Scott, business is business and you need your people to do the walk and not just talk the talk. I agree with you 100% with a call to action by the salespeople. I been there done that in my past years in the trade and I understand the Chicago market well, I live there. Are you doing (I am not saying that you are not so don't be offended) offering as much support and giving 100% as an owner more than great “words”, which are good to do always. The point is if you have for example a good salesperson, are you helping them get through these tough times and sticking with them to build in to the future or kicking them to the curb when numbers are down? Owner's never want to hear or talk about this but when I managed one of two things would happen if someone's numbers were down. One, I would fire them because this was not the right business for them period. So why make it insufferable and let them find a better fit career or pay them even without selling enough vehicles to justify because it was worth the long term investment and just the right thing not to starve someone out till they quit. Tough conversation but that is how progress and success comes. All the best and regards to you.
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- Thread starter Jeff Kershner
- Start date
I feel that Scott is doing a great job of encouragement to his sales staff. The point point of creating a smooth flow is if the Sales staff is willing to participate and taking on Scotts words of encouragement and support to consideration....
The good ole days: Have a sales meeting, go off to the side of building to the hangout where we smoked ciggerates and drank coffee and bitched about personal business & how crooked the Gm's were. I ignored it.
If you take the moment and look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself "Am I a true team player"?.
The words that should come out of any salesperson mouth should be:
Did my GM / SM make an impact?
Did they encourage me?
Did they create a positive atmospher to sel more?
There are dealers out there and owners that don't give a hoot about their staff! They give a hoot about their pocket book!
If your team is not doing well remove the coach! It is clearly stated in John C Maxwells books. Leadership!
Why is my football team not doing well?
Why are they not scoring?
Why are they not pumped up?
Why are they not excited?
Hmmmmmm? Remove the coach and get an inspiring one. If that coach is looking at their own benefits ( Recognition, $$ and EGO ) GET RID OF THEM!!
Maybe I should become a GM...... I tell yah I would be a killer GM.
KEEP IN MIND THOUGH: A title does not mean anything, however being a true team player and being supportive of your staff; all of you will surely shine!
As ole' Jim Bradford from TK CARSITES SAYS!!
"You will rise to your occasion"... Need I say more?
The good ole days: Have a sales meeting, go off to the side of building to the hangout where we smoked ciggerates and drank coffee and bitched about personal business & how crooked the Gm's were. I ignored it.
If you take the moment and look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself "Am I a true team player"?.
The words that should come out of any salesperson mouth should be:
Did my GM / SM make an impact?
Did they encourage me?
Did they create a positive atmospher to sel more?
There are dealers out there and owners that don't give a hoot about their staff! They give a hoot about their pocket book!
If your team is not doing well remove the coach! It is clearly stated in John C Maxwells books. Leadership!
Why is my football team not doing well?
Why are they not scoring?
Why are they not pumped up?
Why are they not excited?
Hmmmmmm? Remove the coach and get an inspiring one. If that coach is looking at their own benefits ( Recognition, $$ and EGO ) GET RID OF THEM!!
Maybe I should become a GM...... I tell yah I would be a killer GM.
KEEP IN MIND THOUGH: A title does not mean anything, however being a true team player and being supportive of your staff; all of you will surely shine!
As ole' Jim Bradford from TK CARSITES SAYS!!
"You will rise to your occasion"... Need I say more?
WOW!! Lovin the comments and I am jumping in. I SELL products to dealers and the phone slams I have gotten lately would curl your hair. I 'feel' the fear in the Service Manager and GM's voice and I am sick of it!! I have one product that hands down will make the service department money!!! Another product that will save the dealership money!! And all I hear is "WE AREN'T SPENDING ANY MONEY" and I get it - BUT how about making more money than what you are spending? DUH. . .
I know I am preaching to the "internet lead" side of the automobile business but, like you, I will survive and plow forward. We need to shut off the radio and TV and realize people will always NEED transportation. They WILL buy cars and you are their audience of reason. YOU GO!!
I plan to buy a sledge hammer today and start going into dealerships and using it. "LISTEN to me - I CAN HELP YOU".
Whatta you think? Will it work????????
I know I am preaching to the "internet lead" side of the automobile business but, like you, I will survive and plow forward. We need to shut off the radio and TV and realize people will always NEED transportation. They WILL buy cars and you are their audience of reason. YOU GO!!
I plan to buy a sledge hammer today and start going into dealerships and using it. "LISTEN to me - I CAN HELP YOU".
