“What is the number one challenge most dealers have with improving profits?”  1) Employee Turnover, 2) Capital, 3) Inventory, 4) Process, and 5) Recruiting Talent.  Of those polled, 30% answered “Recruiting Talent”.

It is not rocket surgery (it is easier to build a rocket than trouble shoot and repair one) as to how talent affects the dealership’s bottom line.  What puzzles me is why sales staff recruiting seems to be a difficult task.  I will admit that I work for an automotive management and sales staff recruiting firm, but as the Marketing Director and not a Recruiter.  As part of my job, I have picked the brains of our automotive recruiters to better understand the magic that they create.  Their talent seems to be a high level of ability to handle a tedious and time consuming task.  Maybe our automotive recruitment team does have some magic pixie dust that they are hiding from me, but every week each one of our recruiting campaigns churns out a barrel of management and sales staff talent.  I sometimes wonder where they come from or when the pool might dry up, but currently there seems to be an abundance of talent in the market.  Supply does not seem to be the pitfall when recruiting sales talent.

There seems to be a disconnect between recruiting and providing automotive fundamental sales performance training and their overall longevity.  It all starts with the best of intentions and then breaks down from there.  Just one minor event can turn that barrel of apples to rot, one apple at a time.  If you want good salespeople, you must treat them like they have value and this starts from the initial contact.  How often are questions about income and hours smoothed over with vague descriptions?  When a pay plan is discussed, how much of it is subjective to management discretion?  When the candidate comes in for an interview, how long are they left to wait for that interview?  During the interview are realistic expectations and job descriptions discussed?  Is the organization equipped to provide adequate on-going training so that new hires have all the tools to meet and possible exceed expectations?

A sales team is the soldiers in the field and a great leader is only as effective as those they lead.   Remember, a team is only as strong as its weakest link.  Treat salespeople like they are significant to the success of your organization, that each deal they are working on is vital.  Catch them doing something right!  Too often we are quick to point out the wrongs and after time that becomes demoralizing.  Fostering the good has a greater impact than harping on the bad.

There must also be a commitment to time and resources when developing talent, if you wish to retain them.  A single dose of sales performance training is as effective as brushing your teeth only one time in your life.  There is no instant gratification or quick and easy method to developing talent.  Setting expectations that new hires are going to be rockstars is also unreasonable.  Management needs to be passionate about sales performance training and train often, so as to build up the team.  Sometimes, it takes two years to build your dream team.

If a salesperson leaves your organization with the perception that they will not be treated like the quality salesperson that they are, you may just loose out in the talent game.  No one wants to be treated like a number.  Sometimes talent needs to be developed and sometimes talent just needs a place to shine.  Treat the pros like pros…hire fast and fire slow!

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

We all must remember, nothing happens in our economy until something is sold!!!   The selling of goods and services is the driving force behind our economy.  Taxes are collected when something is sold, providing the funds necessary for Government Services.  Ideas are just dreams until those products and services on sold in the market.  Factories and their production have little purpose without the salespeople needed to move that merchandise. Each American’s paycheck is affected by the efforts of those people in the sales careers.  Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself. Look at all aspects of the world wide economy and you will discovery that financial aspects can be traced back to the buy and selling of products and services.

Sales are often a misunderstood profession.  In fact, Automotive Sales Staff often endure being called lot lizards or sleazy car salesmen.  It some ways, salespeople are part of an exclusive club.  Salespeople have the freedom to determine their income based on their drive and actions.  Salespeople have the choice to impact people's lives for the better or stand on the sidelines and do nothing.   Salespeople drive their own dreams, goals and accomplishments.  Sales is a noble profession that should not be underestimated as a powerful career that has the power to affect more than just the salesperson.

Here is a look back in history to the important role that salespeople have played in the establishment and growth of America:

A salesman discovered America.  Christopher Columbus was an Italian in Spain with only one prospect to call on.  If he missed the sale, he would have to swim home.  Once aboard ship, he really had to "sell" in order to sail.  He kept saying to the sailors who had become weary and with mutiny on their minds, "It's just around the corner or over the horizon, let's sail one more day!"  Then that one day came with an excited call from the lookout, "Land ho!" and the most profitable sales call in history came to a close.

