Should managers socialize with salespeople?

Basically there are 2 management styles.

The first being no socializing with staff outside of work and only talk business with employees etc..

The second one is how I manage.

I socialize with my staff, I know their wants, desires, heartbreaks, I get to know there past, what makes them tick and even will have party's, cookouts at my house etc and make sure all are invited.

I have managed this way for years and have always been successful in all the showrooms I have ran. The current store is a pre-owned lot that is part of a larger dealer group in a smaller rural area. The store was averaging 30-35 cars per month with decent gross. I took over the store January 24th 2011. From February on we have done at least 62 cars per month every month and no less than 153k in gross after charge-backs etc. July we finished up with 68 units and 223k in gross profit. This with me on desk and a finance manager working a nice normal 5 day work week.

I know my staff inside and out, what makes each person tick, how their home life is, their concerns, needs etc. and they respond to whatever we need as a company. I have earned their respect and they have earned mine. We are like an extended family and we are all selling cars having fun and making money.

My question to everyone is, which style do you think builds a better team? I am being told that my style is not the right one, but really got no concrete evidence or reason as to why. Please discuss freely!

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Permalink Reply by Johnny B Awesome on October 24, 2011 at 7:06pm

Your going to spend 100,000 hours with your co-workers...

that's more than 2x what you will with your wife.

You Better Socialize with them! You should know everything about them!

I'm glad to hear that you are, and that you know them and who they are. But more importantly, do they know YOU? Your dreams, your goals, your sleeping habits, that thing you did in high school that only you and the janitor know about, and then when you turned 23 you ran into him on the street and he was like "hi" and you were like "hi" back and the whole thing was awkward....?

We want people to be transparent, so we ourselves need to be invisible, and show everything. In the end our sales people will mimic this! What is the one thing we teach our salespeople? ASK QUESTIONS, ASK MORE QUESTIONS, and LISTEN. Why becouse then we can find common ground. I know in my training seminars I play the song 'Cotton Eye Joe'. I will start to dance, and clap, and before you know it.... guess what happens? That's right 3 hours later a whole room is dancing, clapping, and enjoying life! Why? Becouse I did first. I led. It is said that people will do 50% of what you do right, and 100% of what you do wrong. Therefore I belive you need to be doing 150% of the right things.

This will guarantee success for you and all others. Which is what it sounds like your doing. Remember don't just let do, do, then let be done.