If you had a crystal ball!
If you had a crystal ball, and could change anything in this business what would you change?
Leave nothing on the table, dealers and factory reps read these blogs!
Time to make a difference!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on -
I have been in the automobile business my whole life, my father sold cars in the 50's manger in the early 60's and then bought a little single point Plymouth store.I never got to be a real "Dealers Kid"...he sold the store while I was still working in the service dept.One thing I will always remember about that place is that all the people there really were like extended family to him,the "culture" was different than I see so much of today with big "groups" It seems as thou "people skills" have left the building and numbers prevail.
We were very involved in the community not because it was good for image but because we cared,we had dealer outings,picnics....WITH FAMILY!!!!!
Sales and service had DAILY TRAINING...not beat up sessions or time killers.
there were only 35-40 employees but he knew spouses names,kids etc....and that trickled down thru management and into sales and service.
When your "internal client" is happy and informed......your "external client" will be as well!
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Permalink Reply by john greene on
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Craig, So true...As a kid, my dad was GM at a VW dealership and had a chance to buy-in to the Lincoln-Mercury store in town in 1973 in the middle of the first "gas crunch"...we all thought he had lost his mind..well, I came of driving age washing used cars, stocking parts, writing service, sanding cars in the body shop, new car prep, etc...I never sold for him, but he came to work for me after he sold out and retired..( I think my mother just wanted him out of the house)..anyway, He always ran his store as a "country club"...and I've always run mine (successfully) the same way..what's with these guys that love to scream at everybody all the time..don't they know they're going to blow a gasket...
Craig Lockerd said:I have been in the automobile business my whole life, my father sold cars in the 50's manger in the early 60's and then bought a little single point Plymouth store.I never got to be a real "Dealers Kid"...he sold the store while I was still working in the service dept.One thing I will always remember about that place is that all the people there really were like extended family to him,the "culture" was different than I see so much of today with big "groups" It seems as thou "people skills" have left the building and numbers prevail.
We were very involved in the community not because it was good for image but because we cared,we had dealer outings,picnics....WITH FAMILY!!!!!
Sales and service had DAILY TRAINING...not beat up sessions or time killers.
there were only 35-40 employees but he knew spouses names,kids etc....and that trickled down thru management and into sales and service.
When your "internal client" is happy and informed......your "external client" will be as well!
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Peika on
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Treat customers with the utmost respect, bring sales people into the decision making process, throw out the (old) play books, and embrace the new reality of a market with unforgiving clarity.
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Are we related, John???....lol
john greene said:Craig, So true...As a kid, my dad was GM at a VW dealership and had a chance to buy-in to the Lincoln-Mercury store in town in 1973 in the middle of the first "gas crunch"...we all thought he had lost his mind..well, I came of driving age washing used cars, stocking parts, writing service, sanding cars in the body shop, new car prep, etc...I never sold for him, but he came to work for me after he sold out and retired..( I think my mother just wanted him out of the house)..anyway, He always ran his store as a "country club"...and I've always run mine (successfully) the same way..what's with these guys that love to scream at everybody all the time..don't they know they're going to blow a gasket...
Craig Lockerd said:I have been in the automobile business my whole life, my father sold cars in the 50's manger in the early 60's and then bought a little single point Plymouth store.I never got to be a real "Dealers Kid"...he sold the store while I was still working in the service dept.One thing I will always remember about that place is that all the people there really were like extended family to him,the "culture" was different than I see so much of today with big "groups" It seems as thou "people skills" have left the building and numbers prevail.
We were very involved in the community not because it was good for image but because we cared,we had dealer outings,picnics....WITH FAMILY!!!!!
Sales and service had DAILY TRAINING...not beat up sessions or time killers.
there were only 35-40 employees but he knew spouses names,kids etc....and that trickled down thru management and into sales and service.
When your "internal client" is happy and informed......your "external client" will be as well!
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Permalink Reply by Craig Lockerd on
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Respect......YES!
