F&I and Showroom, June 2016

www fi magazine com 18 F I and Showroom June 2016 that video or to answer my question he says adding that the dealerships closing ratio has increased a few percentage points since his staff starting using video two months ago Heggs team employed a video email program called Covideo at their previous dealership but smartphones have made it simple and easy for sales staff to record and edit from their own devices Staffers are equally enthusiastic about social media posting to the dealerships Facebook page and sharing those posts on their personal pages Its so important to have that image out there where youre sharing with everybody what youre doing out in the community and with each other Saxton says of the dealerships Facebook page which has more than 2000 likes That way people get to know you as a person and not just a businessman or a dealer ON THE SPOT Another technique that has become a mainstay at Superstition Springs is spot delivery Done incorrectly spot deliveries can be a lose lose situation for both dealer and customer especially if the customer is forced to return to the store to recontract because the dealership cant place the deal with a finance source But Heggs and Saxton have ensured that this is never the case by creating great relationships with the dealerships finance sources That means meeting buyers in person putting a face to a name and establishing a personal connection We got into the mindset of Hey if theres a customer here you cant replace them One of the things were going to have to do a better job of is building relationships with the banks so that we can find a way to get these deals purchased he explains Lets face it it costs a lot of money to get a customer to the door of any dealership If you dont take that opportunity while theyre there and dont spot deliver them then the guy down the road is going to do it The second prong of the dealerships approach to spot deliveries is exercising excellent judgement Heggs team is extremely deliberate and methodical when it comes to this practice performing thorough customer interviews and file reviews It helps that the dealerships F I team is mostly made up of former F I directors individuals who are used to being held accountable for the decisions they make We talk about those deals on a daily basis and communicate what these banks are doing just so we can make really really good decisions Saxton explains The other thing is weve hired pretty much all ex F I directors or theyve been F I directors at one time We decided early on we wanted the best of the best IRON SHARPENS IRON Heggs and his team take compliance seriously and the dealership works with Automotive Compliance Consultants to test and certify every employee on the regulations governing the car buying process The company also comes in every quarter to perform deal audits We have 100 compliance testing for any type of job position Saxton says Either you pass or you fail We dont accept anything less than 100 As for training the dealership stages weekly meetings for F I staffers called Mentor Monday The gettogethers are designed to allow team members to train and teach each other The sales team stages a similar meeting to review performance discuss what worked and what didnt and share sales techniques An additional monthly meeting with Coffeen Management focuses on product presentations and compliance in F I Compliance is obviously a big deal in the store Saxton adds The dealerships collaborative culture can be largely attributed to the leadership of Heggs who as a former NBA player takes teamwork very seriously And his favorite saying Iron sharpens iron has become the stores mantra Heggs passion for improving his team also extends to the community his dealership serves Superstition Springs has provided more than 50 scholarships to local students sponsors the local United Way and United Food Bank and helped put women in need in transitional housing But none of this would have been possible Heggs says if it werent for the team that followed him all the way from Texas Its like when you take that 30000 foot drop you dont drop by yourself Heggs explains You make sure youve got a team of Navy SEALS ready to go into battle with you The connection between Alvin Heggs and his core management team runs deep They worked together for 12 years at Houstons Spring Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram before opting to follow Heggs to Mesa Ariz to turn around a struggling Superstition Springs DEALER PROFILE