Dangling chicken

One thing that has never ceased to amaze me is the lack of conscious and integrity that there seems to be. One may talk a big game about how their integrity is but when it comes down to the dollars they always tarnish what they originally said they believe and do.


I hate writing these types of posts because they seem so negative and I sure hate negativity. The primary reason that I want to write this post is because of the frustration that comes about when you think something may not be exactly right. On the surface it seems okay until you really think about what the outcome is going to be.


Let me be clear... if you know that what you are doing is wrong then don't pursue it. The problem lies in the one that has done something for so long that they don't see anything wrong with it. If you tell yourself long enough that what you're doing is okay then you will eventually have no conscious. You will eventually overlook all means of integrity to fulfill your desires which usually amounts to money. If money is your primary focus in life and all that you focus upon then most likely, at some point, your integrity will be pushed to it's limit and most likely overflow it.


Why do I say these things? Well, it's simple, do not jeopardize your reputation or integrity for money. It will haunt you at some point. It may take a while to catch up to you but it will catch you. If you have money as your only motivating factor then you will surely be blinded by what you are doing and see nothing wrong with a lie here and a lie there. You will start letting things slide under the rug just to get that next dollar. I for one need to make money, like most everyone, in order to provide for my family but I never want to jeopardize who I am and what I believe to make money even if that means that I miss a deal.


When I greet a customer I never want to look at them as a meal ticket and a dollar sign. I want to treat them like they are a person and I want them to always want to come back to me for their next vehicle. They don't always come back to me but that's what my goal is. I may not always do or say the right things but I try. I don't always sell the customer either but I always try and have their best interests at heart. Sometimes they buy and sometimes they don't but I never leave work feeling like I had to deceive or fool someone into buying a car. If I miss a deal then I do sometimes let that bother me but I try to figure out what I might have done wrong and move on and sometimes it's easier than others.


This is a short post but here is my point... If you do something that you think is okay to do and KNOW that the outcome is going to be bad then you are doing something wrong. It's just as wrong as knowing that you're wrong the whole time. Putting someone in a position that they truly aren't going to make it out of is not okay especially if you know that ahead of time. Many times you can't foresee and  you can't do anything about that but you can try your hardest to put people in a position that they can actually win and accomplish something good. If that isn't your ultimate goal then don't do it. Don't prey on people to get paid. If I were to dangle old chicken in front of a starving person, knowing it is bad, and they ate it and they got sick and died then who is at fault? I am! If I know what the outcome was going to be then I might as well be put in jail for that person dying. I would've preyed on their desperate need and that isn't right.


Hopefully this made sense to someone and that I didn't ramble. I had something on my mind and needed to get it off.


Thanks for reading!


Fist Pump Guy out!

Building Value in Yourself

I haven't written on this blog in quite some time for some reason or another but I feel it necessary to start again. The primary reason I wanted to write today is because of the change in the sales industry that has happened over the past few years. It has been said, in the past, that price is never the reason why people don't buy. I have heard that since I started in the car business back in 2010. I can see that point that many of this industry's top consultants teach and preach. I actually see a lot of truth in that though, today, it's much much harder to see that people don't just buy based on price.

In any form of sales now I believe the consumer does some sort of research online and hence also price shops. Usually, an online shopper will order merchandise from the cheapest place that sells exactly what they're looking for even if they have to wait a while longer than usual to get it. I'm not like that necessarily but I know many people are. It's even likely that much of the items people research online they don't even buy but end up with something similar that still meets their needs. This is especially true in the car business.

In this industry, that I work, it gets a little frustrating when people start hitting you with price concerns before you even show them a car. It's a high probability that that same person has already learned about that particular vehicle online and about what they can buy it for so it seems that even if you build a high value in the vehicle that they still may not buy from you. You can even be the most knowledgeable person on the particular unit they are looking at and yet still not be the one they actually buy from though you are the one that sold them the vehicle. 

