How To Put Together a Kick-Ass Sales Management Team

AS AN EXECUTIVE MANAGER, WHAT DO I EXPECT OF MY TEAM?

My concepts include the premise that management is every manager's job description. Every manager is a specialist with a specific area of responsibility BUT anytime something needs to be handled, it is YOUR responsibility.

F&I Managers are only in their offices when they are doing finance duties. Managers are like sharks that never stop swimming, constant motion, never deskbound. When a manager has downtime, they are looking for something meaningful to do ... Managers need to review a sales person, one on one, with coaching ... GSM check with the BDC manager about what's working in the funnel and what appointments are scheduled. Check with my IT and SEM Management, what's working, what's not? Evaluate my vendors, "What's ROI and what's smoke-screen?" 

In the CRM, which appointments do we personally need to call and verify or save a dead deal?

Daily Management Meetings with all departments reporting up-to-date activities and assigning specific managers to handle each situation with a timetable to report back to the GSM results.

In my world, all people with the title "Manager" have equally authority with the "Sales Manager" and can make decisions and handle situations. Only the GSM, GM, or the Dealer can override a manager's decision. (And Never in Front of the other employees)

I assume I am the GSM or GM when I am consulting a dealership today, and I train from a management mindset.

I tell my managers that being a manager is earned. It is a title of ‘authority’, ‘dignity’ and ‘respect’. We are in charge of the sales process. Show respect for veteran experienced Sales Persons and listen to what they say, BUT when the final decision is made, I will make it, and that is what we will do. I am in charge. I will not tolerate ‘managers’ being disrespected.

My job, as a top manager, is to cause my Sales Professionals to be a success and to elevate and advance those who learn their profession and exhibit a winning attitude. My job as a Manager is be sure my Sales Professionals and Managers have a better life for themselves and their families and the people they care about because they work for this dealership and they are part of a team of professionals. We hire the best people and pay them too much.

Regardless of their production, I terminate ‘Bad Attitudes’ and ‘Disrespect’. As a manager, ‘Liking Me’ is completely optional, BUT ‘Respecting Me’ is part of their job description. As a manager, I never worried about being popular, it was always about being effective. That is how You build a Sales and Management team that will follow You anywhere.

We build Sales Teams and Management Teams as if we were training “Seal Team 7”.

When You train and implement processes and every team member knows their responsibility, No Excuses! You will always win.

Personally, I have very limited knowledge or experience in Fixed Operations. I am a Variable Operations Expert and I stay within the boundaries of what I do best. I defer respect to the experts in Fixed operations, and I take advice from those who are doing it. I don’t pretend to know ‘Fixed’, I am Not that guy.

That is why through the years I have a reputation for growing dealerships to the ‘Big Numbers’. I know many Superstar Managers in our industry who are living proof that Management is still needed for the most successful dealerships posting the highest numbers with customer-friendly processes. The rest of them are Just Average, and; ‘Average” is the exact point where “Sucks” starts.

I embrace all the new technologies and have learned to roll with tide. In 46 years in the industry, I have adapted and learned and innovated New Things, as have You. If a dealership lays down and allows technology to completely run your dealership, I suppose that will be possible, someday. It isn’t completely here yet BUT it will be.

Those Dealers that lay down abandon managing their dealerships and totally surrender to technology solutions will indeed be ‘Average’ … BUT, those of us that embrace new things and create new processes with these technologies, we will become the “Lead Sled Dogs”, which are the only Dogs with a view. They are the “Alpha Dogs”.

We will never lay down and be “Average” because ... When You are “Average” You are the leader of the “Sucks”.