How RV Salespeople Can Make a Great First Impression

There are many things RV salespeople need to master to increase their chances of closing deals. The salesperson of today doesn’t just need to know their product; they need to master it. But not just their product — they need to master their competitors’ products as well to be able to tell the customer why theirs is better. Many RV dealerships have a selling system they are trained on, and most of the time, it takes a new salesperson as many as a few years to become proficient at delivering it.

Over the last few years, falling commissions have led many experienced, trained salespeople to choose to leave the RV business to go on to other opportunities. This puts pressure on dealerships to replace and train them, while at the same time economic conditions have caused them to cut back on money that is allocated for training.

In spite of the economic issues evident today, some dealerships still remain committed to training their salespeople at a high level. Many dealerships are using the increased downtime to sharpen sales staff skills and increase the odds of selling.

The economic climate, combined with the seemingly growing political vitriol over the last few years, has affected customers’ emotions, attitudes and, frankly, their nervous system. As a result, the customer of today has constructed an electric fence around their wallet and is paying closer attention to how they spend their money, especially for discretionary purchases like an RV. The cash buyer is still a valid possibility for a sale, but the finance buyer has reacted negatively to high interest rates. Many are also presenting lower down payments than in previous years, making monthly payment projections much higher than in the past.

Some dealerships have responded by increasing salesperson training, as well as a higher level of scrutiny and accountability on every customer interaction, to ensure that no opportunity is lost for a possible sale. However, one thing that seems to be completely overlooked is teaching salespeople how to make a great first impression.

The customer of today is more nervous, and, in some cases, suspicious of salespeople, which puts more pressure on the first 10-15 minutes of an interaction. Many salespeople overlook the fact that the average customer makes significant perceptions and decisions about them in the first 7-10 seconds of meeting, before they have even spoken one word. Since most dealerships have no training focus on this, that leaves it up to the salespeople to take it seriously and better prepare for it.

For years, I have observed customers’ body language and reactions in the very early stages when their salesperson is first approaching them, and it’s very revealing. Their eyes are locked onto the approaching salesperson and sizing them up as soon as they’re in sight. They’re taking a mental and emotional snapshot of the salesperson and evaluating if the salesperson is:

• Professional looking?
• Knowledgeable or competent?
• An introvert or an extrovert?
• Honest, trustworthy?
• Strong or weak-minded?
• Friendly or unfriendly?

After a sale, to satisfy my curiosity, I have casually asked some customers what their first impression of their salesperson was.

Ninety percent of the time, the salesperson’s body language and nonverbal cues reveal more than most of us ever realize. Yet most salespeople take these first few minutes for granted. Those who pay attention will get a head start.

As a security measure, some businesses have cameras near the front entrance that record all activity. If they do, I recommend that salespeople ask to view the footage to observe themselves approaching a customer and monitor the nonverbal cues of both parties. I believe they will be shocked at how they sometimes approach a customer and how their customer reacts to them. Many find that they approach customers in a manner that is sloppy and lazy. Too many are unprofessional in the way they dress and present themselves. Few salespeople see themselves the way customers see them, and as a result, take no action to fix their approach.

Little things do matter. Be aware that your customer will judge you at first sight, whether you like it or not. Here’s a few steps to nail the greeting — some may appear obvious, but many salespeople aren’t doing them:

• Shut your cell phone off — Unless it’s a necessary part of the business, shut your phone off. I have seen a salesperson’s cell phone go off (and they answered it!) as they were walking to a customer. Not good.
• Look your customer in the eye — You would be shocked at how many salespeople don’t look their customer in the eye.
• Manage personal space — I have seen so many salespeople get just one step too close, and the customer instinctively reacts by taking one step back. That can be off-putting.
• Don’t jump right into your selling system — At this point, this interaction is personal, and not yet business. Forget that you’re wearing a name tag and just be a person until they feel comfortable.
• Read body language cues — In those first few minutes, you will learn more from their body language that what comes out of their mouth. This takes practice, but once you train yourself to do this, your skill at reading body language will quickly improve.
• Manage your body language — Salespeople can become sloppy in their posture, especially near the end of a long day. Just check yourself and be more aware.

Slow Down

Salespeople want to prove to our customers that we’re fair, competent and knowledgeable. We all want to make a good first impression and often that nervous energy tends to speed us up in those first few minutes. That speeds your customer up, which adds to the anxiety they walked in with.

The small adjustments that you can make will go a long way in changing customers’ first impression and open the door to building the trust they need to buy.