I LOVE the game of golf. It is one of my major hobbies and passions.

I have studied the pros and cons to all the new equipment.

I have read all of the “how to” manuals.

Watched video on what the perfect swing looks like.

I basically have read every magazine and book. I have watched every video, and my television remote control is stuck on the “Golf Channel”!

So you would think I am a great golfer!

Well, I am not…….

I have all of the knowledge, but I cannot execute it on a consistent basis.

Let me tell you why.

I play golf once a week, (usually on a Sunday morning). I hit some practice balls on the driving range for 30 minutes and I practice some putts for about 10 minutes before my tee time. So I put in a grand total of 40 minutes of practice in a week and expect my game to be perfect! UGH!

So when speaking of your Salesperson or Service Advisor career, do you put in more than 40 minutes of practice a week to be successful?

Because if you are not practicing, drilling and rehearsing every day, you won’t be a sharp as you can be on a daily basis!

Don’t think you can skip a day either! Just like in golf, if you miss a day of practice, your skills will erode!

Let’s say I had the time to practice my golf game every day for an entire year. I believe I would become a much better golfer and certainly hone my skills! At that point, I would be a very good golfer.

But what if I said to myself, “I have this game perfected and there is no need to practice as much any more”. Would my golf game start to deteriorate? You bet it would!

How about yourself and your profession? Did you learn the basics of your job and then stop learning? Did you become adequate in your presentations and stop getting better?

Just like a golf game, your professional career in the Automotive industry requires that you practice, drill and rehearse EVERY SINGLE DAY! If you do not, your skills will erode and you won’t even realize it.

Again, let’s say I had the time to practice golf every day. If I do not get the correct coaching, I could be practicing a “bad” swing or an incorrect swing. I could make that same improper swing thousands of times and wonder why I never get any better at the game of golf.

Much like practicing a “bad” swing, are you practicing the correct things? Are you open to getting some good coaching? Can you put your ego aside long enough to be critiqued on what you may be doing incorrectly?

Let’s face it. If you gathered the entire staff in a room and asked by a show of hands, “who wants to be a winner”, I believe everyone would raise their hand! I can’t think anyone wants to be a loser. Everyone has the will to win.

So….if everyone has the will to win, you have to ask yourself a more important question.

Do you have the will to prepare to win?

About the Author: With 30 years in the retail Automotive Industry, from a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

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