Auto dealership managers and leaders, you know this scene well: a lively sales floor with phones ringing nonstop, yet the sinking feeling that your sales numbers won’t reflect the bustling atmosphere. You’re seeing plenty of web traffic and inbound calls, but the number of closed deals struggles to hit monthly goals.
This is where an auto dealer consultant steps in. They’ll devise hands-on strategies to maximize your opportunities, minimize operational hiccups, and shape up your sales team. At least, that’s what it says on the back of the tin. But what do they really do? And, if you hire a consultant, what should you expect?
If you’ve been on the fence about hiring a consultant due to uncertainty about what they offer, now is the perfect time to get those answers. By the end of this read, you’ll have a clear picture of what to expect from a consultant and be able to gauge whether their services mesh with your dealership’s needs.
#1: Enhance Sales Strategies
A solid auto dealer consultant will dissect your sales funnel from the top all the way to the bottom. They’ll compose tailored strategies based on their observations, identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of your dealership’s sales engine. It’s a meticulous, detail-oriented process that uncovers everything your monthly numbers or CRM reports can’t.
Unfortunately, some consulting firms just collect data, package it neatly, and regurgitate a few old sales tactics that any Joe or Jane can dig up online. The internet is oozing with fake sales gurus and advisors who get all their tricks from the latest “Business Secrets” bestsellers, which means everybody else will be doing it too. If a consultant is offering a one-size-fits-all sales strategy as “made just for you,” you’ll know to dodge that bullet.
A true expert in the field will look closely at your business and customize a plan for your specific business environment and dealership needs. They’ll unearth the hidden pain points blocking you from closing deals and handcraft a remedy made just for you.
#2: Improve Operational Efficiency
The ebb and flow of a busy dealership can sometimes mask the inefficiencies lurking just beneath the surface. Whether it’s poor technology implementation, underutilized processes, or simple disorganization, a great auto dealer consultant will single out the underperforming cogs in your machine and streamline them.
Of course, some of the bottlenecks will be obvious to various team members already, which is why a smart consultant will start with simple questions like, “What are your biggest day-to-day operational concerns?” But just because these all-too-frequent hiccups are obvious to your staff, that doesn’t mean the solutions will be. That’s where a consultant will devise a plan for smoothing out these out-of-tune processes.
Beware of consultants who merely echo generic operational advice or try to overhaul your existing processes with a silver bullet solution. Those who lean heavily on quick fixes are likely to be satisfied with some short-term improvements, but not truly invested in your continuous improvement.
#3: Refine Your Marketing Strategy
In an increasingly competitive landscape where dealers jockey for the spotlight, a consultant can help you increase your visibility with a refined marketing strategy. They’ll advise you on the best tactics for capturing customer info, nurturing leads, and honing your messaging. For a smart consultant, this isn’t about splashing cash on more ads or offering a boatload of new limited-time offers—this is a long-term strategic course correction that you’ll continue executing for years to come.
Crafting the right approach for your target audience requires data, time, and expertise. A consultant digs into the metrics over the last several months or years, pulling back the layers of your current marketing campaigns to see what is (and isn’t) working. There may be a “kill your darlings” moment for a pet project or two, but ultimately, your consultant will help you make effective, data-driven decisions.
#4: Coaching and Develop Your Sales Team
Your sales team represents the core revenue generator for your dealership, and keeping them at their full potential can mean the difference between stagnation and success. An experienced auto dealer consultant will coach your team members individually, providing regular evaluations and advice to guide them toward growth.
Also, a top-notch consultant will engage in active coaching rather than relying on dull classrooms and printed literature. In this approach to sales team development, coaches begin with an initial certification which scores each agent. They can use this data to create a unique progression plan for each associate that acknowledges their individual strengths and growth opportunities.
Less promising consulting methods revolve around a classroom, or they might schedule lengthy conferences that don’t maximize your investment. While these are great in theory, they don’t prepare your sales team for the real-world challenges they’ll face on the phones. Unlike an artificial environment, tackling auto dealership phone sales is all about flexibility, engagement, and consistency. A sales seminar might teach your team to read the script with confidence, but it won’t reinforce them when they do well or gently guide them when they make a misstep.
#5: Give You an Unbiased Picture of Your Dealership
One of the greatest services an auto dealer consultant can provide is a clearer understanding of your dealership’s performance. Audits and mystery shops can also deliver valuable experiences and more reliable sources of data than CRMs, which often fail to attribute properly. A great consultant will leverage analytical tools that provide meaningful, actionable data—not just a mountain of numbers that amount to little or no real insight.
Find an Auto Dealer Consultant that Makes an Impact
The right auto dealer consultant can be the best investment you’ve ever made, and Phone Ninjas is committed to giving your team the personalized strategies and one-on-one help they need to connect with customers and get to the finish line.
With our phone sales coaching, your team will get one-on-one, hands-on training tailored to their individual progress. Our bite-sized coaching sessions, which last just 20 minutes, include detailed reviews, roleplay scenarios, and progress tracking. No whirlwind conferences that push a script but lack follow-through, and no synthetic classroom scenarios that feel nothing like a real call. We’re about real-world coaching for authentic sales growth, and that’s why we include two free dealership mystery shops to make sure our results are backed by unbiased insights into the experience your customers are having.
At the end of the day, every dealership is unique, and gimmicks and generic strategies just aren’t going to get the job done. Phone Ninjas is about delivering results for results for all our clients, every time.
Ready to see active coaching in action? Schedule a demo today!
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
