The value of personality and transparency

I was recently car shopping for a 4WD for my partner, Kellie. Searching for a good deal we went into two competing dealers situated not far from each other. The first was a KIA dealer and the second, Holden. With less than a kilometre separating the two yards, my experience between the dealers could not have been further apart.

Let me start with Holden. My partner and I, armed with our two young children, entered the lot. We went inside the showroom to find a salesperson to speak with. The showroom wasn’t that busy, but there were a few people floating around distracted and not paying us any attention.

The friendly receptionist asked if were needed help and pointed us in the direction of a salesperson. Michael then approached and gave us a raise of the eyebrows an expectant shrug, as if to say, “Can I help you?” I introduced myself and asked about their 4WD range. He grabbed a brochure and then led us out to a model that fitted my description. Not paying any attention to Kellie or the kids.

He then asked me, “What do you want to know?” in a you tell me kind of tone. I thought, this is like pulling teeth talking to this guy. After a brief tour inside and out, which wasn’t detailed or memorable, we then headed back to Michael’s office and sat down.

He proceeded to ask me, “When are you looking to buy?” I responded sarcastically, “How about you give me a price first?” He gave me a glazed over stare and with a poker face replied, “Well that depends when you want to buy. We do have advertised prices, but they are not the real prices.” He proceeded, “Do you want to buy today?” I responded, “I want to know the price first” in an ironic tone. He said, “If you want the best price, come back when you’re ready to buy.”

I then sat there with my eyes now also glazed over, in disbelief. At this stage, Kellie, chimed in with, “I’ve heard enough, this guy is hard work, let’s go.” And so we did. But not before I provided Michael with some free sales advice, to which he dismissed.

Thirty minutes earlier, we met Kate from KIA, a middle-aged and engaging lady. She approached us in the yard with a big smile and greeting for not only me but Kellie and the kids. She enthusiastically showed us the different models that fitted my family’s needs. She even helped my son into the passenger seat so he could get involved. She highlighted the five-star safety rating that is unquestionably the most important feature for a young family.

She was full of personality and very open and transparent, trotting inside to photocopy a printout for us with a full pricing breakdown. She asked for my email address to keep me up-to-date and to follow-up. To which I respectfully declined.

There is no need to follow me up ? Kate’s already won my business. We haven’t purchased the car, but when the time is right, we are heading straight to Kate at Kia. Good on you Kate, keep up the great work. As for Michael at Holden, he should pop down and see Kate around the corner, I’m sure he would benefit from the experience, as would this Holden dealers future customers.

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Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.