Meet Terry Lancaster of HOW TO SELL MORE CARS

Terry Lancaster 0:02
How to sell more cars

The company is Terry Lancaster marketing. And I do just that marketing means I help people sell something pretty, pretty straightforward. Primarily, I help car dealerships I've been in business for about the last four decades, more automotive radio commercials than any other human being on the face of the earth probably 10 or 11,000 or something at this point, but I mostly help car dealers. 95% of my work is with car dealers.

If you know a car dealer if you if you love a car dealer, if you're connected to a car dealer, I would love an introduction to them. I help them produce radio TV spots, I write blog posts for them, I do direct mail for them. I send all their best customers, postcards and Christmas cards so they know that their loved ones have to come back again and again and again. And I do that for other people too. I train salespeople, whether they're automotive sales people or insurance salespeople or real estate agents that I trade them to market themselves the same way that I did because the the role of salesman has changed a little bit it's not not so much just just shaking hands and kissing babies right there at the door when they walk in. salespeople have to market themselves these days no matter what you're selling, and we're all have social media. And we all have these tools and a lot of salespeople aren't necessarily the greatest that using the marketing tool. So I help them and kind of teach them to market themselves. Like I've been marketing myself from from my bedroom after my naked yoga classes for the last 30 or 40 years. So so maybe I hadn't figured out how to have to have those on Zoom line, but if I do, you will be the first that I call so

our speaker today is Blake Liddell and Blaine is is one of my heroes. He's a member of the Toastmaster organization Popkins Toastmasters that were up there and he helped me get involved in Toastmasters years ago and I was competing in that and doing a lot which I left Toastmasters because I ended up doing so many podcasts that I didn't have time to do and I was on a guest after the after the first book came out I was on about 100 podcasts over the course of the next year. So that really helped me learn to just do my table topics but Blaine was instrumental in all of that and I've watched him grow he's grown momentum seminars, he's he's traveled around the country helping business people implement better benefits strategies to grow their business and today so talk about some of his ideas and some of running Tracy's ideas. A little How're you doing, buddy?

Top notch sales training from the front seat of Automobile University

Blaine Little 2:39

You're on some awesome, thank you so much, Terry. I appreciate that. And, you know, as we dive into this book, and I do have a PowerPoint just to kind of keep us on track. But I asked how many go this is a classic in business, the psychology of selling by Brian Tracy and how many of y'all have read this book?

No, oh my gosh, really? Oh, this is wonderful. Well, this will just be enough to barely whet your whistle. I encourage you to go out and get this book. So we're gonna dive into it a little bit. And I'm going to just a few things that in a year over the next 10 minutes, and I know that Terry had some time saved up for q&a, but if I come across something and you want to discuss it, I'm fine. Let's just going to open this up a little bit more discussion style rather than seminar and then there you go. All right. So let me see if I can bring up my PowerPoint. There we go.

Okay, I'm taking y'all can see that. Good. Okay, so Brian Tracy, the psychology of selling. It is a classic, and I should have probably looked up when this thing was written as bought about 2025 years ago. Of course Brian Tracy has anybody here not familiar with Brian Tracy? Well, Brian Tracy has written several sales books. And here's the thing I in fact, years ago, I would listen to Brian Tracy Zig Ziglar Denis Waitley. A lot of Tony Alessandra a lot of those guys are on here on cassette tape, even if back in the 80s would have a cassette tape in their car and they would listen to some of that. Yeah. What Zig Ziglar called it. I think he called it the automobile University. And you could get an entire education just by listening and listen in the car. Well, here's the thing years ago, I would listen to him. And I really did not like Brian Tracy. So why psychology assigned because Blaine's not really a fan. And I tell you this because I listen to some of his other stuff. There's he's got a book this still kind of new came out a couple three years ago called Eat That Frog. That's a concept from our plane. And I'm just like in but I was somewhere I think maybe at a NASA event. And I want this as the door prize. I had always heard of it like it's a classic and sales you've got to get it and again, there's not a huge Brian Tracy fan. Well I started going through this and it is amazing. Probably not anything in here. That's an original idea, but it's just really well put together. And if you want better sales, you need to get this book. Check it out. Let's dive into it a little bit. Sales. Psychology isn't really about psychology. I mean, isn't it about sales tactics? setting your goals and setting goals is part of it. But why in the world psychology that we talked about? Well first, we need to understand the customer's needs. When we go to sales training if years ago I used to sell for Brinks Home Security, and they sent me to Atlanta for a year when I was with skill path and we traveled all over the world they will send me to I went to Kansas City for a week. And so with bring someone to Atlanta for a week and I'm sad to hear but and he would go and he would learn all the features of what your product or service can do.

