Let’s face it: the auto business isn’t getting much easier. We’re faced with more and more challenges from nearly every angle. That being said, there are plenty of stores out there that are thriving, and I’m lucky to work with a bunch of them.
There’s a common denominator that I’ve picked up on that inspired me to write this blog. When I visit high-performing stores, they thank me for what we do for them as a company. My response is always to say that we’re lucky to be a part of what they’re doing. You see, high-performing stores are high-performing for a reason: the people in leadership positions making good decisions.
It’s no different from the concept laid out in the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. I can tell you that high-performing stores in our industry have one thing in common, and it’s not that their location is good, or their franchise is great. It’s not that they’re lucky, or have been in business for 100 years either. Typically it’s not even that the owner is smart, but more often than not, it’s because the owner hired great people who know how to get the job done, no matter the circumstances that stand in the way.
So, when they thank us and say it’s because we drive loads of traffic that helps them sell cars, I say, again, we’re one small part of that equation and then highlight the other 99 smart things they do.
In order to have a Turbo Charged store, you have to build it systematically, and it starts with leadership that knows the value of having a great team around them. No matter your feelings on Robert Craft, he’s a smart man to have surrounded himself with winning individuals who make the Patriots dominate the way they do.
So what’s some low-lying fruit that can change your business in an instant?
- Hire the right people. Be sure they are capable of doing the job, they want to do the job, and are excited about doing it. If your management team and employee base doesn’t fit that mold, you will be beaten by a team that has those qualities.
- Keep things very simple. We make it so hard some days, so let me simplify things. Assume you already have the right people in place per that last paragraph. Drive loads of traffic to the showroom floor and the service lane to keep that talented team busy. They’ll sell service and cars like crazy if you put the right people in front of them.
- Have inventory to sell that’s priced right. Think about this: if your talented team has lots of people to talk to or follow up on because your lead strategy is strong, and they have properly priced and clean inventory to sell from, what else could you possibly need to succeed?
In “Turbo Charging your Business,” your job is easy. It’s a matter of people and products. Hire really great people – people who you want to be around and who your customers will love. People that understand work ethic, and care about your business. Then go out and stack your inventory with the right cars at the right prices. Last, pick an agency or advertise in-house if you can afford a team of 4-5 in marketing. Make sure to demand that your agency drives traffic and leads.
Once you hold yourself accountable for building a world class team and hold your managers and yourself accountable for stacking the inventory properly, all you have to do is make sure your marketing plan is dedicated to driving as many walk-ins and leads as you can to create a good ROI.
One mistake I see often is failing to keep the pedal down. When a dealer does this to a certain extent, they stop thriving. Sometimes I actually believe they don’t think that selling more is possible. To truly Turbo Charge your store, you must think big. You must do more of what’s working, less of what’s not, and make sure your entire team is on board with this mode of thinking.
In the end, it comes down to belief. You will fail if you think you can’t do better. Your team will be weak because they’re working for someone who doesn’t have confidence, so how can they? Your excuses of your franchise, your location, the economy, everything else, including “there’s no support from the factory” and “we have 50 dealers around us” creep into the fibers of every square inch of your organization and the Turbo Chargers can never get cooking.
So let’s recap: Hire awesome people, drive loads of traffic to them, give them good products and services to sell and a nice work environment. And most importantly, lead them from the front optimistically. If you believe, then they will believe. When that happens, you’ll sell more and you won’t be able to stop that team from finding more ways to succeed.
That is how you Turbo Charge a business. It’s not rocket science, but it’s hard work and it’s a mental game. I work with many dealers to help them put the Turbo Charged system in place, and I’d be glad to talk to any struggling dealer and help them identify the first steps to firing up the Turbo Chargers at their business.
Troy Spring is the owner of Dealer World, Agency 345, and co-founder of Dealer Funnel. His roots in advertising started while he managed four automotive dealerships and the large advertising budgets for the stores. The dealerships all grew under his watch. He credits much of that growth to the advertising decisions he made to drive more business to each location. He has spent the last decade perfecting what he calls the four pillars of advertising: reach, frequency, creative, and cost. He is a strong advocate of this formula. He spends much of his time sharing these concepts as a national speaker and occasional guest on podcasts.