Posted by
Don Graff on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 @ 01:27 PM
Posted by Kurt Hoppe
Welcome to the Don Graff Dealership Cultural Revolution! This article will discuss a simple way to turn processes into permanent culture.
If you ask most mid-level managers in the car business who were promoted from the sales floor, many will say that the habits they develop and the procedures they stick with every day are a result of "oral history" - they do what their boss told them, and if they had to teach someone else how, it was always "because my boss did it that way".
We try to make sure our policies stick. We want them to be consistent, because doing so insures that as a business owner, we have the peace of mind that everything will run right and the same tomorrow as it did today.
However, as a business owner, can you be expected to remember everything you did, and how you did it, over and over again? As the owner, you are the final resource and the last word. What if you tell a new manager something you didn't have your current managers doing? The chaos that might come from it would be your own fault and responsibility.
Of course, writing things down is important. Creating an employee handbook is crucial, especially for the broad variety of staffers you need to hire to run a successful dealership. But, to truly get what you want out of your business, you need to develop your policies and procedures to a laser-thin point, and then you can always have something to go back to for everyone's reference.
Action planning is not a new concept. Folks in the larger corporate world talk about them all the time. In many ways, most people who hear the term "action plan" perceive it as a "corrective action plan", a piece of paper that says what you did wrong and what you have to do to avoid further discipline for some bad performance. Project managers do action planning all the time, as do the contractors that make improvements to your facilities.
Without an action plan, that spells out what actions have to happen, in what order, and who is responsible for completing them, the contract builder you hired to expand your service drive might have a concrete truck pouring a foundation before the town official issued your permit. Or you would lose three-quarters of your parking lot for a structural steel delivery because the foundation wasn't scheduled to be laid for weeks.
Why, then should your business not operate on action planning? Honda as a corporation comes to mind as a proof of concept for action planning. Their EXCELL program pushes the importance of developing process trees, and when a survey to a Honda customer uncovers a complaint, their resolution to an opportunity bulletin involves making sure the dealership routes the problem to the right person, and a timeline of accountability exists to get the problem fixed before going back to Honda and closing the complaint.
Just about every process or activity that you need to repeat in the store, whether frequent or infrequent, can be laid out in an action plan and kept in a master reference. All you need is to spell out what needs to be done, in what order, who is doing the task, and what your expected results are.
And then, the tough part: Make sure your employees, managers and key staff follow your action plan consistently. EVERY TIME you need to do that sequence of events, you can hold the right people accountable for its success, and if the process fails, you can go back and see why your steps didn't launch as you expected.
This is all about consistency and accountability, dear owners and managers. When you write an action plan, you show a commitment to organization. When you execute it, you stress accountability. When you repeat it, it becomes a process. When your store lives by it, it becomes culture.
For management seminars to improve your action planning ability, and creating realistic expectations for your own dealership cultural revolution, contact Don Graff Automotive today!
Find us online at Don Graff Automotive .com!
We've shared a sample Action Plan below. To download this as a PDF, click here: Sample Action Plan
Posted by
Don Graff on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 @ 01:00 PM
Cyndie Farrow Joins Don Graff Automotive Consulting As Senior Advisor to Help Dealers Accelerate Sales and Fuel Profitability
PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Don Graff Automotive Consulting announced today that Cyndie Farrow has joined the company as a senior advisor. Farrow will lead the performance improvement team focused on helping dealers sell more cars and drive bottom-line revenue growth.
"Cyndie brings proven tactics and real-world expertise that dealers can leverage to boost sales results while gaining incremental efficiencies within their sales, finance and insurance and fixed-operations teams," said Don Graff, CEO of Don Graff Automotive Consulting. "Her track record with helping people learn, developing talent pools, improving systems and information flow and realizing cost savings will be an asset to the dealers we support."
Prior to joining Don Graff, Farrow supported the growth of BMW of North America as the Director for BMW University. In this role, she led and managed all aspects of corporate and dealer operations training for over 15,000 employees in the US. Curriculum encompassed the BMW North American dealerships, headquarters and field organizations. Farrow focused on expanding individual employee and leadership team member competencies and group effectiveness in brand, product and sales management.
