Here’s another one of life’s truths: Maintaining the status quo is passive regression. You’re really moving backward. The person who said “knowledge is power” certainly knew what they were talking about. However, knowledge is only half of the equation.
Remember that old G.I. Joe public service announcement, “Knowing is Half the Battle”? I believe that the other half of the battle is turning that knowledge into skill. For example, you can know that you need to do suggestive selling in your dealership, and you may even understand how to upsell, but until you actually turn that knowledge into action, nothing will change.
Speaking of upselling, I’m reminded of my experience ordering flowers for my wife on our anniversary. I received an advertisement for ProFlowers.com, and I decided to surprise her.
I planned to take advantage of the $29 special, but after choosing a vase (which I needed), a box of chocolates and an “I love you” balloon, the cost promptly doubled. I also paid an extra $10 for morning delivery so she’d be able to look at the flowers all day.
The CEO of ProFlowers.com has learned the art of suggestive selling and related add-ons. What more, is that he’s put that knowledge into action and created a system for it. And I’m glad they asked me to purchase the additional items, as I ended up better off in the long run.
This, of course, earned ProFlowers.com more repeat and referral business from me. Your customers also benefit when you suggest related add-ons and items for them to take advantage of, and that benefit continues all the way down to your bottom line.
This story originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of Dealernews.