Terry Lancaster 6:55
They don't care.

Blaine Little 6:57
The bells and whistles is not what they care about. Customers want to understand the benefits. Now features may bring you the benefits but they want to know the benefits. How do you help solve the problem?

Car Sales Psychology : Your brain knows bullshit when it hears it. Even if it's from you

Blaine Little 7:12

and a wonderful quote that's in the book is wherever you're saying to a prospect about your product or your service. Imagine that he is just asking you so why. So why and that will actually keep you on the right path. Because we get so ingrained in our own mind of what something can do. Hey, do you want a two hour seminar? Or do you want an all day workshop? What would you like? I don't care. You know, we have communication problems, or I've got a bunch of new managers and none of them have that management training before I need to get them up. To speed. They don't really care how long it is, and the slides I'm gonna have, what kind of you know, a book is helpful over a brick and some books, but they want to know what are you going to do for them? And so we need to remind ourselves of that understanding what the customer needs, building rapport. We might not necessarily get the sale. The very first time we may meet with somebody, oftentimes we know but we need to keep in touch with them and begin a relationship. One of the things that I talked about, in my sense, is that before is on the road to building trust, and sales people say we got to have trust, you can build trust. Well, that's fantastic. Rarely are you ever going to build trust and one day one meeting. So it just it first it goes the likability Do they just not find you obnoxious? And then it goes to building rapport and will report is it's where we start to see ourselves in someone else. There's a lot of similarities, so I can identify with that. And if I can see similarities in you that are traits within me, then I begin to start to trust and find people likeable, the full report and then you can get into that trust, but we need to maintain those relationships along the way. And that goes into creating trust again. That's ultimately what we want. But remember, when we first talked to a customer, it's not about what we can sell. But how can we help them? Okay, questions, comments, concerns on any of that? I'm gonna blow right. Alright, so psychology, the psychology of selling. What about our own psychology, our own well being? All right, we need to be able to manage our expectations. And by that what I mean is that we're going to be rejected a lot. And we just have to realize that and we have to frame rejection in the right way. It's not that they don't like us. They're just saying no to our goods or services at that time. But within our own mind, what is our expectations? Scientists say that we will more than likely never achieve more than 10% beyond what we believe we're worth. measure that. measure that. So does your income have five figures or is it six figures or seven figures? And there is a guy out there who sold the book, he said, Just whatever your goals were for last year, just multiply that by 10? Well, your brain does not work like that. Your brain knows bullshit when it hears it, even if it's from you. And so we have to kind of build our self esteem up manager expectations. Because if we just look on what we did last year, well you know, I made X X dollars amount, you know. Am I going to do that again? Or 10% more we have to elevate our thinking. And one way that we do that is by plugging into people like all of you and others who have been successful, and we can actually raise our expectations in a way that mind finds a more believable because what our mindset is bleak. self talk is anybody been the victim of self? Put your hands up, get your hands off. Yet we all have and it really is a protection mechanism that we try to avert disaster by preparing for the worst and it's natural and it goes back for caveman. And, you know, what if I go out and I'm looking for a little lizard or Quanah for lunch one day, but then I'm not gonna leave the cave because I'm afraid I'll be attacked by a saber toothed Tiger. Well, you have to talk yourself out of these things because your mind is going to live in fear. That's just the way we're but how many of our ears actually come to life? Very few, very few. And so if you're afraid of the saber toothed Tiger you know you just need to get a bigger sphere. Time management. This is huge and I can really go more broad than this but he's basically talking about time management but I will say routines, routines developed a system. That is huge. That keeps us on track. I get off track I have to be honest here. I've been off track way more than I care to admit. And it's almost daily. I'm like What am I doing? You know, I got I got you know, Friday was roll out right from the weekend. And then for some weird reason I just started looking up little tiny towns in a country called Eritrea, which is a place I would love to visit one day, but I just started Googling and looking at the little maps. And it's like, an hour and I was like what am I doing? Reading so we have to maintain our own psychology. It's not just the customer psychology that we need to deal with. And last thing here is as you see in the picture, if you can see that that is a really messy that's my desk now. Now let's not No, it's not that bad, thank God. But if you were like this is really messy. Well the power of suggestion. What do you start with yourself? Like says and if I were in person right now I would absolutely have our society is kind of we're okay with webinars and online man a pullover polo, which is comfortable day back. But definitely dress for success by call on somebody's gonna go like this. I'm gonna be in a coat and a tie. And I have my my hair and my hair gel. Good to go everything small and pretty. Practice your presentation, your sales presentation. Don't just wing it, go through it and understand what it is that you're doing. play devil's advocate with yourself. Again, it kind of goes to that quote from Brian, where it says whenever you're talking to a prospect about your business services that he is saying so why how do you deal with objections, presentation and finally work from a clean desk. If your work environment is cluttered, your brain is going to be closed. And I tried to declutter in here over the weekend, and I still have I have hours of work to do because I've got stacks of book products and videotapes and CDs and stuff all but and I got I don't know, I may have to get a storage facility or something in my garage, but work from a clean desk. So that's something I put in there because that's something is a challenge for me and I'm still I'm still working on that. So just really light fast. Intro read on, on on on the psychology of selling by Brian Tracy unfortunately don't get me started so much though, but definitely go get this book. All right.

