Have you ever noticed that games are often won or lost in
the second half?
During the first half of many football games each team is
implementing the strategy that they developed during the
preceding days leading up to the big game. Each team has
studied game film of their opponent's previous efforts,
diligently searching for vulnerabilities in the opposition.
Realizing that your customers will often "game plan" for
days, (if not weeks), prior to arriving at your dealership,
doesn't it make sense that you review how the team, (your
sales team), is doing at "half time?"
Each morning you need to examine the previous day's sales
activities. Yesterday represents the "first half" of the big
game and today is the "second half", where the game will
either be won or lost.
Daily Save-a-Deal meetings are the most effective way to
accomplish this task. Each morning all of the managers meet
to review and discuss the prior day's activities. In order
to accomplish this in a timely manner, the desk manager's
responsibility is to log every point-of-contact that your
sales people have with an up, including people driving
through the lot.
A manual desk log is preferable, but even if you use a
computer based tracking system, every opportunity should be
entered to get an accurate up count each day. Remember, if
they are on your lot it's not because they got lost looking
for the local WalMart or CVS Pharmacy. They are there
because they need to replace their vehicle and they believe
that you may actually have what they want.
Recording accurate stats for the "first half," (yesterday's
sales activities), is critical to make adjustments in what
you will do in the "second half," (today). The log should be
color-coded for efficiency during the review at the daily
save-a-deal meeting. Green for sold, pink for a hot
prospect, and yellow for a dead deal.
If improving your front end gross is your number one focus
vs. increasing volume (choose which is of greater importance
at this time) begin reviewing the Green sold list first, if
volume is your bigger issue start with the Pink hot prospect
list first.
In reviewing the sold vehicles you should examine how much
profit was produced on both the front and back end. For this
reason someone from the F&I department should be present
each day to report on the prior day's F&I production
results.
In reviewing each sold unit use the "Plus / Delta Approach"
to examine your results. "Plus" meaning you did a good job,
we made big money. The question you then ask is simply,
"Why?" If no one can explain why you made money on either
the front or the back, then the only thing you can attribute
your success to is luck. Clearly that is no way to run a
business. If you do not know what you actually did to
accomplish this superior result, how on earth can you hope
to duplicate it again today?
"Delta" meaning what would you do differently? Now knowing
what you do about the situation of this sale, "poor result"
(low gross), how could this unfortunate event be avoided
today when presented with similar circumstances? Mistakes
and failures are a part of life, you can't avoid them. How
you react and learn from them is the key to your
improvement.
The Pink list of hot prospects should be discussed to
determine why this customer chose to not do business with us
yesterday. Was it the trade, the payment, the selection?
Regardless of reason, a manager that did not work with this
customer yesterday should call them today and inquire what
could be done to help them out today.
Schedule your Daily Save a Deal meeting to start 15 minutes
after your sales people are scheduled to arrive at the
dealership. This insures they all arrive on time each day
before you start a management review of yesterday's sales
efforts. Allocate approximately 20 minutes for your meeting.
As time permits review 2 and 3 days back on the sale logs
for all pink hot prospects still listed.
After completing a review of the sales log (print it out and
highlight if computer based) then transition to your
scheduled One on One's we discussed in last month's March
issue.
Remember games are won and lost in the "second half", win
the game today.
Go make something happen!
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