ATLANTA -

Looking at the certified pre-owned vehicle market, it’s clear that change is in the air.

There are more customers interested in CPO vehicles than ever — 3 million in 2016. With 4.6 million vehicles set to come off lease by 2020, the number of in-market CPO customers could grow as high as 5.2 million over the next few years.

And with many major dealer groups introducing stand-alone used car lots, the CPO competition is growing as fast as the market is.

It’s easy to think that the only way to keep up with all this change is to change your sales tactics. The market changes, the customer changes, so you have to change, too.

This is true to some extent, as long as you don’t change the tried and true — the pillars of a successful sales strategy that have ushered us through so many periods of change in this industry. They’re called “tried and true” for a reason!

These five classic sales tactics will ensure that you can move forward with confidence, regardless of what’s ahead in the CPO market.

1. Understand how customers think

To set your business apart from the competition, you need to solve customers’ problems faster and more reliably than anyone else can. And that means you need to understand the psychology behind how customers make decisions. So when customers are in the market for CPO vehicles, what are they thinking about?

Trust, for one thing. Today’s customers aren’t just looking for a high-tech ride — they want to feel certain the vehicle is safe, and they want an established relationship with your dealership in case anything goes wrong. Fortunately, CPO vehicles offer major benefits to nurture that trust.

Sixty-four percent of customers will purchase a CPO vehicle specifically because of the certification, which proves the vehicle’s safety and reliability.

And 57 percent of customers considered the warranty a major deciding factor, because it ensures that they can maintain their current standard of living if their vehicle needs extensive repairs. By sharing these benefits of CPO with customers, you’ll be able to solve their problems early and accurately.

2. Always agree with the customer

You’ve heard the phrase “the customer is always right” so many times that your eyes probably glaze over just reading it.

This idea can be frustrating for salespeople, because it’s objectively not true: Sometimes the customer is just plain wrong. However, no matter what the buyer says, states or demands, you should never make them feel like they’re wrong.

To paraphrase The New York Times bestselling author Grant Cardone, words and expressions like “can’t,” “won’t,” “not allowed” or “that’s impossible” make customers defensive and, ultimately, less likely to agree with you.

So instead of disagreeing with customers, validate their feelings and concerns first. This proves that you’re on their side and invested in getting them exactly what they want. This age-old strategy has done the trick for so many salespeople — and it can save your sales, too.

3. Identify the problem before trying to solve it

This is Sales 101 in action, but you’d be surprised how many salespeople skip this critical step. Customers have no reason to make a change unless they see a reason to do it. If they don’t see how CPO vehicles could solve a problem they’re currently having, why would they be interested? So before you jump straight into your sales pitch, work with the customer to establish their unique pain points.

Maybe the price of a new vehicle is too high for their budget. Maybe they can’t find a used vehicle that has the bells and whistles they want. Or maybe they’re concerned about the safety and reliability of the average used vehicle.

A CPO vehicle is a great solution for all of these problems. But whatever a customer’s biggest pain point is, identify it first — so you can show why CPO is the perfect fix for that pain.

4. Listen

How many times have you spent what felt like hours talking at a customer without making any headway? But then you asked one or two questions, and before you knew it, you’d closed the sale. Trust me — it wasn’t anything you said. It was because you stopped talking at your customer and started listening to them.

By giving customers room to explain what they’re looking for in their next vehicle, you’re letting them feel in control of the interaction. Plus, they’re telling you exactly what you need to know in order to sell to them more effectively. So the next time you’ve got a customer in the showroom, skip the painful portion of your interaction and ask them about their goals and expectations upfront. Then, listen!

5. Smooth your customer’s path to purchase

Here’s the truth about being a salesperson: Your customers aren’t interested in being sold to. They just want the vehicle they’ve set their sights on, and they want it without additional friction from you.

If you don’t do everything you can to help customers buy the way they want to, you’ll have a hard time getting them to like you, let alone buy from you.

Customers don’t want to work with a salesperson. They want a partner: someone who listens, asks good questions, and helps them get what they need. So prioritize being helpful, and let customers’ unique needs drive the sale.

For example, millennial CPO shoppers tend to be more interested in the latest tech features, while credit-challenged buyers will want to hear about CPO’s financing options. Keeping customers’ needs front and center helps you build a better rapport — and allows customers to walk themselves into the vehicle they want.

Even though the CPO market is shifting rapidly, some parts of your job as a salesperson will never change. The tactics that will help you meet your customers’ needs are evergreen. These five tips might sound straightforward, but they’re the foundation of every successful salesperson’s strategy. And if you master them, no industry changes will ever throw you off your game.

 

Rob Christman is the fixed operations director of sales at Cox Automotive.