You’re not one of “those” dealerships, so stop sounding like them.

A salesman for one of my clients said to me, “I’ve worked at 7 or 8 other dealerships, and I’ve learned most people would rather go to the dentist than step foot on a car lot.”

Ouch!

The truth is, and you know it – in your city, there are surprisingly few dealerships where you can send your mother and not risk breaking a commandment. Most places will attempt to pillage her before she even opens her door.

But yet, based on their marketing, most dealerships are all the same – beautiful people in front of beautiful vehicles, saying beautiful things.

A few years ago, in the city where I lived there was a multi-store owner famous for using the same catchphrase in all of his marketing (the same one I hear parroted by dealerships all across the nation). He became a pop icon and sold cars to a lot of people, ONCE. But you can’t outrun a bad reputation, and the company eventually disappeared. Yet the stench lingers.

You can probably get a whiff of it in your market.

“Oh, but we have good reviews…”

There was a time when we could rely on reviews; when respectable businesses received praise for services well-rendered, and weasels, well, they got called out for weaseling. Then the rodents figured out they could bury the truth with a stinking pile of bogus reviews. Now even the worst of the worst score 4.9 out of 5!

So how does a truly honorable company get the customers they deserve?

Start by not sounding like everyone else.

Clowns are at the circus, and plastic smiles are for Halloween, but people believe people who are real.

We all want to do business with and associate with people we like and trust. Unfortunately, trust is the hardest thing to earn and the easiest thing to lose. We’ve been conditioned – when they stick out their hand out and say “trust me,” we grab our wallets and run the other way!

Trust is earned through generosity and sincerity and humility, and most of all, time. Most dealers are not well acquainted with the first three and don’t have the patience to see past the end of the month.

If you want to rise above the muck and mire in your market and earn respect that attracts customers eager to trade with you, learn to sing a song that is uniquely yours.

Let me know if you need help finding your voice.

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