You know that feeling when things are just going your way – like when you’re driving in your car and you’re catching all the green lights? That is not by accident. It’s easy to relax a bit and give yourself permission to be on auto pilot sometimes. It’s also the most dangerous thing you can do in terms of personal development. In order to keep the knife sharp, you must not only use it, but sharpen it — sometimes daily.

When you work for great a great organization, you inherit the legacy of trust over time. It’s that same trust the customer has in you to help take care of them by protecting them with the right coverages and mix of products for their purchase. 

In order to differentiate yourself from the pack and be a true pro, you must commit to every deal to with the right spirit of intent. This means three things, starting with serving. In order to provide great service, you have to know your products. Read the front and back page of every form you have the customer sign and be the expert on where the information is when you are asked to clarify details about coverage or other such disclosures. 

Be friendly but genuine at the same time. Remember to be polite and say thank you for the business. When you are not doing a deal, work on training your team. By being respectful of the people you work with; you will continue to build relationships within your organization which will serve you down the road. By being responsive and utilizing the feedback you elicit to make slight adjustments to your process, you will ultimately provide service that is second to none not only to your customers, but to your team.

The second thing you must do is help. By helping your customers, you build your brand. Nothing is more powerful than the value of word-of-mouth marketing. You can help people before they even start becoming customers. By planting seeds and managing the customers expectations, you can be authentic in your customer interactions. Take massive action; start becoming the most helpful person you know. When you come to the dealership, you come to work and be helpful. You don’t have to be the biggest, in fact, you don’t want to be. Instead, strive for being the best — your best! 

When you work for great a great organization, you inherit the legacy of trust over time. It’s that same trust the customer has in you to help take care of them by protecting them with the right coverages and mix of products for their purchase. 

The third and final thing you must figure out how to do is solve their problems. You must focus on your listening skills. Pay attention to the details the customer offers during your conversation. This will basically give you a road map to help to solve any problems or concerns they have moving forward. You have to become hyper aware, which, if you have empathic tendencies, might come easy to you. This is where you give them an easy decision for what appears to be a really hard choice. When they object, and say it’s too much, you have to be confident in responding directly with “How much is too much?” They will tell you how to make their deal work.

Follow these basic three ideas and watch your personal performance and that of your team increase while building lasting relationships in and outside of the store. 

Justin B Gasman, MPFS is the financial services director at McCaddon Cadillac Buick GMC in Boulder, Colo.

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