Being a successful car salesman/sales manager requires a combination of soft skills, hard work, and continuous learning. Here’s a list of daily habits that can contribute to success in this role:
1. Know Your Product: Spend time every day learning about the cars you’re selling. Understand the. features, benefits, and how they compare to competitors.
-You Tube Videos
-Walk arounds
-Drive what you are selling new and used before you show the car
-Read automotive periodicals and online news and have a good understanding of industry trends
-OEM product training compliance
2. Build Relationships: Focus on building strong relationships with customers by actively listening to their needs and providing thoughtful responses and maintaining communication near term and long term
-Social media
-Friends and family
-Bird dog network
-Market and brand yourself
-Be proud of your profession and let everyone know what you do
-Keep in touch with previous customers
-Friend your customers on social media and ask them to like and share your posts
-Get your name specifically in online reviews from your customers
3. Follow Up: Reach out to potential and previous customers to keep relationships warm, answer questions, and provide additional information.
-Texting works best and text from CRM only
-Log all inbound and outbound phone calls
-Take detailed notes in CRM always
-Follow CRM schedules diligently and do not “pencil whip” To Do’s
-Mark CRM accordingly with the result of the customer interaction so you have the correct contact schedule for follow up
-Short term, medium term, and long term followup are equally important
4. Set Goals: Set and review daily, weekly, and monthly sales targets, and strategize how to achieve them.
-Goal setting should be done End of Year prior year with monthly forecasting in detail for the year ahead (volume, gross per car front and back, leads/sales goals, showroom visit/sales goals, educational goals).
-Have daily, weekly, monthly check ins with team to review goals accordingly
-Use day in the life template to assist your team in reaching goals by building good daily work habits
-Use 2x2 to work on immediate, near term, long term, delay/ignore goals
-Reward team mates for reaching goals and make it fun- “Its not always about $$ for people”
5. Organize and Plan: Maintain a well-organized schedule, including appointments, follow-ups, and administrative tasks.
-Use day in the life templates
-Use calendar preferably in CRM
-Mark tasks accordingly and accurately in CRM
-Be disciplined without fail
6. Practice Communication Skills: Continually work on improving communication skills, including both verbal and non-verbal cues.
-Role playing in showroom
-Sales training courses from OEM
-Listen to recorded phone calls and review with yourself and/or your team
7. Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends, new models, and market conditions that might affect buyers’ decisions.
-Read news about financial impacts on customers
-Pay attention to trends on social media and engage with your network about things outside of selling cars
-Pay attention to industry trends by
-Follow auto personalities on social media
8. Emphasize Customer Service: Always strive to provide top-notch customer service, creating a comfortable and positive experience.
-Offer pickup and delivery for your customers for sales and service
-Respond immediately to your customers when they contact you
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9. Work on Self-Improvement: Invest time in personal development, such as reading sales books or attending workshops to refine sales techniques.
-Dale Carnegie
-Grant Cardone
-Recommend the book https://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Anything-Anybody-Girard-ebook/dp/B001HQHC4S
10. Reflect on Performance: At the end of the day, evaluate what went well and what didn’t. This reflection helps in understanding what areas need improvement.
-How many ups did you take today and close?
-How many leads did you take today and set appointments?
-How many of your appointments showed today and how many did you close?
-How much time did you waste doing unproductive things?
11. Maintain Professional Appearance: Dress appropriately and maintain a clean and welcoming sales environment.
-Dress for success
-Keep your work space neat and clean
-Keep your personal car clean
-Keep your dealership clean
-Keep your lot neat- daily lot walks, fill the holes
12. Stay Positive and Motivated: Sales can be a rollercoaster, so maintaining a positive attitude and staying motivated, even during tough times, is essential.
-Smile
-Make good eye contact
-Shake hands
-No foul language
-Show appreciation for the staff you work with in all departments
13. Collaborate and Learn: Work closely with team members and learn from those who are successful in the field.
-Listen to other teammates when they talk on the phone
-Listen to other teammates when they work a deal
-Connect with and follow your teammates that have a strong social media following/presence
14. Adhere to Ethical Practices: Always be honest and transparent with customers, as building trust is key to long-term success.
-Adhere to company values and mission statement
-Do not make promises to customers with out putting it in writing with management approvals
15. Utilize Technology: Familiarize yourself with CRM systems, digital platforms, and other tools that can help manage leads and customer relationships efficiently.
-Retrain on the technology you use twice a year or more
-Learn from others who are better at technology then you
-Watch YouTube videos on how to use the technology
-Rely on your vendors for training and hold them accountable
-Look at reports that indicate how your team is using or not using the technology the way its supposed to
-Do not let teammates cut corners because they resist change
By focusing on these daily habits, a car salesman/sales manager can increase their chances of success in the competitive field of automotive sales.
