Salespeople, are you the order taker or a concierge type? Here’s my prediction: Over the next two years, order takers are going to fail hard and are going to be replaced with direct-to-website sales. Only concierge selling is going to win for those who have the skill to sell with soul.
Consumers are smarter than we give them credit for. We are seeing the shift away from customers putting up with bad salespeople. They are frustrated with clunky sales processes, unnecessary steps and timelines that change, and they don’t understand why they can order it online faster than the dealership can get it to them.
And why shouldn’t they be frustrated? For the past three years, brands have shifted to selling directly, showing prices online and investing millions to simplify the buying experience. Amazon’s one-click selling tool, that has everything already saved and can make a transaction in three steps or less, changed the game of selling.
Customers Are Demanding Better Service at Every Turn
I’ve been seeing this ripple throughout the industry this year. Salespeople who are just “order takers” are having the hardest time selling. Their numbers are down, and they are leaning into the story that the industry had its run and now it’s hard times. The sad part is, they don’t seem to understand they can influence the outcome.
I can’t stand hearing the excuse that “everyone” is down so that it’s okay for “us” to be down too. If foot traffic and phone calls are down, then sure, that might make sense. But what responsibility are we, as salespeople, regardless of the department, taking to change that?
I purposely don’t subscribe to what others think is “normal.” If I did, my department wouldn’t be thriving as it is today. We’re outperforming last year’s numbers by $50,000 and on track to hit $1.2 million in counter sales with just two counter associates and me.
Yet, people would tell you this is not normal. It is not possible to grow year over year. I believe we can deeply influence our reality and choose to believe otherwise. I choose to believe that going to events and training my staff has built a powerhouse team. I choose to believe that building my parts managers powersports playbook has made it easy for my team to sell. I choose to believe there are customers who need our help and want to be sold to and served. It’s our job to find them and meet them halfway.
How Can You Tell an Order Taker From a Concierge-Style Salesperson?
Order taker’s mindset:
- Just responds to what the customer is asking. “Yes, we have this bike/air filter/tire in stock.”
- Doesn’t know how to ask supporting questions to see what it is the customer actually needs
- Spends downtime goofing off, playing on his/her phone or gossiping
- Doesn’t consider how he/she wants the customer to feel during the transaction
- Blames their sales numbers on the economy, politics or other outside events
- Doesn’t believe in training to get better at understanding what products fit what the Powersports Customer Avatar (PCA) is or how it impacts sales
- Makes up fake deadlines to get a sale closed
- Has a slow process that is different every time he/she does a sale. There is no system or workflow in place that everyone from the owner to salesperson uses.
Concierge’s mindset:
- Has a plan in place for how he/she wants the customer to feel during the transaction
- Doesn’t lie or make up fake deadlines. This person is honest and lets everyone know what the timeline is on a promotion.
- Doesn’t act desperate when it comes to a sale. This person focuses on creating a lifetime customer.
- When there is downtime or numbers are low, this person busts out his or her tools. It could be the phone or social media or newsletters. This person turns downtime into selling time.
- Can rattle off his/her department’s numbers faster than his/her social security number
- Believes in controlling his/her own fate and takes action steps daily to reflect that.
What Does This Mean for the Industry?
That means people who know how to sell a solution instead of just focusing on the problem are going to become the winners. People who don’t know how to sell or care how to sell are going to lose their jobs. Dealerships are going to have their numbers decline, especially if they have too many order takers in the company. The concierge style is going to keep focusing on selling solutions and recreating reality.
Can an Order Taker Become a Concierge Salesperson?
Maybe. It has to start with the manager setting the right tone. If the tone of the company is that order takers are fine and not forced to grow, then no, they won’t change. Those dealerships will stay stagnant or decline while other dealerships will take their market share and then some.
Salespeople who want to grow and are surrounded by order takers are going to have to invest in themselves. They are going to have to pay out of pocket for training and events. They are going to have to get comfortable creating a growth plan that lets them succeed surrounded by people who don’t care. They are going to have to start betting on themselves and will be rewarded 10 times the effort they put into their craft.
That’s what selling is: It’s a craft and skill set that follows you wherever you go. Learning how to sell solutions, regardless if it’s selling air filters or service packages or side-by-sides, will always let you stand out to the customer and build a lifetime customer, not a one-time transaction.
