Beyond the Showroom: With Mmushi Motau

Car buyers are taking longer to make decisions, shopping around more and focusing heavily on the monthly instalment. For Mmushi Motau, the answer is not to push harder, but to understand the customer and build a relationship that lasts beyond the sale.

Buying a car is no longer as simple as walking into a dealership, choosing a vehicle and signing the papers. Customers have more information at their fingertips. They can compare models, prices, specifications and reviews before speaking to a salesperson. They can also approach several dealerships at the same time and take their time before deciding where to buy.

For salespeople, that means the job has changed. It is not only about knowing the cars and closing deals. It is about understanding the customer, working within their budget, dealing with finance and giving them a reason to come back.

That is the focus of BusinessTechAfrica's new Beyond the Showroom series, which looks at the people behind the automotive sales industry and the experiences that shape how they deal with customers. In our first interview, Mmushi talks about today's car buyers, vehicle finance, handling customers who are "just looking", building relationships and what he has learned from working in sales.

Customers are taking their time

Mmushi says one of the biggest changes he has noticed is how long customers can take to make a decision. Customers shop around, compare their options and sometimes take days to provide the documents needed to move a deal forward.

For a salesperson, that can be frustrating. But Mmushi says the important thing is not to write a customer off simply because they are taking their time. A customer who walks onto the dealership floor and says they are "just looking" can still become a buyer.

"I treat every customer like a potential customer," he says. Someone may genuinely only be looking today, but their situation can change a week later. That means the interaction still matters.

Finance is often about the monthly payment

When it comes to financing a vehicle, Mmushi says customers are often more concerned about what they will pay each month than the headline price of the car. "If you can get the instalment right, then it doesn't matter how much the car is to some people, as long as the instalment is within their budget," he says.

It changes the sales conversation. The customer may arrive with a particular vehicle in mind, but the deal ultimately has to fit their monthly budget. For the salesperson, understanding that budget can be just as important as knowing the vehicle.

The informed customer has changed the job

Customers are also arriving at dealerships with more knowledge than they did in the past. They may already know the vehicle's specifications, features, fuel consumption and price before sitting down with a salesperson.

Mmushi says this can actually make the job easier because the customer has already done much of the initial research. The salesperson's role then becomes more about adding to what the customer already knows. When a customer asks about something such as fuel consumption, Mmushi prefers to draw from his own experience rather than simply repeat what is written on a specification sheet. That personal knowledge gives customers something they cannot necessarily get from searching online.

"Just looking" can still become a sale

Mmushi does not immediately treat customers who say they are only browsing as a lost opportunity. Instead, he believes every customer should be treated as though they could eventually buy. That does not mean forcing the conversation. If someone wants to look at a vehicle on their own, there is a point where a salesperson needs to give them space. But being available to answer questions can make the difference. The customer may not buy that day. They may return later because they remember the salesperson who helped them. For Mmushi, the relationship starts before the sale.

The customer doesn't always come alone

Buying a car is also rarely just about the person sitting across from the salesperson. Customers can arrive with partners, children, parents or other family members, and Mmushi believes salespeople should pay attention to everyone involved. If a mother arrives with her children, for example, the vehicle may be bought because of how the family will use it.

"You have to find a way of putting all these things together as a family," he says. Listening to the people who came along can also reveal concerns the salesperson may otherwise miss. The person who eventually influences the purchase decision may not be the person who initially walked onto the showroom floor.

The sale does not end when the keys are handed over

For Mmushi, delivering the car is not the end of the relationship. He describes customers as potential lifetime partners and sees good service as a way of creating future business. The follow-up starts soon after delivery. He checks in to find out whether everything is going well with the vehicle and whether the customer needs anything explained. He also uses reminders to keep track of important dates, including birthdays and future follow-ups.

The idea is simple: stay in touch without only contacting people when there is another sale to make. That relationship can eventually lead to referrals or bring the customer back when they are ready for another vehicle. "If you had a good experience with me, you definitely are going to recommend me," he says.

Sales has taught him patience

Working with different customers has also changed the way Mmushi approaches people. One of the biggest lessons has been patience and learning how to deal with different personalities. A salesperson can meet someone who knows exactly what they want. The next customer may be unsure, stressed or dealing with circumstances that have nothing to do with buying a car. "You deal with a lot," Mmushi says.

His approach is to understand the person before trying to understand the sale. He compares it to visiting a doctor: the customer sits down, explains what they need and the salesperson works from there. That requires listening rather than immediately trying to push a vehicle.

Advice for new automotive salespeople

For someone entering automotive sales, Mmushi has a straightforward piece of advice: know the product. A salesperson should know the vehicle they are selling, from its specifications and variants to its engine and kilowatts. Getting something as basic as the engine size wrong can undermine the customer's confidence. "If you don't know your product, you can't be sitting on a showroom floor," he says. For a customer spending tens or hundreds of thousands of rand on a vehicle, trust matters. If the salesperson provides incorrect information, that trust can disappear quickly.