Where oh where can the salespeople be ,oh where oh where could they be?

Success breeds success. The best will be attracted by other's success. Let others speak for us. Testimonials about how we have changed lives, Remember, facts tell, stories sell...

As some of you know I just got back from a mini vacation with my oldest daughter and oldest grandson that we took in Cooperstown.....Granted these peoples entire lives depend on tourists,but I have also found in many travels that doesn't always equal great service....EVERY place we went we were treated with legit, respect,patience,service and gratitude.Now is that due to the culture of that little town? Is that type of service due to the individual business owners leadership? Is it just in their genes? Is that because somebody took the time and interest in their people to show them how to treat their customers?.....Servers, and other retail people don't even know yet what great Automobile Salespeople they COULD be if given the chance and then of course the proper training.

Just like the Dinosaurs before them, real salespeople have become extinct. This is an industry wide problem and is getting worse not better. Most salespeople try to take the easy way around everything which is why they go from point f to o to z and then back to p but never a - z. Their paperwork is generally horrendous and no matter how many times they bring a deal to F and I, you can bet the same documents, forms, ID cards etc. will be missing or wrong that were last time.

I say we write a song parody called.... "Where have all the car guys gone." They are out there, and they can be developed. We as the "mentors" of the business need to keep believing that this this an exciting business and a superb opportunity for the right candidates. The new recruits that are surrounded by winners and proper training have the best chance at success. # 1 reason any employee fails is that they do not know exactly what is expected of them..... I say.... let them know day one that prospecting, training, follow up, systems and procedures are all expected of them and if we get them off to a great start..... maybe just maybe the good habits that we all learned will stick with them too.

Great comments!....

prior to entering the auto industry I was a salesman at Boyd's Mens Store in downtown Phila where wecateted to all including drs. lawyers, most professional atlethltes etc I hd many car dealers as clients and I was recruited by HENRY FAULER RIP and the rest is history I worked my way into mgmt after 3 yrs and grew by using the methods and techniques of many trainers including the likes of Jackie B cooper, Tom Stuker, Clint Magee , Joe Girard, Grant Cardone, James Ziegler,

Fran Taylor, Joe Verde, Ron Rehard Paul Cummings etc etc sorry if I missed anyone . Now I am One myself This is a very rewarding career if you do the right things have a great attitude, focus plus discipline = results and just treat everycustomer like it would be your grandparents with the upmost respect

Mentors and mentoring is sooooo important!

What are perhaps 3 "Keys" in attracting potentially the right people in the first place to be able to train and mentor?

The American car salesman is both hated and revered.
He is the last of a rare breed - the ultimate maverick.
He walks with confidence and takes offense at direction.
He cannot be left on his own, yet his spirit will not be dominated.
He is free enterprise personified.
The American automobile salesman laughs in the face of affirmative action. He is one of the few workers in society who is paid exactly what he is worth.
While the average person views an hourly wage as security, he disdains it as unnecessary limit on his ability to produce.
He hears negative responses every day, but has never learned the meaning of defeat.
He believes free enterprise was created with him in mind.
He has the instinct of the hunter, coupled with great compassion and kindness. He speaks eloquently and detects the most innocent untruth from his customers.
He would never bow his knee to any king or queen, but has the uncanny ability to treat his customers like royalty.
He is uniquely talented, endowed with savvy that cannot be taught in a classroom.
His spirit is what America was built on.
He is a loner who has difficulty walking in step with others, yet he gravitates towards those who are like him.
He is intensely competitive, nevertheless quick to give a helping hand to a struggling brother.
He is a dealer's biggest liability, yet he is that same merchant's greatest asset.
Some elements of society would like to eliminate him, but have found him to be indestructible.
Without his personality, his smile, his spirit, there would be a giant void in America.


Larry Bruce

Proper training is important but people don't stay if they can't make money at a dealership. It is very much a numbers game and new sales people have to do more than just "meet and greet". I teach them ways to make money, a huge part of it is making calls and setting appointments, but most sales people hate to make the calls and most dealerships don't know how to motivate their sales people to embrace the phones. Plus, they have to get support from the dealership to allow them to do it, once they know how.

Oh where, oh where has the old car salesman gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his hair cut short and his work week long.
Oh where, oh where can he be?

He's the teller at the bank you know
She's the waitress who pours you tea
He sells cellphones at the shopping mall
She's the gal at the pharmacy

Look for traits in all of them
That you would like to see
A career in automotive will be theirs
Just welcome the opportunity!

Look at this these comments....just gets better and better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well good salespeople are really everywhere they are hard to find these days however you need tramsparency no gimmicks no false hopes just honesty from soup to nuts it's creating the internal customer so your external customer is treated properly

We are all American car salespeople. Some of us have become managers and owners. I think emphathy, understanding and listening to them with they in mind will get the highet % of well trained salespeople to succeed, be succesfull and stick. We train that and expect them to do this when they talk to the potential customers. I believe we should follow that and practice what we preach.

They say if you can sell cars you can sell anything. They are chasing their dreams! I often fantasize about having a territory. When the customer calls the operator will ask where they are and when they say the call gets transferred to me because they are in my territory. The other thing is the residual income some salesman get you make the first deal and then its the gift that keeps on giving!
Then the phone rings and I am back to work until 9 or 10.