Farrow is a skilled senior Business Management executive who has worked at the manufacturer, wholesale and retail levels of business. She began her 30-year career with BMWNA in information systems. Cyndie researched, identified and managed efficiencies between US and international applications resulting in a 40% overhead cost savings to the company. She has collaborated on global international projects and functioned effectively in a multi-cultural setting. Farrow improved efficiencies for a $50 million Parts Operation through synergies. Her facilitator program improved training consistency and quality, while reducing costs by integrating international subsidiaries in the process. Farrow is an experienced public speaker, having led both seminars and training sessions. In 2003, she received The Tribute to Women and Industry Award from the YWCA for outstanding performance in leadership and exceptional talent in organization development and management.
Cyndie said, "Dealers recognize Don for his uncompromising commitment to their success. I'm thrilled to be a part of the top-notch team he's assembled. I look forward to collaborating with our dealers to assist them in taking their sales and service operations to the next level."
With a strong emphasis on dealer recruiting and employee retention, the Don Graff Automotive team is well positioned to add incredible value to dealers throughout the country who want to strengthen their internal resources. More information is at www.DonGraffAutomotive.com
About Don Graff Automotive
Don Graff Automotive Consulting is an auto retailer training, consulting and recruiting resource. Their management team has experience working in auto retailing and with top tier vehicle manufacturers. Additional services cover website analysis, call monitoring, lead generation and social media solutions. www.dongraffautomotive.com
SOURCE Don Graff Automotive Consulting
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Posted by
Don Graff on Sat, Jan 14, 2012 @ 04:25 PM
Posted by Kurt Hoppe
Technology Performance Consultant, Don Graff Automotive
_____
The automotive marketplace is never going away. It represents an industry that sells upwards of 12-17 million units per year in the United States alone. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry that fuels many segments of the American economy, from finance to fuels production, raw materials to manufacturing.
The best way to keep and hold your slice of this big profit-earning pie is to constantly develop and invest in the three main pillars of your dealership: People, Process and Technology.
Investing in your People is an everyday thing. Starting with hiring and training, you should always be on the lookout for ways to develop your employees into experienced professionals. Your team of managers should always be evaluating your employees and placing them into training that builds on their skills and removes deficiencies in their performance.
Don Graff Automotive provides a number of programs to help recruit and hire the best associates, and to facilitate the ongoing development of your people assets.
Technology is important to drive efficiency. If we can't remember more today than we did yesterday, having a computer-based CRM would help, so we can touch all our customers and more tomorrow when they need their next vehicle. Technology is important so that your Dealership's chief marketer can send the right message to the right people at the right time. Not to mention, it aids in communicating between our own people and our customers, who are more and more getting into life on the go, and shopping through smartphones.
Don Graff Automotive's technology performance team can help with everything from website strategic planning to leveraging your digital assets to craft a strong marketing message.
And then we have processes. Always quoted, but also frequently forgotten, a process simply states how your business is done. Salespeople should always test drive their customers. Paperwork is filed a certain way. Service technicians need to perform a certain number of checks when they put a customer's vehicle on the lift. If technology provides a brain for the business and people its lifeblood, processes are the roadmap that takes the business from being nothing to being something. And sadly, while a lot of people talk big about being process-driven, most failing businesses have not put enough emphasis here.
People, Process, Technology. It's a three-legged stool. If one leg is shorter than the rest, the stool will eventually lean. Consider your processes like a bucket of water. Anyone can reach in and send a ripple through the water, but lift out the hand, and there's still a bucket of water. The business processes should outlive individual managers, employees or even owners. And, as they should be under constant correction, the better they are, the quicker they will return to normal after a bad "ripple" comes through the bucket.
Don Graff Automotive is a strong advocate of process. We help to evaluate, design and implement processes that drive success in your Auto Dealership. Why not check us out today?
Posted by
Don Graff on Sat, Jun 04, 2011 @ 07:43 AM
One of the issues I hear about frequently from my client dealerships is that of sales staff retention. Let me venture out onto the limb to suggest that, just perhaps, the requirements for a sales position in your organization need to be reviewed.
