{"id":2537,"date":"2017-04-05T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autoraptor.com\/?p=2537"},"modified":"2017-04-05T09:00:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T13:00:31","slug":"bad-automotive-dealer-management-habits-stop-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autoraptor.com\/blog\/bad-automotive-dealer-management-habits-stop-now\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Bad Automotive Dealer Management Habits to Stop Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Automotive dealer management teams have a direct influence on sales and customer experience, so make that impact overwhelmingly positive.<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve all got bad habits: nail biting, eating junk food, spending too much time on social media\u2026we\u2019re only human, after all. No one wants to deal with these things forever, but as long as your bad habits aren\u2019t hurting others, they\u2019re yours to face when you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

Bad habits at work, though? They\u2019re another beast\u2014one you need to conquer if your business, employees, and customers are going to thrive.<\/p>\n

When it comes to less-than-favorable automotive dealer management habits, they tend to form slowly over time, or you inherit them when you start at a new dealership. Whether problems at your dealership are the direct result of your automotive dealer management style, or are just totally ingrained in your dealership\u2019s culture from past managers, you can\u2019t let them continue any longer.<\/p>\n

6 Common bad habits of automotive dealer management teams<\/h3>\n

1. Incentivizing salespeople to be sleazy\"automative<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the auto industry, it\u2019s always been a struggle to battle negative stereotypes of salespeople<\/a>, but we\u2019ve come a long way. Don\u2019t contribute to the problem by encouraging your sales team\u2014whether directly or indirectly\u2014to be pushy, dishonest, and greedy. How can you prevent this from happening? Prioritize customer experience over making crazy amounts of money and hitting impossible sales numbers.<\/p>\n

2. Disqualifying customers by how they look<\/strong><\/p>\n

You and your salespeople may think you can spot a great customer a mile away based solely on how they look, but guess what? That\u2019s discrimination. And often, inaccurate. Someone who walks in wearing a blazer may need to dress up like a job interview\u00a0because they know their income or credit isn’t great. Meanwhile, someone in a t-shirt and jeans with disheveled hair might walk in knowing they don’t need to impress because they can pay in cash. Think about it! Not only should you discourage discrimination based on what someone looks like, but you should also actively encourage your team to treat all customers equally<\/a>. Everyone who walks through your door deserves the same exact quality customer service\u2014period.<\/p>\n

3. Sloppy hiring practices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turnover in dealerships<\/a>\u00a0is notoriously high\u201439 percent, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association\u2014and you likely feel constant pressure to get warm bodies out onto the showroom floor. It can be hard to break this habit, but stop hiring out of panic. If you take a little extra time to find the right person, do a background check, and provide thorough training, you\u2019ll likely find your new hires are staying longer and doing better work than the random Joe Schmo guys you used to find on Craigslist.<\/p>\n

4. Collecting data, but not using it\"automative<\/strong><\/p>\n

You love technology, and you\u2019re so proud of the digital marketing and sales work you\u2019ve done in your dealership. You\u2019ve collected all sorts of data\u2014newsletter open rates, webpage bounce rates, followers on Twitter, phone leads, and more\u2014but what are you doing with it? Using impressive numbers to create PowerPoint presentations? Don\u2019t just collect data and brag about it; take those numbers, analyze them, and use your findings to make your business better.<\/p>\n

5. Ignoring your expenses<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that you usually have to spend money to make money, but if you\u2019re spending more than you\u2019re making, your dealership is probably in a bit of a pickle. Automotive dealer management should always be trying to grow the business and increase profits, but you could be leaving a lot of money on the table if you aren\u2019t actively managing expenses<\/a>\u00a0as well. Take a good look at where every single dollar in your dealership is going, and if something doesn\u2019t make sense, cut back and make changes.<\/p>\n

6. You still don\u2019t have a CRM<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can hire the best auto salespeople in the world, but if you aren\u2019t giving\"automative them the tools they need to succeed, you\u2019re doing your dealership a great disservice. Invest in a CRM<\/a> that was created for the auto industry to take control of lead management, the sales process, daily work plans, tasks, reminders, email marketing, and reporting.<\/p>\n

Take the first step toward better habits today<\/h3>\n

Breaking bad habits is hard. Experts like to say it takes 21 days to make a change stick, but truthfully, it can take even longer. Don\u2019t try to do a total 180 immediately\u2014choose one bad habit to work on first, figure out if there are some underlying causes contributing to the issue, commit to making a change, and allow for slip-ups.<\/p>\n

The process may feel slow, but just wait. Your team will notice positive changes, and there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll observe a ripple effect that will eventually run through your entire dealership. All good things are worth waiting (and working) for, so stay the course, and you\u2019ll reap the rewards in time.<\/p>\n

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Schedule an AutoRaptor Demo Now!<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n