Your own employees hate you!!!!

I know…….it’s a pretty strong title for an article.

BUT….it’s true…..

It pertains to a vast majority of car dealerships around the country!

Your own employees MUST hate doing business with you!

They take their own personal vehicles and get oil changes, tires, tire rotations, alignments, batteries and wiper blades at other places!

You have made it inconvenient for them to service with you. You don’t seem to value their business and your prices are too high!

They purchase New and pre-owned vehicles from other dealerships!

They feel unappreciated and they are scared to go through the “sales process” with your sales team!

Your own employees don’t feel comfortable doing business with your own dealership!

WHY????

This scenario plays out at a LOT of dealerships across the Country!

Employees won’t or don’t do business with you!

The accounting office doesn’t trust the sales department. The sales department thinks the service department charges too much for service. The service department thinks that the sales department wants too much for the vehicles.

It goes on and on and on and on………does it sound like YOUR store???

You need to be a true leader and make sure your employees see AND feel the value you are giving them to do business with you!

YOU NEED TO VALUE YOUR EMPLOYEES!

After all, they are the ones taking care of your customers!

You have to make sure that you have a clear cut set of policies that are transparent to all your employees in regards to doing business with your own dealership!

Don’t just proclaim you have “employee pricing”! Make sure that you give your employees that “little extra” to make them feel good about doing business with their own place of work.

Are you willing to extend your “employee pricing” to your employees immediate family?

Are you willing to give your employees “special incentives” to pass along to their friends in order to get their business?

Do you, as a leader, convey these policies on a regular basis with ALL EMPLOYEES?

You HAVE to make your employee your BIGGEST ADVOCATE for doing business in your store!!

After all…..if your own employees won’t do business with you…..who will???

It takes a true leader with great communication skills to make sure that ALL EMPLOYEES feel special!

And when the employees feel special, your customers will feel special too!!!

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.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com

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Comment by Lizelle Landino on October 11, 2011 at 4:21am: Imagine if your employees hate you - Your wife could probably not stomach you (or husband) lol! Nice read Jim!

Whatever we sell, we tend to forget we are dealing with people, we are selling to people. Honesty, Integrity, Live by example and value people like you would have them value your business or your friends and peers. Back to the golden days of what sales use to be like - We all sell something - It all comes with a price - But the question is...WHAT IS YOUR VALUE?

Comment by Jim Kristoff on October 10, 2011 at 4:20pm: Thanks brother Marsh!

If the culture of trust does not exist in the store.....the dealership is doomed for failure!!

Comment by Marsh Buice on October 10, 2011 at 3:26pm: Jim, it all boils down to CARE and that is built over time. A customer I mean team member must feel you CARE about them on and off of the court. I've had team members question service or pricing of a vehicle...when I check into it and tell them it is correct (or even when I get it corrected), the case is closed bc they know I would not hurt them. You are correct; we have to trust one another and the only way to ensure trust is by investing in each one of them. It takes a lifetime to build trust and a second to lose it...

Comment by Jim Kristoff on October 10, 2011 at 2:02pm: Thanks Bobby!

It happens much too often!!!

Comment by Jim Kristoff on October 10, 2011 at 12:30pm: Thanks Pete!

You are "spot on" with your comments!!!!

Comment by Pete Grimm on October 10, 2011 at 12:20pm: Jim,

This is too true!

It is also too true that employees (who work for a wage and are not business people) often do not appreciate what "COST" really is. In a service shop, for example, some actually think you should be able to service their vehicles for the bare cost of parts and labor (ie what you pay the suppliers and mechanics) without regard for any overhead, or the fact that their vehicle may be taking time that could be sold to others for full retail. Many also believe that they should be able to cherry-pick the used car lot at prices that match whatever the dealership paid for a vehicle. Explaining how/why this cannot and should not be so, and having firm, fair procedures in place, that are regularly explained, is critical to employee satisfaction. Often, even doing so, will not earn an employee's business, but at least all concerned will know why, and it won't cause conflict with their work on the job.

Cheers,

Pete