I often like to reminisce about some of the seemingly lost arts of sales.  When I got into the sales business over 25 years ago, I read everything I could get my hands on in regards to the art of building relationships and selling.  I loved, and still love, reading Joe Girard, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar and many others.  Here's the thing.....I often wonder if the art of putting a customer at ease, bringing down barriers, and building rapport has gone the way of rear facing third row seating in station wagons and smoking on airplanes.

Cliché alert!  You only get one chance to make a first impression. This oldie but goodie rings true every single day with every single person that you meet and it truly is an art form to make that first impression as good as it can be.  Guests at your dealership arrive with force fields fully operational, and the sales pros that can artfully and tactfully bring those force fields down are the one's who find success, and most likely the one's who are winning your sales board on a consistent basis.

Through piecing together some of the tips I have learned over the years from pros like I mentioned earlier, as well as many others, I present some ideas on how your team can do a better job in this area.

• Dress for Success
• Smile
• Stop what you're doing and focus on them
• Show rather than tell
• Ask questions
• Be complementary
• Find common ground
• Avoid the overused, "Can I help you?"  
• Get their name(s) and use them

These are just a few items that can provide you with sales meeting content for a solid week!  I know it seems somewhat rudimentary, but I think it gets overlooked when we are teaching sales skills.  How about role playing the meet and greet in your next sales meeting and evaluating where your team's skill set resides in this area?  I'd wager that you may be surprised at the outcome and you just might see that focusing on this topic for a few days could reap immediate benefits for your staff.

A final thought: Building rapport is synonymous with building credibility, and people want to buy from those who are credible.

Let's move some metal!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Henson, DrivingSales

Ron Henson is the director of dealer services for DrivingSales and DrivingSales University. Prior to joining the DrivingSales team, he spent over 20 years in the retail side of the industry, most recently as the General Manager of a very successful Honda dealership.

Ron is an accomplished dealership operations expert and trainer and has a passion for the car business that he willingly shares by speaking at many industry events, conferences, and 20 groups in the United States and Canada.

Ron is an avid sports enthusiast and spends much of his free time watching his kids play football and soccer. He lives in Bountiful, Utah with his wife of 23 years and three children.

In my 20+ years in automotive retail I was always a firm believer in the notion that the dealerships that spent the most time training their employees were the ones that would thrive rather than simply survive.  I am still a believer in that way of thinking, but with the caveat of “Training for Sustaining.”

What do I mean by that?  Sometimes as a dealer executive it’s possible to get caught up in the egocentric method of training.  Have you ever had a conversation with someone that you could immediately tell really enjoyed hearing themselves speak?  I’m sure it is gratifying to them, but not so much for the person at the other end of the conversation. 

When preparing to conduct a training meeting of any kind (i.e. sales meeting, managers meeting, staff meeting etc.) it is imperative that we keep the best interests in mind of those that will be in attendance. 

• What is the intended outcome of the training?
• Who are the participants?
• Is this session an open forum or lecture style?
• Does the topic have relevance to all those in attendance?
• Do I carry enough credibility on the topic to conduct the training session?

One thing is certain; conducting a training session is much like delivering a speech or performing stand-up.  You have to capture your audience’s attention quickly and show them that their favorite radio station (WIIFM…What’s In It For Me) is broadcasting loud and clear.  Illustrate that the training topic will accomplish one or more of the following:

• Make them more money
• Make their job easier
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Increase employee satisfaction
• ALL OF THE ABOVE

There is little doubt that once your meeting attendee’s realize that there is a benefit to attending the meeting other than being there because you told them to, your training effectiveness will increase right along with your bottom line.

In my 20+ years in automotive retail I was always a firm believer in the notion that the dealerships that spent the most time training their employees were the ones that would thrive rather than simply survive.  I am still a believer in that way of thinking, but with the caveat of “Training for Sustaining.”

What do I mean by that?  Sometimes as a dealer executive it’s possible to get caught up in the egocentric method of training.  Have you ever had a conversation with someone that you could immediately tell really enjoyed hearing themselves speak?  I’m sure it is gratifying to them, but not so much for the person at the other end of the conversation. 