So, if price is the issue then what can you do to overcome it besides cutting price. Well, it starts with you! It starts with how well you handle yourself and how you present the product you're selling. Sales in general can be tough but if you don't put the work in to get better you will never be able to be consistent. When I say it starts with you it's because the customer has to be able to see value in you. They have to know that who they are dealing with is a professional and that you know what you are doing and know what you are talking about. I have a saying that "I may not always have the "lowest or best price" but value for you doesn't always come from money". What that means to the customer is that there is some value in you that they get in addition to the vehicle or product they are wanting to buy. They have to be able to see how truly valuable you are to their purchase. If they see no real value in you then there will, chances are, be no purchase from you. It's hard to think about it like that but it seems to be true. I see many sales professionals have a hard time actually showing that they bring value to the table even though they tell the customer that they do. You can't just say you bring value... you have to show them that you do!

Now, I guess he question is "how do I build value in myself?" What is it that you can do to make sure that the customer sees the value that you bring to the table? There are a number of great resources out there from many smarter guys than me so I won't get too specific but I will tell you what I think I bring to the table and maybe you can build on yours. I have 5 points that I've narrowed mine down to. 1) I'm honest and have integrity... I know this one is a hard one to convey to the customer since most everyone, in the US especially, ranks car salesmen right up there with attorneys and politicians... ouch! So, you can believe that when you tell a customer that you are honest they are rolling their eyes inside and saying "yea right". So, how do you prove it? For one it helps if you know what you are talking about so that way you can affirm what they already know since they have researched online. You have to train in your craft and practice. If you seem to be making things up as you go then you can rest assured that they don't believe what you are saying. Also, you need to be able to answer questions or concerns immediately if possible. That way there is a less likely chance that the customer thinks you are lying. I can tell you that no matter how many times I tell a customer that it's hard to make money on new cars anymore they likely are saying "yea right" in their mind. Besides that they were already skeptical before they even got to the lot. So, just remember that most salespeople claim to be honest and have integrity but aren't able to prove that mainly because they don't know how to be honest. It's sad to say but many have given our profession a bad name. 2) I'm upfront... I have no reason not to be. I can be upfront and honest about everything and yet still not close the customer. It's very aggravating actually because I know that I'm not making more than a mini on most new cars but they don't believe that. So just remember that even if you are upfront and honest about everything there is still a chance that they won't buy from you because they don't believe you so you just have to do the best with as you can. 3) I have a good reputation.... in a time when I hear many people that "they don't care what people think about them" I do. I am all over social media and the internet so I can't afford to get a bad rep. If people know about you online then chances are they already know your reputation and therefore may be more receptive based on that. I've worked hard to build my professional reputation and have no desire to mess that up so I try to communicate that to the customer. 4) I'm knowledgeable... Though I don't know everything I do my best to try and find an answer to all questions. It takes a lot of practice and training to get the answers that customers desire. I guess that's why I have my YouTube avenue for the customer. That also helps me keep on my toes with speaking and knowledge about the product. I also have confidence in what I sell and what I do know. 5) Streamlined process... In order to be considerate of the customers time I have fine tuned the sales process. I don't skip steps but I try and make sure what I am going to need and try to be predictive about where the deal is going. If the customer understands how considerate of their valuable time you are then there is a higher chance that you will close the customer. 

These are 5 of the ways to show the customer value that you bring. There are many many more and I may touch on them later. Just keep in mind that ,even though you claim that you have value and can talk about that value, that you must be able to show your value to the customer. They are more likely to believe what they see and not what they hear or what you say.

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy Out!

Bad Habits

During one of our recent sales training sessions we learned about habits and how they are with us everyday. Habits are basically things that we do regularly without much thought. Sometimes they are so common place that we don't even realize we are doing them. Things such as the time we wake up, how many cups of coffee we drink and the route we take to and from work everyday. Many of the habits we have are actually very helpful and necessary but what about bad habits? How are those developed?

