In the reality of today’s special finance world, it is critical for managers to get out from behind their desks and engage with customers. With the growing percentage of the customer base requiring alternative financing, adjusting the sales process becomes paramount in achieving success. We all know the “road to a sale.” It’s the first thing we learned when we were inducted into the retail auto industry. Most dealers are still using the very same approach that was taught 30 years ago. As Bob Dylan once said, “the times they are a-changing,” and a critical change required to maintain growth is the manager’s role in engaging directly with customers.

There was a time when nobody knew their credit score. Today, nearly everyone knows their score as a result of the internet, smartphones, and all the other services to educate consumers. Yet ironically, as salespeople and even managers, we are hesitant and sometimes even scared to talk to customers about their credit scores. At some point, managers decided they didn’t need to meet customers until they had to – usually when they were on the way out the door. Many of my managers early in my career would not even speak to customers. If the salesperson couldn’t close a deal, they would often send a different sales person in to try to salvage a deal. Managers simply refused to engage with customers. This mentality simply doesn’t fly in today’s market. Customers want to meet the person in charge early on and this creates a great opportunity to discover the information we need when we need it.

There are many ways to identify a credit-challenged customer. Salespeople can easily adopt some simple non-offensive qualifying questions into their sales pitch:

• “Are you here to take advantage of our special financing for those looking to establish or re-establish their credit?”
• “Have you stopped by to hear about our zero percent options for those with perfect credit?”
• “On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being perfect, how would you rate your credit?”

These are all great “ice breakers” that can be practiced and performed by any salesperson during the qualifying process. But sometimes, even something as simple as this just can’t get done soon enough by a salesperson. That is why today’s managers need to engage with the customer immediately in the selling process.

Prior to the selection of a vehicle and after the meet and greet, every customer should be introduced to a manager. This gives the customer the confidence that they are important and offers management the chance to make sure we are on the right path to sales success. If the salesperson has struggled to engage with the customer on the credit conversation, it is a great time to introduce a manager to help get back on track. A simple assurance from the manager that there is a process to follow to best serve the customer will put the salesperson and potential buyer back into the right state of mind.

Many deals are killed before they ever get started because of a timid salesperson or an overly confident customer. Management has the ability to control the process before the sale gets away. Managers – get out from behind the desk, meet the customer, and make sure that everyone is following the process to succeed in special finance. Engaging in the credit conversation with the customer BEFORE vehicle selection is the best practice and the path to success.