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Any process is better than no process - or is it?

As a performance development company we have very specific methods and philosophies crafted and evolved from over 30 years in the automotive training and consulting business. These methodologies are designed to achieve the optimum levels in volume, profitability, and customer experience.

When speaking with a prospective client, whether it be a single dealership location or a national sales company, we were often too gentle when we remarked that their existing process was better than no process. We stopped saying that years ago when we discovered that there are many more ways "not to sell a car" than there are ways to sell a car.

That thinking is still prevalent within many dealerships' management teams when they allow different sales processes on the same showroom floor. They will justify the outliers by saying: "he's got his own way of doing things and sells enough so I leave him alone". So if that's working and his closing ratio is 100%, read no further.   

This lack of consistent approach can easily devolve to the ultimate sales manager nightmare - 12 different processes for 12 different sales consultants! How do we manage performance? How do we diagnose where and why they lose customers? How can we coach? Management is reduced to score-keeping on what happened rather than designing the outcome they want.

Too much variation in approach is never more wrong than it is now! Traffic numbers are at historic lows. Shoppers visit only 1-2 dealerships in person. People are highly researched when they turn up. They are there because they want to buy your vehicle or at the very least you're on their very short short-list. With only 1-2 dealerships visited then it's only math - the average closing ratio should be 50%. Why isn't every sales consultant getting 50% closing ratio? Not everybody is average.

The floor traffic you do get is precious! You need the best opportunity to convert that shopper into an owner - that only comes with consistency of approach to customer experience.