It’s not about just you

I had a salesperson that I just couldn’t seem to get her to work with more customers- being she was new, I would repeatedly emphasize to her to work with more customers, but when they would come in, she’d usually fall back & let another salesperson Up (catch) them. I couldn’t figure it out..she knew her product, she was technically sound, & she was used to competing against the boys because she came from a male dominated industry …so what was it? When asked, she responded, “Marsh, I don’t have a huge need- the other salespeople around me have to struggle to make a sale in order to pay rent & car notes- I don’t have a huge need so I don’t need to make much.” Leaning back I asked her, “So what’s your end game…” to that she told me that she planned on being in the car business a long time. “Then if that’s the case, you’re not doing yourself much good- here’s why…

First, you can’t teach what you don’t know & you’ll never know until you first do. In his biography, Arnold Schwarzenegger said the 3 keys to him becoming a 7x Mr Olympia, successful businessman, & one of the highest paid actors at the time in Hollywood were reps, reps, reps.”

Reps weatherproof your career. You’ve got to work with hundreds of experiences, objections, scenarios, & obstacles while fading & maneuvering through thousands of rejections not only so that you can learn, but so that you can pay it forward and help others succeed who are starting out as well. Reps also give your customers the needed assurances that you can help them with their current situation because you’ve helped other customers maneuver through similar circumstances as well.

“This brings me to my 2nd point,” I told her, “When you’re not working with enough customers, not only do you not possess enough of the necessary skills that they desire & deserve, but not working with enough customers means that you’re OK with them buying from an inferior salesperson- if you say that you’re here to help customers, then you’ve got to follow through with actions to those words.”

“Which brings me to my 3rd point,” I quipped, “Do you have kids?” She told me that she had a boy and a girl- Mason & Madison…”Do you want them to do well in life,” I asked knowing she’d say yes. “If you want them to do well, then be their teacher- set the example because they can’t be what they don’t see. The reason why so many struggle as adults today is because, no one played the part…no one showed them the pattern… no one chalked the outline, nor showed them what they could be because no one helped them see…no one showed them more so they’ve accepted less.”

You must do well…you must reach beyond your comfort zone…you must dig deep and get back up…you must set audacious goals & kick the door in when Life tries to slam it in your face…you must reach higher because this isn’t just about you.

It’s way bigger than that…

….but first you’ve got to set the bar.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

Someone’s double dipping

As retold in Max Lucado’s book Fearless, reporter Bob Garfield tracked health articles in major publications and discovered that among other health issues, 59 million American have heart disease; 53 million have migraines; 25 million Americans have osteoporosis; 16 million struggle with obesity; 3 million have cancer; and 2 million Americans have severe brain disorders. Reportedly 543 million Americans consider themselves seriously sick…that’s a troubling statistic since there are only 323 million people living in the U.S. Garfield went on to say that either society is either doomed or someone is seriously double dipping.

We’re in an epidemic of fear …and while I’m not discounting the fact that there are some people who are obviously sick, I am highlighting the notion that many are living in a state of fear.

Fear sells. Networks, newspapers, the Internet -hell even your neighbor loves to serve up a good ole’ juicy slab of fear. Log onto Web MD and you’ll quickly be scratching your head wondering how in the hell you’re still living?

Fear is all around us….seriously.

What’s going to happen with Russia…what country is facing sanctions…who’s going to be called to face a Congressional hearing…what are the interest rates going to be…will the NFL commissioner get a contract extension…or who’s going to be the next President….man I have no idea. I don’t know, but I do know that I don’t have any control over any of that…so why should I be fearful over the things that are out of my control or likely won’t even happen?

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In sales, we tend to worry about what everyone else is doing.We worry about what the other dealer is doing down the road; we worry about why the top salesperson gets all of the “house cheese-” you know the one who gets all of the manager’s loyal customers and friends. We waste all kinds of time conspiring how one cat is succeeding when we should be knuckled up in learning how to be more consistent. And when something isn’t swinging our way-when Life kicks us dead in the center of our being, we freak out and double dip-pouring more problems onto ourselves…choosing to sit in fear instead of working by faith. 