A salesman established America.  George Washington had to persuade the Colonists to leave their homes, farms, businesses, shipbuilding activities and fur trapping to go to war against the most powerful nation on earth.  His sales pitch was a tough one.  If they won there was no financial gain but they would be free of the English tyranny.  If they lost, they would be hung as traitors.

A salesman freed Americans of all race and creed. Abraham Lincoln was known as the great emancipator.  Despite unpopular views and opinions, he stood and proclaimed that America was the land of the free for all people.  This stand brought a nation into civil war and many lost their lives, but their lives were not in vain for the price of freedom is not free.  Americans today enjoy great civil liberties and freedoms because of one man's proclamation coupled with the blood and sweat of those men willing to making the ultimate sacrifice.

A salesman gave Americans a dream of progress.  Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech that became a pivotal turning point in U.S. history.  His thoughts and opinions were not popular and were considered not acceptable at the time.  He stepped on to that podium and shared his dream…the American Dream, which is now carried on by citizens and future citizens of The United States of America.

Salespeople, including Automotive Sales Staff, be proud of your noble profession as your continue to usher this Great Nation from our financial woes.   Each salesperson is a single voice, but together a sales force is a deafening crowd.  Find that soap box, stand up, be heard and flex your political and economic power.  Salespeople have kept this Nation alive during the great depression and will continue to move it forward in every economic downturn.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Sales letters are important tools for interactive marketing, lead generation and nurturing sales opportunities.  In the age of digital marketing, usually one of the earliest experiences a potential consumer will have with an organization is some impersonal written for the masses word format.

Selling is like dating.  Imagine you are on a first date; would you present your best one-size-fits-all-this-usually-works-on-most-people romance package?  The only impression you would leave with you date is you are out to collect the whole set, all at once.  We all want others to understand our needs, wants and desires.  We want to purchase products and services that speak to those needs, wants and desires.  So how can automotive management train their salespeople to treat potential clients like their one and only and not cold and lonely?  Below are some sales performance training hints on how to guide your sales staff to write an effective sales letter that speaks to the needs, desires and wants of your prospective clients:

Identify your target audience:  Try to imagine the needs and wants of a desirable customer.   Think of what kind of problems or pains that consumer faces and how your products and services can make their lives easier.  This will help make the email your write persuasive and not impersonal.

Be confident:  Start with a strong and compelling subject line.  Introductions should be powerful and gripping, so that the reader is encouraged to read the rest of the copy.  Use active voice and stick to powerful action verbs.  Do not assume that the reader knows what to do.  Encourage the reader to take the next step with clear instructions.  The writing should be as action-oriented as possible, including what action steps you want your reader to take.  Do not be vague.  The confidence in your Service/Products should be reflected in your writing.

Make it personal: The most effective way to communicate with patrons is in a casual and friendly tone.  Be professional, but not too formal.  Personalize as much as possible.  Many email programs will allow you to insert names or other personal details into your content using a variable tag.  Use them!

List features, benefits and value: When describing Service/Products, start with listing the features of your Service/Products and how those features translate into benefits.  Show the buyer how they can benefit by using your Service/Products and the value to their lives by doing so.  Personalize content and provide ownership by using the word “you” often.  The facts stated in your sales letter should be 100% accurate.

Give your existing clients a voice: Include customer testimonials, video links or other media that demonstrates the value of your Service/Products and the skills of the salesperson.  Give your raving fans the microphone and encourage them to shout from the roof tops your praises!!!  These clienteles not only become a valuable Marketing tool, but also a great impression on the personal side of the Service/Products offered.

