The 2015 Ford F150 XLT standard cab loaded to the max is currently priced at just more than $30,000 (plus tax, of course). What would you say if I told you that you could pay for this truck by offering sanitization and resin cleaning to your customers? It might sound crazy, but several dealerships are doing it already with simple, commission-based sales programs for their staff. The Sani-System and Clean & Sanitize Kits have not only energized their staffs with extra income, they also have added value for their customers by protecting their investments and their families’ health.
Before you sell your customer on sanitization, you must sell your team. Several dealers have approached this by creating a friendly competition for the staff to adopt the “everyone sells” mentality. A best practice is to create a goal board that includes every employee’s name and is used to track weekly sales. Training should be required so the staff understands how to sell the product and identify the ideal customer.
Successful Sales
Dan Taylor, while working as general manager of Culligan of Fremont in Ohio, created a similar sales model and included commission incentives. “The success of the program relied heavily on the commission,” Taylor said. “Employees would ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ We gave each employee who sold a Clean & Sanitize Kit a $10 commission. This incentivized them to focus on the item. At the end of the week, that extra $100 to $200 is nice to have, and the employees really appreciated it.”
Taylor said he was amazed at what the staff accomplished in the first month of the program. The service technicians were pushed beyond their comfort levels and sold 15 kits in that first month. The office staff’s sales were nearly double the route sales and the service technicians’ sales combined. In total, the team sold more than 60 kits in the first month. Taylor’s costs, including the $10-per-unit commission, were less than $1,000. His profit for the program was more than $1,500—more than enough to cover the monthly cost of a new service truck, and the fuel, too.
Momentum continued to grow among the employees and they worked hard, not only for the commissions, but for the coveted No. 1 spot on the goal board. “Accountability is key. When we started the program, the guys jumped on and sold the Clean & Sanitize Kits,” Taylor said. “The next month, sales dropped off because there was no focus, so we put up a white board and tracked the progress of everyone selling the items, and sales increased substantially.” The single dealership location sold more than $30,000 in product, resulting in more than $15,000 in annual revenue.
Communication Is Key
The same model can be applied to resin cleaner packets and automatic feeders. Several dealers have started selling the Res Care Feeder System for about $50 and offered the same commission of $10 for each unit sold. Based on an average sale rate of 10 systems per month, a dealer can expect an additional $6,000 in sales and more than $5,500 in profit.
These programs require communication to succeed. The customer needs to be aware of the product’s benefits and buy into the concept. Pro Products provides mailers and invoice stuffers to communicate each product’s benefits to justify the expense. The dealership staff also needs to believe in what they are selling and constantly be reminded of the benefits. They need to be trained on what the product is, how it works and its selling features, so they can sell it to their customers. As Taylor put it, “It takes the entire dealership getting behind the program and product for a successful sales campaign.”
With some effort and communication, you can provide your customer with the benefits of properly sanitized equipment. A simple commission-based selling strategy will ensure the entire team is behind the success of the program and build enthusiasm. A goal board and continued focus will ensure that you earn enough revenue to pay for that new service truck.
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