Dealers’ training more than ‘fluff and puff’
• | AskPatty helps women buy cars |
By Sarah A. Webster
In
certifying dealers as female friendly, AskPatty.com has partnered with
Maddox Smye, a Naples, Fla.-based company that specializes in training
salespeople to sell to women. Their methods are based on the book "How
to Get Rich Selling Cars and Trucks to Women," co-written by founders
Rebecca Maddox and Marti Smye.
Maddox
said the training and tests involved to become certified are not "fluff
and puff," and the company does not just hand out certification to any
dealer willing to pay.
She shared some of the test questions with the Detroit Free Press. Answers are at the end.
1.
If something went wrong in dealing with a female customer and you were
able to repair the damage, what technique would you employ?
A.
I would make sure she understood where the problem occurred and who was
at fault (e.g., delivery delayed by manufacturer, service person
problem, financing delay). I would apologize profusely for their
mistake.
B.
I would take ownership for the problem and work to repair the damage. I
would make sure she understands the steps that I was taking to fix the
situation and apologize for the problem.
C.
I would explain to her what had happened and how it would impact her
purchase. I would bring the appropriate manager (e.g., sales, service,
financing) to the meeting to support my explanation.
D.
I would let her know what had happened and how the dealership would fix
the problem. I would give her a date that the situation should be
repaired.
2. Which one of the following most closely resembles the approach you take when presenting female clients with advice?
A. I provide her with options, discuss the pros and cons of each one, and suggest which options might be best for her.
B. I provide her with options, discuss the pros and cons of each one, but don't try to tell her which options to choose.
C. I provide her with options, but only the ones that fit with the recommendations I had given her.
D. I don't provide options. Instead, I tell her what I would recommend and what she should do.
3.
Recent studies have shown that 65 percent of new-car buyers use one or
more Web sites to research and compare models, features and costs prior
to visiting a dealership. This can improve your results in what way or
ways?
A.
Because a woman has done research online in advance, she should be
prepared to make a decision the same day she first visits our
dealership.
B.
Having researched manufacturers' and dealers' costs, she will be more
comfortable with a total price rather than having to see the breakdown
of costs.
C.
The more information a woman has gotten from the Internet, the more
time the salesperson can devote to developing a good customer
relationship.
D. All of the above.
4.
At one time or another, many clients start talking about things that
are not directly relevant to their purchase, for example, where they
were born, their hobbies, what schools they attended, their present
life situations, the names and ages of their children or grandchildren,
and so on. When a female client of yours started to talk about these
aspects of her life, what do you do?
A. After a couple of minutes I politely interrupt her and move the discussion back to business.
B. I wait until she pauses, and politely ask her if we could move on to business.
C. I wait until she pauses and change the topic back to business.
D.
I listen to what she is saying, occasionally taking notes (e.g., her
children's names), and encourage her to keep talking by occasionally
asking questions or noting things that we have in common.
E. I let her keep talking. While she is talking, I think about how I could make a sale to her.
Answers: 1. B; 2. B; 3. C; 4. D
Detroit Free Press