Get the customer to do the talking

Some car sales people think they're doing well if they are talking a lot to the customer.

But it's more effective to let the customer do the talking, says David Walsh, a former car salesman and current vice president of MarketWise, an automotive remarketing firm.

Too many sales staffers “verbally vomit on customers,” says Walsh.

Instead, he says, “Make it conversational. Exchange information. Get the customer to talk about value. If you talk about it, it's questioned.”

He says the more customers talk about value, the greater they'll perceive the value of the vehicles in which they're interested.

Walsh suggests asking the customer: “What three things are you looking for?” He says, “You know No. 1 will be price, so get that out of the way and work on the other two.”

He recommends asking the prospect, “What do you like about the car?” rather than saying “What do you think of the car?”

Also avoid saying, “It's your lucky day” or “What does it take to get you in this car?”

Those are cliches from another era.

“Realize that today's customers are informed,” says Walsh. “They can quote prices on you.”