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The customer comes into your golf cart dealership. They’re very specific about what they want. It’s got to cut through deep puddles, climb hills, break bramble, win races, and rescue cats from trees. They want…an ATV. You don’t sell ATVs; you sell golf carts. Is selling a golf cart hopeless? Are you misguiding the customer if you compare golf carts to ATVs?
Fitting a Need
The first thing to find out is what should guide the rest of the conversation. What do they need it for? If they want to take it out for hunting and camping then you’re in a perfect spot to help them. An ATV’s got nothing on a golf cart that’s equipped to store hunting and camping gear. A golf cart customized as an offroad vehicle can cut a path nearly as well as an ATV but holds a huge advantage in the amount of gear it can lug, the comfort in driving it hours into wilderness, and the customizations that can make outdoor life more practical.
If they say they want it for racing around with their friends, then you’re more hamstrung. The ATV’s the superior choice for that, so your angle for opening up conversations about golf carts is more closed off. Use your judgment – one of the key elements of sales is making sure you don’t waste your own or the customer’s time. If you do note interest, though, don’t talk yourself out of it. A customer looking for an ATV might buy a golf cart as well.
The key is that you shouldn’t try to compete with what an ATV does better. Instead, focus on what the golf cart does better and why this is useful to the customer.
Get Customizing as Soon as Possible
Now here’s the key: sit down with the customer and customize the perfect golf cart together. A good way to do this is to use a golf cart customization app. There are two kinds out there:
1. Subscription based. You might also call this service-based. This is the superior golf cart customization app because you’re subscribing to the service provided through the app. The app isn’t what you’re paying for – the service is. This means that you’ll get regular updates for custom parts and the app will keep current with what’s in stock. This gives you much more flexibility when working with a customer.
2. Product based. Here, you’re paying for the app itself, but there isn’t necessarily regular service – or the service is intermittent. You may not be paying a regular fee, but because the product is unlikely to be maintained properly, there’s a good chance that their parts and stock listing will grow out of date and leave you in awkward situations that give the customer too many chances to back out.
Let the Customer Take the Wheel
The subscription based model for a golf cart customization app is clearly the superior approach. When you sit down with a customer to customize the perfect golf cart, build it around their needs. Ask questions, and then provide answers through customizations. Even let them take control of the app now and again to show you what they mean or to choose what they like best.
By letting them actively participate in the customization, rather than selecting a choice for them, you allow a customer to invest in what they’re creating. They’re picturing how they’d use the golf cart and what they’d like each customization to do. They feel in control, so in many ways, they’re closing themselves on the sale for you.
For customers who have something very specific in mind, selling a golf cart sometimes means customizing that cart. The only thing missing is the golf cart itself – and that’s easy for you to fix. After all, you don’t sell ATVs, but you do sell golf carts.