How does the average dealership train their staff in the selling process? Formal training is thought to be expensive and time consuming especially with a rotating sales force. The newbie is assigned a desk, told to read brochures and industry literature for a day and then take the next up. Do you tell your new sales persons to watch and learn from the seasoned staff on how to sell? Is there a structured sales process with measurement for production and accountability?
If this is the way you operate, stop and think, it could be the reason you are not succeeding. Establish a sales structure, set goals for each person that is assigned to sell cars. Conduct formal training off the showroom floor, role-play and film the process for review by all involved. If you are still using paper logs and up sheets look to technology to streamline your sales operation. Technology will give you the tools to measure your sales performance as well as increase you sales and profitability. If you do not have a trained sales staff or a positive training program in place then technology will only fail under the weight of poor management and acceptance of poor performance.
It sounds simple to train your staff to follow certain guidelines but it is not. Look at your current guidelines that have been established under many different managers with different approaches. Have you heard the comment on your floor, we can’t do that John said, “that is not our policy”. John died 20 years ago and we are still doing what John said. Rethink what you are doing and make changes that will have the biggest impact now, and be flexible and change if what you try fails or underperforms.
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