While driving down the highway and listening to mostly commercials, the ad for The Farmer’s Dog came on. The benefits from this new dog food were extolled for better appetite, digestion, healthier coat and less hair loss. I was impressed. The manufacturer stated unequivocally that highly processed pelletized food was terrible for one's health, shortened life and caused painful pet bathroom experiences. Joint and muscle pain was relieved in short order using this product. I was sold and told the Mrs. to start shopping online.
Then the next commercial came on for Balance of Nature Fruits and Vegetables - displaying its dietary magic that extended one's life, made joint pain go away, helped digestion and was THE secret to a healthy life. One lady stated, "if I had only one thing to take it would be Balance of Nature".
Balance of Nature is a highly processed pelletized food product. Now, I am not even a borderline genius, but it hit me that one could take a product and make it the scourge of the earth or the elixir of the heavens. It must depend on the salesmanship it seems.
In the distant past we sold a Romanian made tractor. It was 40 hp advertised that rarely saw over 30 on the dyno. The basic same tractor was sold under Long, AC, Oliver, Universal and probably others that I can't remember.
Once we held a sales meeting while I was working for AC where one dealer got up and slammed the product, saying the fenders vibrated so badly it blew out the light bulbs. Another dealer stated he was making a fortune selling light bulbs for the fenders. One complained the units would not pull the correct HP. Another dealer said he was making money as he figured out how to get the units to make the correct hp. A different dealer stated the Romanian Roadsters only had a one-way service valve, while another argued he was selling the part to make it a two-way remote system. It went on and on until the sales manager put an end to the process.
We once stated that one of our main competitors had a sales strategy - "If you can't fix it, feature it.” There is no perfect product. We all have been dealt the hand that contains the product mix we can order and sell. Do we want to hide behind the reasons we can't succeed by blaming the features? Or do we do Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge's "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome" strategy.
Believe me, the manufacturers know the shortcomings of the features. Customer feedback today is intense. We provide the sales to provide the feedback, doing our due diligence and wait for the improvements. We have to continually develop and refine our sales habits.
I remember the story told to us by C.D. Vinson - the 'Manifold King' of aftermarket tractor manifolds. He said, "I witnessed Mr. V, the Deere dealer, sell a used tractor to a customer who really wanted a smaller unit that was on the lot, but this one really needed selling. Now Mr. V could not hear himself burp but could hear a dollar bill land on a snowbank.
As he led the customer to the tractor amid objections to size, he started out with a high price saying he might do better. As he walked around the unit stating how good the tires, seat, paint, filters etc. were, the customer was still vocalizing objections that fell on Mr. V's deaf ear. Finally, the customer said in a low voice 'well I might give x amount' to which Mr. V loudly exclaimed, ‘Great, you just bought yourself a tractor!’”
Selling is a disciplined art. Our challenge is to become that master sales artist.
‘Til next time, get out there and sell, sell, sell - with a smile.
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Told from the perspective of an in-the-trenches owner/operator — Tim Brannon of B&G Equipment, Paris, Tenn. — Equipment Dealer Tips, Tales & Takeaways shares knowledge, experiences and tips/lessons with fellow rural equipment dealerships throughout North America. Covering all aspects required of an equipment dealership general manager, Brannon will inform, entertain and provide a teachable moment for current — and future — leaders within equipment dealerships. |
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