Lessons from an INFINITI Genius: Eric at Kelly INFINITI

“Genius” represents the highest level of accomplishment in INFINITI’s Tiered Recognition Program. INFINITI University Online spoke with a Genius who counts on outstanding reviews from current clients to find new ones.

A “filler job” nine years ago blossomed into an extremely rewarding career for Eric Alterio.

“I was working in retail customer service, but I needed a change,” Alterio says. “I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, so I thought I’d take a filler job as a valet at a Toyota dealership.”

When he joined the dealership, he was asked to try sales.

“I gave it a shot and I liked it,” he said. “I enjoyed getting to know the clients and it took off from there.”

After two years, Alterio joined Kelly INFINITI in Danvers, MA, seven years ago.

“It was a good move for me,” he says. It was less of a commute, and I was happy to move to INFINITI. This has been a very good spot for me.”

It became such a good spot that Alterio has earned a loyal following of repeat buyers. He has also achieved Genius status.

Alterio explains how to stand out for clients and why learning opportunities are closer than you may think.

What has contributed to your consistent success?

“I’ve been fortunate to get a lot of good reviews of DealerRater and Google. People are happy to do it if you’ve given them a good sales experience. People will also talk to their friends about a good or bad experience. People might tell 10 others. There’s a real snowball effect in sales.”

What do you do to earn such strong reviews?

“I try to make things easy and seamless for clients. Right now, I’m on my way back from making a Delivery in Maine an hour and a half away. They had come in and it was late at night by the time we finished. The vehicle was not ready. Rather than make them do a 3-hour roundtrip, I told them I would do a Home Delivery. It’s common for me. And it might earn me a good review!”

Is there a particular consultation question that helps the most?

“I love to find out what they liked about their previous vehicle, and I also really want to know what they didn’t like. It lets me understand how I can improve their situation and what issues I need to overcome. I’ve had people come in with older BMWs and they talk about how expensive they are to maintain and repair. It gives me a chance to talk about how INFINITI is a great value now and also very affordable down the road.”

Apart from hot-button issues, what other information do you want from a consultation?

“Getting some financial information early can make the Investment Proposal much easier later. You don’t have to get too detailed, but it’s helpful to know if someone intends to lease or buy and to get an idea of their budget.”

Doesn’t talking finances early in the process make clients defensive?

“Not if you approach it in a friendly way. You don’t want to spend an hour with someone looking at a $60,000 vehicle and then find out they’re looking for a $300 monthly payment. You want to work with vehicles that are a fit for someone’s family and also for their budget. Otherwise, you’re just wasting their time.”

How do you make the Delivery valuable to clients?

“I recognize that some clients are more tech savvy than others, so I try to make the Delivery at a client’s pace. Find out what’s most important and build off that. You can’t squeeze everything into one Delivery, so I always offer a Reconnect and suggest they bring their husband or wife with them for the Second Delivery. I emphasize that I’m happy to go through it all again.”

What advice would you offer a sales consultant new to the business?

“Be ready and willing to learn! You can get a lot of product knowledge through INFINITI University Online and by spending a lot of time hands-on in the vehicles working with all the features. And you can also learn a lot from the people around you.”

What type of things are you talking about?

“Watch how managers and experienced sales consultants interact with clients. Listen to the words they use. Be aware of how they follow the sales process to succeed. I learned a lot from others when I started and I’m happy to mentor people now.”

What do you do away from the sales office?

“I’ve been married for five years, and we had our first child five months ago. I’m not getting a lot of sleep, but I love to spend time with him. He’s our world!”