Getting your team on the same page for when to recognize it is time to pass on an up before the deal is lost is essential. A good manager sets rules but the rules have to be flexible and realistic. There will always be days when the best rules have to be thrown out the window.
Playing by the manager rule
Every team member should have a clear idea of when the line is drawn in the sand and they need to stop trying and pass on the up. If you don’t set the boundaries, things can go off the cliff easily.
If you have a team member that tries too hard, they can wear out a customer. If you have a team member that doesn’t try hard enough, then team resentment is going to build-up quickly. Don’t make some arbitrary rule about when to pass on, bring your team members in and ask them what their process is. It will be different for all.
Compare their process with their voucher record and find the best way for each to proceed.
When to let go
When the season is slow, it’s tempting to view everyone who walks through your door as a must have. While every sale is going to be important to the bottom line, you have to look at your bottom line realistically. It may be more advantageous to start tracking your turn days and short staff on the off ones.
If you want to roll out an incentive sale, think it through and make sure the timing matches what you know are your live days. Just passing an up around is no way to guarantee the deal and you could wind up demoralizing your team. You also have to lose the thinking that “one got away.”
These are much different economic times and the decision making process for buying a car has changed for consumers. There are going to be solid ups who won’t buy no matter what because they are only there fact finding and you have to learn to spot them sooner, rather than later.
Gaining the advantage
If there is one thing to be learned about the increasing popularity of the Internet, it is the value of being able to spot your demographic. If you don’t know your demographic, you are going to waste your time sending your team into a situation that is only going to create be-backs, and most of them won’t.
This becomes critical during your sales events, but it is also a part of the day to day process. You should know the demographic for each car and option package and train your team to spot the most likely buyer. Each team member should have a preferred demographic that they train up on.
If your team member can make small talk with the up in the language that they recognize and about the things they care about, you are more likely to see the deal made. One word of caution about getting to know your demographic; it is easy to bypass knowledge and grab a stereotype that is going to push away a customer because you will offend them.
Stay away from slang and music as a means of making a connection unless absolutely necessary.