Meeting 16: “Do You Have It in Blue?”

Your team sells the car that’s on the lot, not the one that isn’t. 7 minutes. No prep. The silver Crosstrek does the work.

How This Meeting Works

You pick a real unit from the lot (or use the Crosstrek below). You give the room a customer profile and a color objection. Two teams huddle and build a pitch that gets the customer past the color and into the car. Each team presents to the room. Room votes. Then you tell them what the customer was really thinking. That last part is what makes this work.

Seven minutes.

Why You’re Running This One

Your team loses deals over color. Not because the customer needed that color. Because your salesperson panicked and started a locate search or dismissed it with “silver’s just as nice.” 86% of buyers are flexible on color. They’ll buy what’s here if someone handles the transition.

Four steps:

Name it. “I hear you, blue is a great color.” One sentence. Don’t argue. Don’t apologize.
Ask it. Two questions, back to back. First: “What is it about the blue you loved?” Not “why blue?” — that sounds like a challenge. This sounds like curiosity. When she says “my last car was blue,” now you know it’s emotional, not a paint preference. Second: “If blue weren’t on the table, what would your next couple choices be?” Now you know how flexible she is BEFORE you walk her outside. If she says dark grey and green, silver is in the family. If she says red and white, you’ve got a bigger gap and you know it. You can also flip it: “What colors would you definitely not want?” If silver isn’t on the reject list, she just gave herself permission to consider it without you saying a word.
Walk it. Get them outside, standing next to the silver one in sunlight. The car has to become real before the color becomes flexible.
Let it work. Shut up and let the car sell. Every minute with this car is a minute the blue one fades.

Wake Up the Room (60 seconds)

Lot Lottery. Pull a random stock number off the board. Point at a team. “Ten seconds. Three selling points on this unit. Go.” No phones. No looking it up. They either know the inventory or they don’t. Whoever names three first gets a round of applause. Do it twice. Different unit, different team.

If nobody can name three, that’s your answer for why you’re running this meeting.

Set It Up (60 seconds)

Read this out loud:

“Two teams. Customer walked in for a 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport. $33,400. She found it online. She loves the car. She walked through the door already sold on the Crosstrek. But she says: ‘I love everything about it, but I really wanted blue. Do you have it in blue?’

We don’t. Silver is what’s on the lot. No blue in the region. The Sport trim comes in four colors and blue is not one of them.

Huddle up. Ninety seconds. Build a plan to get her past the color and into this car. Each team picks one person to handle the customer. Best approach wins.”

Split the room. Give them ninety seconds. Walk around and listen but don’t coach.

Let Them Go (3 minutes)

Each team sends one person. They talk to you. You’re the customer. Sixty seconds each.

How to play the customer (keep this in your head, don’t read it out loud):

You came in for the Crosstrek Sport. You’ve wanted one for months. You did the research. You’re ready to buy today
Your last car was blue. A 2019 Crosstrek Premium. You loved that car. The blue is emotional. It reminds you of four years of road trips and your first big purchase on your own
Blue is NOT a dealbreaker. You want the CAR. The color matters to you but it won’t stop you from buying
If they acknowledge the blue and ask what you loved about it: Pause. Get a little quieter. “My last car was blue. A 2019 Crosstrek. I had it for four years. I just loved that car.” You just told them the color is a memory, not a preference. If they hear that and then walk you outside, you’re warming up fast
If they ask what your other top color choices would be: Think about it for a second. “I mean… I guess dark grey would be OK. Maybe that dark green?” You didn’t realize it until they asked, but you ARE flexible. You just needed someone to pull it out of you instead of telling you silver is fine
If they ask what colors you’d definitely NOT want: Quick answer. “Not red. Definitely not white. I’m not really a bright color person.” Silver isn’t on your reject list. You didn’t even notice that — but you just told them it’s in play
If they walk you outside to see the silver (especially after asking about your other choices): Start warming up. “OK, let’s look at it.” Uncross your arms. You’re open. If they already know you like darker colors, you’re warming up even faster — they’re not guessing
If they acknowledge the blue and then immediately start searching for one: Stay friendly but drift. “So how long would that take?” You came here to buy TODAY. Searching means waiting
If they dismiss the blue (“Silver is just as nice” or “Nobody notices color after a week”): Shut down a little. “I mean, I guess.” They didn’t listen. You feel handled
If they start listing features without addressing the color at all: Stay stuck. “Yeah but… do you have it in blue though?” They skipped over the thing you said out loud
If they get you to the car and you see the silver in sunlight: Touch the hood. “OK, this actually looks really good in person.” The silver is growing on you. Every second next to this car makes it harder to walk away
If they mention the Sport trim only comes in four colors: Nod. “I didn’t realize that.” Now blue feels less like a missed option and more like it never existed. That changes the math
If they get you inside the car and you see the orange stitching: “Oh, I love this interior.” The blue is gone. You’re in

