From the beginning of time we have all been taught how important it is to complete a needs analysis or qualify your prospects. I am in complete agreement with this issue. In today’s market, knowing that the customer has done a significant amount of research in advance of visiting the dealership, the “Needs Analysis” has a slightly different value than just determining what vehicle the customer wants and if they can afford it.
A few years ago, I was asked by one of the best GM’s around to help him teach his staff how to better understand the “Why” behind doing a needs analysis. I agreed to help, and then went on a mission to discover how I was going to accomplish my new task. After a long night of research, I found the best answer I could ask for. The Simon Sinek video “Start with Why.” You may be one of the 11 million people that have viewed this video, and this video may not be new to you. However the principles that I walked away from with this brilliant lesson several years ago, have served many of my clients extremely well.
If a customer spends 9 to 12 hours researching the vehicle of their dreams and then shows up at your dealership and shares with you immediately what vehicle they are interested in and based on their research, how much they are willing to pay for the vehicle, asking old traditional questions is a waste of both their time and yours. (See The Road To Today’s Sale Is Now A Highway)
Do we actually believe that we can close a deal because our vehicle has the latest technology? Or that it has leather seats, 4 doors and a backup camera when just about every vehicle in the market now has great advanced luxury and technology.
What we need to discover in our efforts during the needs analysis, along with the customer vehicle needs, is what actually caused the customer to get up off of their sofa and come out to your showroom to purchase a new vehicle. “Why” did they choose your dealership? “Why” did they choose the vehicle they are interested in, and “Why”do they want to buy a new vehicle now?
These answers are what will allow you to facilitate the customer to the logical conclusion that they made the right vehicle choice, the right dealership choice and the right decision to purchase from you.
So, in the famous words of Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. Once you master the art of discovering the “Why” behind a needs analysis you will exceed your customer expectations, finalize more transactions and improve your overall customer experience.
Go find out “Why”
Mike Anderson
President TRG www.therikessgroup.com