Turnover is something that occurs in every business. Employee’s leave, some get fired and others retire, it happens. The automobile business is no different, if anything, turnover rates for automobile sales consultants are higher than most. Why? It's my opinion that our industry as a whole has come to accept high turnover for so long, it's now considered normal. I'm telling you right now... HIGH TURNOVER IS NOT NORMAL, and it's costing dealerships hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. I've heard it said that turnover is just the cost of doing business. The real question is, "How much is sales consultant turnover alone costing your dealership?"
Turnover cost is not hard to calculate, however I recommend that you are sitting down when you see the number. Some of you may even want to have a crash cart standing by. To see how much your turnover expense was last year go to www.hirethewinners.com and click on the &ldquo...

As I discussed in Parts 1,2 and 3... There are four traits that every successful automotive consultant must possess.  Though they may not be dominate in all these traits, in order to be a successful sales consultant, they must either have or be able to attain the following traits:

Motivation
Closing
Empathy
Investigation

Today I would like to discuss Investigation and how this trait is another key to being successful in automotive sales.
Investigative people have a great desire to learn from others.  They're more likely to probe customers for their underlying needs before pitching a product.  As sales consultants, they thrive on asking probing questions, listening intently, establishing rapport, and building relationships with customers.  They know that selling is more about listening than talking, and they can tailor the product, offering benefit statements to the stated and unstated needs of the customer.
It is important as a d...

As I discussed in Parts 1 and 2... There are four traits that every successful automotive consultant must possess.  Though they may not be dominate in all these traits, in order to be a successful sales consultant, they must either have or be able to attain the following traits:

Motivation
Closing
Empathy
Investigation

Today I would like to discuss Empathy and how this trait is another key to being successful in automotive sales.
Candidates with high empathy can sense the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people.  They can put themselves in the customer's shoes, feel their pain, and anticipate their needs.  They don't necessarily agree with other people all the time, condone their actions, or feel pity for their predicaments (that's sympathy, not empathy), but they understand and relate to them.  This ability to connect with customers is important in finding the right words and tone for sales conversation and addressing stated and...

As I discussed in Part 1... There are four traits that every successful automotive consultant must possess.  Though they may not be dominate in all these traits, in order to be a successful sales consultant, they must either have or be able to attain the following traits:

Motivation
Closing
Empathy
Investigation

Today I would like to discuss Closing and how this trait is another key to being successful in automotive sales.
Closing is the ability to gain customer commitment.  Candidates who rate high on closing have an assertiveness well suited for the give and take of effective negotiations, without coming off as too aggressive or overbearing.  They are not shy about asking for the business and later asking customers for referrals.  Good closers have confidence in their abilities, judgments and have the ability to influence the customer to close the deal.
It is important as a dealer or GM that you know as soon as possible if a candidate ha...

There are four traits that every successful automotive consultant must possess.  Though they may not possess or be dominate in all these traits, in order to be a successful sales consultant, they must either have or be able to attain the following traits:

Motivation
Closing
Empathy
Investigation

Today I would like to discuss Motivation and how this trait is a key to being successful in automotive sales.
 
The best sales consultants are more motivated than the average sales consultant.  Research suggests that motivation is by far the most important trait of a good salesperson, accounting for as much as 40% of sales success - making it twice as important as any other dimension. Candidates with high motivation are high achievers who put in long hours and devote high energy to accomplish their work. They are confident, engaged, excited, interested, dedicated, and committed in their everyday work and take great satisfaction in being busy and pr...

"Procees Is Profit!"... What a true and powerful statement, and one that applies to all dealership operations.  If dealers don't have the right processes in place, and more importantly, follow each step of these processes 100% of the time, things will get overlooked, opportunities will be missed, and deals will get lost!
Question: What if dealers did not have the right process in place for remitting deals to lenders or service contracts to warranty companies?
Answer: They would not get paid!
The same holds true for hiring high performing sales consultants.  If dealers don't have the right hiring process in place, they won't hire the right people with the necessary traits and skills to be successful in automotive sales, therefore deals will get missed, cars won't get sold and the dealer won't get paid!  So begs the question...  What is the right process for hiring high performing sales consultants?  Below are a few steps that should be included in t...