Don’t coach during the huddle. Don’t hint. Let them work it out.

If it wraps early: “Pick a real car on the lot. Something that doesn’t come in the color somebody asked about this week. Both teams huddle. New round.”

Who Won, and What the Customer Was Really Thinking (60 seconds)

“Who handled it better? Hands up for Team A. Hands up for Team B.” Count. Announce the winner.

Then tell them what was going on in your head:

“Here’s what I wasn’t telling you. My last car was blue. A 2019 Crosstrek Premium. First car I bought on my own. Four years of road trips and camping weekends. When I said ‘I really wanted blue,’ I wasn’t picking a paint chip. I was trying to hold onto a feeling.

But I walked through your door to buy a Crosstrek Sport. Three weeks of research. I know the trim, the features, the price. I was ready to buy TODAY.

The blue was never going to stop this deal. It just needed someone to hear it for half a second and then get me in front of the car that’s actually here. And if someone had asked me what my other top choices were, I’d have said dark grey or maybe green. Silver isn’t far from dark grey. That one question would’ve told you the walk was going to work before you made it. The Sport comes in four colors. Blue isn’t one of them. You can’t miss something that was never available.

Outside in the sunlight, the silver is a different car than it is in the showroom. I touched the hood and thought ‘this actually works.’ Then I sat inside, saw the orange stitching, and forgot I ever asked about blue. That took ninety seconds.”

What you’re looking for:

Did they acknowledge the blue first? “I hear you, blue is a great color.” Not a debate. Not a dismissal. Just a sentence that says “I listened.” That’s what opens the door.
Did they ask what the blue meant to her? “What is it about the blue you loved?” uncovers the emotion. When she says “my last car was blue,” you know the color is a feeling, not a requirement. That one question changes the whole approach.
Did they find out how flexible she is? “What would your next couple choices be?” or “What colors would you NOT want?” tells you whether the walk to the silver is going to work before you make it. That’s intel, not guessing.
Did they get the customer OUTSIDE to the actual car? The showroom doesn’t sell color. Sunlight does.
Did they mention the Sport only comes in four colors? That changes the whole conversation. Blue was never available in this trim.
Did they let the car do the work once they got there? Or did they keep talking?

A salesperson who acknowledges the want and walks the customer to the car keeps the deal at $33,400 with $1,800 in front-end gross and delivers today. A salesperson who starts a locate search loses the customer to a two-week wait and a competitor who had something on the ground. That locate costs you $500 in dealer trade fees and you still only close it half the time. Same Crosstrek. Same customer. Different outcome.

What You Say After (30 seconds, read this out loud)

“Four steps.

Name it: ‘I hear you, blue is a great color.’ One sentence. You heard them.

Ask it: two questions. ‘What is it about the blue you loved?’ — now you know if it’s a paint chip or a memory. Then: ‘If blue weren’t on the table, what would your next couple choices be?’ Now you know if silver’s in the family before you walk. You can also flip it: ‘What colors would you not want?’ If silver’s not on that list, you’re already in.

Walk it: get them outside to the car. Not a screen. Not the showroom. Next to it, in the sunlight. And drop the fact that the Sport only comes in four colors. Blue isn’t one of them. Now they’re not mad at you. Subaru doesn’t make it.