The sales people, the floor staff, the lizards, studs, newbie, - whatever name you apply to them - are incredibly important to your dealership's ongoing success. They need to be happy with the sales opportunities that can enable them to earn a decent wage. They need to feel that they are supported by you, their dealer. Most important: They need to benefit from the incentive of compensation for performance. If your showroom has a problem with a continuously changing roster of sales staff, maybe it is time to look at how you qualify prospective personnel.
A sales person has to offer more than a pulse and the ability to remain vertical. Remember the task: The goal of each salesperson you place on the showroom floor is to lead prospects to the decision to buy a vehicle from your dealership, and hopefully, to set-up aftermarket product sales like window etching, clear bra, upholstery protection, etc. Such a purchase represents a substantial cash outlay or financing arrangement for most customers, and is not usually made without some resistance.
To assemble a sales team that can excel in overcoming sales resistance, closing deals, moving inventory, and ensuring a continuing inventory of attractive product, look for the person who exhibits the following traits:
The ideal sales staffer:
--Projects a professional demeanor. Does your prospective sales person demonstrate friendliness, intelligence, helpfulness, and sincerity? Is he or she dressed in a professional manner? Would you mind spending several hours in this person's presence at close quarters? Bear in mind that your sales person will create a nearly indelible impression of your dealership in the customer's mind. The issue is nothing less than credibility. When a customer is contemplating a considerable purchase, he or she wants to have a connection with the person doing the selling, and wants to enjoy confidence that he or she is being well cared for by the sales person, and, by extension, the organization he or she represents.
--Has bullet-proof product knowledge. A prospective sales person who comes into your store with no familiarity with your store's brand(s) means that he or she won't be effective on the sales floor for several months after the hire.
--Recognizes that the sales process is, well... a process. It is rarely the result of one encounter in a showroom. Typically, it follows several visits to the showroom, with intervening visits by the prospective buyers who have visited other stores. The effective sales person needs to understand this dynamic, and, more important, must be have the situation awareness to: solicit the counsel of his or her Sales Manager to support the sales effort; and maintain contact with the prospective buyer.
--Is a team player. Any business endeavor involving more than one person has to be a team effort. Sales staff working in the same showroom must recognize that they are a team, that they need to support each other, and that the competition is the other stores, not the rest of the people on the showroom floor.
--Will go "above and beyond". You need a sales staff that embraces a straightforward notion: Selling a product should not simply satisfy a customer; it should delight him or her. A well-executed sale has the prospect of generating repeat sales from the same customer. More important, however, it is likely to produce leads to other prospects who will very likely be predisposed to buy from your store.
As the dealer or manager you need to ensure continuity in your sales staff, because most sales are conducted over a period of weeks, or even months. Your sales staff needs to know that you are aware of this process, and that you support the sales staff in their protracted efforts to close sales.
These observations come from my own experience, as well as anecdotal accounts from dealership managers who I trust implicitly. Consider these observations as you evaluate new hires to your sales staff... and as you evaluate your current sales force. Remember - your near term objective is to sell units, but over the long term, you have to build a customer base that will generate repeat business as well as generate quality leads.
Don Graff Automotive is a growing full service automotive consulting and marketing company located in NJ. Please visit their new website in progress at www.dongraffmarketing.com. Don Graff was recognized by Digital Dealer in 2005 as one of the top Ten Internet Directors in the country. You can contact Don at 908-625-1697 or at don@dongraffmarketing.com.
Don Graff Recognized For Performance Excellence In Digital Dealer
Click on the link below to read about Don's successes within the automotive industry, as reported within the pages of Digital Dealer.
Digital Dealer Magazine. (Click for PDF)
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A Look Back On A Past Success With Douglas Auto Group
Douglas Auto Group sells and services new and pre-owned GM, VW and Infiniti vehicles in two locations. In the recent past they were market leaders in VW.
Challenge
In September 2009 Saul Shevlove Vice President of Douglas since 1980 and Peter Liebman the President started looking for a new BDC solution. Several years earlier they had a successful operation so they understood the power of such a well run department. Before long they were referred to Don Graff Automotive.
