How many hours do your sales people spend at the dealership on a daily basis?  If you're like most dealers, there will be days when the staff works key to key.  Those 12 hour days can drag for some.  But, for those who have customers, it seems to speed by.

That said, how can dealers tolerate the speed merchants who call themselves professional.  I'm talking about your under performing "experienced" people.  The ones who know so much that they no longer need the basic process but due to some mystical power can get to the close at supersonic speed.

Studies show that the "average" sales person with 6-18 month's of experience, will be negotiating numbers (price) within 3 minutes of hello.  Are you kidding?  Yet, each month our trainers send out dozens of sales people all over the country and that's exactly what they experience. 

Why does your management team tolerate this?

I have been harshly criticized for the following statement, "Monkeys can close deals."  As with many of our politicians, it was taken out of context.  The meaning was that if someone with little talent and fewer people skills will follow the entire process, they will sell cars.  While those with decades of experience who skip vital steps and go straight for the close will seldom succeed.

How do you know if you have people like this on your sales floor?  Here are some clues: 

Here's my question for you.  "Why do you tolerate mediocre performance when it's your dealership on the line?"

Your reputation is at stake.  Those who shuffle through customers looking for laydowns are costing you in ways you will never see.  While the Internet is a place for customers complain, the reality is, 88% of people who had a bad experience NEVER SAY ANYTHING!  They just never come back.

Set your standards and stick to them.

Now, I'm experienced enough to know that everyone has a bad month.  That's not a reason to terminate.  But, three consecutive sub par months would definitely be cause for concern.  What if you kept a rolling average performance requirement?  Figure the average number of deliveries you require to reach your desired unit production and demand that your team members achieve this number as an average over 90 days.

Doing so will allow for a bad month every now and then.  You can exempt vacation months or whatever other exception that fit your dealership.  But if you don't set standards, there are none.

THIS HAS BEEN YOUR THREE MINUTE WARNING!

.John Fuhrman is the Senior National Trainer for Carolina Automotive Resource Services, a unit of The Dealer Resource Group. He and partner Anthony Bartoli have announced that they have been chosen to write "Auto Sales For Dummies," with publisher