The culture of your dealership is one of the essential factors in determining how successful you will be. Culture is the corporate experiences, expectations, philosophy and values that are the foundation on which your car dealership is built. You have those, right?
Last week an acquaintance stopped by your dealership to make an end-of-lease purchase, we’ll call him Paul. Paul said his salesperson recommended the lease because, in this market, it was a better affordable purchase than buying a new car.
He also said he spent an additional 45 minutes talking about the cars they’ve owned and the current market for new cars. Paul likes the dealership because “the salesman knows what he likes, he remembers his family names and they have great conversations. it is a relationship”
He is a great employee and, according to Paul, a great dealer. And I guess the dealership has a great culture and Paul has become the ultimate evangelist for that dealership because of that.
Through Paul’s experience, it’s easy to see why it’s crucial to have and live a consistent culture within the car dealership: The people who work for you are responsible for connecting with customers. Hopefully, they work to understand your needs, meet you where you are, and help you find the right vehicle. Everyone who works for you needs to feel comfortable and happy at work. And “it’s about the money” is not a good value.
The same goes for customers; If they know they’ll be greeted with a friendly smile and helpful attitude every time they walk through the door, they’re more likely to come back again and again.
That’s why it’s so crucial for dealerships to focus on creating an exemplary culture, not only for the sake of employees, but also because happy employees lead to satisfied repeat customers.
first you need define cultural values want to see at your car dealer. These values will help guide and shape your dealership culture, so they need to be well thought out and specific.
For this exercise to be effective, you need to do it with the whole team (or as many people as possible). The more people involved, the better chance you have of getting everyone’s buy-in on what needs to change.
When employees are included in this process, they better understand why their role is important within the company, making them more likely to contribute personally and professionally as part of their job description.
If there aren’t enough employees or managers available for an in-person meeting, consider holding an online discussion where everyone can share ideas about instant messaging software like Loose or Google Hangouts Video Chat.
Once you’ve established your culture, it’s time to live it and be an example that employees can follow. This means showing appreciation for your team members, being consistent with the values you’ve promoted, and creating a fun and engaging work environment.
You will want to assess the growth of your employees. You can measure this by:
Implement these tips at your auto dealership to foster an environment for employee and customer growth.
If you’re looking to build a lasting culture at your car dealership, these tips and strategies are a great place to start. By defining and living the values of your culture, measuring employee growth, letting customers know they are valued, and promoting customer loyalty through loyalty programs or gifts, you can create an environment where customers like Paul enjoy chatting with their employees. Then you will know that you are successful.
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