If you don't know where the itch is, how do you know where to scratch?

Terry Lancaster 16:18

the thing that jumped out to me was the depart on expectations because that is one of the things I wrote about in my book better self out for the rest of us. It says expectations are the enemy of happiness. And I wrote that and I thought it was kind of a kind of a an original thing for me. And it turns out that is it's stoicism and it's Buddhist ism and everything else and the and all these people talk about falling in love with the process as a salesperson if you go in expecting a sale, or that's all you got on your mind is the sale I have a buddy who's a guest on my podcast who call it commission breath when they can smell you from a lot my way played says your brain to tell it's bullshit. Well they can smell when you're just hustling them. So you know the the expectations are the one thing but you go in and you're in love with the process you're in love with making the connection you're in love with informing them and educating them and finding ways to help their business. If you're in love with the process. The outcomes will take care of themselves. So that's the next big thing for me is to worry about process and not outcome.

Blaine Little 17:35
Yeah, that's absolutely true. And one of the things that brought to dribbles prospect Daily and get your numbers going. And and I've actually said for years stop being concerned about what the other people say. Whether they say yes or no that's completely out of your control. But what is in your control is do you say okay, that's cool. Let me call on you maybe in a few months next, that is in my control. So how hard you prospect and work as simple as that. You're absolutely right.

Terry Lancaster 18:16
Well, is that something that

Lincoln Kokoram 18:18
you know, there's so much myths about selling. Selling should be fun. Number one it will not find find another job. You're in the wrong job. Number two, okay, I've seen a lot of young kids have an appointment. Drive 1520 minutes to disappointment in in Miami. I have an appointment it already before. So they get there. And the Secretary comes out and the secretary says I'm sorry, but emergency came up. The boys kind of see you today. I know. You flee instead of everyone. In that moment. Find something to do go meet somebody else. In that community in our organization because the more cheerleaders you have in in our organization, the higher the probability you're going to recruit cheerleaders say hello to somebody after you says people walk in the dealership Carrie and I had Stratford the GMs office. They don't say hello to anybody, you know. And then the past where you park your car, especially if you sell into auto dealers don't park in front of the door but far away. parking spot and then ask permission says people don't ask permission is now still a good time that shows respect and caring about your prospects time is also a good time. That reduces the pressure because the moment there is people they might think this is a pressure point. But you want to take time for us to meet all kinds of person you know selling, you know, perfume or something like that. You sell in a service and you can always come back. You can always go under you today with this thing. This is a tool. You have to wait 1015 minutes, make some calls. Make some call them beat up on yourself. This guy has the appointment and then the other thing people make back to back appointment to do that. Talk about time management. Or you will get stuck and you have to call a next appointment. I'm running late. You're just setting up yourself for failure when we get go. And finally, diagnose before you prescribe. Diagnose before you prescribe. Don't assume you know what they need to happen when you assume

Terry Lancaster 21:20
but my buddy Pat Helmers calls that he find the itch before you pitch. If you all get pitches, you don't know where to scratch. So make sure you find the edge before you get. Here's the years of the dad.

How social media helps salespeople use the psychology of selling

Rachel Albertson 21:50
Good, but it saves you a lot of wasted time. If a witness, send them reminders because I used to have about 20% failure rate when I would show up my client would be there. Even if they're not paying for the meeting. That's part of a package. They would be busy or on vacation. And when I started texting and email reminders, it went down to like less than 5% of those shows per appointment. Just great. And there's really quick they're, well, two things. One, I really believe that the sales process is different from B to C and you need to be really nice to make friends and network and number two, there's this really, really awesome Chrome extension called crystal that I use before I go and meet with somebody, you get 10 profile D guys for free and then you can pay for it. When you sign up and ask you a bunch of questions about yourself. Then you go into LinkedIn when you're gonna meet with somebody and you look them up and it'll pop up on the side and you say yes, and then it will tell you all about the person based on their posting style and everything they find about them online. And then you can say like, I need to have a phone call, I need to pitch a product and it tells you how to relate to that person. So that when you go in there, you're talking to them the way they want to be talked to, and it pushes you way down that sales funnel and it's a much quicker conversion.