Let it work: stop talking. Let them look at it, touch it, sit inside. The car sells itself if you get out of the way. You don’t have to convince anybody. You have to get them to the car.”

Send Them to the Floor

“Next customer who asks for a color you don’t have, what’s the first thing you do?”

One person answers. You’re listening for the acknowledge first. “I hear you, that’s a great color.” If they jump straight to “let me see what we can find” or “let me search the region,” they skipped the name. If they say “silver’s just as nice,” they dismissed the customer. If they say “I’d acknowledge it, ask what they loved about the color, find out what their other top choices are, then walk them outside to see the one we have,” that’s the full sequence. Get on the lot.

Why You Bring It Up Tomorrow

Open tomorrow’s meeting with:

“Who had a customer yesterday who asked for a color or feature that wasn’t on the lot? What did you say first? Did you acknowledge it? Did you get them to the car? What happened?”

If you run a great meeting and never bring it up again, it was seven fun minutes that changed nothing. When your team knows you’re going to ask tomorrow morning, in front of everybody, they actually try it. One meeting becomes a habit. That’s how you change a floor.

What good answers sound like: “Customer wanted white. We had midnight blue. I said ‘white is sharp, what do you love about it?’ She said it’s clean, easy to keep nice. I asked what her other top picks would be. She said grey or blue. So I walked her to the midnight blue — she already told me it was in play. She saw it in the sun and said ‘OK, that’s actually better than I thought.’ Wrote it up. Never searched for the white.” THAT’S what you want to hear.

Make It Harder (For Your Experienced People)

Your 20-year vet plays the customer. But this customer doesn’t budge easy. They walked in, looked at the silver, and said: “It’s fine. But I want blue. I’ll wait. Can you order one?” They’re in no rush and they’re not going to budge on a walk to the lot. This is where “what would your other top choices be?” earns its keep — because you can’t muscle a patient customer outside. You need to find out how fixed they really are before you try. If your salesperson can get them to admit they’d consider other colors, THEN the walk has a chance. The vet doesn’t fold until they find it.

Switch It Up

On the phone: Customer calls. “I saw the Crosstrek Sport online. Do you have it in blue?” The instinct is to search inventory live on the call. Don’t. “We’ve got one on the lot right now. Can I ask, what is it about the Crosstrek that caught your eye?” Get them talking about the car, not the color. Then: “I’d love to have you see this one in person. The silver looks completely different outside than it does online. Morning or afternoon work better?” Get the appointment. The color conversation happens on the lot, not on the phone. But if you naturally get to “what would your other top color choices be?” on the call, write it down. That’s intel for whoever meets them at the door.
Used cars: Customer wants a black 2022 Crosstrek Limited. You’ve got a dark grey one with 24K miles and every option. Same technique. Name the preference. Walk them to the car. Grey and black are close enough that sunlight and leather seats close the gap. But if they want red and you’ve got white, the gap is bigger. Know when the technique works and when the customer genuinely needs a different car.
Saturday afternoon: Three customers on the lot. Two salespeople. The customer who wants blue is the one who’s going to walk if nobody gets to them in the next five minutes. This is triage. Send someone outside with the keys. “Let me show you something. Two minutes.” Get them to the car before the color objection hardens into “I’ll come back when you have blue.” Speed matters here. The longer they stand inside talking about a color you don’t have, the further away they get from the car you do.

If Things Go Sideways

What’s Happening	What to Do
Room is dead	Do another round of Lot Lottery. Pick a weirder unit. The oldest thing on the lot. “Three selling points. Go.” Gets voices moving.
Short on time	Skip the opener. One round. Straight to what the customer was thinking. Five minutes.
Small team (3-4)	Forget teams. Everyone gives their approach directly. Score each one on: did they name it, ask about it, find out flexibility, walk it, let the car work?
Big team (12+)	Three teams. First delivers, other two vote. Best approach wins.
Nobody acknowledges the color	GOOD. That’s the whole point. “Two teams and nobody said ‘I hear you.’ Both of you went straight to fixing the problem. There’s nothing to fix. She told you she wanted blue. All you had to do was say ‘I get it.’ One sentence changes the whole conversation.”
Somebody starts a locate search	Don’t roast them. “That’s an option. But you just told a customer who came here ready to buy TODAY that the car she wants is somewhere else. She’s got $33,400 and a decision. You just turned that into a two-week wait. Let’s see if there’s a way to keep her here.”
Somebody nails all four steps	Call it out. “Did you hear that? Named the color. Asked what it meant. Found out what else she’d consider. Walked her outside and let the car do the work. That’s the whole sequence. That customer is signing paperwork right now.”

