Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/698493
SOLUTIONS
56 • July 11, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com
It is not unusual for dealers
to tell me that they are in
a slump and really need
to increase floor traffic.
They may have thrown
considerable dollars at
advertising to solve the
issue, but with minimal
success. If you are faced
with this situation, I
encourage you to look
inside your business for a possible solution.
Today, there are very few traditional adver-
tising venues that can help you quickly boost
floor traffic. There is a much more reliable
method of bringing in customers — "old
school" prospecting. While some of you may
be doing many of these things, perhaps I can
provide you with a new idea or bring some of
the "We used to do that" processes back on line.
WHERE DO I FIND PROSPECTS?
The first place to look is your CRM or traffic
log. This is the most important tool you have
in your sales department. Whether electronic
or paper, this is the key source for prospects.
Your sales manager should be going over this
log every day with the sales staff looking for
follow-up opportunities.
The sales manager should also using the
CRM/log to monitor each salesperson so he
or she can provide coaching and training
to improve their ability to lock in appoint-
ments and close deals. Are you certain this
is happening in your store? If the log isn't
being used consistently and properly, get it
going TODAY!
The next source is your customer data-
base. I'm not talking about this year or even
last year — go back several years. You don't
know who might be a prospective buyer
or who might give you a quality referral.
During the worst of the recession, we had a
dealer tell us that he significantly increased
unit sales while other dealers were decreas-
ing in sales. When asked what he did to
achieve this increase, he said he got his
salespeople on the phone calling every pros-
pect on every list he could come up with. He
stated: "We even went back 10 years into our
customer database. In some cases our sales-
people were making dozens of calls to end
up with one sale."
It didn't matter. He was doing whatever it
took to bring in customers.
Next would be shows and events. Always
include a gift certificate prize drawing to solicit
prospect information. Require basic customer
contact information plus the key question: Are
you planning to purchase a