An expert from outside of the auto-finance industry offered three recommendations that could help F&I professionals work with potential customers who are not sitting in person across the desk from them in the finance office.

InQuasize president Michael Reddington is a certified forensic interviewer and leadership expert who runs a company that integrates the key components of effective non-confrontational interview techniques with current business research for business leaders and sales executives.

This week, Reddington shared three components of what he called the “Disciplined Listening Method” to provide sales executives, business leaders and business development professionals with the skills and perspectives they need to “use the truth to their advantage and get clients to say ‘I’ll buy it.’”

Reddington provided his top tips for successful negotiation in the age of Zoom:

It’s all in the attitude

“Clients have learned that they have the right to remain silent because anything they say will be used against them by the salesperson — especially in a digital age where time is even more limited,” Reddington said.

Reddington explained that sales professionals can benefit from embracing their perceived weaknesses to prepare their negotiation approaches by answering the following three questions:

— Why shouldn’t my customer purchase my products or services?

— Why hasn’t my customer already purchased my products or services?

— What does my customer need to experience to commit to purchasing my products or services?

Be strategic about word choice

Reddington pointed out that sales professionals can significantly increase their influence and decrease resistance by choosing their words strategically.

“This becomes even more important when prospectus calls are done via Zoom,” he said. “For example, limit how often they say the word ‘you’ and reference titles or groups their prospects and customers like to be associated with or frame their messages around universally accepted concepts.”

Don’t just ask questions, ask the right questions

Reddington acknowledged that questions can be perceived as invitations or attacks.

“Sales professionals will experience far more success when they illustrate their understanding of their prospects’ and customers’ situation prior to asking their questions and are more persuasive when they ask fewer, well thought out questions than when they ask too many questions,” he said.

More strategies can be found at inquasive.com.