A huge mistake rookie associates make all the time is approaching the buyer with the typical phrase: “What brings you in today?” Buyers absolutely hate it.
When I was selling cars, I followed a trashy script!
The script sucked. I got it from my sales manager, but it wasn’t his fault. It was mine. I never bothered to question it or innovate. I thought I was doing a great job connecting with my buyers when, in reality, I was just another average salesman!
I honestly don’t know how, every time I asked a buyer, “What brings you in today?” I never had one answer something like I’m here for a haircut or I’m here to buy a gas dryer. Silly right? I know! Here’s the truth... Your buyer is not standing in front of you by mistake. It’s intentional, and it’s your job as a professional sales pro to figure out the “Why.”
Here are 3 things you must do to master the meet and greet and find that “why”
1. Shift the Focus to the Drive
Don’t ask “What brings you in today?” Instead, ask: “What vehicle are you looking to test drive today?”
We live in a world that’s moving 100 miles per hour with no intention of slowing down, which means everyone is busy. If your buyer is walking through the front door, it’s because:
The thought of purchasing a vehicle came to mind.
They are ready to take a vehicle home today.
Believe me, no one wakes up in the morning and says, “Oh, I have nothing to do today, I think I’ll just go waste my time with a salesman at a dealership”
By asking the buyer what vehicle they are looking to drive today right off the bat, you are saying “Mr./Mrs. Customer, I value you and your time. Let’s get started”
Get rid of the boring script. Don’t waste their time!
2. Move from Selling Mode to Serving Mode
99% of sales success starts with mastering the skill of great communication.
To this day, I have facilitated over 600 training sessions. The most valuable lesson I can share is this: Never practice one-way communication. Unfortunately, sales associates default to this mistake constantly (and yes, I did it too). They completely forget about the buyer’s actual needs and immediately switch into "selling mode" instead of "serving mode."
It gets worse. Some associates jump straight into information overload, flooding the buyer with factory features and tech specs on whatever vehicle happens to have the biggest commission spin attached to it. It's a straight formula for disaster.
Newsflash: Your buyer is not stupid. They can smell commission-hungry BS a mile away. Be ethical. Ask open-ended questions, discover their actual pain points, and solve them.
3. Practice Intentional Listening
I was a terrible listener!
I used to interrupt people all the time until Roddy, my public speaking coach, said Erasmo, no one cares what you have to say until they give you the green light to speak.
In sales, intentional listening is critical. If your buyer feels ignored or rushed, you can kiss your commission goodbye.
God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.
To help you execute this flawlessly on the lot this weekend, I mapped out my exact structural frameworks into 3 Printable Insiders Blueprints:
The 60-Second Meet & Greet Script: The exact word-for-word tracks to replace the cliché scripts.
The "Pain-Point" Question Matrix: The top 5 DISC-driven questions to uncover a buyer's true budget.
The Intentional Listening Cheat Sheet: A daily roadmap to keep you in serving mode.
Before you upgrade and become a VIP Insider, get “The Intentional Listening Cheat Sheet " completely FREE
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