The Sales Masterclass I Didn't Expect at the Car Dealership
How to make sales inevitable. Hint: It isn't about salesmanship.
As we turned into the dealership, my husband test-driving a new Subaru Outback, our car salesman asked me “Do you want to take a test drive?”
“Nope - no need,” I immediately answered.
We had only arrived 30 minutes earlier, but my husband and I had our decision. We didn’t ask many questions and took only one test drive.
The salesman didn’t blink an eye. This clearly happened often.
He gave us the details for the purchase process, and within a week, we had a new car.
In the days following our purchase, the business leader in me couldn’t just enjoy the car. Instead, I kept wondering how was it that this sale took less than 2 hours to complete.
I knew from my days leading a software as a service (Saas) business that 5-figure sales took longer to complete — several months usually. Sure, there were exceptions, but they were rare.
Some light research revealed that at the end of 2024, Subaru had experienced 29 straight months of vehicle sales growth. 29 months! That’s not a fluke. That’s the result of strong strategy, executed excellently.
We had gotten a front-row seat to the customer experience that resulted from Subaru’s strategy. Our car buying experience was a perfect refresher on what it takes to create a business where sales are all but inevitable.
Purchase decisions are being shaped long before the sales process begins.
We had done what many shoppers do.
It seemed like a split-second decision, but it wasn’t.
The shopping had actually started long before we entered the showroom. We knew 2 years ago that we would need to buy a second car. Only the combination of a highly under-scheduled family and stubborn frugality allowed us to live with only one car since moving to the suburbs 4 years ago.
As we reluctantly contemplated what we would buy, we asked friends and family members which cars they liked. We didn’t just get answers about what to buy, but also which ones to avoid and which dealerships to go to. We test drove their cars and asked detailed questions about reliability, maintenance and more.
As leaders, we forget how pervasive and important word-of-mouth conversations are. In a world where digital experiences and content reign supreme, it’s easy to focus only on those channels that are easiest to track and measure. But customers still find their inner circles to be their most credible sources of information.
It was quickly clear that Subaru was a trusted brand for families and that its durability would satisfy our desire for a low-cost and low-maintenance car.
Expert reviews carry extra weight.
Friends and family are perhaps the most trusted and accessible sources of information, but experts hold a special place in the decision process. Experts presumably have more inside knowledge about what matters and access to more data on broad customer value and impact.
It’s why logos, name-dropping, and reviews or testimonials are plastered over most websites. But be wary of listing anyone and everyone. For this to be truly valuable, you want the most credible, most relevant names to be front and center.
Our salesperson had a chart on his desk from Consumer Reports, a highly reputable organization, that listed Subaru as the number one car brand. Even though I knew it was a marketing tactic, I was influenced by it. It conveyed credibility and substance.
Know what your customers want and deliver it excellently.
What underlies positive referrals and expert reviews is a great product that meets and exceeds customers’ needs. That all starts with understanding your customer deeply.
I’m not familiar with Subaru’s customer research model, but it’s clear who they target (people who love the outdoors and value practical, reliable performance) and how they deliver on those needs.
It’s possible to get lucky initially but to sustain the preference of customers, you must have deep empathy for their pain and their priorities.
As buyers, the key elements we cared about were:
Reliability and low maintenance
Safety and ability to handle winter weather
Trunk space and the ability to carry more than our sedan
Price point: We don’t value status and don’t want a luxury price
There are likely several brands and car models that would have fit the bill, but coupled with the referrals and expert reviews, Subaru was an easy choice.
Interestingly, you might find that as you target one customer, you may also attract others with similar needs, but with a different profile. For example, my husband and I are neither outdoorsy nor adventurous, yet the aspects that make Subaru cars great for people who love the outdoors also make them great for families like ours.
Great salesmanship isn’t about promotions or pushiness. It’s about service.
Too many leaders misunderstand sales. To this day, I’m shocked by how many characterize it as a “dirty business” or something they don’t like to do.
Regardless of whether you are in the Sales or Revenue departments, every leader should have an appreciation for what great sales is and what it isn’t.
The salesperson we dealt with didn’t stand out because he was gregarious, instantly likeable or becuase he was pushy. In fact, he was the opposite. He was a bit reserved, didn’t seem to have a lot in common with my husband or me (we are odd birds), and didn’t drive us toward a decision. If anything, we were the pushy ones.
