The dealership sales process has the ability to evolve into a more sophisticated, frictionless business if only it weren’t for our collective hesitation. One theme I see playing over and over at dealerships are the constant impasses that occur from one owner or manager being unwilling to make a decision.
These impasses slow down productivity, stunt growth, turn away technological advancement and more. They can hurt morale, frustrate customers, and lead to losing of market share. We live in a world where competition is necessary and moving forward is akin to breathing.
Impasses can take shape in the form of a CRM not being adopted, a website not being replaced, a conversion tool not being deployed, or a marketing strategy not given a chance. These impasses hurt the opportunities the dealership has to evolve. And they occur because someone high up is afraid to make a decision. Or they believe it’d be “too much work”, or “too much money”. If just one sales manager doesn’t have the intelligence to grasp a forward-thinking concept, they put up a road block to its inception. They play devil’s advocate and combat it until it goes away.
And for this reason, the dealership goes nowhere fast. They teeter on the brink of their own mediocrity. They don’t do excellent and they don’t do terrible. It’s like running on a treadmill. You know you’re still working, but you are missing all the wonderful things outside your comfort zone.
Dealers must adopt faster. Push farther. Get uncomfortable with some of their decisions. Don’t let something “play out”. Make the change. Make the switch. Hire the company. Lead the pack. Sitting on your hands and NOT making a decision is very much a decision in its own right. It means you don’t have the guts to take a chance to be better.
