F&I and Showroom, September 2018

www fi magazine com 16 F I and Showroom September 2018 Winning by Design Dealership expert breaks down four key elements to building a high performance team in todays retail environment BY BILL WITTENMYER R Remember the three D s Demos day offs and draws Years ago dealers promised young salespeople they would teach them everything they need to know to succeed And if they worked hard they would make lots of money Unfortunately not much teaching took place the three Ds were about it and most salespeople never made a lot of money However salespeople in those days entered the profession willing to work long days weekends and holidays They missed out on many family events but it was understood this was the sacrifice you needed to make Building a successful sales team required a lot of churn You hired people you thought were selfmotivated and it was sink or swim If they sunk you found yourself another newbie Today its difficult to find talented young people willing to work in that type of environment Its not because they dont want to work theyre just not as motivated by money They simply have fundamentally different views of the world and whats important Today most workers not just millennials value their time and they want to feel valued and part of something They also want to be empowered to find a better way of doing things At the same time car shoppers are more educated and want control over the buying process They demand more information transparency and honesty Its these dynamics that require a fundamental change in the way todays sales teams are managed Lets take a look at four keys to building a high performing sales team in todays market 1 HIRE BASED ON CHARACTER What do you look for when you hire a new salesperson If youre like most dealers you value experience above almost everything else Hiring based on experience means immediate production without much teaching right Well not necessarily SHOWROOM