Express Code Anti Theft Protection $1000 benefit

5 Sales questions to ask you team weekly

5 Sales questions to ask you team weekly

1. What is your success story of the week? (Starts positive and builds trust of the conversation)
2. What is your biggest challenge?
1. How can YOU change it? (They have the answer. They just need someone to help them draw it out of them. Important NOT to solve the problem for them, but to ask them how they intend to solve it)
3. How many new conversations did you have this week?
1. Who?
4. How many new conversations will you have next week?
1. Who?
5. Anything else before we close the call?

FIRST! Notice none of these questions are about money, dollars, or revenue! These are all activity and solution based questions. Activity is where the money, the dollars, the revenue all come from. Money will never come from talking about money. Those people are what are referred to as dreamers.

SECOND! Set a time to talk to your sales person about the “new weekly call”. Tell them the questions that will be on the test, so to speak. Share the specific questions with them. 3 out of 5 will prepare, the others will catch on. Ask them what time and day each week works best for them, but give them only the options you want them to have; i.e. “I have 5 sales people, so I have 5 time slots available on Monday & Tuesday each week. Which day, and of these 5 times, which do you want?” Giving them the choice is the first step in creating an accountability to the call. They chose the “best time for them” for you to refer to when the question of cancelling and rescheduling come up. Of course, down the road you can lighten up. The beginning does have to be strict, it is the training window for both of you.

These 5 questions free up managers to manage. These 5 questions once a week put out future fires and stop the chaos of putting out fires daily. Once this routine is customary to both parties, the chaos stops, the work hours start to come down for both the sales person and the sales manager.

In the first few weeks of the change, let their calls go to voicemail. Make notes from the voicemail for the weekly call, if not truly an emergency. Text, same thing. Simply reply, “remember to bring that to the next call”. Don’t let texts create a sense of urgency or stress to reply if not truly an emergency. Success stories, reply when you can with encouragement and excitement. In all things, we want to reward the good behaviors, so we are not going to a cold, ice running through our veins type of system. It is easy to go too far, too literal, and too fast. We still care about people. Remember, no one needs to be heard more than a sales person in good times or bad.

The sales person will catch on quickly. First, they will want to bounce all around, skipping the uncomfortable, try to cancel, reschedule, etc. The time set is set for each week, every week and must remain the same for the first 4 weeks. Rescheduling request should be pushed. Ask if “does an earlier time work better for you? Say 6:45am?” No one ever wants to talk to the SM first thing in the morning, so they accept the scheduling they agreed to quick, almost as if asking for mercy.

The crucial task is to simply ask them the question, stop talking, listen, and acknowledge in the end with, “anything else", encouragement, and compliments. Rarely make suggestions, if ever. Far better than a suggestion or advice is, “Will that address it?” “How can you duplicate or avoid that again?” It is important they talk most of the weekly call. After all, this is their time. They get once a week with you, they should talk the most.

Share company updates through emails tagged with, “call me with any questions or concerns.” If something is not clear, they will call or reply. The weekly calls build trust and accountability.

Every manager has that one person on their team who will continue to have a daily crisis. Continue the practice of listening most, making zero to no suggestions to solve their problems, and quickly move down the path of, “Sounds terrible. What do you think will prevent this from happening in the future?” Managers who solve problems for their sales people are not managers, but Sales People Assistants. Quite a difference between the two. No one wants “Sales Person Assistant” on their business card.

The next step is a group call, in addition to and prior to your individual calls. This is where you will disperse company information, changes, the newest lines, competitor insights, etc. Add this call once you feel EVERYONE on your team is prepared weekly for their individual calls. A good sign is each of your individual calls are under 15 minutes. If you jump too soon, you will have your untrained, needy sales person taking over your group calls with their problems. When someone does dive off course, tell them on the group call, “we will discuss that in your individual call”

All of this is from my personal experience and best practices with my own teams. Notice I said best practices. This is the system I came to trust, believe in, and generate the most success from as well as get the most out of my teams. This is the system those teams bought into. 

My Daughter Discovering Her Entrepreneurial Spirit

Today is the last day you can order to receive the gift before Christmas.

This is my daughter's business and first entrepreneur venture. Thank you for your support!

http://sites.touchstonecrystal.com/marilyngrubaugh/myevent?e=94173

Payment packing troubles...

Why signed menus from every deal, cash or finance are crucial to protect your customers, you, your business, and your staff. Have the tough accountability conversations with your finance managers. Challenge them.

http://www.fi-magazine.com/news/story/2016/12/new-york-ag-settles-two-payment-packing-suits-for-1-6-million.aspx?ref=enews-thursday-new-20161208&utm_campaign=enews-thursday-new-20161208&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter

Not getting the clients you want...

This particular segment got my attention. It should get yours to as an independent auto dealer.

"

2. Not Getting the Clients You Want Can Be the Best Thing That Could Happen to You.

Not getting the results you expected is sometimes a stroke of good luck, because it forces you to reevaluate your skills and effort; it can open new opportunities and information you would have otherwise overlooked. Sometimes our efforts fall apart so that better things can fall together.

Failure enables us to see the importance of purging attitudes and techniques that aren’t working and need to be changed. And never forget that, no matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying to improve and grow their skills."

http://ae-emagazine.com/featured-articles/the-ride-back-home/

It has been around almost as long as that first Ford... The Five "P's" of dealer success, or failure.

1. People
2. Process
3. Programs
4. Pay Plans
5. Performance

This is the order they are tought in. I agree with the right people in place first. I would move Pay Plan to 2, or even 1 B! Pay Plan is so crucial to the dealership success when the righ people are in place. When you have the right people, Pay Plan drives perfromance, programs, and yes, even the process.

I help dealers with The Five "P's"! 

As an independent agent for dealers, I maintain an ongoing wide variety of quality products. I do extensive research on all product lines. Not every product or service makes the cut. I review the ratings and reviews from both sides, the dealer principles and the consumers prior to agreeing to offer the products or services.

I also offer ghost staff evaluations. I can help you see how your customers are being greeted online, on the phone, and in person. Who's your top, and who might not be meant for sales.

Call me to set up a time. We can discuss how these can be implemented, testimonials to the difference, and what it looks like when The Five P's are all out of whack! 

Willie Grubaugh

Cell 214-244-3871

Revolutionary Performance Management

wgrubaugh@rpmusatx.com 

http://rpmusatx.com/

WHY WE SELL THE BACKEND PRODUCTS

It is F&I Friday!

1. ZERO overhead, or up front expense - all paid for by the customer, then paid to the provider
2. ZERO time spent outside of the dealership at auction bidding against others for GAP, Service Contracts, Tire & Wheel, Key Replacement coverage, Roadside Assistance, or other products
3. Every additional product your customers buy adds to their level of protection going down the road
4. Not offering & presenting (NOT SELLING) is cheating your customer out of the coverage they may want and need
5. Backend products have proven time and again to increase and improve YOUR dealership reviews!
6. Backend products generate repeat customers. 

The market is competitive enough. Don't give your customers away because you didn't offer them protection for their investment

Have a great car weekend!

If you or another dealer who have been considering, or want to learn more about dealer reinsurance, contact me. 

Willie Grubaugh
www.portfolioreinsurance.com

http://rpmusatx.com/

214-244-3871

wgrubaugh@rpmusatx.com