Digital Dealer - January 2019 - 45

don't buy your products;
they buy how they envision
your products will make
them feel! Understanding
what fundamentally moves
your customers empowers
you to tailor your approach
so that you are moving in
the same direction and
effectively speaking their
language.

2: WHAT MADE YOU
WANT TO BUY TODAY?

There are many reasons
why your customers may
have decided to take action
and buy. Understanding
the reasons behind their
decision guarantees that
you will be equipped to
position your products in a
way that is most compelling
to them. For example, if your
customers site anything to
do with a promotion or payment as their main driver,
then focusing on ways to
protect their budget would
surely resonate. However, if
your customers site anything
to do with the vehicle itself,
then focusing on ways to
improve their ownership
experience would be wise.
What happens if they say
they don't know why they
bought? This is really just
another way of saying "I
bought because I could
buy!" Which means that for
them, it was all about the reward. With these customers,
they don't just want to have
a great experience, they
prefer a V.I.P. experience,
and your F&I products can
provide it!
3: WHAT ABOUT YOUR
OLD VEHICLE ARE YOU
MOST GLAD TO BE
LEAVING BEHIND YOU?

If your customers were

completely happy and satisfied with their old vehicle,
they likely would not be
trading it in. Knowing what
they're most glad to be
leaving behind, provides you
with incredible insight into
the areas where you could
offer future piece of mind,
and most improve their ownership experience overall. It
is important to get specific!
If your customers simply
provide a generic answer
like "I just want a vehicle that
I can depend on," then you
will need to probe deeper and ask them exactly
how their last vehicle was
undependable. Otherwise,
your customers will not see
any urgency in preventing a
similar situation. No one can
visualize a clear picture of a
vague idea, and if your customers can't see it, you can
be sure they won't buy it!

4: WHERE DID YOU
GO THE LAST TIME YOU
NEEDED A VEHICLE
REPAIR?

Just about everyone has
had to take a vehicle in for
a repair at some point in
the past. Be sure to follow
this question up with asking
your customers to tell you
more about their experience.
Leveraging these past experiences is extremely valuable in F&I. In fact, when
explained properly, whether
your customers' past experiences were positive or negative, your solution will remain
the intelligible choice in the
end! If their experience with
a prior repair was negative,
your products offer a level of
value that can provide piece
of mind and solve a future
problem. If their experience

with a past repair was positive, then your products offer
a level of value that ensures
another great experience,
and then some!
5: WHAT ARE YOU
MOST LOOKING
FORWARD TO DOING
WITH YOUR NEW
VEHICLE?

Customers can readily
picture the things that they
are most looking forward to.
Many managers assume
that their enthusiasm for
their products will transfer
to their customers, but
ultimately it's the customers'
mental picture that reigns
supreme. We know that our
F&I products not only help
protect customers from a
financial loss, but they also
aid in providing superior
experiences before, during,
and after a loss! Despite this
immense value, too many
customers still just don't
get it! Sadly, it's our fault.
Face it, solely explaining
the figures, features, and
benefits associated with
a particular product is not
leading, and it's certainly
not selling. It's one thing to
explain a product, and it's a
completely different thing to
bring that product to life by
painting a picture that your
customers can easily imagine and relate to. If you want
to compel your customers to
want a product that provides
tremendous value before,
during, and after a loss, then
the ideal time to paint the
picture of that value is at
the time your customers are
least wanting a loss.
Customer interviews are
critical to building personal
influence and becoming
D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

trusted advisors. If you have
been avoiding customer
interviews, it's likely because
they haven't helped you serve
and sell. Maybe you have
been doing interviews, but
you are not seeing the point.
Every F&I manager wants to
bring value, add value, and
become a person of value!
The last thing you need is
customer resistance; and
asking the wrong questions
can no doubt destroy your
opportunity! For better results, you need to ask better
questions. Remember, the
best questions are personal, the best questions build
connections, and the best
questions provide you with
insights that can compel your
customers to buy. If you want
to be able to truly influence
your customers' purchasing
decisions, start by meeting
each customer where they
are most comfortable, and
then ask them the five questions above. In F&I, knowing
your products is absolutely
necessary and expected, but
it is not what you know about
your products that is most
important, it is what you know
about your customers!
MIKE HIRSCHFIELD is on a mission to empower, equip, and exalt
sales and finance teams everywhere! Mike has served in both
franchise and independent dealer
groups, leading teams as large
as 80+ to reach new heights of
achievement. He teaches how to
build personal influence, become
trusted advisors and leverage
personal solutions that are
aligned with a customers' most
pow-erful buying motives. Mike
empowers teams by developing
their ability to build connections
and lead customers to take action
and buy now! EMAIL: Mike@
FoundationToWin.com

JANUARY 2019

45
http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Digital Dealer - January 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - January 2019