When preparing to conduct a training meeting of any kind (i.e. sales meeting, managers meeting, staff meeting etc.) it is imperative that we keep the best interests in mind of those that will be in attendance. 

• What is the intended outcome of the training?
• Who are the participants?
• Is this session an open forum or lecture style?
• Does the topic have relevance to all those in attendance?
• Do I carry enough credibility on the topic to conduct the training session?

One thing is certain; conducting a training session is much like delivering a speech or performing stand-up.  You have to capture your audience’s attention quickly and show them that their favorite radio station (WIIFM…What’s In It For Me) is broadcasting loud and clear.  Illustrate that the training topic will accomplish one or more of the following:

• Make them more money
• Make their job easier
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Increase employee satisfaction
• ALL OF THE ABOVE

There is little doubt that once your meeting attendee’s realize that there is a benefit to attending the meeting other than being there because you told them to, your training effectiveness will increase right along with your bottom line.

How many times have you returned to the dealership from a 20 Group meeting or factory conference with a list of fantastic ideas that you want to put before your team to get "Buy In" from the troops, only to hear doubt and complaints?  

     "That won't work in our market."  

     "Our staff won't embrace that idea."

     "The way we do it works, so why change it?"

Have you ever considered the possibility that your team doesn't want to embrace new ideas, processes, marketing, or training because they don't want the DP or GM to have an accurate measurement tool of exactly how much they aren't doing?  If you institute a new way of tracking floor traffic, internet traffic or service traffic that really gives accurate data of the number of opoortunites that are slipping through the cracks, it will certainly eliminate some comfort zones, but it will definitely improve performance.

Food for thought.

How many times have you returned to the dealership from a 20 Group meeting or factory conference with a list of fantastic ideas that you want to put before your team to get "Buy In" from the troops, only to hear doubt and complaints?  

     "That won't work in our market."  

     "Our staff won't embrace that idea."

     "The way we do it works, so why change it?"

Have you ever considered the possibility that your team doesn't want to embrace new ideas, processes, marketing, or training because they don't want the DP or GM to have an accurate measurement tool of exactly how much they aren't doing?  If you institute a new way of tracking floor traffic, internet traffic or service traffic that really gives accurate data of the number of opoortunites that are slipping through the cracks, it will certainly eliminate some comfort zones, but it will definitely improve performance.

Food for thought.

Toyota staged a Hollywood-style party with celebrity chefs, performance artists and acrobatics to introduce the redesigned 2014 Corolla Thursday in California. Here's a look at what journalists, bloggers, social media and analysts have to say about the all-new compact.

"The 11th generation ... brings a clean-sheet redesign to the Corolla nameplate. Underneath the crisp, modern bodywork is a new chassis that stretches the wheelbase by close to 4 inches to boost interior space. And yet the front and rear overhangs are shorter, so the overall look is more taut. Extensive use of high-strength steel has kept the weight below 2900 pounds, no matter how much optional equipment a buyer selects. In our recent test of compact sedans, not one of the Corolla's competitors managed to tip the scales at less than 2900 pounds, so that's an impressive number."

-- John Voelcker, guest blogger for The Christian Science Monitor

"The new Corolla aims for a more distinctive look than the current car, with a front end and headlights that borrow their angular looks from the recently-launched Camry sedan ... The current Corolla is among the oldest entries in a competitive segment, but the car has continued to sell comparatively well, albeit with more reliance on sales to rental car fleets ... Toyota could face a challenge if it tries to significantly raise the price of the 2014 model compared with the 2013, which starts at just over $17,000 -- about $1,000 less than the cheapest Honda Civic."

-- Joe White of The Wall Street Journal

"Excellent fuel economy and top-notch reliability have historically made the Corolla one of our top-Rated, if somewhat boring compact sedans. The new model looks like it has the potential to build on those strengths, in a more interesting package."

