Two Important Lessons

I had a car accident a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, it was my fault and the insurance company decided to write off my car instead of repair it (probably had something to do with pre-existing hail repair damage that was also to be repaired).

Lesson #1 is that it's more important to be focused on what you're doing (especially when driving) than it is to be thinking about other things. Sounds like plain, common sense, I know.

The second lesson relates to my experience buying a new car.

The #1 rule in selling is to build trust. The #2 rule in selling is to uncover useful information. Contrary to what many salespeople believe, it's not to provide a ton of information (at least until you have done some effective qualification).

I visited 6 or 7 car dealerships and the questions I was repeatedly asked were...my name, contact phone number, email address, how much I wanted to spend, and If I had a car to trade in.

I answered the questions honestly and lied or made a joke about the amount I wanted to spend. I then asked a lot of questions about the cars and went for a test drive. They all tried to convince me of the merits of their car.

I am still unclear about which car I most want to buy partly because not one salesperson bothered to find out what was important to me and assist me to make an effective buying decision.

Lesson #2 is, if you want to stand out from the crowd in a very crowded marketplace, ask some insightful questions...and be OK that the car you are selling may not match that criteria (it will save you a lot of time and frustration).

Can you think of some insightful questions to ask?

IMPORTANT LESSONS

Two Important Lessons