Jeffrey Gitomer has said it well, “Nobody likes to be sold, but everybody loves to buy.” Now, that’s a paraphrase, I think. But it’s the truth. And, it’s what I try and keep front and center.

It can be tough in my business because the expectation for many folks that walk into a dealership is that there will be confrontation, exploitation and stress, and that the only thing the salesperson wants is to sell that vehicle that’s been on the lot forever.

They do want to sell that aging vehicle, but any salesperson worth their weight in gold sand knows that you must give the customer what they want. And, that’s where marketing comes into play. You have to get in front of the right people.

People joke about my last name and how I should be able to sell snow to an eskimo. Why would I want to? There’s enough snow up north–who needs to buy more? Effective marketing is finding the people that need/want your product and then helping them BUY it!

At KIA of Saskatoon today, we’re starting a targeted marketing campaign. I helped launch it. It’s messaging is simple. We scoured our database for folks who appear to be in a great position to get lower payments on a new vehicle and we’re inviting them down for a no cost options review.

If you could get a new vehicle and lower your payments at the same time, wouldn’t you do it? Wouldn’t you at least consider it? I know I would. And, I know at the end of the day, if it didn’t make sense, I would just say no.

But, I remember all too well the day Scotiabank called me to ask why my car loan was with them but my mortgage wasn’t. And when they asked me if I would be open to having my mortgage through them if they could lower my monthly payment, I said, “that’s a no-brainer.”

Hopefully the folks getting “my message” today via phone and/or text will see that we’re not selling anything–just trying to get in front of the people that want to buy. If it makes sense, well, why wouldn’t they?