We lose sales every day because we have no Accountability Culture: We have lost accountability. To understand how that happened, and what to do about it, we have to look back.

We all romanticize the Rolex-wearing old-school salesman from “back in the day”: in the business for many years, taking no fresh UPs, working only from a rolodex and referrals, making solid appointments  and keeping time with his Rolex, earning well into six figures, and selling more vehicles while working less sales hours than anyone.  In those days, he was starched shirts, sharp ties, a great haircut, and expensive cologne—all while discretely sneaking caffeine and nicotine between customers. He was an admirable man for all of us. Back in the Day, every customer smiled while paying well and gladly to work with him.

Where did he go?

Well, the tides of economy changed down a bit, and there were fewer Gold Rolex Men as some left for greener pastures. At the same time, though, more women joined the sales teams, earning great money and getting Gold Rolexes of their own. For a while, the Rolex and Rolodex Still Ruled. Men and women flush in gold.

And the Managers and Owners all lamented, “In this economy, I wish the REST of my salespeople wasting time smoking and staring at the glass could all be Gold Rolexers!”

And the tide of the economy finally went far out to sea, and amidst all the hand wringing and worry then around came the CRM salespeople. “You Can Depend on CRM to change your men and women of sales from Those Who Wait for the UP Bus into Gold Rolexers! It cannot fail!”

And the GMs and Owners bought CRM like it was the oxygen they needed for life. “Finally!” they said. “We are going to have All Gold Rolexers!”

The CRM was going to deliver accountability. To somebody.

However, many Owners soon abandoned the CRM daily work to the GMs, complex as it was with all the reports and such, and anyway the GMs were who they paid to run their business. And many GMs soon realized that the CRM was complex software and they worried greatly that the CRM was just going to arm the Owners with information to make GMs look bad.

No one wanted The Beatings to Continue Until The Reports Improved. After all, reports schmeports, the only True Accountability needed in car sales is, of course SALES, right?? And the Owners silently agreed.

And so the GMs made sure the CRM bill was paid, and they told the GSMs and SMs that THEY needed to make this complex piece of software work and create Gold Rolexers from their Glass Watchers. And let the GMs know what was going on.

And the GSMs and SMs were really not interested in much other than desking deals, but they issued many edicts with the GMs’ endorsement that Customers Shall Be Logged and a Process Will Be Adhered To. Except what was the process, and who was checking?

After all, again, no one wanted The Beatings to Continue Until The Reports Improved. Hey, reports schmeports, the only True Accountability needed in car sales is, of course SALES, right?? And the GMs silently agreed.

And in the face of falling sales,  the CRM vendors began “feature strafing” their client dealerships, making sure everyone knew that The Latest CRM Was Needed To Keep Up and Crush the Competition. No one was holding the CRM vendors accountable, either.

And the Glass Watching Salespeople always groaned about the CRM, anyway, and Why Not Spend $100,000 changing to the New WhizBang.com CRM that these salespeople will SURELY use.

Except the GSMs, SMs . . . GMs and Owners . . . AND the salespeople . . . well, they didn't use THAT new one, either.  

It was (and is at many dealers) a Process Wreck of unimaginable proportion.  Over and over again.

Some Owners and GMs caught on, and they’ve had great success. You read about them, hear about them, or perhaps gladly work with them at their stores. I love that. We all love that.

However, too many Owners and GMs still did (and do) not understand how this was happening, over and over again. No matter the CRM, so many dealerships just did NOT get Glass Watchers turning into Gold Rolexers.

Just like the alchemists of the Dark Ages, they could not find a way to turn lead (Glass Watchers) into gold. Why??

Because the problem was never the CRM. Or the New CRM. OR the Next New CRM.

It was, and always has been, accountability: USING the CRM as part of an Accountability Culture. LOGGING THE UPs! The Rolex Salesperson was, and still is (those that are left), accountable to himself or herself to a professional and high degree. THEY used the rolodex. THEY greeted and interviewed the customers. And followed the Road to the Sale to the SALE. Process, yes, but they were accountable (to themselves) and THAT is why they sold.

Which was the Point That Got Lost with "CRM Is The Set It and Forget It Answer": Accountability.

If you don’t USE your CRM, including LOGGING YOUR UPs, you may as well turn it off. Accountability can be done with a paper and pen. In fact, NO CRM is going to make accountability happen by itself: And so many dealers still average HOURS to respond to Internet Leads (in 2015!!!), so how is the ILM piece of the CRM doing anything except telling you how BAD your are at that? Where are the Gold Rolexers?

He and she still exist. In fact, you’ll find many of them nowadays participating in, if not running, successful Internet Departments. I know a few of them.

And this brings us to the truth: No CRM ever changed anyone from a Glass Watcher into a Gold Rolexer. Ever.

What DID happen? The Gold Rolexers actually found the CRM! And the Internet! And pursued and used them both. THEY LOGGED THEIR UPs! The CRM became their Rolodex, and the Internet became their customer.  Accountability became their culture. They remembered something many of us have forgotten, and they succeed every day with it—they show you how to get out of your Process Wreck, use that Rolodex, and earn that Rolex again. Follow them. Hire more of them. And get more sales.

Accountability is for Winners. What is your culture?

By Keith Shetterly, VP of Drive360 CRM
Former eComm Group Director, Former Consultant
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved, keith@drive360crm.com

www.drive360crm.com