-- Jim Travers of Consumer Reports

"What do you do with a car that is approaching sales of 40 million globally since its introduction 47 years ago? Don't mess it up, and don't forget the competition. The overhaul speaks to Toyota's recognition that it can no longer top the sales charts in the hyper-competitive small car segment by just popping out another vanilla Corolla. As part of a larger corporate movement, Toyota has sought to inject an athleticism into the car, in both looks and driving dynamics, that will stir consumer emotions. That will be needed to match recently redesigned compacts from Hyundai, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet."

-- Jerry Hirsch of the Los Angeles Times

"The new Corolla stretches both the wheelbase and overall length by four inches -- with three inches more rear legroom -- and that could boost Corolla's appeal not only in the U.S., but in fast-growing markets such as China where big back seats particularly are prized."

-- Chris Woodyard of USA Today

"The 2014 Corolla is certainly less milquetoast than the car it replaces. For one, with a Big Mouth Billy Bass front end it recalls a less chrome-laden Avalon. Creases and bulges outline the rest of the car, reminiscent of the Furia concept wrapped around Batman's Tumbler. Perhaps in a bit of youthful baiting, those black and silver wheels on the Corolla S are directly reminiscent of the Scion FR-S. We may be forgiven for thinking that some of its truck-like blockiness may indicate a greater tie-up with Subaru -- namely, the equally blocky XV Crosstrek -- than previously thought ... Big news up front: LEDs are standard across all models, allowing for lighter and smaller headlights ... The Corolla's Avalon theme continues on the inside with a dashboard that almost exactly mimics that of its larger brethren."

-- Blake Z. Rong of Autoweek

"Among the plethora of features on the 2014 Corolla, two stand out as particularly interesting: Headlights that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and a new continuously variable transmission that mimics a conventional seven-speed automatic. Normally LED headlights, prized for their energy efficiency and compactness, are found mostly on luxury cars. But in less expensive vehicles, they are usually only used in daytime running lights, turn signals and taillights. The 2014 Corolla is the first compact car in its segment to use them for the low beams in the headlights, too."

-- Matthew de Paula, a contributor at Forbes.com

"The new-for-2014 Toyota Corolla is a clear indication that Toyota is putting additional emphasis on interior and exterior design. As other manufacturers approach Toyota's high level of quality and reliability, Toyota execs obviously realize that styling and design are going to be more and more important as key differentiators."

-- Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director of Kelley Blue Book

The 2014 Toyota Corolla

"In the first big test of its push for sharper styling, Toyota Motor Corp. revealed a redesign of its top-selling Corolla with knife-edge creases, a gaping, trapezoidal grille and a sports sedan slant. The new look is aimed at adding a dash of style to the compact car, without dramatic changes that could alienate mainstream customers. The new Corolla takes its cues from Honda Motor Co.'s Civic, which outsold Corolla in the U.S. last year, and Ford Motor Co.'s Focus, which is swiping market share from Toyota in the U.S. and abroad. While Toyota President Akio Toyoda is pushing his designers to move away from the staid styling derided by critics, the new Corolla is a modest step in that direction. The car is carefully calibrated to appeal to loyalists and the style-conscious by offering improved fuel economy and a less-edgy design than the Furia concept car Toyota showed in January."

-- Alan Ohnsman of Bloomberg

"Inside, the Corolla has been stretched, padded and pulled upscale, with the rear hip point moved back almost three inches. The changes offer improved rear leg room and a flatter rear floor because of rerouting of the exhaust system. Interior trim is tastefully utilitarian, with gloss-black and metallic panels as well as blue, black or amber pinstripe accents. There will be no animals harmed in the Corolla interior: fabric choices are cloth and SofTex, a pleatherlike substance ... With nearly 40 million Corollas sold since the car's debut in the '60s, the Corolla is as much a social movement and a vital part of the American carscape as it is a mere automobile. If the past is any guide, we can be reasonably certain that there will soon be hundreds, thousands and then millions of these 11th-generation Corollas everywhere we drive. And because of Toyota's newly emboldened designers, they could be far less forgettable than the many, many Corollas that have come before."

