Keeping your dealership competitive is an ongoing process, and it takes constant adjustments and adaptations to changing market conditions, inventory, and strategy. The last decade—and the post-COVID landscape in particular—has seen some tectonic shifts in the way consumers approach buying cars.
Dealerships have had to double and triple down on improving their online and phone sales activities as customers spend far more time exploring before they walk onto a dealer’s lot and shake a hand. This has fundamentally changed how owners and GMs think about sales and training, and it’s left many of them questioning their numbers and wondering about the revenues they’re missing out on.
Because of the data-heavy nature of modern business strategies, more and more dealers are turning to automotive consultants to dial in their processes and bring their sales teams into line with the latest trends. But is hiring an automotive consultant right for you?
Here’s what you should look for when you’re considering working with an automobile consultant and what they can do for your business.
The Value of Experience
First and foremost, when you’re on the hunt for an automobile consultant for your dealership, you need to separate the pretenders from the players. Car sales are some of the most information-specific propositions out there, and a lack of experience in the industry isn’t something a general sales consultant can fake.
Look for companies founded by successful automotive salespeople. Years of time in the industry are good, but decades are better. Remember: you want an expert who’s had to negotiate big and small changes in the business, and there’s no substitute for experience.
You’ll also need a partner who’s passionate about what they do and can present a strategy that’s tailored for you. The perfect automobile consultant will not only invest the time and energy it takes to get to know you, your business, and your team but will also customize methods and materials to reach your dealership’s clientele.
After all, the devil is in the details! Every dealership, product, and customer base is unique, and the nuances of the training and scripting will need to be personalized for maximum impact.
Look for People Who Are in It for the Long Haul
While it may seem like a dynamic automobile consultant should be able to blow through on a weekend and energize your team, the reality is quite different. Training is a relationship, not an event. They’re going to need to be willing to invest heavily in the specifics of how your team handles their sales interactions and phone leads and actively coach them with specific feedback and concrete suggestions for improvement.
The right automobile consultant should be up-front about needing to work with your team over time to make sure they’re absorbing the information completely and employing it successfully in the workplace. If they don’t take the time to get into the weeds, they aren’t serious about making lasting changes that will boost your bottom line.
You Want a Mentor, Not a Lecturer
Some automobile consultants simply lecture rooms full of people and possibly toss in some role-playing. This is a great business opportunity… for them. But not for your dealership! Any automobile consulting agency worth its salt is going to use a microscope, not a paintbrush when it comes to working with your team.
The truth is that most people learn best in one-on-one situations, working with an expert who can coach them through learning by answering questions and clarifying misunderstandings they’re running into on the job.
Also, one-on-one sessions may seem like a big time investment, but the fact is, a great automotive sales trainer makes the maximum impact in the minimum time. In as little as 15 minutes of coaching per employee per week, your partner can highlight opportunities, reinforce developing habits, and get your associates back on the phone to hit those sales goals.
If you’re not hearing the automotive consultant you’re considering emphasizing individual instruction as the core of their business model, think twice about engaging them!
Script Creation and Implementation
Sales scripts for phone interactions are one of the biggest game-changers in the modern automotive industry. Customers are much more likely to pick up a phone before they walk onto a lot, and your team needs to deliver the information they’re looking for consistently, quickly, and empathetically.
It can be hard to know what kinds of interactions are building leads and making the most of your opportunities without a deep knowledge of what they are and how to leverage them. Your automotive consultant should help you customize scripts and work with your team to get them trained to use scripts effectively.
Finally, they should be willing to help your associates customize scripts to match their personal sales style. After all, your team has a lot of talent, and the last thing a script should do is cover up everything that makes them stand out from the crowd.
Evaluate the Results
Mystery shops are the gold-standard way to evaluate how effectively any training program has been implemented. They examine the experience of a potential customer, provide the opportunity to ask follow-up questions, and dig deeper into your business. When shortcomings are identified, the best automobile consultants use the results to coach the shopped employees individually so your entire team ends up in the best possible place.
The Right Partner Can Supercharge Your Profits
Dealerships looking to maximize their revenues and boost their lead generation with an automobile consultant have a lot of questions, and Phone Ninjas has the answers! We bring decades of combined experience to your dealership and work closely with your team to deliver where it counts: your bottom line.
Our active coaching agency embraces the proven, hands-on model of weekly one-on-one coaching for your team members, making sure training principles and scripts are fully implemented in natural, authentic ways. We’re in it to win it for you, and there for your team for as long as it takes.
We also provide our own mystery shops supported by individual follow-up training to ensure your employees’ skills are razor-sharp. We’ll even perform two free for your dealership to highlight the areas we can help with before you make any long-term commitments.
Our Phone Ninjas are standing by, ready to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work to take your team to the next level! Contact us today to set up a demo and chat!
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.