Stephen Peika said:Treat customers with the utmost respect, bring sales people into the decision making process, throw out the (old) play books, and embrace the new reality of a market with unforgiving clarity.
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Permalink Reply by Skip Shakely on
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All great input and ideas. Did things get this way because we have lost some of those people mentioned here, and their way of running stores? I think so! Their philosophies and practices have been replaced with bottom lines and quotas. I think Roger Smith was given advice back in the late 79's early 80's by Ross Perot. He didn't listen then and I really don't think many pulically held dealership groups are listening now. Factories need to stick to making good saleable vehicles that customers want to buy and leave the retailing of them up to the people that do that well. Stop trying to occupy positions in the automobile business that they have no idea how to succeed in. dealers and managers need to understand that it still comes down to making a friend of a customer, address their needs and concerns, show them how your product answers those needs and concerns, demonstrate that, show them why your place of business is the one they should choose and then ask them to buy. Build a relationship of trust with them and continue giving to that relationship after the initial sale. If one focusses on those principles the bottom line is taken care of and you hit those quotas. In this age it is even more important because of the new knowlege a customer has. ask your customers what they want in a focus group. you will be surprised how much of what you do now in your selling process is not percieved as good from the customers point of view. just like Ross Perot did. he talked to salespeople and customers before making the recommendations to Roger Smith. Of course he made a lot of money when roger bought him off the board!
Just my 2 cents!
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Permalink Reply by Taffy Smith on
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Skip Shakely said:All great input and ideas. Did things get this way because we have lost some of those people mentioned here, and their way of running stores? I think so! Their philosophies and practices have been replaced with bottom lines and quotas. I think Roger Smith was given advice back in the late 79's early 80's by Ross Perot. He didn't listen then and I really don't think many pulically held dealership groups are listening now. Factories need to stick to making good saleable vehicles that customers want to buy and leave the retailing of them up to the people that do that well. Stop trying to occupy positions in the automobile business that they have no idea how to succeed in. dealers and managers need to understand that it still comes down to making a friend of a customer, address their needs and concerns, show them how your product answers those needs and concerns, demonstrate that, show them why your place of business is the one they should choose and then ask them to buy. Build a relationship of trust with them and continue giving to that relationship after the initial sale. If one focusses on those principles the bottom line is taken care of and you hit those quotas. In this age it is even more important because of the new knowlege a customer has. ask your customers what they want in a focus group. you will be surprised how much of what you do now in your selling process is not percieved as good from the customers point of view. just like Ross Perot did. he talked to salespeople and customers before making the recommendations to Roger Smith. Of course he made a lot of money when roger bought him off the board!
Just my 2 cents!
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The problem with our industry is on the front lines. It's all about the training we give to our new recruits. Many of the training and recruiting companies often send "greenpea" trainers to train our "greenpea" sales people. They compromise the integrity of the front line of the dealership to make a buck by allowing inexperienced people to become trainers for a fee and sending them out to dealerships to train the greenpeas. Question the credentials and experience of each trainer that comes to your dealership to train your most important commodity, your sales people. Miminum requirements should be: at least 20 years experience in the industry, and having experience in every position from GSM down. Some recruiting and training companies send substandard trainers which dealers pay for. Just don't allow them to send you a "greenpea" trainer to train your "greenpea" sales people. Insist on references. Always investigate before compromising your dealer's integrity. I have information on how your ads for recruiting can be FREE,FREE,FREE. Contact me if interested.
