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Knock, knock. Who`s there? The Car Salesman
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Knock, knock. Who`s there? The Car Salesman
Race Zone
I am working on my son’s physics teacher now. I have been trying really hard; this is my fourth month at Renault India and I have already sold three Logans. Let’s see if he will be persuaded. I have given myself a target to sell at least one Logan a month. I really want to sell the car to people who are close to me so that I can get feedback directly. I have sold one to my cousin, another to my wife’s uncle and these are people whom I have known for almost all my life.
I know what the weakness of the Logan is. People would have preferred if the car looked more dynamic; it does not stand out in a crowd.
However, it is not that I am always successful. In one incident, while I was talking to a person about the car, suddenly her kid came online and said don’t buy that car, it’s a boring car! That’s all right because in India the decision to buy a car is taken by the entire family and what each member of the family is looking for in a car will be different.
But, then as I told my cousin when I was recommending the Logan to him, you are a man of substance; the car must take on your personality, not the other way round. How the car behaves while driving and feels on the inside is for you, how it looks from the outside is for other people.
I make phantom calls. My pseudonym is Shashi Reddy. That is my second persona when I visit some of the car dealers, both ours and competitors’. Sometimes I disclose my identity; sometimes I don’t. I just give them my personal mobile number and wait to see if they call me back. By the way, almost a decade ago, I was also known as the 41st dealer in a previous job! Even here, I would like to believe that I am the X+1 dealer.
I know that sometimes you can be a pain to friends, because people may see you as a salesman, but then I have been in this business for 25 years now and I know where to draw the line.
Talk to Me
Pawan Goenka, President, M&M
I never let go of an opportunity to pitch for a Mahindra product. I succeed in selling a vehicle more often than not. This success is sweeter when I have been able to sell Mahindra vehicles to persons who had decided to purchase products from the competitor’s stable!
My three brothers own at least one Mahindra product. Almost everyone that I have sold a vehicle to — and this includes my carpenter, plumber, neighbours, social acquaintances, cousin, nephew and brothers — are happy customers.
But what really excites me the most is to sell my vehicle to someone I don’t know. For instance, I met somebody for the first time at a social gathering and he mentioned casually that he was on the verge of buying a certain product from a competitor. I asked him to try out the Scorpio Automatic. He tried it and five days later went ahead and bought it.
The only time I have made a sales call was to a famous Bollywood actor. Just meeting him was reward enough but it did also result in a sale.
I have realised that sometimes people hesitate to ask directly, but once one begins an open conversation with them, it often results in an opportunity. That’s how I got to sell our vehicle to a plumber who worked on my house five years ago. I offered him a small discount of Rs. 3,000 and today he and his friends have three Mahindra pick up trucks. Though the plumber knew that I was a senior executive at Mahindra, he was hesitant to ask for my help.
Source:
http://www.business.in.com/article/beyond-business/knock-knock-whos-there-the-ca
