Being a car salesperson isn’t the same as it was 10-20 years ago. While many of the tasks and habits required to be successful are still the same, with today's technology, salespeople need to be somewhat tech-savvy. Regardless of the industry, successful salespeople have habits and routines that allow them to perform at their very best. In this article, we’re going to go over 8 habits that successful car salespeople have. As you’re reading this, do a self-audit of your own habits and reflect on whether you could include some of these habits in your own routine to take your sales skills to the next level. 

1. They’re Organized

Salespeople or not, people who are organized are typically better at their jobs. They’re not wasting time trying to remember whether they’ve called their customer for a follow-up because they’ve jotted the call review in their notes. They keep lists of their customer's vehicle interests so when they see them, they waste no time and show them exactly what they came to see. Lastly, if you’re unorganized, you’re much more likely to double book meetings and that will leave everyone unhappy. 

2. They Treat Everyone Equally

This one may seem like a given, but most of us have subconscious biases that dictate how we work with customers. Ask yourself this question and answer it honestly. Are you more likely to approach the man in the fresh suit browsing your showroom before the man in sweat pants and a hoodie? If you answered yes to this, work on treating everyone the same, it will help you sell more and reduce your subconscious biases. 

3. They Prepare for Meetings

Successful salespeople make sure that they go into every meeting prepared. If they have a customer coming in to close a deal on a car, they gather all the necessary paperwork beforehand to be as time-efficient as possible. It becomes extremely obvious to the people involved if you’re not prepared for meetings and it comes off as unprofessional. If this isn’t a habit you’re willing to fix you’ll likely lose several deals because of it. 

4. They Know Their Product Inside and Out

If you don’t know all the important details about the vehicles you’re selling, you’re basically faking your way through sales. If you work at a used car dealership with all different makes and models, we can cut you a bit of slack but if you work at a dealership with 1-2 makes, you have no excuse not to know the ins and outs of each vehicle. This will help you better identify the vehicles that are most appropriate for your customers based on their needs and in turn, close you more deals. 

5. They Actively Listen to Their Customers

The most important part of being a good salesperson is having the ability to actively listen to your customers. Buying a car is a stressful experience for many customers and this often leads to them expressing many needs and concerns. If you’re more focused on what you’re having for dinner tonight than what your customer is saying, you’re going to fail to meet your customer's needs and likely watch them walk out of your dealership and go somewhere else. 

6. They Have an Automated Email System Setup

Customers want answers to their questions quickly, regardless of how busy your day might be. So when you’re having a non-stop day and three customers email you, you need to have an automated system to let them know that you received their email but are currently busy. This gives the customers the confidence to know that you’ll get back to them as soon as you free up. 

7. They Have a Personalized Email System Setup

Taking your sales skills to the next level means creating a personalized email system setup. This means sending out monthly newsletters to past customers and prospects but personalizing the emails based on the customer. For example, you would send maintenance/service emails to the customer who bought a car from you 6 months ago and sales promotions to a lead who came to your dealership without buying a car 1 month ago.

8. They’re Active on Social Media for Business

As the automotive industry becomes ever more digital, it’s important to maintain a digital presence and the best way to do that is through social media. Be sure to keep active on social media by uploading photos/videos of new cars on your lot, new promotions and other general information that can be useful to your customers. 

Conclusion

Now that we’ve covered 8 habits that successful sales people have, ask yourself how many of these 8 habits you do. Hopefully, you do most of them, and if you don’t, start to try incorporating them into your daily routines. Look at the results you’re getting now (assuming you don’t have all of these habits) and then look at your results once you’ve implemented these habits for a few months. You’ll probably notice a significant improvement in your results.