Include a salutation:  Thank potential shoppers for their valuable time.  Provide all necessary contact information.  Multiple channels of contact (email, phone, social media, etc.) give your next consumer a convenient pathway to reach out on their own terms and preferences.  When responding to them, make note of the pathway they reached out through.  That conduit is often the best route to connect with that client.

Double check:   Edit your correspondence before sending.  Check for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.  To ensure your content sounds personal, read out loud and include the personalized data from the variable tags.  If the words do not sound like a conversation you would have with a customer face to face, go back and edit until they do.  The goal is to make the content reflect a conversation and not a speech for the masses. Four ears and eyes are better than two.  Read your content to a peer using their personal information for the variable tags.  Watch their reaction and ask for their feedback.   If they do not react or give you feedback as if they had sat down to have a chat with you over lunch, an edit is in order.  Make sure they are able to follow any instructions provided without coaching.  If they are unable, then you may need to clarify your instructions during your edit.

Like many tasks that start off as challenging but over time become easy-breezy, the job of writing effective correspondence will eventually become a joy over a chore.  The greatest reward comes from closing the gap between seeking customers to creating clients and recruiting raving fans.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Following in the footsteps of three generations of outstanding educators, I took on the career of a high school teacher in my early twenties.  Being the new kid on the block, I was given two classes out of five that were "at risk" students.  High school students don't usually relish in the idea of math class and most "at risk" kids seem to see math as a total waste of their time.  The challenge was to bring my students up to a standard set by the state of California, so they could graduate.

I turned to my mother, who had a thirty year career as a public school educator, as my mentor.  She inspired me to do what I like to do most…play.  So I created a game for myself and my students, which looked a little like the high jump.  I would set the bar for the minimum standard and once my students got close, I would move the bar.  Over the course of a year, not only did they meet the standard set by the state of California and graduate, some of them even exceeded the standard and went on to college.  Lesson learned, never settle for the minimum standard....always be moving the expectation for what is acceptable to what is possible. Excellence is the only standard!

Today, I find myself in a sales, marketing and public relations career. So many of my peers have  accepted conformity and doing what worked yesterday until it does not work anymore as the acceptable standard.  I find myself playing the high jump game in my post at the nation’s leading Automotive Management and Sales Staff Recruiters and Sales Performance Training firm .  When a staff member is overwhelmed with a perceived impossible task, I help them break it down into step by step achievable goals.  When a goal is set and a minimum standard is met, we move the bar.  The momentum of this individual is always moving forward and our goal lines are always rising.  What the individual once thought was impossible is not only possible, it is our reality.  This challenge keeps the over achievers motivated and the underachievers on the hustle.

It is not the slowest run time or the shortest jump that meets the mark.  Striving further than you once thought you could is how you make your mark in this world.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Recently, I competed for the National Title of Ms. US Forestry Queen and heard several times over the weekend, “You are an extraordinary woman!”  I am humbled and appreciative of any complement, but this one makes me giggle a little on the inside.  Why do I giggle?  Thank about it…..extraordinary when broken down is extra-ordinary.  Ordinary defined as an adjective is:

1. of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional

2. plain or undistinguished

3. somewhat inferior or below average; mediocre

4. customary; usual; normal

I find it amusing to be extra unexceptional, extra plain, extra mediocre or extra normal.  I am sure that is not what the user of the word intends, but in reality it truly is a great word to describe me.  Being a little bit like Peter Pan and not wanting to be all grown up, I like to play games.  I play games all the time as a way to keep myself motivated and on task.  I love to play leap frog.  Not in the physical sense like I am in Kindergarten, but more of mental game.  I like to take ordinary events, ideas, concepts and leap frog them into "extraordinary" events, ideas and concepts.