Solution
After several interviews and reference checks they hired Don Graff Automotive and never looked back. Don Graff Automotive provided a customized solution by recruiting the best candidates and providing in depth and continuous coaching and support. They provided an internet process including templates with the needed triggers. They trained staff in writing and answering emails with information important to the prospects. Don Graff automotive provided phone training and coaching from the foundation to advanced,as well as marketing advise.
Don Graff Automotive completely retooled the BDC into a well oiled machine with incredible results. As long as Douglas stays true to the processes and technology Don Graff Automotive installed they will excel.
The Results
Douglas Auto Group’s results with Don Graff Automotive are impressive. In just the last quarter they experience real growth in clients contacted up 180%, total calls called made up 325%, and most importantly appointments kept averaging 65-69%. This high show rate resulted in significant sales and profits. In Mr. Liebman’s own words ”we have seen much improvement in our BDC operations as a result of the Consulting and recruiting services.”
The Results for 2010
Gross profits are up $430,000 due to continued process improvement. Contact us for an assessment.We can implement change that will make you convert more leads and get ROI.
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Don Graff Automotive Consulting a "shot in the arm" for dealers in 2011.
PRINCETON, N.J., May. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After weathering several difficult years, auto dealers anticipate more robust sales of a projected 12 million vehicles in 2011. As sales continue to edge upward, dealers need to be vigilant and focused on sales and marketing goals. Don Graff Automotive Consulting is growing to help dealers reach those goals through a combination of traditional methods and technology-based solutions. Our client list is growing so we have the ability to deliver the goods fast and at less cost than our competition.
Don Graff says, "Our dealer clients still achieve some of their best sales results through a strong coaching and training mentality in their retail operations. We help engage the front line team, get them working closely with managers, and provide the technology tools they need to succeed."
Don adds, "There are various web site products as well as online marketing services that reach out to dealers to use their offerings. Often their functionality is lacking or the price and contract terms are prohibitive. Dealer Text Solutions video provides value. We look out for our dealers and in a consultative fashion find and offer them the optimal solutions for their particular markets."
Every retail market and budget is unique. Consequently, dealers need to employ digital marketing and technology strategies that make sense for their individual operations. Don Graff Automotive powers many dealer web solutions for Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and Social Media. Don Graff Automotive is the choice for Reputation Maintenance. They know what works best for each situation and highlight top performing dealers in the market. Hubspot is a platform that DGAC uses effectively to promote INBOUND MARKETING traffic.
As demand for its services has grown, so has Don Graff Automotive, adding to his strong team to support its clients. Joe LaRiccia has 30 years of automotive experience working with large DMS companies and training teams like the Half-A-Car program. He is based in the New England market just outside Boston.
Joining the team recently, Sean Lucas was an experienced Internet Sales Manager working in a dealership environment before joining the Graff team. He serves dealerships in the Mid-Atlantic region and the metropolitan New York City area. In addition to coordinating the sales management process for his clients, he is skilled at establishing and rejuvenating Internet and BDC departments.
Gunnar Hopson has joined Don Graff Automotive as Sales and Major Accounts Manager and the Field Sales and Support Group also added Hugh Brennan to provide process analysis and insure that dealers and their team members are working efficiently. Dealers can call 877-826-8338 for more information.
About: Don Graff Automotive Consulting
To find more information about the complete range of products and services available from Don Graff Automotive Consulting, call 877.826.8338 Or sales@dongraffmarketing.com
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Posted by
Don Graff on Wed, May 18, 2011 @ 10:03 AM
How can I get my CRM initiative going again?
Often times we try to bite off more than we can chew when implementing a comprehensive CRM systems and use of the process often takes a back seat to other initiatives. Here are some steps to get back on track.
Step 1. Resurrect your old strategy and analyze it.
Was it over ambitious, did it include all income generating departments. Where and when did it go off track? If you cannot identify the problems, get help from an outside consultant. Yes it is going to cost money, but it will be money well spent!
Step 2. Get everyone on board.
In order for any CRM strategy to work, you must have the full commitment of your management. This is all about staying competitive, keeping your customer base happy and creating additional income for everyone in the organization. Your managers then must bring the message to the end users (sales force, service and parts department) getting them on board as well.