What You’ll Actually See in the Room

Both teams try to locate a blue one. Most common outcome the first time. That’s your opening: “Two teams and both of you started searching for a car that doesn’t exist in this trim. The Sport comes in four colors. There IS no blue one. And even if there were, you just told a buyer who’s ready TODAY to wait two weeks. She’ll visit the Toyota dealer Saturday and buy a RAV4.”
Someone dismisses the color. “Silver is basically the same.” Or “nobody notices the color after a month.” The room might nod along. Stop it: “You just told the customer her preference doesn’t matter. That’s not how you keep a deal alive.”
Someone asks why she wants blue. Good instinct. But watch the delivery. If it sounds like “Why blue? What’s so special about blue?” that’s interrogation. If it sounds like “What is it about the blue you loved?” that’s discovery. The difference is respect. One uncovers the emotion. The other challenges it.
Someone asks what her other top choices are. This is the move most people miss. When it happens, call it out: “Did you hear that? Before they walked her outside, they found out she likes darker colors. Now the walk to the silver isn’t a gamble. They already knew she’d be open to it.” The flip version — “What colors would you NOT want?” — is rarer but works the same way. If she doesn’t reject silver, that’s permission she gave herself. You didn’t have to convince her of anything.
Nobody gets the customer outside. Second most common miss. Everyone tries to solve it with words. “The silver is really popular.” “Silver has better resale.” All inside. All verbal. The car isn’t a brochure. It’s a thing that looks different in sunlight. “Not one person walked me to the car. Everything happened inside the showroom. The car is OUTSIDE. Get me to it.”
Someone mentions the four-color limit. Rare but powerful. When it lands, the customer’s face changes. “I didn’t know that.” Now blue isn’t something you failed to stock. It’s something Subaru doesn’t make in this trim. Different conversation. “That one fact changes the whole objection. She’s not mad at you for not having blue. Blue was never on the table.”
Someone gets the customer into the car and stops talking. Rarest outcome. If it happens, the room will feel it. The silence is uncomfortable for ten seconds. Then the customer starts noticing things on their own. The interior. The stitching. The way the seat feels. “That’s the car doing the work. Your salesperson didn’t say a word. And the customer forgot about blue.”

What’s Really Going On (Your Eyes Only)

The reason most salespeople get this wrong is they hear “I want blue” and their brain files it as a problem to solve. It’s not a problem. It’s a feeling. The customer’s last car was blue. That blue represents four years of memories, not a paint preference. When your salesperson says “I hear you, blue is a great color,” the customer feels heard. That one sentence does more than forty-five minutes of searching ever will.

The second question — “what would your other top choices be?” — does something different. It makes the customer tell YOU how flexible they are instead of you guessing. Most salespeople walk a customer to a silver car and hope for the best. A salesperson who already knows “she said dark grey and green are fine” walks to that silver car knowing it’s going to land. That’s not a gamble. That’s intel. The flip version — “what colors would you NOT want?” — works even faster because people find it easier to say what they hate than what they like. If silver isn’t on the reject list, you’re already in.

Then the lot does the rest. The more time a customer spends with a specific car, the more it becomes THEIR car. Not the silver Crosstrek Sport. THEIR Crosstrek. Every minute on that lot is working in your favor. Don’t rush it. Don’t fill the silence with feature lists.

The four-color fact is the quiet weapon. When the customer finds out the Sport doesn’t come in blue, the frame shifts. Before: “this dealer doesn’t have what I want.” After: “the car I want doesn’t come in that color.” That shift happens in a single sentence. Your salespeople don’t need to be persuasive on this one. They need to be patient.

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