In a recent customer satisfaction survey, 73 percent of customers said they didn’t give up on a company because of poor product quality, poor service, or price. They took their business elsewhere because they didn’t feel appreciated. Many believe customer service and...
THIS TITLE is not an oxymoron. I’m writing this article for two critical reasons: First, feedback is required for us to improve performance. Second, most supervisors cringe at the thought of providing performance feedback to employees. And it gets worse. I’ve talked...
“Are you nuts?” That was the reaction I received when I proposed the idea of selling our equipment dealership. My partners, all in their thirties, were shocked. By their reaction, it was obvious that they were not clear on the reasons behind the suggestion....
Looking back on 2017, I found it was an interesting consulting year. Family issues sabotaging effective business practices came at me from many directions. Let me share with you many of the family issues I observed. Parents who struggle making business decisions...
“I just don’t know what to do.” This is a common comment from the calls we are receiving. These calls come from department managers, salespeople, branch managers, dealer principals – every position in the store. The underlying message – they are just lost on what to...
Imagine learning about your dealership’s culture from a Koi, a red-gold carp. The ultimate size (and sometimes colors) of a Koi is determined by the environment in which it resides. What does that phenomena tell you about the effect of your dealership’s culture? Let’s...
For every 100 dealerships, there are 200 commission structures. We work with dealerships that have a different compensation structure for each salesperson. If it works, don’t fix it. But is your compensation plan generating the results you desire or just the results...
WRITER’S NOTE: I began drafting this article while staying at a hotel on Super Bowl Sunday. While that was a few months ago, I thought I’d share some events leading up to the game that are as relevant today as they were back in February. Wanting to watch the game, I...
HAVE YOU EVER promoted your most skilled parts person to manager only to find out the employee lacked management abilities? Of all the questions whispered in my ears, the most common is: “I am now a manager. What is expected of me?” Along with the parts counter...