I Sell Bentleys. Please Don’t Kick My Tires.
The saying we are the Cadillac of (insert whatever you want here) is as old as the people that still use it. When true sales professionals hear that saying, we automatically think “Wow, Cadillacs are everywhere nowadays. I want to stand out. I want to buy a Bentley.”
When we sell on value and back up our value statements with facts, we can sell anything. Price becomes irrelevant. We either make the sale or our unqualified prospects determine that they are not a fit for our offering. It is a win-win for everyone. (Hands up!)
If we work for a company where we believe in the item we are selling (like Spiro), then in our opinion there is no reason to kick tires. But not everyone is qualified to leave the lot in a Bentley. And not everyone is qualified to buy our product or service. That isn’t being rude – that is a fact.
How do we tactfully know who is a Bentley buyer and who is a Bentley tire kicker?
Why not ask them, “what do you currently drive?”
Under $25,000 – You may want to write them off right away and literally walk away. Do not. Yes they may be a thrill seeker, wanting to test drive and say “I drove a Bentley.” Or they may be the super saver driving around an inexpensive car. Ask specific questions about the Bentley. The super saver will know the ins and outs of the Bentley. Pay attention to them!
$25,001-$50,000 – Ask about the hobbies your prospect participants in. If they have expensive hobbies like annual shark cage diving trips or buying houses to renovate…they can afford a Bentley. If they respond about t-ball games of their kids or trips to the beach – explain that they will need the Bentayga. (That is the Bentley SUV that starts around $200,000. This will help these people realize that a Bentley isn’t in their price range and they will walk away.)
$50,001- $100,000 – These people likely already own a Cadillac or Lexus. Their kids are out of the house and now they have an extra $65,000 a year to kick around. Ask them pointed questions about gas mileage, what is their current 0 to 60 mph time, do they have a tire preference and throw in a few questions about their perfect sound system. (Bentley uses the Naim audio system…Most people that want a Bentley already know that.)
$100,001 and above – Close them. These people are serious buyers. Be careful! You don’t get money by throwing it away. The $100,001 and above club might be the hardest to negotiate with on price. Heads up!
All of us are able to offer a demo or free trial of what we sell in some way or another. When you sell a car, it’s simple. You get the prospect to fill out some paperwork, take their driver’s license, get them into the drivers seat and sit in the passenger’s seat. Then hand them the keys and hope that they don’t crash or injure the car.
When we are asking the questions about what they drive and how they use their current car, it is easier to know if the test drive is a tire kicker (AKA that one time when I drove a Bentley). To let the prospect save face, they get the around the block test drive. If you know you have a true buyer, someone that might drive off the lot in that car, let them take the back roads and open her up on a test drive. From the back road test you can tell from body language and how this person drives if they are going to buy. Pay attention to them. Did they do the 0-60 mph test? How about slamming the brakes on, hard? Do they know how to shift with ease using the paddles? If you answered yes to any
of these – go close them!
At the beginning of any sale there are two ways to look at your prospects – are they a tire kicker or are they a serious buyer? Through your prequalifying questions you will be able to tell who gets the around the block test drive or if they get the back road test drive. When we listen at the highest level, you should not even have to do the around the block drive. The tire kickers quickly disqualify themselves, so you can focus on the folks that can drive a car off the lot.