Whatta you think? Will it work????????
I love the feedback that everyone has. I am not sure if it was here our on ADM but I recently read a post where someone went to a dealer in South Florida and that dealer acctually said that they want to spend the money and keep things working because now is the time to take business from the competition. If the competition wants to sit and cry about how they are cutting back and not spending, we can let them do that and that we smack them in the face with, "No problem, I totally understand where you are coming from. The dealership down the street is interested in this product and I am going there as well. They are willing to spend whatever they have to just to make sure that they outsell you. Here is my card, if you decide that you want to do business with us I will be thrilled to work with you." I like taking that stand because I represent and amazing and innovative product which is pretty inexpensive. The best of all is that we have no competition really. Sometimes when you get those stupid objections and excuses is because the dealer is ignorant and other times you maybe the fifth vendor to call that day and really piss them of. However, mention that the competition is interested in taking their business and see how they respond.
When they say that they are not spending money they are sometimes taking a shot at you just like that up on the lot that tells you that they are just looking.
Now is a better time then ever for dealers to look at what will make them money. They drop spending and and complain that business is slow. Well if you do not get your name out there, how do you expect to be busy?
When they say that they are not spending money they are sometimes taking a shot at you just like that up on the lot that tells you that they are just looking.
Now is a better time then ever for dealers to look at what will make them money. They drop spending and and complain that business is slow. Well if you do not get your name out there, how do you expect to be busy?
Thanks for posting this article, it is spot on. I am going to share this with my team mate in hopes that it may bring some of them back to reality. Thanks Jeff.
Philip Zelinger: with all due respect, I think you may be missing his point. Disagreeing with the symantics of selling vs qualifying is a trivial part of his overall statement. The overall idea, unless I'm mistaken, is about pushing forward, discovering new ways of doing things, about ignoring prevailing wisdom, about setting aside all the reasons why something "won't work" and pushing forward with ANYTHING that does. Even if it means re-writing the play book. This is stuff that's right up your alley (or so it seems from my reading of your blog)! Anyway, maybe you were just being a bit of a contrarion (which is ok, too). But, I for one, solidly support the notion of pushing forward, innovating, focusing on what DOES work and building and innovating from there.
Kim,
"sledge hammer" it is. Forget about improving. A long story short on the findings I am basing my comment on, there comes a point that there is no improving a system or current selling model as in auto industries case but a total destruction(re-direction actually) and by taking the most important web based building components upon which to build upon it.
Really now can they all just stop putting balloons on the cars. About 16 years ago I got fired for not doing it on a Saturday morning and had 37 cars out for the month at the time-lol I have been out of the retail business for awhile but I crack up sometimes looking back.
Jennifer, that Kool-Aid is good stuff! No hangover this morning...
"sledge hammer" it is. Forget about improving. A long story short on the findings I am basing my comment on, there comes a point that there is no improving a system or current selling model as in auto industries case but a total destruction(re-direction actually) and by taking the most important web based building components upon which to build upon it.
Really now can they all just stop putting balloons on the cars. About 16 years ago I got fired for not doing it on a Saturday morning and had 37 cars out for the month at the time-lol I have been out of the retail business for awhile but I crack up sometimes looking back.
Jennifer, that Kool-Aid is good stuff! No hangover this morning...
Well I will say great points all. I will share alittle advice. Back in the 80's I was direct selling. Everybody was at the recession party! Our boss flew in and strongly encouraged us to not attend the party. I will never forget his comment. If unemployment is at 7% then 93% will still purchase. Either from you or the salesman down the road.
Be the Salesman! Make it happen, Be in charge of your ship.
Be the Salesman! Make it happen, Be in charge of your ship.
As one who has been in this great business for a few months 
I would like to add some thoughts:
There is no question that these are tough times. While some of us veterans can say that we have been through this before, we have not. Selling vehicles in the late 70’s and early 80’s was no picnic. Double digit inflation (we received price increases from the OEM’s every 4-6 weeks) and double digit interest rates (financing new vehicles at 16%--it would have been higher had the law allowed).
The greatest difference from those tough times and the ones we are going through now is the media and the Internet. Let me explain—not only has the Internet become the point of entry to the transaction for the vast majority, it also has hastened change. *Change in the marketplace based on news reports. *Change in consumer decisions based upon the media. *Rapid change in wholesale values based on consumer swings in what they are buying.