Step 3. Report to boot camp.
With a time schedule in place, managers are the first to get new training on the CRM. They need to know all the common procedures and features that there department end users will use every day. They must also have the ability to produce various key reports due each week without excuse. The second waves of training are all the end users at the dealership. Everyone must be included, from the receptionist up front to the service managers in the back. This will take time with multiple sessions; again this is when your outside consultant will be a very valuable asset to you.
Step 4. Make it an event.
OK, the plan is in place, everyone completed training; you are ready to go; Right? Well almost, this is the time when everyone is focused on a common goal. Now is the time to hammer it home. Take time out of the day, bring in lunch or better yet, after the doors are closed bring in a light dinner, make it a relaxed forum for the owner and managers to explain that the goals that have been set benefit everyone. Let everyone knows what is expected from them, then have fun with it.
Step 5. You're the boss, Right?
Make it perfectly clear, that CRM compliance is part of everyone's job description. Give Recognition for those that use it. The Highway for those that don't! Don't let your hard earned money sit unused on the desk top any longer. Get help and get that CRM strategy going again!
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Here at Don Graff Automotive we often implement a series of test calls to dealerships in order to assess how well they handle incoming sale’s inquires. These “mystery shopper” calls can tell us what the current aptitude of a dealership is and what problem areas we’ll need to focus upon when it comes to the consulting end of the services we provide. In a perfect world, where every dealership possessed a well-trained staff of business development center employees, each call would be handled with finesse, information, and ultimately lead to a scheduled appointment. This is, however, not often the case…
Neglected Phones Are Costing You Money
One of the most important sale’s aspects of any car dealership is to make contact with the customer as soon as they cross the threshold of the showroom. It’s the reason why there’s always a secretary or administrator seated behind a well-placed desk right inside the main doors. If you were to glance off to the side there’s no doubt a client advisor eagerly awaiting the chance for a fresh opportunity to make a deal. In the eyes of a General Manager, to not make contact with a customer and to allow them to wander unattended around the showroom floor is one of the top ten sins that can be committed within their dealership. They’re tenacious about the process, as they should be. In some cases, “Up” boards are put in place just for the singular purpose of instituting a process which insures a sales person will always be ready to attend to the next customer’s needs. With all the passion and tenacity and measures which are focused upon customers being greeted and handled the right way from the door, why is it a blind eye is always so often turned towards the phones?
Are the customers calling the dealership any less interested than those who physically visit the showroom? With the price of gas these days who can blame anyone for not wanting to take a drive if it’s only going to end in unanswered questions? Add in the fact that the internet surpassed brochures as a way of obtaining information regarding models and price a long time ago and the line between phone ups and regular ups is blurred even further. Whether a customer is picking up their phone or pulling out of their drive ways, the fact remains: they’re both interested.
I have no doubt that the sales people I mystery call perform exceptionally well when there’s a customer seated across from them. I assume that they’re able to negotiate for a hefty profit, and when the time comes, they deliver the vehicle in an informative and courteous manner so to retain a high C.S.I. score. Their ability to discard the bad habits which have formed over years of neglectful training when handling a phone call, however, is another matter entirely.
You would think the ability to record incoming calls and review them back for quality assurance would have made a greater impact upon the way phone ups are handled; through my many mystery I can assure you it hasn’t. Whether a family owned Kia dealership, or an incorporated BMW mega-group, I am still baffled by how badly some of my faux inquires are handled. Very rarely am I lead towards making an appointment. Some do not even ask for my name, number, or email. Do I not represent a sale to them? Should their ultimate goal not be to get me in the door? I often grit my teeth against the notion of breaking cover and shouting into the phone, “GET ME IN THE DOOR! YOU COULD BE SELLING ME A CAR RIGHT NOW!”
So my plea to you, Dealership Owners and General Managers, is a simple one: before you spend any more money on a new mahogany desk to adorn the immediate interior of your dealership, or on one of those rather expensive potted plants to add warmth to the threshold, spend a little of that on training your employees to properly field phone ups. We’re important too, you know, and while our wallets may be on the other side of the phone when we call, we’ll definitely be bringing them with us after an appointment is made and we visit your dealership.
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