For example, I was hired by a National Automotive Management, Service and Sales Staff Recruiting and Sales Performance Training Firm as a member of their sales team.  During my first week on the job, I overheard that the company was planning on making their first showing at a rather large industry trade show in a few months.  I got so excited about the opportunity to use my sunny personality, while engaging with clients face to face.  My excitement was quickly deflated as I discovered I was not tagging along.  I questioned why the company was not taking any members of their sales team, notably me.  The reason given, I was new and not up to speed and therefore a liability.  So, I took a leap and without a sales performance training manual, got myself up to speed and closing deals like my life depended on it.  Again, I was told that I was not going to the trade show because it was two weeks away, tickets were already purchased, arrangements made and there was no residual in the budget to take me.  So, I took another leap and bought my own airfare and made my own arrangements. I arrived at NADA and continue to leap over ordinary into extraordinary.  By the time the trade show was over, I had been promoted to Sales Manager, asked to recruit additional sales team members and expected to train this team for the company I had been employed with for only two months. Not bad for being extra undistinguished.

Do you have members of your team that are just below the average?  Are you finding yourself being undistinguished from your peers or competition?   I invite you and your team to join me on the playground for a little game of leap frog!

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Dreams are often the seeds in which goals are grown from, but it takes acting on a dream to achieve a goal.  Sometimes big goals can be as overwhelming as a football field to a five year old.  Like that scared five year old, we can let a daunting task get in the way of our success because of a fear of failure. When engaging in management and sales performance training, encourage your team to embrace failure.

Everyone faces challenges in life and risks failure.  Failure is just an opportunity to tweak your game.  Failure is an option, quitting is not.  If you never try, you will never fail.  If you never fail, you will never succeed.  I am not saying that failure is synonymous with success, but from experience it seems to be the access point.  When I fail, I do it with flair.  I own my failures and design my determination to learn something from each failure.  It has been regrouping and dusting off from some of my most brilliant failures, that I have discovered my most amazing successes.  I have a plan for life:  What does not kill me will make me stronger.

When faced with a challenging goal, break it down just like a football team.  Not every touch down is a result of a 50 yard pass or running play.  Sometimes a touch down is the culmination of inches and yards over several plays.  Break down a big goal into smaller goals and strategically make plays towards you success.  Sometimes, you might find yourself a few yards shy and need to throw a Hail Mary with fingers crossed and eyes closed.  Don’t quit or stop giving your all on a play, because you never know which play will be the game changer!

It is the journey down the field that is the sport of personal growth and meeting the goal is only an outcome.  Not meeting the goal is just an opportunity to attempt to meet that goal again with a new strategy and game plan.  If you don’t have a plan or play, then it’s probably best to stay in bed that day.

Once you find yourself at the top of your game, understand you will fall and fail again.  It is easier to become number one, but a struggle to stay number one.  Once others see your success, they are going to want that for themselves.  They have watched you play full out and have nothing to lose, but gains on a field by replicating your plan for success.  Therefore, there is no relaxing in first place, just more failures to be converted into successes.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Recently, I was asked to make an appearance as Ms. Florida Forestry Queen.  Unfortunately there was no clear leadership and miscommunications abounded.  Even the day of the event, it was not clear what was going to transpire.  I tried to be prepared for anything.   After the event, I received this text message, "A diplomat is a person who can tell you something is going to be challenging and you actually look forward to the adventure.  You are the quintessential diplomat in my book!  Thank you for helping us as we all struggled to figure out what was going on and what we were supposed to do."

That text message spurned me into deep thought.  Where did I acquire such diplomacy skills?  Maybe I should put in a bid for political office?  When I finally came to my senses, it dawned on me that I work in an industry in which there is a tendency towards unreasonable expectations.  Part of my job is to be the voice of reason, to find solutions and to deliver these solutions; so that all parties walk away from the table feeling like business was handled in a professional manner and they received a fair deal.  With a little diplomacy, I usually can alter the path from unreasonable expectations and disappointment to fair business practices and customer satisfaction.

