties, problems with your life outside the dealership.

Finding the Task Boring, or don’t see any real direct value to you.

Unrealistic Expectations and Perfectionism. You may believe that you MUST know everything ever written on sales and your products before you can begin to sell anything.

Fear of Failure. It’s amazing we can fail 9 out of 10 times with a fresh walk in customer, but do it day after day, yet put off follow up phone calls for fear of bad news.  I’ve never understood this!

Here’s some tips to overcome procrastination.

• Recognize self-defeating problems such as; fear and anxiety, difficulty concentrating, poor time management, indecisiveness and perfectionism.
• Identify your own goals, strengths and weaknesses, values and priorities.
• Compare your actions with the values you feel you have. Are your values consistent with your actions?
• Discipline yourself to use time wisely: Set priorities.
• Do your daily tasks in small blocks instead of long time periods. For example, you will accomplish more if you follow up in 60 minute blocks and take frequent 10 minute breaks in between, than if you follow up for 2-3 hours straight, with no breaks. Reward yourself after you complete a task. A cup of coffee works for me.
• Motivate yourself to do the things necessary for sales success:  Keep a reminder schedule and checklist. A daily written plan of action tied to a follow up system works great for many tasks. 
• Set realistic and achievable goals.
• Modify your environment: Eliminate or minimize noise/ distraction. Ensure adequate lighting. Have necessary equipment at hand. Don’t waste time going back and forth to get things. Don’t get too comfortable when working.  Be neat! Take a few minutes to straighten your desk. This can help to reduce day-dreaming.

My solution to stop procrastinating is simple; I just put it off until tomorrow.

More next time.

Now Go Sell Something

Chuck Morgan

Posted under rv sales, selling skills