The automotive industry can offer rewarding and lucrative jobs to those who put in the much needed time and patience. Yes, there’s plenty of money to be made, and there are plenty who enjoy their jobs, but stress can creep up very quickly in this highly competitive industry. There are ways to keep those stress levels to a minimum, and the team at Justplayin’ is here to offer up some tips to sweep that stress right off the showroom floor.
Listen to your customer’s feedback and take it very seriously. This may seem very obvious, but your customers are everything. Their feedback is everything. Once in a long while, you’ll get someone who just can’t be helped, but most of the time you have real issues like any other business and your customers are the inside source who can help you weed out those issues. Drop the ego, listen and learn. If your reviews are low, make the change. Discuss the issues with your staff and don’t laugh them off over your morning coffee. Respond kindly and let your audience know that you take their input seriously and thank them.
Make training a priority. From what we’ve experienced, many owners and managers feel that ongoing training and development is a waste of money, and to put it lightly, they’re wrong. The industry is constantly changing and evolving. The digital space is the future when it comes to marketing and moving vehicles off your lots, and a good portion of your managers and salespeople are not educated in this space. Now’s the time to get on board. Also, newcomers who learned the ropes by just walking on the lot and throwing themselves into sales, they need management skills. These employees need basic communication training from time to time. They need to be tested and tweaked and brought up to the latest trends and standards in the industry. Training is where it’s at.
Learn those CRM tools to their fullest. They’re built in for a reason. It’s all about organization, customization, and process. Owners, managers, and all sales staff should be fully trained in these tools and it’ll make a world of difference. Next thing you know, your staff understands how units are moving and they care about profit and loss. Your staff will start making decisions about procedures that make sense and will eliminate ones that waste time and money. They’ll make and keep appointments and organize their time in ways they never thought possible.
Have we mentioned social media? Yes, about a dozen times. Don’t fall into the trap. It’s not just about posting a list of vehicles and some pictures of cars, trucks, and SUVs. You need to interact with your current and potential customers. Blog about upcoming events, how to take care of your vehicle during specific seasons or other important current thoughts. Show them happy customers, contest winners, fun facts or appropriate jokes just to make them smile. The point is to engage them. This is not a generation that wants to be yelled at about a super sale. They don’t believe it, and they will Google you, your reviews and they will know their best price before they walk in. Engage them and be their friend, and it’s kind of like a handshake before they even walk in the door, or a warm hug if that’s your thing.
Finally, take no as a maybe or even a yes! Learn to take a hit with grace. Customers are going to walk in every week telling you that they’re not going to buy. They’re just looking. They may even test drive a vehicle or two and walk away. Don’t take this personally and realize that in most cases, they want to buy a vehicle. You have to keep these potential customers in your pipeline and work them until you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, they don’t want a vehicle. This keeps your mind going and hope alive too. When your showroom floor is slow, stress can come creeping in. That’s when you work the pipeline and if there are plenty of leads to follow up on, that gives you something to go on.
The automotive industry is alive a well, and there’s no reason why you can’t work in one of its many lucrative jobs with a smile on your face. Always check in with Richiebelloblogs.com for everything you want to know auto.
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