Consistently selling 20+ cars a month may seem daunting and unrealistic. However, there’s a proven sales formula that works. In today’s episode of CBT Now, Sean Gardner, instructor and sales trainer at Joe Verde Group, shares five essential strategies that salespeople can use to reach their 20+ target consistently.
Get out of the huddle
Get out of the huddle and go to work with a concrete plan based on your goals. A goal is just wishful thinking without a plan.
Gardner stresses the importance of avoiding idle habits such as standing around and unnecessary chatter. Instead, he encourages salespeople to develop “20-car work habits” where every action is focused on activities that could lead to a sale.
Do a good job with every opportunity
The second strategy is about quality, not quantity. Salespeople should focus on making every customer interaction flawless, particularly the demonstration phase. Approximately 50% of customers purchase the spot if they experience a world-class demonstration.
Gardner recommends breaking down the overarching goal into smaller, repeatable daily goals. For example, to sell 20 cars a month, a salesperson should perform 40 monthly demos. If that salesperson works on average 20 days per month, they should provide two demonstrations per day.
By consistently hitting the daily goal, salespeople will naturally begin closing more sales, pushing them closer to their monthly target. In addition, it’s also important to leverage all opportunities. A commonly missed opportunity in the dealership setting is neglecting to proactively engage a customer from the service department, especially if they’re looking at a vehicle on the floor.
Develop strong unsold follow-up skills
A strong follow-up strategy with unsold customers is another critical factor in reaching 20+ sales. Many salespeople fail in this crucial area because they resort to weak, low-effort follow-up methods such as sending a single text message or calling once.
Roughly 38% of unsold customers purchase within four hours of leaving a dealership, and 57% do so within three days.
The goal is to get the customer back into the dealership the same day they left. Gardner recommends contacting customers in six creative ways within three days and giving them a compelling reason to return to the dealership. A compelling, strong follow-up strategy can often be the push needed to start delivering 20+ car months consistently.
Commit to mastering incoming sales calls
Incoming sales calls are one of the hottest leads, and 90% of incoming call customers buy within the first week. While this is an incredible opportunity, the average salesperson only closes 0.5 cars monthly from incoming calls due to a lack of skill.
Gardner suggests that salespeople dedicate time to honing this crucial skill to boost their sales. Use all available resources, such as the dealership’s script, to practice and commit to answering one incoming sales call a day.
Do a better job at marketing yourself
Lastly, Gardner touches on the power of personal marketing. With tools like social media at their disposal, salespeople should market themselves and their dealerships more effectively. By reaching out to previous customers and using direct marketing tactics, salespeople can keep themselves top-of-mind and continue building relationships that lead to sales.
Shift your mindset and start selling 20+ cars a month
Gardner stresses that too many salespeople have a limiting set of beliefs that diminishes their potential. While most people frame it as “realistic,” it hurts more than it helps. He encourages individuals to shift their mindset, dedicate the time to improve their skills, and genuinely push themselves.
Through the combination of the five strategies—setting clear goals, perfecting demos, following up diligently, mastering incoming calls, and marketing oneself—any salesperson can begin to sell 20+ cars a month.
"The biggest problem is salespeople set goals to be average." – Sean Gardner
