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Your Computer SUCKS!
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 10 Replies
Except for a telephone greeting along the lines of “Thank you for calling (Dealer Name). How can I assist you?”, there is one word track your people use almost as much..
“Sorry, my computers running slow.”
Does your computer suck? Does it really?Is it the Internet speed of which your desktop operates? Is it the crappy Internet service your dealer has signed up for? It very well may be and if it is, tell your dealer to step out of the dark ages and get you the proper technology so you don’t have to keep throwing that poor, defenseless computer under the proverbial bus in front of your customers.
“Internet is going really slow to day. (sigh and a plea) C’mon. (twenty seconds later) “There you go. Yes, it looks to be in stock.”
I don’t think your computers are always the problem, but you have no problem blaming it on the computer when a customer calls. It can’t ALWAYS be the computer. Sometimes it is the user that is causing the error.
One thing is for certain, your computers take a verbal beating and I’m here to stick up for them.
Get your desk in order. Stop answering the phone if your websites aren’t up, screens aren’t open, DMS isn’t at the ready, and your dealership CRM isn’t front and center. If your monitor is prepared for the call, then you can get the answers out quicker and stop making it look like your dealership operates on Dot Matrix machines. It is often the people and not the programs so blame yourself. If you don’t have the skills to capture the customer’s information and set an appointment without logging into your computer then it is your job to have it ready to go for the customer and stop using your inability to navigate the machine as the primary obstacle in the call. Have you no feelings for your poor, sad computer?
Let the customer think that you are 100% in control of your work station, able to answer their questions within seconds rather than forcing them to listen to awkward silences while you verbally abuse your desktop and Internet service. They will think you are more professional and hold you in higher regard.
It is not your computer’s fault that “give me a few seconds. It seems to not want to work for me. Haha. C’mon. C’mon. Here it comes. No. Shoot. This computer always does this to me. Here it is. Wait. What kind did you say? That’s right. The 1500. And… it looks like…. Hold on a second. Running so slow today” you are the slow one.
Make Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet: Part 1
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 11 Replies
Jeff Kershner: "I'd surround myself with GenY all day long if given the opportunity."
Welp, quit your job, move back in with your parents, and hang-out at Starbucks all day, and you'll have your wish. But no one will notice you, 'cuz everyone will have their faces buried in their smartphone.
Welp, quit your job, move back in with your parents, and hang-out at Starbucks all day, and you'll have your wish. But no one will notice you, 'cuz everyone will have their faces buried in their smartphone.
Make Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet: Part 1
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 11 Replies
Boomer? I'm not that old... but I do prefer vanilla over Jazzy Choco Fudge-A-Rific Chunk
Make Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet: Part 1
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 11 Replies
Ryan-Love your tongue-in-cheek ads! Too bad I don't actually work in a dealership or I would challenge you to a friendly Craigslist duel
Quade-It's absolutely true that we Gen Y'ers are willing to work hard as long as we are enthused and engaged. I think a lot of people seem to think motivating their employees is optional or an excessive request, but I think it should be mandatory. I bet there are a lot of Baby Boomers out there who would also appreciate a little more motivation in their jobs. I seem to remember reading something about an ice cream machine on this site not too long ago...
Quade-It's absolutely true that we Gen Y'ers are willing to work hard as long as we are enthused and engaged. I think a lot of people seem to think motivating their employees is optional or an excessive request, but I think it should be mandatory. I bet there are a lot of Baby Boomers out there who would also appreciate a little more motivation in their jobs. I seem to remember reading something about an ice cream machine on this site not too long ago...
Make Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet: Part 1
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 11 Replies
Hey John,
I sure hope that it didn't come across negatively. It was intended to be lighthearted for sure and I agree with almost everything you said.
About pushups though, it has everything to do with it. I totally agree with you on learning curve in a new industry. I wasn't talking about hiring folks with industry experience that forget you have to mow the grass even if it is greener. We need to separate the doers from the dreamers in our screening process. I was actually being very specific about servers in a restaurant that are doers. We've all had that dynamite server that would make an absolute killing selling cars. She's the one that talks you into dessert when you didn't finish your meal. That skillset transfers well. She has demonstrated the aptitude to succeed and the attitude of a doer, because she's already doing.