I get back to trying to sell my customer and my desk at the same time. My Customer is looking at a $20,000 vehicle and wants to be under $300 a month with zero down. The desk manager says to "hit him at $750 per month with $2000 down and don't let him leave." They sit up on their throne and throw out ridiculous scenarios that they would never think of presenting themselves. Here I am the only realistic one of the three in this situation yet the other two think I am a big idiot. The managers were once salesman so they went through the same initiation we go through I guess.
When a salesman is promoted to sales manager there is not much training involved the cycle starts over again. Thrown to the wolves all over again. Then I fantasize all over again about my territory. Then I hear a page for a sales meeting at the desk. They usually will hold a meeting to inform the sales crew how much they suck and then a vendor will walk in to sell something. The Sales manager will stop the meeting long enough to tell the vendor to "get the F out of here I am not interested. Didn't I hang up on you yesterday?" Then he will go on to tell the sales crew to "make phone calls and get out and prospect."
How can you not love being a car salesman. Those of you who no longer sell cars try to remember when you may have been somewhere talking to people and having a good time. Things are going well then someone will ask what do you do?
There are so many qualities the top sales guys have that simply can't be taught.

I always wondered if I wore a shirt every day in and out of the dealership that said "I am a car salesperson, what would I need to do to sell you a car today?" How many cars would I sell because of that alone in a year? If we are proud of the fact we are car salespeople others would react in a positive predetermined way.

Why is it that we can justify spending thousands of dollars to send our children to college to get an education but can't see the benifit of educating the salesforce because of the cost factor. The benifits far outway the cost and it helps retain the salesforce, which is what we all strive for.

Great question Mike!

got to be proud, Rick...agreed

Stan I can totally relate to what you are saying from both sides of that situation you brought up......but.....not ALL dealerships and cultures are like that you described....granted far to many are
email me your snail mail home address I want to send you a book a friend of mine wrote called "A Journey into the Heroic Enviroment" by Rob Lebow....you may find some answers there

Selecting candidates who are absolutely diven to suceed- Drive is the foundation to success, three elements that make up DRIVE are need for achievement,competitiveness, and optimism ,a personal desire for personal excellence, optimistic achievers have 2 key advantages they set up a self fulfilling prophecy of success. They accept rejection and bounce right back.If you want to find great people you have to look in the right places. Eales and Turkeys don't eat the same food.

great stuff Aaron

Nothing you can do will bring a higher return to your organization than finding thre right people and placing them in te right place. In fact until you do everything else you do is irrevelant. There is no shortage of talented people,it's just that the most talented ones have jobs. Use your website as a recruitement post for online applications,

When Interviewing I use a series of high quality questions EXmple- What kinds of sacrifices have you made to be successful? What is the toughest goal you ever set for yourself? Tell me about the most competitive situation you have ever beenin at work , How unusual was it? Think about the last time you lost a deal What didyou do to recover? What do you feel driven to prove?

Most dealerships today can't find salesman. They hire anything that walks thru the door. If they need 3 guys they may need to hire 30 to find 3 that stick.
Why is it that dealers can't get good salesman?

Welcome to those who have just joined 32 members in 24 hours.....pretty cool.
Engage give opinion and lets all help each other!

Folks all your comments have been nothing short of OUTSTANDINg,I'm having some issues sending a reply to your discussions....will try and get that fixed...hopefully people are getting something out of all this....invite more people....this topic and issue needs resolved....where are they,what methods can a dealer use to get them,train them,develop them and keep them?

There are plenty of good people to hire. The problem is keeping them. There are a few things that stick out when you ask your question. One you must have a good pay plan to keep any person. Second you have to have daily training to keep them moving forward. Third you need a manager to understand the difference between a requirement and a request. In other words hold people accountable by checking systems to be sure they are being done. I truely believe this is what it takes.

33 Members already!!!! Wow!!! Greast job, Craig!
The two main ingredients in the recipe for a successful auto business are: 1) People and 2) Percentages. If we concentrate on attracting the top folks and maintain training and keep everything in line as far as departmental gross profit and expenses, how can we lose?
Yes, this is a plug for my group called "Nothing but Net" here on dealer elite where we will discuss ways to enhance the bottom line. If you are here, you need to be there as well! Please join my group and get some great discussions going that will benefit all!!!!!

People who want a career, want to succeed. What defeats most new people is frustration. They want to do the job, they have tools, but no one shows them how to utilize them. As a recruitier we interview and train but it's up to dealers to retain. To retain is to train, train, and train somemore.

"Training is NOT an event...it is an on-going process!"
~NAS

I am curious how many dealerships currently use an effective mentor program? Assuming two dealers train the same amount, and one has a mentor program, would the dealer with the mentor program retain more hires?

guys go to Nothing But Net...it is a GREAT group for all of us to join!