Taffy Smith said:
Skip Shakely said:All great input and ideas. Did things get this way because we have lost some of those people mentioned here, and their way of running stores? I think so! Their philosophies and practices have been replaced with bottom lines and quotas. I think Roger Smith was given advice back in the late 79's early 80's by Ross Perot. He didn't listen then and I really don't think many pulically held dealership groups are listening now. Factories need to stick to making good saleable vehicles that customers want to buy and leave the retailing of them up to the people that do that well. Stop trying to occupy positions in the automobile business that they have no idea how to succeed in. dealers and managers need to understand that it still comes down to making a friend of a customer, address their needs and concerns, show them how your product answers those needs and concerns, demonstrate that, show them why your place of business is the one they should choose and then ask them to buy. Build a relationship of trust with them and continue giving to that relationship after the initial sale. If one focusses on those principles the bottom line is taken care of and you hit those quotas. In this age it is even more important because of the new knowlege a customer has. ask your customers what they want in a focus group. you will be surprised how much of what you do now in your selling process is not percieved as good from the customers point of view. just like Ross Perot did. he talked to salespeople and customers before making the recommendations to Roger Smith. Of course he made a lot of money when roger bought him off the board!
Just my 2 cents!
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Permalink Reply by Vinnie Torrente on
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MORE FOCUS ON STAFF RATHER THAN NUMBERS
I like this thread,
My view is real simple the car business is the same "Sales" Exchange of goods and services. Provide a product provide a service. Word of mouth is Key. 'Most important is our own staff" We have to provide the tools and the material to succeed.
The problem with automotive is there is too much micro mgmt with large corp! Some of theses fortune 500 co's have pencil pushers rather than employee motivators. Concerned about reports and numbers rather than individuals that bring the results. "SOUTHERN CA" is much diff than across the states. At a young age achieved much, I was fortunate to run 3 dealers and achieved awards in 5 months that took other stores years too. It's all about training and the impact you have as a leader to lead and not manage.
Also when you have talent "your a bigger target" The numbers are numbers if the people that are providing the bottomline aren't trained properly their numbers are wrong! Much has changed the past 3 years. I have more humility and have learned a great deal from the greats like Ray Beshoff and Gabriel Kohan and Joe Cox to sharpen my tools for the future. There needs to be more focus on our staff than numbers....
Lead by example:
Vinnie T
Taffy Smith said:The problem with our industry is on the front lines. It's all about the training we give to our new recruits. Many of the training and recruiting companies often send "greenpea" trainers to train our "greenpea" sales people. They compromise the integrity of the front line of the dealership to make a buck by allowing inexperienced people to become trainers for a fee and sending them out to dealerships to train the greenpeas. Question the credentials and experience of each trainer that comes to your dealership to train your most important commodity, your sales people. Miminum requirements should be: at least 20 years experience in the industry, and having experience in every position from GSM down. Some recruiting and training companies send substandard trainers which dealers pay for. Just don't allow them to send you a "greenpea" trainer to train your "greenpea" sales people. Insist on references. Always investigate before compromising your dealer's integrity. I have information on how your ads for recruiting can be FREE,FREE,FREE. Contact me if interested.
Taffy Smith said:
Skip Shakely said:All great input and ideas. Did things get this way because we have lost some of those people mentioned here, and their way of running stores? I think so! Their philosophies and practices have been replaced with bottom lines and quotas. I think Roger Smith was given advice back in the late 79's early 80's by Ross Perot. He didn't listen then and I really don't think many pulically held dealership groups are listening now. Factories need to stick to making good saleable vehicles that customers want to buy and leave the retailing of them up to the people that do that well. Stop trying to occupy positions in the automobile business that they have no idea how to succeed in. dealers and managers need to understand that it still comes down to making a friend of a customer, address their needs and concerns, show them how your product answers those needs and concerns, demonstrate that, show them why your place of business is the one they should choose and then ask them to buy. Build a relationship of trust with them and continue giving to that relationship after the initial sale. If one focusses on those principles the bottom line is taken care of and you hit those quotas. In this age it is even more important because of the new knowlege a customer has. ask your customers what they want in a focus group. you will be surprised how much of what you do now in your selling process is not percieved as good from the customers point of view. just like Ross Perot did. he talked to salespeople and customers before making the recommendations to Roger Smith. Of course he made a lot of money when roger bought him off the board!
Just my 2 cents!
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