Like in most industries, Automotive Management can deploy diplomacy in leading by example and training our sales and service teams to be active and conscious communicators when interacting with customers.  For example, a service advisor calls to speak with a customer who dropped off their vehicle for an oil change.  "Well, I have bad news.  I know you brought in your car for an oil change, but the technician discovered you need a new fuel filter and a couple of belts…."  If I were the customer, you would have lost me at “bad news.”  My thoughts would have shifted from excited that my car was finished to "how much is this going to cost me?"  With a little diplomacy, the conversation and outcome can be shifted.  "While your car was getting an oil change, our technician preformed a courtesy inspection of your vehicle to ensure safety and performance.  Lucky for us both, the technician discovered that you need a fuel filter and a couple of belts.  Since your car is already here at the dealership, I can save you a little time and money and get that done for you today."

Diplomacy can also be as effortless as just listening.  Remember the six letters that spell LISTEN also spell SILENT.  When unreasonable expectations loom over moving a process forward, I close my mouth and open my ears.  I listen for what the upset is.  I listen and listen until the awkward silence tells me that it is my turn to jump into action.  Sometimes, I discover that the upset is really not an upset at all, just a desire for someone to appreciate and understand a viewpoint.  Sometimes, the upset person resolves the problem by just being heard.  Sometimes, the upset and solution are presented to me as a package deal.  Rarely, after listening intently am I left with an upset that does not have a resolution.

Diplomacy can be as straightforward as taking that extra mile, yard, foot or inch.  Don’t tell someone where something or someone is, actually walk with them and take them to that spot.  Be your word and not a bunch of intentions to do something. When you make a promise or an offer, exceed the expectation by delivering just a little more.  Smile and make eye contact because everyone wants to be treated like they are important.  Look for ways to make a difference and act on them.

Diplomacy is a mindset.  Think of the glass as neither half empty nor half full.  Actually, the glass is half full of water and half full of air.  Train your sales, service and management staffs to employing diplomacy as part of the skills for completing their job, a little optimism, positive language and thinking outside of the box can provide immunity for unreasonable expectations.   Your products and services might not get less expensive, but oh what a difference a little diplomacy can make on how your consumers value your products and services.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

I have been fortunate in life in that I have been given the opportunity to have worn many hats.  Having a broad level of experiences in life has given my personality a great deal of depth.  I have always been a marketer in some role or another.  One of these marketing roles was that of an entertainer, in which I marketed what would become my signature brand of “fun, joy and ease" as a singer and dancer.  One of the shows I was involved with featured a song from Disney’s Cinderella in which I sang these words:

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true.

Now it might have been my immaturity at that time, but the meaning of those words was lost in the duty of having to sing them.  I had no understanding of what I was signing, I was just singing.  Possibly due to repetition, those words found a place to hide out away in my memory until I had enough life experiences to fully understand the value of the lesson to be learned. 

Thankfully, the day came when I have had enough life experiences to understand the value of lesson to be learned.  The moment occurred when I was trying to entertain the boredom of my some of my younger Sister Queens, as we awaited our appearance in the King Tree Parade at the Florida Forestry Festival.  Like magic, the words to this song rolled of my lips and the culmination of this song’s meaning and my life experiences intersected.

It takes faith, belief, heartache and time to make a dream come true and for it to be yours to keep.  Nothing in life that has been handed to me seems to hold its value and I often take it for granted.  The achievements in life that I had to earn are the most precious to me.  There seems to be an equation for success in my life.  The more blood, sweat and tears effort towards attainment, the greater the value of the accomplishment.  It takes courage to suffer failure, heart to get back into the game, faith in your abilities to sustain your momentum and tenacity to endure until your dreams do come true.  Actual success is to be earned like an athlete training for success, not dropped in your lap like the winnings of a lottery.

When working with Automotive Management, Service and Sale Staff, inspire them to chase their dreams by pushing themselves to better at their best.  The best that you are today will only see you through this day.  Tomorrow, you have to continue the momentum forward and be better than your best from yesterday.  Without momentum, we are all subject to gravity and gravity is a heavy weight to bear.  If something is worth having, it is worth working towards.  Believe in your goals, have faith it your abilities, understand it will be a struggle and know it will take time.  There is no easy button for success.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

I love going out to dinner when the wait staff remembers me and greets me like a friend.  The looks on my guest’s faces are priceless!!!  Everywhere I go; it seems the red carpet is waiting on my arrival.   Even my friends are eager to join me because via association they too get special treatment.  So, how did I earn my VIP status?  It was easy.  I just started treating each person I meet as a friend.  I use their name in conversation.  I give them my attention when they speak.  I use polite words like "please" and "thank you".  I part company with a farewell and "see you again soon".

