A Pen In Hand

If you’ve worked as a salesperson, I’m sure you have some experience with a “sales trainer” or maybe a “sales seminar.” They pump you up with all the great things you can do with your life with the right attitude and perseverance. And sometimes you pick up a tip or tool that you can actually use.

A Buick trainer was showing a bunch of us how to sell Buicks one day, and the only thing I took home was a little trick to put the pen in that hand of the buyer at just the right moment.

I tried it the first write-up after my session. You know how the sales offices used to be confrontational, salesman on one side, buyer on the other? We had to learn to read and jot upside down and we turned the paper around a lot during a write up. I did the credit app on the guy, then started on the 4 square write up which I had put on a clipboard, filled it all in and then would-you-took the guy on everything until he would say he would buy. I had crossed out the price, the payments, his down payment and his trade value and wrote in his offer, but he still didn’t want to sign his offer. He just wouldn’t commit to buy it and drive it home.

I went through the whole thing again pointing out that he had said every part sounded fair and he agreed that was a good deal, then I picked up the clipboard with the write up on it, laid the pen on top, stood up, and took a couple of steps around the desk so I was on his side and I bent down to his level, stuck the clipboard right under his nose and bumped it on him and the pen fell in his lap. He picked it up and signed the deal.

That worked every time, sometimes I made a deal, sometimes not and I didn’t always use it. I learned a few other little tricks over the years that seemed to work for me.

I used to let the buyer hang on to the key to the car we drove. If he tried to hand them to me on the way to office, I would ignore him. Then when we were in the booth, I’d start on the credit app and when I got to the part that asks for a stock number up at the top, I’d ask for they keys, jot in the stock number and set the keys down on the desk on my side of the desk. I got pretty good at moving the keys “by accident” closer and closer to the buyer during the whole write up. When I’d move a paper or move something on the desk I’d push them. Sometimes the buyer would pick the keys up.

Every time in my 35 years selling that the buyer picked up the keys off the desk, he bought the car. Sometimes they would buy the car without picking up the keys, but if they did, they always bought a car.

And when I was out on the lot with someone trying to figure out what they wanted to buy, I’d turn around and say, “I’ve got a Great Idea! Follow me!” and I’d start walking fast. Nine times out of ten they would follow and try to keep up. I wouldn’t turn around and look for a little ways, then I’d turn around and smile and tell them something like, “You’re gonna like this!” Then I turn back around and start walking. I’d take them to whatever car I was thinking about. That gave them the opportunity to check out a bunch of the inventory without thinking about it. The best response was when they would say, “yea, maybe not this one, but what about that red coupe back there?”

It’s pretty much about being in charge. Use your hands, use your voice, smile, and move!