One thing that I've noticed in the car business is the ease at which one can develop bad habits. It's especially evident when a new person starts. When we have a new salesperson come in they usually start with great enthusiasm and success. After a few months, however, we notice a slight decline that usually gets worse over time. Many of these habits are picked up from what other salespeople tell them or stuff they see them doing. And once the habit kicks in it's very hard to break. A new person can fall prey to bad habits without even realizing it until it's too late. Then they can't stop the habit.

" A bad habit takes a commitment to change" is what we learned about from Jonathan Sewell that day and it is oh so true. Regardless if we want to admit it or not we all have bad habits. Even if you don't work in this industry I can guarantee you have some sort of bad or poor habit. It really sucks too especially if it's an extremely bad habit because it takes time, in most cases, to break. It takes a serious desire to change and a huge commitment. If you have no desire or commitment to change the habit then you won't change it. 

So, if you want to change the habit for the good you must come up with a plan that's going to be effective. You must write down a goal that you can and will follow. You must put that desire before many things and follow through with it. Surely some habits are worse than others but you must attack the extremely bad habits in order to rid yourself of that burden and get back on track. 

Good luck kicking that bad habit that is hindering your progress!

FPG out!

#thefistpumpguy #fpgleadershiptraining 

The Anderson's Fistimonial after the purchase of their new 2016 Toyota C...

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The Temples Fistimonial after their purchase!

Listen, Learn & Live

Listen, learn and live seem like three normal everyday terms. If you were to take each word individually I'm sure that many could come up with the definitions relatively easily. I want to take a look at them as a whole and how they apply and effect each other. Now, of coarse, I am in sales but what I'm about to say about these three words can apply in life in general.

Let's talk about the LISTENing. Last week I did some training about how to listen to your customers in order to get them what they want. Apparently, most people weren't Listening. I am not saying that listening will get you everywhere in life but it can help, especially when paired with my other 2 words. Listening can help you learn what to do and what not to do. If you see someone doing something that seems wrong or hear someone say something wrong then you can decide that whatever they are doing isn't beneficial to you and be able to figure out what the right way might be. But, on the other hand, you can apply what you hear from more experienced salespeople that have come before you and apply what has made them successful and use it for your benefit. I think the main danger in this point is that there are a lot of salespeople out there that don't want to listen at all. They think they know it all and that there is nothing that anyone else can offer to make them better. It really amazes me, especially with today's competition, that people don't want to get better by learning as much as they can learn. I try to learn something everyday.

Which brings me to my next point and that is to take what you LISTEN to and hear and LEARN from it. Whether it is something positive or negative you can always learn something. Learning, in this business, is crucial in order to grow and mature. I will admit, that when I first started in the car business, that it didn't take me long to think I knew it all and that I didn't need to learn or listen to anyone else but once I matured a little I figured out that if you are not learning and growing then you are dying. It's frustrating for me to see new sales people come in, sale a few cars and then they think they know it all. I can't stress it enough......Learning is an essential part of any successful sales person, no matter what type of sales you happen to be in. It's very hard to learn everything there is to know in almost any sales business there is out there though many think they know ALL.

Now, we can talk about LISTENING and LEARNING but if you don't LIVE what you've heard and learned then you haven't accomplished anything. Remember back when I mentioned listening to or seeing what people are doing right or wrong and applying it for the positive in your life? That's what I'm talking about here. If you say that there is something you need to change in your life or in your profession and not do something to change then you are doing nothing but talking. If you are not taking some kind of ACTION then you are standing still or moving backwards. Don't get caught up thinking that you don't have to move because if you want to continue to grow and improve then you must take those things that you LISTENED to and LEARNED and now you must LIVE what you have gained from them. 

Never take life for granted. Nothing is guaranteed except death and taxes and that includes tomorrow. You can plan for tomorrow but you may never see it so learn all you can and apply it so that you can if you do make it to tomorrow that you won't have any regrets. It's always easier to say "I wished I would've done this or that differently" so why not go ahead and do it differently now!

Hope I was rambling too much!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!!

#thefistpumpguy #listenlearnlive