Super Star Salesperson

[joe.pistell]

From my seat, weak management is addicted to top performers. They make excuses for them, let them burn thru ups. let them completely drive the floor nuts. I am all for special treatment of top players, but only if they support the team.

Love to see a business study of a stong management team vs the "excuse making, look the other way, I can't live without him" managers.

 

[ddavis]

Purple tie & green dots? hmmm...

The top dog at my dealer was untouchable...if he looked at a customer it was a half deal, never had the CRM enforced, disappeared for hours...

Is noting he would be the idea person of which to make an example, I was told I just didn't understand how the business really works.

Well, he quit after 6 years on the 2nd of March - Last month might not have been a record month, but it was a good month - AND a peaceful one too! More CRM usage, less whining, more teamwork, less drama.

Brooming 3 average deals out the door, never to return, to get 1 big deal was bad for everyone-but the problem fixed itself.

Kelly, that isn't a superstar, that is a train wreck. My friend doesn't take ups. Because his customers are repeat and referrals, his closing ratio is extremely high. This guy comes to work. If he isn't selling a car, he is on the phones.

 

[Kelly Wilson]

Joe, Doug I agree. Having his hands tied drove the new sales manager crazy. I only used our recent "shooting star" as an illustration of what some people see as a superstar. I have a feeling these guys are more common than the true Superstars.

 

[ddavis]

From my seat, weak management is addicted to top performers. They make excuses for them, let them burn thru ups. let them completely drive the floor nuts. I am all for special treatment of top players, but only if they support the team.

Love to see a business study of a strong management team vs the "excuse making, look the other way, I can't live without him" managers.

Joe, Doug I agree. Having his hands tied drove the new sales manager crazy. I only used our recent "shooting star" as an illustration of what some people see as a superstar. I have a feeling these guys are more common than the true Superstars.

Sales really isn't a team sport. In High School, I was a member of the wrestling and boxing teams. When, I was struggling on the mat or getting punched in the ring, I don't remember my teammates participating in that. To remain on either team, I had to conform to the coach's rules. I had to be there every day and had to work hard. They didn't play favorites and you earned your position. I got special recognition for winning but that didn't mean that I didn't have to conform to the rules.

As a manager, I set the rules and they applied to everyone. I expected people to arrive, on time, and not leak out. I expected them to complete their work tasks and make their quota of phone calls. It is a matter of fairness.

If sales really was a team sport, they would be paid the same. This friend will make over $200K this year. If this offends his managers, maybe they should get into the ring.

 

[yagoparamo]

Sales really isn't a team sport. In High School, I was a member of the wrestling and boxing teams. When, I was struggling on the mat or getting punched in the ring, I don't remember my teammates participating in that. To remain on either team, I had to conform to the coach's rules. I had to be there every day and had to work hard. They didn't play favorites and you earned your position. I got special recognition for winning but that didn't mean that I didn't have to conform to the rules.

As a manager, I set the rules and they applied to everyone. I expected people to arrive, on time, and not leak out. I expected them to complete their work tasks and make their quota of phone calls. It is a matter of fairness.

If sales really was a team sport, they would be paid the same. This friend will make over $200K this year. If this offends his managers, maybe they should get into the ring.

Thank God sports don't resemble every aspect of adult life.

21st Century dealers work as a team not just to get good sales but to provide excellence in service and knowledge demanded by today's customers. The weakest link will get the dealer a bad review and affect the entire business. The car business is no longer a gunslinger business.

The weakest link at the dealer used to just lose their job and we would get a new green pea. Good people are scarce and management can't rely on the laws of the jungle to weed the bad ones away. With training, team, and support those may become our best team members later.

 

[ddavis]

Thank God sports don't resemble every aspect of adult life.

21st Century dealers work as a team not just to get good sales but to provide excellence in service and knowledge demanded by today's customers. The weakest link will get the dealer a bad review and affect the entire business. The car business is no longer a gunslinger business.

The weakest link at the dealer used to just lose their job and we would get a new green pea. Good people are scarce and management can't rely on the laws of the jungle to weed the bad ones away. With training, team, and support those may become our best team members later.

What do you call an excellent Sales Manager or Internet Director if not a "gunslinger"? Yago, you see the "average" internet department out there. We see the same reports each year. They haven't improved.

Training? Sales managers spend more time waiting for a salesperson to bring them a deal than anything else. How many Sales Managers do "one on ones" every day? How many listen to all the incoming calls? Do they actually call the logs? How much time do they actually spend training?

What is the closing ratio at most stores?

 

[Alex Snyder]

The clean-up hitter who always swings for the fence usually costs the team the inning. And one lost inning turns into a full season after a while. Throw a monstrous salary on top of contract concessions and an "I'm entitled" attitude and you have a few ESPN highlights without the trophy. Sometimes it puts butts in the stands, but losing seasons don't keep the franchise healthy.

How is this any different than the lot lizard? And let's take that 1 step further....would you ever promote the asshole cleanup hitter who is just out for himself into management?

 

[ddavis]

Alex, I believe that you might be describing Kelly's salesperson but not my friend. He doesn't catch ups, working his own customer base for repeat and referral business. When has it become a crime to sell too many cars and make too much money?

 

[yagoparamo]

Doug,

Each person is a world and each dealer further complicates comparisons. But in general the superstars exist at the cost and support of others.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Alex, I believe that you might be describing Kelly's salesperson but not my friend. He doesn't catch ups, working his own customer base for repeat and referral business. When has it become a crime to sell too many cars and make too much money?

I'm just speaking in general. And I wasn't referring to money (sorry that wasn't clear). I was just trying to draw a parallel between two seemingly unconnected things in order to paint a larger picture.