Lincoln Kokoram 23:17
ratio we did repeat that. Chrome extension was

Unknown Speaker 23:21
in the chat, but it's called wrestle with this fee. And like I said, you get to try 10 I can spell you're gonna try 10 for free. It's going to ask you a lot of questions on the front side because that's how it learns people's behaviors. But I actually had a meeting with a pretty big international company and I went on there and I and I did a couple of dives with the person that I was meeting with because I got to know ahead of time. And I'm telling you it was like oh shoot

Unknown Speaker 23:56
please Sorry, our daughter went to college and when she was on the sorority recruitment track, they did this they study their candidate, and they assigned Oh, she plays volleyball Sally the volleyball player, you're the one talking to her AI is taking over where a little bit of research.

Terry Lancaster 24:18
Yeah, yeah.

Unknown Speaker 24:20
And it's really super accurate because I talked myself up on it the other day when I was showing somebody example I'm like, Oh my gosh, that's so me.

Terry Lancaster 24:29
I have to check myself to see if people need to talk to me. Right so I've got a question for you. When you haven't gone back to mind when

Unknown Speaker 24:40
I was just gonna, gonna ask you so, you know, a lot of us are probably within the same generation. I want to know your experience with the next generations that are coming up from us because I find like, especially with I have a 28 year old, a 26 year old and a 17 year old and they are so different. The 226 28 millennials and then I have my Gen Z here and he is very, very different and the way that they think and the way that they process is very different. It's almost like there's no, there's not that same hesitation that there was would be previous generations when it comes to selling they're kind of out there. And they don't have that same hesitation. At least that's what I'm experiencing. How are you experiencing differences in the generations

Blaine Little 25:29
Well, thank you for giving me the opportunity to promote my next book, which will be out hopefully, in just a couple of weeks. The individual team how fairness wrecked the workplace, but in the year I go really deep into some of the different generations and by the way, I'm a millennial. Now, but yeah, one of the things that I tell everyone is kind of pigeon holed generation see right now as they're being called. And I like to remind everybody know the trailing end of generation disease in sixth grade

Terry Lancaster 26:05
we don't know what the workout is.

Blaine Little 26:09
And so there's Tuesday, I am well, three things I'm kind of predicting will affect the general number one, they're not going to be called Generation Z. They'll like the millennials who were originally called Generation Y, they'll come up with their own name to they're going to be affected by COVID. That that year and a half, two years of isolation is really going to affect them. My hope is that they will learn the importance for acting with people individually. And the second thing is that also, politics is going to affect greatly and I say that because we've had the pendulum has swung wider than it ever has before. xylose that can be more progressive or nationalist or why, but But Trump did expose a lot about the swamp. He did. Expose the secrets of DC and Joe Biden to polar opposites, and the pendulum has swung wider than it ever has before. So I'm thinking they're gonna probably take a more active role in in politics, and I don't mean an Tifa because that's largely that's largely millennials. But yeah, that's what we know about Gen Z. I think they're gonna come to think we're like, okay, yeah, the communication, the digital age techno, I got it. Okay, I'm good with that. Let's put this down and move forward with with other more meaningful things.

Terry Lancaster 27:58
I I, I work with car dealerships, and I never planned on this to having habit, but I ended up training at car dealerships, and most of my most of my students are 23 year old guys. They're all young. They're all male, and it isn't an extreme iOpener for me, I do happen to be a baby boomer on the last living baby boomers. I just made it in under under the wire by my by a couple couple of months to be exact, but I have a baby boomer so I'm in there. I'm trying to coach a lot of these 23 year old guys. And sometimes I have a hard time connecting one because they are there. They're dialed in on their phone, constantly doing all kinds of things. But they the biggest thing and this may just be a factor of the current business but this younger generation, especially what they want it all right now and I know when I was 23 year old 23 years old, I definitely knew everything but these guys definitely know everything. They know everything and they don't get no time for bullshitty they don't get no time for the bullshit from the boss. They don't get them time for bullshit from the employees. They the the attention span and the and the willingness to tolerate something they don't want to tolerate is pretty low. So they don't want to do the stuff they don't want to do. And they and they haven't had to. And and especially in the car business last couple of years. You know money's just been falling out of the sky in the garbage is for a couple of years. So they just sit there and collect the money. And then when you go in and tell them oh, you actually have to do the work and connect with the customers and build these long term relationships. They just leave and go find a new job because it's they they their their ability to trifle with things that are outside of their comfort zone is a lot worse than I think anybody in any generation here before because things move a lot faster now and they are willing to move just as fast. You know, I don't have to work here. I know Dr. DNB. Try DoorDash and bring out an Airbnb and they'll be able to do things quicker than you can say Jack's run