Sink the hook. Worry about the consequences later!

I sold transmissions many years ago.

I'm not a mechanic and

I didn't know anything about cars.

I sold them for three days and finally on the fourth day I asked my boss "What are these things all over the floor?" He told me they were transmissions. I was amazed. No shit, I had no idea!

You say that's impossible but here's how it worked. I saw a classified ad in the sales section but the ad didn't disclose the name of the company. It advertised a base plus commission which sounded good so I called. It turned out to be a well known national transmission repair franchise and I was assured they were looking for a salesman and not a mechanic. I went to the interview and wound up with the job. I wasn't refereed to as a salesman and I wore a white shirt like a manager so the customers assumed that I was a mechanic who made good.

When someone called with a possible transmission problem I would follow a script and either get them to drive in or I would send a tow truck. From there I would test drive the car and then sell the" pull". The "pull" was an internal inspection of the transmission for $85.00 and it was also scripted. In fact, the entire sales process was scripted and it worked well.

You see, what was drilled into my head was RETAIN AND SELL. Get the car in the shop and sell the "pull". Once the customer spent the initial $85.00, it was much easier to sell the rest of the job.
Let's throw a monkey wrench into the works. Let's say the shop was busy with at least a one day backlog (maybe 2 or 3) and the customer said he would agree to the inspection but ONLY UNDER THE CONDITION that we were able to complete the repair and return his car the same day because he absolutely needed his car back the same day. We would tell him "no problem" even if we knew there was no way in hell . We'd give him a ride home if necessary and call him later to sell the the entire job. The customer would authorize the repair and reiterate that he had to have the car back by the end of the day. We'd reiterate "no problem."

We'd suggest that he should call before coming to pick up his vehicle just in case something unforeseen came up but we certainly didn't anticipate that happening.

He'd call back at 5:00 o'clock just to make sure everything was OK and we'd fabricate some excuse as to why the car wouldn't be ready as anticipated and that we would finish the job the next day. If we couldn't get to it the next day then we would simply repeat the process.

Well that's not right....that's not fair....that's misleading!

To that the OldManSalesMaster says "GROW UP". First point - No Harm - No Foul. Yes, it could be argued it was unscrupulous to mislead the customer knowingly. However, the way I see it is if I would have answered honestly that there was no way we could have his car finished when he wanted , then there are two possible outcomes. One is that I could have still retained the job.

The other is more probable. The customer would have declined to get the repair done now because he previously stated that he "needed" his car back by the end of the day. He would have driven away, possibly returning for the repair at a future date but, more likely, not. The likelihood is he would have broken down somewhere else and a different repair shop would have gotten the work. Lastly, if he really would have freaked out about not getting his car back when promised, then we would have rented him a car at our expense until his car was ready.

Secondly, if you have a good script to use, use it. Don't feel the need to show the other salespeople or prove to yourself just how creative you are. Sales is not about ego stroking, it's about maximizing your earnings potential.

"Canned pitches are for lesser salesmen. Certainly they don't expect ME to use one."


Just read the f**kin' script.

Memorize it and use it word for word. Odds are that it works pretty well just the way it is or the powers that be wouldn't want you to use it. You should definitely add your own personality once you've mastered the script, just don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Think about it. There is no logical business reason you would be asked to use something that doesn't work well. The only possible exception is you work for moron. If this is the case you should leave their employment.

Third, product knowledge is overrated. Yes, it's nice to know something about what you're selling and you'll pick up the jargon soon enough. Obviously, the ability for salesprofessionals to speak knowledgeably about the features and benefits of the product or service they're selling is essential. Listen, if you really love what you're selling then, by all means, learn everything you can about it and the competition as well.

What I'm simply suggesting is you don't have to know absolutely everything in order to dive into the deep end. Screw it! Dive in! You'll learn! I think people spend too much time getting prepared in the beginning. Really, just dive in. The water's fine and if it's not and you lose a sale, chalk it up as a learning experience and dive in again. Don't use excessive preparation as an excuse to not dive in.

Lastly and most important, remember RETAIN AND SELL! This gem can be applied so many ways but it doesn't matter what you're selling, the point is SINK THE HOOK . Certainly it makes sense to qualify your prospect and you should try not to waste time with someone who can't afford or doesn't want or need your product or service. Just don't disqualify them prematurely, it's done all the time and it costs us sales. You can't reel him/her in unless you begin with the hook in the mouth.

Get him to bite. Go that far at least.

Don't worry that he may spit the hook, just get it in and start selling. Too many sales are lost because "we know within the first 30 seconds that this guy's not going to buy." We tell ourselves we might have a problem meeting a delivery date or maybe we won't have enough for a minimum order. You see, as a professional salesperson we still can't read minds and we aren't always able to anticipate every obstacle so always try to sink the hook! Don't anticipate objections. Do the work, sink the hook and then see where it leads.

Don't worry about filling the order initially. Just get it and then worry
about trying to fill it. You can always come up with a legitimate sounding excuse. I think you'll be amazed at how creative you can be.

Well by now you're probably saying "That's it. I've had enough of this OldManSalesMaster. First he tells me customers are like cattle and now he's telling me to lie to them. I JUST CAN'T DO IT."

The truth is I'm not saying to lie to them, I'm just telling you to look at the big picture. Somebody was going to put a transmission in that car and we sold a good one so why shouldn't I be the one to sell it. If you noticed I've never suggested doing the wrong thing by the customer. I am saying the customer can bend to our will sometimes too, it doesn't always have to be the other way around.

The customer is not always right but they are always the customer and should be treated fairly. We're salesprofessionals, not waiters. Remember for a sale to work well it has to be a win/win situation. The customer needs to win but don't forget that's it's equally important we win too!

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