-- Dexter Ford in The New York Times

"They have rightfully been accused of making the Corolla one of the most boring cars out there . Finally, they have come up with style that is contemporary and a style [that drivers won't feel] sentenced to drive ... They are checking all the right boxes."

-- George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, in USA Today

"The new Corolla promises to be sportier and more efficient, but away from the driving experience the big story is its styling, which adopts the heavy-breather look we know from the Avalon. This is interesting, and a big departure for the Corolla, which had been outdone in the visual interest department by disposable razors. The 11th-generation Corolla has a scowling, jut-jawed appearance and hawkeyed lamp clusters that feature standard LED headlights, the first compact sedan so equipped. This dramatic face, with cheeks creased sharply for airflow management, leads the way to a remarkably slippery coefficient of drag. Rated at 0.28, the Corolla rivals the Prius for aerodynamic efficiency and is among industry leaders."

Toyota staged a Hollywood-style party with celebrity chefs, performance artists and acrobatics to introduce the redesigned 2014 Corolla Thursday in California. Here's a look at what journalists, bloggers, social media and analysts have to say about the all-new compact.

"The 11th generation ... brings a clean-sheet redesign to the Corolla nameplate. Underneath the crisp, modern bodywork is a new chassis that stretches the wheelbase by close to 4 inches to boost interior space. And yet the front and rear overhangs are shorter, so the overall look is more taut. Extensive use of high-strength steel has kept the weight below 2900 pounds, no matter how much optional equipment a buyer selects. In our recent test of compact sedans, not one of the Corolla's competitors managed to tip the scales at less than 2900 pounds, so that's an impressive number."

-- John Voelcker, guest blogger for The Christian Science Monitor

"The new Corolla aims for a more distinctive look than the current car, with a front end and headlights that borrow their angular looks from the recently-launched Camry sedan ... The current Corolla is among the oldest entries in a competitive segment, but the car has continued to sell comparatively well, albeit with more reliance on sales to rental car fleets ... Toyota could face a challenge if it tries to significantly raise the price of the 2014 model compared with the 2013, which starts at just over $17,000 -- about $1,000 less than the cheapest Honda Civic."

-- Joe White of The Wall Street Journal

"Excellent fuel economy and top-notch reliability have historically made the Corolla one of our top-Rated, if somewhat boring compact sedans. The new model looks like it has the potential to build on those strengths, in a more interesting package."

-- Jim Travers of Consumer Reports

"What do you do with a car that is approaching sales of 40 million globally since its introduction 47 years ago? Don't mess it up, and don't forget the competition. The overhaul speaks to Toyota's recognition that it can no longer top the sales charts in the hyper-competitive small car segment by just popping out another vanilla Corolla. As part of a larger corporate movement, Toyota has sought to inject an athleticism into the car, in both looks and driving dynamics, that will stir consumer emotions. That will be needed to match recently redesigned compacts from Hyundai, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet."

-- Jerry Hirsch of the Los Angeles Times

"The new Corolla stretches both the wheelbase and overall length by four inches -- with three inches more rear legroom -- and that could boost Corolla's appeal not only in the U.S., but in fast-growing markets such as China where big back seats particularly are prized."

-- Chris Woodyard of USA Today

"The 2014 Corolla is certainly less milquetoast than the car it replaces. For one, with a Big Mouth Billy Bass front end it recalls a less chrome-laden Avalon. Creases and bulges outline the rest of the car, reminiscent of the Furia concept wrapped around Batman's Tumbler. Perhaps in a bit of youthful baiting, those black and silver wheels on the Corolla S are directly reminiscent of the Scion FR-S. We may be forgiven for thinking that some of its truck-like blockiness may indicate a greater tie-up with Subaru -- namely, the equally blocky XV Crosstrek -- than previously thought ... Big news up front: LEDs are standard across all models, allowing for lighter and smaller headlights ... The Corolla's Avalon theme continues on the inside with a dashboard that almost exactly mimics that of its larger brethren."

