Why Would Anyone Post Helpful Hints to DealerRefresh?

[Jeff Kershner]

" I don't think it is a lack of sharing, I think it is a lack of having something to share."IMO - Its both.*We've had and have our share of great thinkers here on DealerRefresh that are still reluctant at times to share due to "the competition watching".*I've personally *never worried about it. Not only can most people not execute, but dealers make it difficult for even the driven ones to execute. Heck, I've even fallen pray to the dealers and upper managements lack of wanting to push forward.*This lack of execution breeds frustration amongst the movers and shakers, causing a revolving door like motion to the ILM or marketing managers office. Just another reason change is slow in our industry.Most initiates take team work. Good luck with that across most dealerships. If there's no perceived value in it for "them" as in that person, *you're on your own. It's how they operated on the sales floor, why would behind the middle management desk be any different?*Therefore I see no harm in sharing best practices and the reason we started and the reason DealerRefresh continues to thrive.*If any "quiet" lurking dealer is reading this and has yet to participate, I urge you to speak up. Step up and share. Offer your opinion and feedback on a thread or better yet, start your own thread with a question you've been aching to ask.*

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

Fast forward 2 weeks. My superiors are going back and forth about how and why we should give him call tracking login. The WORST PART is that they aren't against it; they just don't really care to do the work to track down a code and login. I was told to concentrate on "selling more cars" for now. Now I don't even feel like responding to leads. I have money, I want something more than a job. If my bosses don't take my job seriously, why should I?

Don't get discouraged by this. Yes it's sad that your management team won't allow you to take me up on my offer. I can tell you that one of my best performing clients started out as a free trail offer and they are glad they did.

I would suggest you just stay on your boss. Let me know if I can help.

 

[tomwhitejr]

My personal opinion is that people are reluctant to share for fear of being told they are stupid or contributing something that everyone else is already doing. OR - someone makes fun of their grammar or their avatar or... You name it. Let's face it, there ARE some OPINIONATED folks on this forum (myself absolutely included). Maybe DR should hold a contest for best new idea from someone who has never posted anything before. I would pony up some funds to help give away an iPad or something... My excuse (and that is EXACTLY what it is) is that I don't seem to find the time to post something that I'm working on or figuring out - I'm too busy working on it or figuring it out. My New Year's Resolution is to become more vocal on the social web (above and beyond what I'm making for dinner) : ) just sayin'

 

[ddavis]

BZ,

Managers are busy. The bad managers are like fire fighters, they don't lead, they're too busy hopping from fire to fire, never getting ahead.

You, my friend, are analytical and you expect your elders to be like minded. IMO, you need a lil' junk yard dog in ya to get your message across


turn up the fire and ride your managers until they cave.

Don't forget to smile and remind them that all you want to sell more cars!!

This can't be the lil' junk yard dog in ya.

 

[Mitch Gallant]

There are no books or college courses on how to run a successful automotive Internet department. Most have learned from trial and error and a great deal of thought and effort. Visiting a lot of stores, if they actually learned something on here, they are too lazy to implement it.

There's tons of books and education available but they get the same mileage as the forums for the same reason. You'd be surprised at what's out there!

 

[Mitch Gallant]

My personal opinion is that people are reluctant to share for fear of being told they are stupid or contributing something that everyone else is already doing. OR - someone makes fun of their grammar or their avatar or... You name it. Let's face it, there ARE some OPINIONATED folks on this forum (myself absolutely included)

That's the last thing people should be worried about. We've all experienced the love and pain of working in an emerging faction of a mature industry and if nothing else there's going to be a ton of ahhh I know what you're up against and responses accordingly. If anyone is worried about posting here for fear of looking stupid, I urge you to bite the bullet and put yourself out there...

 

[bzweifel]

@ Joe , JQuinn and Jerry
Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[Dan Rudd]

I was only a reader for quite some time and then with a push from my CEO he got me to jump in and start expressing opinions.

Certain threads can really spark a chord that sometimes leads to relentless debate and sometimes even masked agression. But I think if you follow enough, that most end in a mutual understanding that these are opinions by people with experience who mostly want to bring the industry to a better place.

And if you engage in a thread you have the right to maintain your opinion but at the end of the thread you generally leave with more knowledge even if you don't agree overall.