*Change in the marketplace based upon news reports: While print has deteriorated as the primary source of information for many, broadcast and the Internet have expanded. It is not long ago that you had 30 channels, much less 3 to choose from. Now we have hundreds. Many are devoted only to news and or finances. They say that bad news travel fast, and that has never been more factual than today.
*Change in consumer decisions based upon media: We have always tended to blame the media for our troubles. While this might be somewhat true, with more, easier and quicker access to news, it is making the consumers quicker to shy away from major decisions faster than ever before.
* Rapid change in wholesale values based on consumer swings in what they are buying: I have never seen or been aware of the flux in consumer buying and wholesale values. The swing has been mind boggling from SUV’s to Hybrids to SUV’s. Whew!
Now, all that gloom and doom stated, let’s look at the truths:
* “JD Power projected that the number of franchised dealers would drop from 22,000 to approximately 12,000 in ten years.” Of course that projection was published in 1980. THAT’S 1980! Has it happened—no. Could it—sure—and California could slide into the Pacific Ocean, too.
* “People are not buying cars.” Hmmm. While not as many are today, the reality is that a whole bunch are. And the good news is that the best MONTH of the year is around the corner—beginning on December 26 and ending on January 1.
*”The Internet has ruined the cars business.” Really. Or has it made the shopping process easier and quicker once the consumer enters the showroom?
*”I can’t make any gross because of the Internet.” Really. Taking orders or helping people buy?
The facts are that great salespeople are great in good times and tough times. The things that make them great are the tried and true basics. Tenacity, product knowledge, people knowledge, attitude, attitude and attitude. Ed Parkinson’s engraved message above is right on the money.
Good habits are learned in hard times. Bad ones creep in during good times.
I would like to add some thoughts:There is no question that these are tough times. While some of us veterans can say that we have been through this before, we have not. Selling vehicles in the late 70’s and early 80’s was no picnic. Double digit inflation (we received price increases from the OEM’s every 4-6 weeks) and double digit interest rates (financing new vehicles at 16%--it would have been higher had the law allowed).
The greatest difference from those tough times and the ones we are going through now is the media and the Internet. Let me explain—not only has the Internet become the point of entry to the transaction for the vast majority, it also has hastened change. *Change in the marketplace based on news reports. *Change in consumer decisions based upon the media. *Rapid change in wholesale values based on consumer swings in what they are buying.
*Change in the marketplace based upon news reports: While print has deteriorated as the primary source of information for many, broadcast and the Internet have expanded. It is not long ago that you had 30 channels, much less 3 to choose from. Now we have hundreds. Many are devoted only to news and or finances. They say that bad news travel fast, and that has never been more factual than today.
*Change in consumer decisions based upon media: We have always tended to blame the media for our troubles. While this might be somewhat true, with more, easier and quicker access to news, it is making the consumers quicker to shy away from major decisions faster than ever before.
* Rapid change in wholesale values based on consumer swings in what they are buying: I have never seen or been aware of the flux in consumer buying and wholesale values. The swing has been mind boggling from SUV’s to Hybrids to SUV’s. Whew!
Now, all that gloom and doom stated, let’s look at the truths:
* “JD Power projected that the number of franchised dealers would drop from 22,000 to approximately 12,000 in ten years.” Of course that projection was published in 1980. THAT’S 1980! Has it happened—no. Could it—sure—and California could slide into the Pacific Ocean, too.
* “People are not buying cars.” Hmmm. While not as many are today, the reality is that a whole bunch are. And the good news is that the best MONTH of the year is around the corner—beginning on December 26 and ending on January 1.
*”The Internet has ruined the cars business.” Really. Or has it made the shopping process easier and quicker once the consumer enters the showroom?
*”I can’t make any gross because of the Internet.” Really. Taking orders or helping people buy?
The facts are that great salespeople are great in good times and tough times. The things that make them great are the tried and true basics. Tenacity, product knowledge, people knowledge, attitude, attitude and attitude. Ed Parkinson’s engraved message above is right on the money.
Good habits are learned in hard times. Bad ones creep in during good times.
I would think that the internet made it more difficult for dealers because consumers can read reviews that make them stop their plans. People can get a negative vibe if the dealership has a bad reputation. People can shop as many dealerships that they want to save an extra $50. I was not around in the 70's and 80's to sell car. However, I imagine that dealerships had more power and a lot over the consumer because the consumer was powerless without the information that is readily available today.
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