-- Blake Z. Rong of Autoweek

"Among the plethora of features on the 2014 Corolla, two stand out as particularly interesting: Headlights that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and a new continuously variable transmission that mimics a conventional seven-speed automatic. Normally LED headlights, prized for their energy efficiency and compactness, are found mostly on luxury cars. But in less expensive vehicles, they are usually only used in daytime running lights, turn signals and taillights. The 2014 Corolla is the first compact car in its segment to use them for the low beams in the headlights, too."

-- Matthew de Paula, a contributor at Forbes.com

"The new-for-2014 Toyota Corolla is a clear indication that Toyota is putting additional emphasis on interior and exterior design. As other manufacturers approach Toyota's high level of quality and reliability, Toyota execs obviously realize that styling and design are going to be more and more important as key differentiators."

-- Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director of Kelley Blue Book

The 2014 Toyota Corolla

"In the first big test of its push for sharper styling, Toyota Motor Corp. revealed a redesign of its top-selling Corolla with knife-edge creases, a gaping, trapezoidal grille and a sports sedan slant. The new look is aimed at adding a dash of style to the compact car, without dramatic changes that could alienate mainstream customers. The new Corolla takes its cues from Honda Motor Co.'s Civic, which outsold Corolla in the U.S. last year, and Ford Motor Co.'s Focus, which is swiping market share from Toyota in the U.S. and abroad. While Toyota President Akio Toyoda is pushing his designers to move away from the staid styling derided by critics, the new Corolla is a modest step in that direction. The car is carefully calibrated to appeal to loyalists and the style-conscious by offering improved fuel economy and a less-edgy design than the Furia concept car Toyota showed in January."

-- Alan Ohnsman of Bloomberg

"Inside, the Corolla has been stretched, padded and pulled upscale, with the rear hip point moved back almost three inches. The changes offer improved rear leg room and a flatter rear floor because of rerouting of the exhaust system. Interior trim is tastefully utilitarian, with gloss-black and metallic panels as well as blue, black or amber pinstripe accents. There will be no animals harmed in the Corolla interior: fabric choices are cloth and SofTex, a pleatherlike substance ... With nearly 40 million Corollas sold since the car's debut in the '60s, the Corolla is as much a social movement and a vital part of the American carscape as it is a mere automobile. If the past is any guide, we can be reasonably certain that there will soon be hundreds, thousands and then millions of these 11th-generation Corollas everywhere we drive. And because of Toyota's newly emboldened designers, they could be far less forgettable than the many, many Corollas that have come before."

-- Dexter Ford in The New York Times

"They have rightfully been accused of making the Corolla one of the most boring cars out there . Finally, they have come up with style that is contemporary and a style [that drivers won't feel] sentenced to drive ... They are checking all the right boxes."

-- George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, in USA Today

"The new Corolla promises to be sportier and more efficient, but away from the driving experience the big story is its styling, which adopts the heavy-breather look we know from the Avalon. This is interesting, and a big departure for the Corolla, which had been outdone in the visual interest department by disposable razors. The 11th-generation Corolla has a scowling, jut-jawed appearance and hawkeyed lamp clusters that feature standard LED headlights, the first compact sedan so equipped. This dramatic face, with cheeks creased sharply for airflow management, leads the way to a remarkably slippery coefficient of drag. Rated at 0.28, the Corolla rivals the Prius for aerodynamic efficiency and is among industry leaders."

Are you under-living your life?

How do we release all of the potential inside of us?

1^st: What is potential?

         First Nature: What you inherited through the genes passed down to you from your parents, grandparents, etc

         Second Nature: Everything you have learned. All of the knowledge, skills, the habits, all of the information you have stored, is a part of your potential.

         Third Phase: Very simply, your inner desire, your aspirations, your goals.  Something inside of you that wants you to become more than you are.  The most important factor in this is EMOTION.  You can have a desire to do something, and you can have the abilities, but you can’t seem to get yourself to do it.  YOU CAN’T RELEASE YOURSELF.

                  WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE HOLDING US BACK FROM ACHIEVING MUCH MORE THAN WE ARE CURRENTLY ACHIEVING?

Expect more, be more, do more, achieve more......in life and in your career!