 

[john.quinn]

I'm not sure if you read my edit to my post but this is my #1 problem right now. I would pay money if someone wants to tell me how to get that done.

Blake, I've been unable to stop thinking about this since you posted it. (Actually, I couldn't remember where you posted it, so just spent a half-hour looking for it). I wanted to respond to this because I can honestly say "I've been there" and now I'm on the other end. I'm not much of a list-maker, but I do offer some advice here, based solely on my experience.

1. Commit to the dealership -- the grass is seldom greener elsewhere. Admittedly, this was easier for me as MotorWorld is CLEARLY a gem in our area. But if for this reason alone, commit to the dealership: focus your efforts on overcoming your obstacles instead of hoping to avoid them elsewhere. It really is a "Mind-Set" thing.

2. One thing my boss said to me years ago that really stuck with me: make it easy. I gave him a 3-page detailed synopsis -- he wanted a paragraph. I never forgot that. Now, I know what motivates him. If I need something, I do it ALL, then give the one-paragraph: Here's what we need to do, here's what it will cost, here's is what we'll make (ROI), and (MOST IMPORTANTLY), here's how much money we are losing while we wait. Know what your boss's motivation is -- make it easy for him to say "Yes."

3. Don't EVER say "Me" "Mine" "I." Plant the seed, and let it grow. If your bosses are like most, they really only like their own ideas. Sometimes you have to let them think that what you need is their great idea. So maybe even something as simple as, "Hey, remember when you said that Call Training gig was a bargain?" might get their mind around the concept. Or, "Big Bob really liked what you said the other day about Call Training..."

4. Be opportunistic. Or as the Boy Scouts say, "Be Prepared." ALWAYS have a plan/solution (and remember to Make it Easy and let them think they are already a part of the solution). At some point, the opportunity will arise, and you will have the answers they need -- then you pounce. How do find opportunities? LISTEN to everything.

5. Be patient. This is really tied to #1. We all see people bouncing-in and bouncing-out of dealerships. Just like Salespeople with their Clients, it takes time to build-up a relationship with your superiors. You're going to have good days and bad days, but with a plan, commitment, and patience, you can be the Answer Man you want to be.

That's really kinda the road I traveled. Other than having my Dad buy a dealership, I wouldn't know another way.

 

[CCDealer]

1. There are a lot of sociopaths in management/middle management who think that their way is the best way to do things, as well, even when their way is clearly wrong or is going to result in lost time/money/productivity.

2. There's also the classic psychological conundrum known as the "Vietnam Syndrome," where no one wants to be the one to admit that an idea was a losing proposition and end it, so they keep pouring more time/money/productivity into bad ideas, thinking that victory is just around the corner.

3. In addition, blame what I'd call "Charlie Brown and the Football" mentality among managers, usually of the sociopath variety seen in point #1. These are the managers who come to you and say "XYZ, I'd like your input on 123 idea. Do you think we should keep doing it this way, or not?" No matter what you suggest, they will take the input, pat themselves on the back for having consulted with co-workers, then "pull the football away" and let you fall down on your rear while they continue to do what they've always done, because that was their idea in the first place. They didn't want the input, they just wanted to feel like they had done something.

4. Finally, there's the "What Would Management Do?" conundrum. I worked at a hardware store in college. We would often need to special order things for customers. The owner, who had started the store 30+ years before, was a thrifty PA Dutch man who had unusual ideas about doing things, and who was a poor manager -- he was one of the "Firefighters" mentioned earlier, so you could never get him to get input on things. You'd end up trying to "do what he would do," and he'd inevitably say that you did it wrong.

For example: Customer orders floor tile and grout. You need grout for stock, as well, so you combine the grout order with the floor tile order to get free shipping from the vendor. Manager says: "Why did you order it from XYZ vendor? We could have saved 3 cents per bag ordering from ABC supply." However, if you didn't combine the order, and saved up for a stocking order from ABC, you'd either a. run out of grout and get yelled at, or b. Get the admonishment "Why didn't you add that order to the customer's order, we'd have gotten free shipping.

Don't get me started on the religious debates he'd get you into, either. Nice guy, and I learned a lot from him, but he's a perfect example of why change doesn't get implemented.

I'm finding that more and more in today's world, and it's sad. You really can't implement change unless you are working for yourself, or doing something under the radar.