Over the course of my 28-year career as a dealership consultant and trainer, my clients have sometimes asked, “Should I consider employing the team concept in my Sales Department, similar to that which I have in my Service Department?” As usual, I was ready with my quick response: “Absolutely! Would you like me to show you how?” It appears that today’s continually changing retail automotive industry may now be regarding the sales team concept as a “next practice,” even though it has never necessarily been considered to be a “best practice.”

There’s nothing new about team selling. The concept has been around for a long, long time and is still alive and very well-practiced in a number of dealerships. Nevertheless, most dealers, general managers, and sales management personnel today don’t understand why team selling is such a win-win proposition. So if you’re interested, following is an overview of the advantages of the team sales concept. I have also attached an editable step-by-step Microsoft Word file, titled “Executing the Team Sales Process.”

Purpose of the Team Sales System:

To ensure that each salesperson receives necessary training, activities management, closing assis­tance, motivation, counseling, and continual, quality, general supervision; To provide a method of scheduling adequate floor coverage, while at the same time pro­viding the time to accomplish group and team assignments, and still pro­vid­ing a reasonable amount of unscheduled time for the sales staff; To create a method of providing an enhanced competitive environment within the vehicle sales department.

Goals of the Team Sales System:

• The Team Sales System is designed to provide closer and better “floor management” of each deal; each Team Member is expected to assist with the “floor management” of his team’s deals.

• The Team Sales System is intended to provide an enhanced environ­ment for the salesperson, allowing him/her a better opportunity to be­come successful. 

• The Sales Team system is intended to provide a better vehicle for product and systems training; team members should assist each other in enhancing their knowledge of the new and used vehicle products that are avail­able for sale; certain team members may even become “spe­cialists” within the product spectrum. 

• Each Sales Team is expected to take responsibility for a reasonable amount of “business self-generation”; this means that each team mem­ber must operate in a disciplined, intelligent, and consistent fashion to develop repeat business, referral business, and new business. 

• Each Sales Team may be assigned additional, rotating, non-selling as­signments (i.e. lot management and maintenance). 

 Additionally, team members are expected to assist Sales Man­agement in the following areas:

1. Deal Follow-up: Ensuring that the “vehicle deals” generated by their sales team are a) maximized, b) accurate, and c) proc­essed in the timeliest manner.

2. Make-a-Deal Process: Participating as directed to maximize the effectiveness of this effort.

3. Inventory Management:  Providing input as to the dealership’s vehicle inventory needs, and keeping the Sales Team continu­ally focused on over-age inventory.

   Finally, and most importantly, when properly designed, implemented, and executed, the team sales process improves employee engagement and increases sales productivity, without negatively impacting the expense structure of the vehicle sales departments.

   I am a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Organizational Lifecycle Management, which includes structuring dealership departmental personnel levels and compensation planning, among other professional services. If you would like to further discuss the Sales Team Structure, please contact me at ghouse@garryhouse.com or 561-339-0043.

   And please don’t forget to check-out the attachment that I mentioned!

   Sound processes that become disciplined habits produce consistent, predictable results.