If Brady, Rodgers and Manning need one, why not you?

For the better part of 20 years in the automotive industry, from selling lime green Geo’s (with striping packages) to marketing GM accessories in the Philadelphia market, I’ve had the pleasure of impacting lives in a completely different profession … that of a certified personal trainer, coaching clients with interests from traditional triathlons, to Spartan and Tough Mudder events, and with a special attention to golfers, as a Titleist certified golf fitness instructor; each athlete, competitive in their own space and for their own reason(s) and each one looking for a competitive edge. The similarities between the athletes begin with the individual determination to excel and internal desire, to not just compete, but to win and win handily.

And while the State Farm commercials with Hans and Franz and Aaron Rodgers are entertaining, there’s an underlying message that has real world value – even elite professionals have coaches and trainers.

Think of the consistent media footage, showing the pairings … Brady and Belichick, Jordan and Jackson, Jeter and Girardi. So many examples abound.

Could the athletes have won championships without a mentor, a coach? Sure; however, would it have been as many, as easily, and in such grand fashion?

So if you consider yourself a professional, what you may need most, is a coach.

But I’m not here to suggest you hire me as a trainer for your competitive fitness goals. We can compare “bench press numbers” later; instead, the rest of this article is intended for people in sales in the automotive industry, specifically at the dealership level.

While at first, there may not seem to be a connection between an athlete and a car salesman or service writer or parts counter staff, I assure you, there are many similarities, beginning with the title on the business card: Sales/Service/Parts – Consultant, Specialist, Professional, Advisor, Genius (no, not the staff at the iStore – these folks are at BMW dealerships). What do those titles mean? Are they a euphemism, or are they a call to action?

To dealership staff who have come to realize they can:

1. Have a lifetime career at the dealership
2. Financially support themselves and family
3. All the while, maintaining the same ethical standards as in other industries and earning the respect of your customers

… why NOT consider the services of a consultant? You deserve as much training and support as any athlete looking to succeed in their next event.

It simply comes down to change – both the desire and the ability to create change, in a positive and sustainable manner. If you can do it on your own, then you’re an outlier. Most of us can’t and that’s why a consultant, a coach, a trainer is imperative to continuous success.

What to look for in a consultant? Their ability to listen, truly listen, to your challenges and then develop an action plan around your available resources. And those resources commonly include time, budget consideration, market condition/space and senior management support (unless of course, you own the dealership). While a consultant may have conviction about a suggestion/ principal/ concept, it shouldn't be so rigid, that it can’t be modified to some of your unique dealership conditions; however, like a competent personal trainer, it’s the duty of a consultant to push the client into some uncomfortable, off-balance situations, to find limits beyond a perceived scope of ability.

A consultant should also provide incremental suggestions, for short (aka - immediate) through medium-term goals with clear, tangible and motivationally obtainable direction, while setting the expectation for the long-term goal.

• Want to lose weight? Start by eating with your left hand (if you’re a righty) today. Tomorrow, begin walking 10,000 steps 5 days a week for a month and in the third week, we’re going to review nutrition. At 90 days, decide upon a lifestyle event (5k walk/run, hiking vacation, etc) to train for, that takes place within 6 months.
  
• Want to sell more parts? Today, start timing and logging for a report, the duration it takes for a parts request to be fulfilled to the technician, for a customer recommendation that’s been accepted after every multi-point inspection. Within the next two weeks, decide on the available budget to monitor/record inbound customer calls and/or for an online accessories catalog with e-commerce functionality. At day 30, develop an action plan to address any internal inefficiencies with parts fulfillment (electronic versus paper process), a training resource for phone skills, and create an action plan around accessories sales.

By the way, why is the long term goal for an increase of parts sales only 60 days out, compared to 6 months for the weight loss? Because for most people, it’s easier to start making money today, than it is to lose weight.

In the end, you may struggle to find the right match in the first try (remember, Belichick coached the Jets), so just like changes in health habits, it’s up to you, to find the initial internal drive, to find a consultant who will help you in the long run.

If you're not up to the change(s) as recommended by a professional consultant, perhaps the easiest change is to the title on your business card.

PS. A shout-out here, to my wife, who has volunteered to be my life-long coach and encouraged me in every step of my automotive (and personal trainer) career.

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Shawn M. Ramsey
Area Vice President ... Software as a Service (SaaS)
20 years automotive – Retail, OEM supplier, Vendor

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