Whatever you do, quit following up with your customers.

"It's not about following up," says Dave Clayton of Tidelands Ford on Today's #GetYaSome Radio Show.

It's about remembering that you were in someone's life and choosing to intentionally go back into their life to see how the heck they're doing.

"Even just hearing the word "Follow up" I cringe."

Dave Clayton chooses to put himself back into his customer lives, connecting with them on a more permanent basis. On a more human level.

What Dave does is make friends for life.

His goal is a relationship and not a transaction, because the car business is a relationship business.

Over 15 years at Tidelands Ford and for years selling shoes before that, Dave's learned that digging deeper to truly connect and find out about the people you're dealing with matters. 

It matters for you to connect on a human level not so you can sell them something this one time.

Not so you can sell them something over and over again over the course of a lifetime

It matters because you can make a difference in each other's life. You can be a force for good. A net positive.

We're all so used to complaining and griping and arguing that giving people the opportunity to talk about something positive in their life is a rare and memorable joy.

Dave gets people to talk about the sunny side of life by asking one simple question:

What's the best thing that's happened to you since the last time I saw you?

He resists efforts to quantify relationships, what he calls accountability brain.

"Quit checking off boxes and start checking on people."

By truly getting to know his customers, clients, friends he can help them figure out the best way to solve their problem. The best way to make their pain go away.

"It's a no brainer," says Dave!

Forget about all the Ben Franklin closes. Forget about all the magic word tracks and lines.

"People don't want to hear lines. They want you to be you."

And the most effective thing that you as a salesperson can do is make it a no brainer for your customer. This is the solution to their problem. This is the answer to their prayers.

And while some sales people try to keep their personal lives personal and their professional lives professional keeping and iron curtain between them, Dave says there's no difference between his business friends and his personal friends. No difference between his Facebook friends and his in real life friends.

When you take a look at Dave's Facebook profile, it's obvious from the get go that he sales cars for a living. He ain't bashful about it. 

His motto "Save with Dave" is emblazoned across the top.

But what he's not doing is pounding facebook with promotions non stop.

Instead he brings the intentionality of his real life friend building activities into the social media world by paying attention to his community, finding people and events worth celebrating in the community, and sharing what he finds with the community.

Find the good in the world and let the world know you found it.

Connect with Dave Clayton