It’s no secret that the employee turnover rates in the automotive sales industry are alarming to say the least!
What tends to happen is hiring managers look to archaic methods to solve these challenges. Methods like newspaper ads or posting available job opportunities on websites that produce the same inadequate and recycled salespeople.
All that these avenues consistently produce are individuals who have “10 years experience” but have been at 5 different stores over the last 6 months and it’s all “their fault”, sound familiar?
After experiencing this during my career I identified the solution to the problem, we were going after the wrong people!
One of the biggest diseases that exist in the automotive sales industry is what I like to call
“Instant Gratification Disease”. I say this because many believe that there are 20 car/month salespeople just waiting on a park bench to be hired when the convenient need arises for a dealership. This is simply not the case and these “unicorns” as I like to call them do not exist.
The way we have been leaning on “experienced” people as plug and play solutions is simply not working, furthermore, they tend to create negative atmospheres which can become cancerous to the rest of your sales floor. Â The successful “experienced” salespeople I know are long serving members of their respective dealerships and are rarely if at all ever available for hire.
While I assume that right now you are probably nodding in agreeance with what I am sharing, I am also confident that you are ready to start hearing about some solutions so lets get to them!
Solution #1: When hiring new sales team members the primary focus should be the individual.  In a market where information is so readily available it is vital that you understand the principle “people don’t buy cars, people buy people”. Your sales people can know every single aspect of product knowledge but if the customer does not like them there will be no deal! Conversely, if the customer does like the salesperson then they will be patient and afford them the time necessary to provide the information they are looking for.
Solution #2: It is vital to the success of your sales floor that you have adequate leadership!  This means you have competent sales managers with proven abilities to successfully carry out all of the expectations of the sales team. If your leadership expects your sales team to carry out specific tasks successfully, they had better be able to lead by example. When you have this leadership in place you will have a sales team that will follow them anywhere in the name of becoming successful.
Solution #3:  Now that you have the first two components in place, it is imperative that you have training and development materials available to your team.  While your leadership group may be capable they are there to manage the sales department not train the team. Many dealerships expect their sales managers to wear both hats and while this may sound feasible, it is unrealistic. Your management should be scheduling small segments of their day to catch up with their sales team members on what they have been learning day in and day out. With the right materials at hand management can delegate certain tasks that can be supported by the training materials allowing them to effectively manage the department while developing their team.
While their are so many addition facets to consider when hiring and building your sales team, these are 3 major components to consider if you are successfully looking to eliminate turnover and create long serving members of your sales team.
The truth is we need to be more accountable for the development of the talent on our sales floor but many lack the time and the resources to effectively do so.
For over 7 years my company ( www.AlanDickie.com ) has been solving these challenges dealers of Ontario face with incredible results! By proving these candidates with the best online training program in the marketplace
( A.C.E Selling Systems: “Road to the Sale” Digital ) we have been able to ensure their success!
Building a successful and long serving sales team is not only possible but effectively accomplished with my proven methods!
If you wish to discuss how I could successfully accomplish this for your dealership simply click on the link below and schedule a call at your convenience and I will explain exactly how I can assist you in the sourcing and development of your winning sales team!
Click Here>> Â http://meetme.so/AlanDickieÂ
You can also check out this clip of me speaking at NADA 2016 on this very topic,
Check it out here > Â Staff Solutions: Lose The Band-Aid, Stitch The WoundÂ
Lets chat >> Â http://meetme.so/AlanDickieÂ
Make it a Great Day!
Best Regards,
Alan Dickie
