"I need to THINK about it." That is what most RV salespeople hear at the end of presentation. It can be very frustrating to a salesperson when they spend hours and hours with a customer and it ends with that statement.

The fact is that it’s the salespersons fault. The customer is weighing the benefits in his mind. When he’s looking at the big stack of money it will take to purchase this new RV, the benefits have to at least equal the money he’s spending. It’s also likely that if the benefits only "equal" the money, he will tell you he has to go home and think about it.

As a salesperson you need to create enough value in your presentation to make the customer feel like the value "exceeds" the money he’s spending. If the value is greater, his decision to move forward will be a "no brainer!"

Here is how you pull this off:

1. Pick out a list of features that appeal to the customers’ needs. You will understand the needs of the customer if you did a good job in your interview.

2. Pick out one or two of the features that might be of special interest to a customer. For example, I once sold a Fleetwood Discovery to a customer after hours showing them RV’s. When I was ready to throw in the towel I took them to one more RV. I was waiting for the stock response from my customer about all the things they “didn’t” like about this RV, when to my amazement, they made this comment. We were just inside the entry door when [she] said, “Now this is what I am talking about!” I said, “What do you mean?” She said “look at this dash, it’s perfect for fluffy (their cat).” It turned out that fluffy loves to ride in their RV on his kitty bed up on the dash. If I would have known that early on in the process, I could have saved myself and the customer a lot of time. I didn’t ask the right questions so I was shooting in the dark. When you figure out what is important to the customer these items can be referred to as the “Hot button!” The “hot button’ is an item that might help motivate your customer to make a buying decision today. Pay attention!

3. Once you have some features in mind show and tell your customer about them. Tell them about this feature and then break it down in this manner. Tell them, what this feature means to them in the form of a benefit. Every customer has a favorite radio station. It is called W.I.I.F.M. that stands for “WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?” The customer only cares about a feature if there is a derived benefit to them. You need to state it in laymen’s terms and make sure they understand what you said. For example: if the RV you are showing has “outside entertainment center,” tell them about it and what it means to them like this. Mr. Customer, this RV has an outside entertainment center inside of this compartment. The entertainment center has an AM/FM radio with CD player and speakers. There is also a pull out table directly under this radio. “What that means to you is you can BBQ outside on the patio with your buddies under the patio awning, while listening to your favorite tunes!” Now the customer is picturing himself using the radio and smelling the BBQ on his grill.

4. Continue with additional features and benefits, building value in your RV. Make sure to get the customer involved in your presentation. Have them touch and feel things. If the entry door is heavier duty than most, have him open and shut it a few times. Get them involved!

5. There is one more thing I would like to cover on this blog. When you feel the benefit you present to the customer is significant, ask them something that lets you know they agree with you. I call this question a “tie down.” It is a question that when answered correctly validates the customers agreement to the value added. A tie down question could be something like, “Isn’t that what you are looking for?” It could also be “Don’t you agree?” Another one might be, “Doesn’t that make sense?” When they answer these questions with a “yes” the sale is heading in the right direction. The more value built, the easier it will be for the customer to part with his hard earned money.