Control the controllables..you can’t control the total number of customers that come through your dealership today, but you can control the fact that you grab your 2 or 3 opportunities. You can’t control how many salespeople the dealership decides to hire, but you can control what you do when you show up every day. You can’t control the fact that they passed you up for management, but you can control the process of starting to act like one-developing yourself as a manger so when the opportunity comes-whether there are somewhere else, you’re ready for it. You can’t control the weather, but when adversity strikes, you can control whether you’ll use it as fuel to step up or fuel to flame out. 

Control the controllables…play your game today. Stop double dipping in fear and start doubling up your efforts. That’s what you can control..and when you do..when you play your game, we’ll all benefit because you gave us the only thing you have control over….

….YOU…

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

It Won’t Look Up Until You Look Out

As our inboxes become inundated with reports from both manufacturers and big-box automotive groups gleefully boasting of double digit gains in sales, one cannot help but hum the song, “Welcome back Kotter,” look up and be thankful that maybe, just maybe our industry is on its way back. We recount 4 years ago, walking past the TV and hearing the talking heads’ predictions of impending, dire circumstances. “Won’t happen to us,” we thought, “we’re rocking,” as we nonchalantly glance at the time on our newly financed Omega watch. With no ABS system, no airbags, no forward warning collision system-not even a seatbelt to restrain it, our industry smashed into reality, ejecting and killing the careers of countless dealers, managers, and dealership personnel. Some of their careers were given 3 months to live, while others showed up, feeling as if something wasn’t quite right, only to realize their fears when they repeatedly yanked on the locked doors of their dealership-their hopes and paychecks instantly flushed. With hands cupped in a half arch over their eyes, they leaned on the glass and stared into the lifeless showroom they once scurried across. As you stood out on the blacktop and heard those stories, you vowed that if you could get through one more month, things were going to get better. As a month rolled into a quarter and the quarter flopped into another year, you parlayed your optimism for just one more month..and another…and another. This industry made you tough, these times made you tougher. Although tormented inside, you played Russian roulette with your career. With an unyielding mental fortitude, you stared down the barrel of each month. Click, spin, click, spin, click, spin-nothing. Your fears were being painted, but you were too naïve, too crazy, too irrational to buy the painting-you stayed in and with baited breath waited for the next up. Many didn’t make it-you did, but you haven’t arrived, you’ve just begun. Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” It’s time for you to sharpen your axe. No longer in survival mode-you’re now the hunter and no longer the hunted. Unemployment, foreclosure, and bankruptcy tried to run you down, but you escaped the jaws of disparity. You cannot wait for things to look up until you begin to look out…and when you do, you’d better be swinging a sharp axe. Opportunity doesn’t knock on the door, you’ve got to be prepared to kick the door in and seize your opportunity. Over the past several years, the industry may have slowed down, but technology did not. Now more than ever, your skills have to be razor sharp; you can no longer wish, want, or wing your way into a deal-you’ve got to wield your axe and blade through an uneven fight. Loaded with Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and social media, customers are showing up technologically armed with chords of objections, costs, quotes, book-outs, comparisons, and counters. When you have a dull axe, you have to work twice as hard, twice as long. Sharpen your blade by filing the rough edges of your day into a strategic, measured daily approach; sand the years of rust from disuse from your blade; us honing oil to polish your negotiation skills. Finally, with a circular motion, use your sharpening stone to perfect and repeat your product knowledge and presentation skills into a fine razor’s edge. In an industry full of axes, only the sharpest will survive.

See you on the blacktop!

AutoSuccess Magazine Podcast

http://traffic.libsyn.com/sellingsuccess/AutoSuccess_228_-_Marsh_Buice.mp3

In this week’s podcast, we discuss how you can set yourself up for success on the sales floor. Sadly, selling has become a lost art-form. Many sales people approach their profession with a “just enough” attitude, giving very little to their profession. With just a few disciplines-along with a different mindset, you can learn to become superior in a talent pool of mediocrity. See you next time on the blacktop!

(or you can find it on www.autosuccesspodcast.com, or on iTunes by searching “autosuccess”)

AutoSuccess Magazine Podcast