Two pieces written online recently caught our eye, both sharing tips for optimal success at the dealership owner level – one from a blog post on Powersports Business and the other from April’s issue of RV Pro Magazine. While these sources may be powersports- and RV-related, the tips that these two influencers shared can be applied to dealership owners in any industry. We think everyone could benefit and learn from them, so here you go!
To start off, we love this quote shared by Michael Rees in his RV Pro article: “Successful dealers do what unsuccessful dealers won’t do.†As in most things in life, those who go the extra mile are also the ones who are rewarded for it. Hard work and effort go a long way, so if you are truly dedicated to making your dealership the best it can be then you have to be willing to work for it.
Rees emphasizes focusing on three major areas between dealership owner and staff to achieve that successful dealer status – Process, Accountability, and Training.
Process – Dealerships should work to streamline a well thought-out process for everything. When routines are followed, customers feel as though they are being treated with service rather than hustled through a sale. Processes make everything go more smoothly, and increase the chance that the customer will follow through with a purchase and even become a repeat customer at your dealership.
In addition, pay attention to what exactly your managers are managing – it should be those processes. Some managers think they need to manage people, but that isn’t the case at all. In the same vein, Bruce Marcia discusses most heavily in his Powersports Business blog the idea of a boss versus a leader. He discusses the importance of a “we†mentality, sharing a common vision as a team and empowering employees to make decisions and come up with their own ideas as well. Employees who feel like they matter and make a difference to the dealership are the same ones who will provide outstanding customer service, ultimately contributing to your bottom line. Bosses manage people, leaders manage processes.
Accountability – Employees should have a very clear description of their job duties. They should also be working towards goals on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, with those goals monitored daily. One tool that is very useful in regards to keeping team members on track and filling their work day with tasks to achieve is a CRM tool. Check out Dealer Spike’s preferred partner, Dealership Performance CRM, if you need help setting up your dealership with the ideal sales management system.
Returning to Marcia’s notes, another difference between bosses and leaders comes down to accountability and goals. Bosses set goals, but that’s it – they don’t help their employees achieve them. Leaders provide feedback and assistance with their employees’ goals every day, and at the same time maintaining crucial processes to help them achieve. If this is a challenge for your dealership at your current capacity, consider hiring additional managers. Having more than one manager in the sales department can have a huge impact on ROI overall.
Training – This is something that should be ongoing at your dealership –investing in all of your employees to help them continually grow and become better. On a daily basis, leaders monitor their employees and guide them through issues, which is one side of training. The other side involves more concentrated sessions of training involving sales strategy and processes, which should be scheduled regularly to keep all employees fresh and up to date. A good leader knows that putting in that extra time pays off.
Investing in your employees is the way to go, and if you are solid in these three areas you can expect your dealership to see major success in sales and customer retention. Trained and empowered employees who are held accountable for their responsibilities have the tool box to convert prospects into customers.
To read Marcia’s blog post, click here.
To read Rees’ article, click: here. and scroll to page 26.