Here is the text from the article "Pay A Sales Call To Your Bank"

Pay A “Sales Call” To Your Bank

by Willie Grubaugh
Preferred Warranties, Inc.

Lending is off. So, what are you going to do about it? If you answer is, “Sit around and complain,” then join the crowd. I hear it all day long from dealers across Texas, from Cleburne out to Round Rock, and from Port Arthur down to Harlingen.

Will you be different? You can choose to set yourself apart from the crowd, and be proactive. Get out of your office, off the lot, and into the bank - lots of banks, finance companies, credit unions, any legitimate organization with money to lend. You need to put yourself across the desk from loan officers, VP’s, and branch managers and make their acquaintance.

Then what? Now you call upon your years of sales expertise - you do this for a living, remember? Except instead of selling a quality, pre-owned vehicle to a consumer, you need to sell yourself and your dealership to a banker so he wants to lend you money and wants you as a business associate. People buy from people they like, right? Tell them how you built your business, your personal success story, the ethical business practices you follow, and how you give back to the community. You need to build a relationship with the banker to the point where you can borrow his shovel if need be.

How often? You should pay a “Sales Call” to at least one banker a week. I can hear your excuse now, “I can’t afford to be away from the lot that much!” But you can easily accomplish this by making one “Sale Call” on your way to work in the morning. Most of your dealerships don’t even open until 9:30 or 10 am, while banks open at 9:00 am sharp. You need to make the commitment. How many bankers do you think you’ll see if you hurry right to your dealership instead?

Go see your banker. What’s the worst that could happen? So, you get a “no” or maybe a “not this month”. Go see a different banker, and then another, and another. You will get better at it with practice, and you will eventually find a banker who’s interested in building a lending relationship. It may happen because you discover you went through school together, or your kids play soccer in the same league, or you’re members of the same church, or it may simply happen because you do a darn good job of selling yourself and the banker likes the fact that you keep stopping in every month.

Have fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself. When they ask at the bank how they can help you, tell them, “I just came by for the free coffee! But while I’m here, I might as well talk to your loan officer.” Then, tell your story and start building a relationship.

Willie Grubaugh is Texas Regional Manager with Preferred Warranties, Inc. www.warrantys.com PWI service contracts are sold in more than a dozen states, available exclusively through quality dealerships. Willie Grubaugh can be reached via email @ wgrubaugh@warrantys.com or by phone at 214-244-3871