In service a pushup is a proper walkaround, every time. Just knowing that I should do it and how to do it isn't adding any lines to my RO if I'm NOT doing it. In Sales, the pushup is follow up, and appropriately, you get a lot stronger at it with every repetition.
I sure hope that it didn't come across negatively. It was intended to be lighthearted for sure and I agree with almost everything you said.
About pushups though, it has everything to do with it. I totally agree with you on learning curve in a new industry. I wasn't talking about hiring folks with industry experience that forget you have to mow the grass even if it is greener. We need to separate the doers from the dreamers in our screening process. I was actually being very specific about servers in a restaurant that are doers. We've all had that dynamite server that would make an absolute killing selling cars. She's the one that talks you into dessert when you didn't finish your meal. That skillset transfers well. She has demonstrated the aptitude to succeed and the attitude of a doer, because she's already doing.
In service a pushup is a proper walkaround, every time. Just knowing that I should do it and how to do it isn't adding any lines to my RO if I'm NOT doing it. In Sales, the pushup is follow up, and appropriately, you get a lot stronger at it with every repetition.
Make Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet: Part 1
- By autosocial
- Off Topic & Everything Else
- 11 Replies
Making Your Dealership a Gen Y Hiring Magnet
In my last article "Why You Should WANT Gen Y Workers in your Dealership", I talked about why you should want to hire Gen Y. Now, I’ve created a three-part series to tell you how to actually do it. When it comes to making your dealership a Gen Y hiring magnet, many things may spring to mind: free puppies, a vegan taco bar, an Xbox Kinect. And frankly, my answer is yes, yes, and yes. But if you don’t have the hook-up on French bulldogs, don’t despair. Reaching my generation is really a simple matter of messaging. Appeal to our earnest generational ideals, and we’ll be lining up like your dealership is a Lady Gaga concert.
Three Messages to Include In Your Next Craigslist Ad
Escape. Blame our helicopter parents, movies like American Beauty, or the Choose Your Own Adventurebooks we read as kids. However you justify it, mine is a disillusioned generation. Traditional marketing doesn’t work on us. Job security? A straitjacket preventing us from spontaneous backpacking trips to Morocco. Assets? Manacles chaining us to a choice-less future. The American Dream? Picket fences and Priuses don’t mix. My generation is all about options, innovation, and uncharted paths. Therefore, the simple fact that a car dealership job provides an alternative from the 9 to 5 grind is in itself a point worthy of emphasis. Messaging to try:
- “Trade stale office air for the smell of exotic leather”
- “Trade a cube farm for a candy store”
- “Did you get the memo that traditional office jobs suck your soul?”
Excitement. The car business offers the potential for fun thrills, sex appeal, and pumping adrenaline that many jobs do not. After all, who wants to file paperwork and collate copies all day when you could be driving fast cars, earning crazy commissions, and hobnobbing with interesting people in a high-stakes, fast-paced business? Hey, it worked for Wall Street. Messaging to try:
- “Drive expensive cars for a living”
- “Your morning coffee shouldn’t be the most exciting thing that happens to you today”
- “Where your office includes Italian leather, heated seats and 400 horsepower”
Entrepreneurship. Gen Y’ers are proud proponents of the dual passion economy. What this means is that most of us reside in twin worlds, balancing our day jobs and our dream jobs. Every Gen Y’er has a moonlight gig of some kind: rock band, mystery novel, Etsy store, iPhone app idea. To support our true passions, many of us turn to manual labor jobs like waitressing and bartending. To lure Gen Y, emphasize that a job at a car dealership offers the same flexibility, better financial opportunity, and a cushier gig than greasy food service gigs. Messaging to Try:
- “Trapped in the Waitress/Actress Cliché? Here’s a Way Out”
- “Bartending is No Longer the Best Side Gig in Town”
- “Make Money on YOUR Schedule -No Dancing Hot Dog Costume Required!”
And if you could manage one soy beef taco with extra lettuce and avocado while you’re at it, my generation and I would really appreciate it.