Be In Control
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Sales
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 I’ll Hold Off on Those Tires for Now
A lesson in Human Nature
It was 1980 when I opened my shop. I
rented 4 bays in a building shared with
a sporting goods store. I remember one
day a customer (I‘ll call him Mr.
Priority) arrived and asked if we could
do and oil change and a state
inspection. He said he was going next
door to the sporting goods store to
check out the new shotguns that just
arrived. It was fall, just before deer
season.
We performed the oil change service and
state inspection. The car was in great
shape except for the tires. Although the
tires passed the state inspection, they
were pretty worn and with the winter
around the corner, I felt a new set of
tires would be in the customer’s best
interest.
Being that the sporting goods store was
right next to my shop I walked out of
the bays and into the store to find Mr.
Priority. I found him at the gun counter
holding a brand new Winchester shot gun.
He had a grin on his face from ear to
ear that quickly disappeared when I told
him he needed tires. I explained to him
that although the tires passed
inspection, I felt with the winter
coming, he should replace them. He
stared at me, and then he stared at the
shotgun, and then stared back at me.
What happened next was a lesson I will
never forget. He proceeded to tell me
that his wife uses the car just for
around town errands. He promised me, he
would be back to replace the tires as
soon as he gets the chance. Besides, he
said, “I just spent $400.00 on a new
shotgun!” Where were his priorities?
What is the lesson in this true story?
People like spending money that makes
them feel good. If you were looking for
a new plasma TV, did the research and
decided today is the day you’re going to
purchase it, it would not matter how the
salesperson treated you. The decision to
spend your money was made before you
left the house. Now, with Mr. Priority,
the money for the shotgun was spent
before he left his home. We need to
understand this concept in order to be
good salespeople. We need to understand
that most people do not budget for car
repairs and certainly not for unexpected
repairs. We also need to be
understanding to the customer’s needs
and provide outstanding customer
service. Solving customer problems is
equally important as servicing your
customer’s car. We also need to
understand that you just can’t sell
parts or tires. Most people don’t buy
parts. That’s doesn’t make them happy to
spend. You need to sell value and
benefits and make the customer realize
why the service you are suggesting is in
his or hers best interest.
Oh, by the way, the other lesson I
learned that day…have the customers wait
in my office before they walk over to
the sporting goods store.
Joe Marconi
Osceola Garage, New York
www.osceolagarage.com
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