It's all truly simple if break it down.Without the correct quantity of quality salespeople,the dealership will suffer.The starting focus should be on doing whatever it takes to attract these people...they need to know,be able to see that they can earn more than the asst manager at Burger Doodle makes.Dealerships must understand without that car sale and that REPEAT car sale they will not make it...turnover is death,not developing this resourse[salespeople] is just short of criminal.Do whatever it take to get them,keep them.They are not machines or "slaves" that can be screamed at,not properly trained and kicked to the curb within 3 weeks of hiring.Salespeople are everything....no salespeople....no dealership....been tried before...doesn't work!

When I started selling cars in 1976 I could achieve the top 5% of wage earner status in the US. I had a beautiful demo, which I sold every month. I had a dealer that cared about all of thier employees. Sure we all wanted gross back then. We had closing rooms which were wired and closers with methods not tolerated today. The community still liked us. We were involved in the community in ways only found in small communities today. The advantage today, better product, well trained sales people and superior customer service. You lack any of the latter and no dice. NO TRAIN. No Track!

Haven't been able to spend much time in the group,6 year old Grandson from Ohio visiting.....now this little man could sell some cars! He has sold me on everything this week!

It's amazing how many good people fall through the "cracks" because managers don't have the time to interview and evaluate.

David I talked about that just today with the 5 new Trainers......There are desk drawers FULL of apps and resumes....fact is and I can relate that managers just dont have the time.....They are the "Cash Register"....Its the old Acres Of Diamonds story,,,,,at times the diamond is right underneath us!

Terry I agree with what you have put forth and if followed your suggestions will help a salesperson communicate and be relevant to the individual buyer. Where so many salespeople fall short is the lack of practice and preparation. You are dead on accurate when you talk about championship athletics. Why are they the best? Sure, natural attributes play a significant part. Beyond that is the sheer repetition to reinforce and further develop their skill sets. Constant practice so that during the game everything is second nature. Every salesperson has the same opportunity.

Think about a time when you’ve called your credit card company (or your bank, or cell phone provider) and spoken with someone who was truly personable and helpful. Very likely, you’ve gotten off the phone and wished that that person could help you every time you called. This is precisely the feeling you want to create in your customer - and you want it to begin right there, on the phone.

I have found several GOOD salespeople working retail in home centers and furniture stores.
If they wait on me and they are a good salesman, I give them my card and tell them to call me if they ever want a change in the product they are selling.
3 I have taken from these retail stores are now managing their own stores.
-Feaz

Mark you are spot on,that's exactly what our recruiter/trainers are instructed to do when we are at a store for a week to help supplement who our ads bring in...those people you are talking about are outstanding "finds" I dont know why more dealers and managers don't take advantage of that very available talent pool?

Great point Sam...."Good Phone"....most times = "Good Salesperson"

Terry love to have you move your outstanding comment into a discussion...like Ernie said you are right on the money!

You need customers that REALLY feel good when they leave your dealership the first time and FOREVER if they buy or not! I train salespeople to create these feelings in customers each week. Lots of salespeople can sell them the first time but a real pro gets them back...

Jere Conover

Somewhere inside your circle of influence are great sales[eople waiting to find the right fit. Whenever you visit the mall , you have clothing salespeople, shoe salespeople. furniture store salespeople they are everywhere , right under the nose, but most mgrs and even salespeople themselves don't take the time to converse about the oppurtunty

Right you are Aaron, potential salespeople are EVERYWHERE!

I agree Jere,selling one person one time is NOT what it's all about.

Craig, There are plenty of highly motivated, inspired sales people out there. And, there are a lot more people who would love the chance to earn an above average income, feel good about themselves and their accomplishments, and take pride in offering a great service to their customers.

What separates the best base ball players from the average? Practice, commitment, and tenacity. Great salespeople need these too. In addition, they need to develop relationship and communication skills, product knowledge, an understanding of how to add value during the sales process, and a willingness to engage in continuous learning. All that can happen with the right training and ongoing development.

Feel free to download our free guide: How You Can Develop a GREAT Sales Team, Avoid Costly Turnover, and Accelerate Sales and Profits at www.automotivetraining.us

Thank you.

This is such a huge subject. It’s like getting on a train and trying to figure out which window has the best view. Training, interviewing and coaching are all paramount in the development of a great sales force but I believe the forces we use to motivate our people are an even greater cause for their success or failure. I think this helps explain "where they have all gone". We want salespeople to truly care about their dealership and the prospect, learn all that is available about their products and work the hours of a job and a half. We pay them when it goes down the road but seldom pay them when it doesn’t. We surround them with management that in many cases lacks respect for them or the situation. The environment, in many cases, is a seemly narcissistic opera, me, me, me, me. Every one is motivated to get units down the road whatever way they can.
The environment is the Pay plan, bonuses, schedules, the management, the CSI throughout the dealership and the sales process. No matter who you hire or what their potential is or how successful they are at what they do now. The environment at the dealership will determine how they develop.
I believe that if the dealer sincerely cares about the employee and the prospect, then the salesperson will care about the prospect and the dealer. If that attitude comes across to the customer, the customer will in turn care about the salesperson and the dealership. “The circle to success.” This of course isn’t the whole story, people need coaching and informational development but they accept that coaching and information development as a direct result of their environment.