“Everyone can be trained” I would say, eternally hopeful in my early years of DealerKnows. Before I arrived on-site, dealership owners would say “I don’t know how much luck you’ll have with [INSERT NAME HERE]… he’s an old dog.” When it comes to training car salespeople, their age doesn’t matter. I’ve taught many old dogs new tricks yet still met some puppies who refuse to learn. Almost everyone adapts when you prove to them it is in their best interest to do so. Sometimes visiting a new store, ownership will almost preface my arrival with a warning about a salesperson, BDC agent, or Internet manager saying they may need to move on from them. However, I believe in giving everyone a chance to buy-in, get on process, learn, or at least fall in line. At first.
Salespeople deserve access to training. They are owed the chance to get educated. To have the right knowledge bestowed upon them, the data explained, the methodology revealed, the skills put in place, and the plan laid out, so they know what direction the team wants to go, and what their responsibilities are to help the dealership get there. Employees should be given the chance to step up after receiving this training. We owe them the time to change. Until they prove to us they won’t.
It doesn’t need to be a lot of rope we give them. We don’t wait until they circumvent the steps, choose their own misguided path, become a cancer to their team, disregard the training, sabotage the process, override management, and try to do things the way they’ve always done it. No. You give them a chance to change. Dealers invest money in marketing, technology, and training, not even including payroll and all other fixed costs. You put forth your best effort to get your team better. Then you give them time to adjust. When they don’t get on board, that is when a write-up occurs, followed by the penalty of a fine, followed by a warning. Much like steps to the sale, there are steps to the punishment (and potential dismissal) of an employee. You’ve made it clear what you expect from them and if they don’t follow through, that is when the termination needs to occur. This isn’t a game, it’s business.
I always ask dealers give me a shot to train their hard-headed team members before any firing occurs. I used to make that request when I started DealerKnows, and I still make that request today when taking on new clients. With that said, not all people deserve the privilege of handling leads, calls, texts, or customers. That is something earned. For that reason, I will take back how I started this blog. I said, “Everyone can be trained.” I was wrong. I should have said, “Everyone can be trained.” Salespeople are all able to learn. Some just don’t want to. A few may outright refuse, even if it is in their best interest or that of the company’s best interest to do so. They fight the change asked of them. In those instances, be comfortable making the cut. If you can’t change people, change people.