Want to be known as the dealership in town with the best customer service?  Then flip the script.  Treat the potential buyer like a friend and build a relationship.  A sale really is about creating that relationship before creating the sale.  It is hard to disregard someone and their needs and wants when you seem them as your equal, a person with needs and wants just like you.

Building a relationship is the key to building trust.  When you trust someone, you tend to trust them with your hard earned money during the sell.   When you trust someone, you tend to take their advice and value their opinions.  When you trust someone, you tend to listen to what they have to say and place value in their words.  When you trust some, you believe they have your best interest in mind.  Trust is part of the sales process.

Automotive sales staff recruiters should be looking for individuals who have the ability to form relationships.  Relationships are something we all can relate to.  We all have the experience of being in relationship, but good and bad.  Even though relationships tend to be a universal human experience, there are people who are just naturally better at forming relationship than others.  Relationship building is not often a talent someone will list on a resume, but can become a part of your interview discovery.

Even though forming relationships is a real concept that all people can relate to, salespeople can slip into the trap of seeing their customers as a task and not a person.  Automotive sales are not a point of sale, click it and forget it, here are the keys to your car transaction.  Successful dealerships understand there is even more income to gain after the sale.  Therefore management and sales performance training programs should have a focus on relationship building as one of the key ingredients to the sale.  Reinforce with both your sales staff and management team, that building long term relationships with each customer is not as much about being popular but about being successful beyond the achievements of today.

Your dealership does not need balloons, spot lights, red carpets or even velvet ropes to be the hottest spot in town.  Your dealership needs relationships to be seen as the VIP spot to purchase and service a vehicle. 

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.

Each year, I make the pilgrimage from coast to coast to spend time with my family.  It is a journey I greatly anticipate as I find myself not only home sick, but in need of family time after a few months away.  I eagerly anticipate my work day to end and the voyage to begin with a dash to the airport.  This delight usually melts away like a snowman standing in the sun by the time I make it to the TSA security check point.

This year, I found an odd peace had settled over seasonal travel.  The airport was abuzz with first class treatment for all. It began at the airline counter with a holiday pass for a slightly overweight bag.  The TSA officers had smiles on their faces and preformed their tedious job like caring humans and not sheep herders.  The flight crew was not only helpful but cheery and humorous in performing their duties.  Even my carry-on bag received first class service when the pilot found a substitute for the overhead bins packed with goodies and gifts.  Suddenly, I felt like I was in a modern day version of it is a “Wonderful Life.”  This spirit of caring became so contagious, that I found myself joining in with other travelers as we sang to pass time and shared snacks during the long layovers.

Caring is not something that can be scripted or even put into words in a sales training manual.  Unscripted caring is cultured in the work environment.  When Automotive Management practices unscripted caring, there should also add this behavior to their sales performance training.    Just look at companies like Amazon and Zappos who have created an atmosphere with the “right” attitude for converting the mundane and making it exciting.  Cultivation this experience is what moves your products/services from ordinary to an extraordinary experiences that keeps your consumer coming back for more!   Interestingly, caring really does not take much additional effort or dollars to in order to create a huge impact.

Imagine what little things you can do to boost the value of the products and services your sell.  How would those little deeds of kindness motivate your buyers to shorten the sales cycle?  What would your work place be like if your staff and customers alike were untroubled and energized about doing business with each other?  In a market that has become so competitive and where every dollar seems to count, unscripted caring is the fine line between struggling for success and actually achieving success.

Copyright © 2014, Stephanie Young All rights reserved.