The best sales people know your product inside and out, understand the market landscape and most importantly, understand what customers value and are focused on learning what a particular customer needs. They highlight benefits and provide options seamlessly to make the process easy for the buyer. In short, they help you feel heard and valued and they make you feel confident about your buying decision.
Some things I loved about our salesperson:
He was fully present in our conversations and made us feel unrushed
He knew the features of and differences between models and was quick to offer us materials so that we could assess them ourselves
He made us feel confident that our lower price point was an excellent choice
He was able to communicate limitations like color availability which drove us to move faster in a way that didn’t sound like a pressure tactic
When in doubt, matter-of-factness, empathy, and attention are all that you need to convey the energy that customers want in a productive sales conversation.
Seamless operations don’t just drive efficiency, they build trust.
When it was time to pay for the car, there was a final step of meeting with the Finance Director to go over an upsell of ongoing servicing and to settle the bill. While this process is routine and not overly complex, it is high stakes because until it is complete, the sale has happened.
In our case, the salesperson introduced us to the Finance Director, left the room, and within 10 minutes, we were done. It was as painless and as stress-free as possible. Perhaps it was because we were prepared and experienced buyers. But I think it was more so that the dealership has a proven process and they followed it. Each person knew their part, and they ensured that the customer didn’t experience any friction.
Having a clear approach, and delivering it consistently, creates ease for your staff and for your customers. Cleaning up operations can feel like tidying up the janitor’s closet. It isn’t sexy, most people won’t rave about it, and you don’t generally win awards for an efficient operation, but its absence can severely deteriorate customer experience and creates far more issues than most leaders realize.
Greater efficiency alone can make it worth it to revamp your operational flow, but an even more powerful outcome is having your people and your customers leave the process feeling greater trust that what happened is exactly what should have happened. It is a priceless result that pays dividends long after the transaction is complete, leading to greater retention, more positive referrals, and satisfaction instead of regret after spending a significant amount of money.
Key Takeaways
The core components of a successful business are simple on the surface, but require sustained focused attention to realize:
Know your customer: If you don’t know what your customer wants, you can’t build a great product. Take the time to define your customers across demographic, psychographic, and other dimensions. Talk to them, survey them, and get preliminary product feedback from them to hone your offering.
Build a great product…: If your product doesn’t meet your customer’s needs, no amount of salesmanship, promotions, or other gimmicks will help until you resolve “product-market fit.” Invest in getting your product to be the best at delivering on your customer’s needs, and the sales will roll in.
…Your customers rave about: A great product leads to organic referrals, your most efficient and effective marketing strategy.
…Experts rank highly: When the experts deem you worthy, you have the credibility to more easily back up your claims and promises.
Make selling a service: When you have an excellent product, your sales team can function like a service team. Their focus can be on the customer’s needs and helping them navigate your products instead of having to capture the attention of prospects and create urgency to buy.
Optimize your operations: How you construct your customers’ buying journey sets the stage for how they perceive your business. Smooth hand-offs, clear communications, and low stress processes create trust and solidify the foundation for a long-term, positive relationship.
You don’t have to buy a car to be reminded of what makes a successful business. Inspiration is all around you every day. Take a moment to reflect on what your recent buying experiences have taught you and you might find inspiration for where to focus your next quarter’s goals and efforts.
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When my partner and I went car shopping, I told the salesman that we were both looking for a new car and that we were both looking to spend $15K. My car was to be for short trips around the suburbs and my partners would be for long commutes.
When he realized that the only car my partner was interested in was 50% above his price range he said, "Here's an idea. Why don't we spend more on your (my partner's car) and less on the lady's car? After all, you need to be comfortable on your commute."
What he failed to take into account was that my partner and I have both been married before and we keep our money separate.
Let's just say I made my displeasure known (and recommended DEI training), while my partner fell about laughing.
But what about couples who have a joint account? How hard it must be for the partner in line for the crappy car to speak up for themself?
We didn't buy anything from that salesman, and we won't ever go back to that car yard either.
I keep thinking about how this can be applied to selling people on an idea/culture or a technology shift. Changing norms and shifting ideology can be even harder than selling a car :-)