5 habits of highly effective automotive sales managers

A company’s success in nearly every sales area relies heavily on its sales staff, including sales managers. The automotive industry is no exception, as salespeople can win business or lose sales on the fly. Therefore, it is important to develop and maintain the practices that help every successful salesperson, including the following He Five Habits.

Research and know the product

A sales manager should have a good knowledge of all the products and services available to customers. This allows you to be immediately prepared for questions and concerns from your dealership visitors and sales team. This starts with the basics such as available models and vehicle colors, but also includes knowledge of the manufacturing process, warranty and service options, and special perks of buying from a dealer compared to other dealers.

Successful salespeople are also fully aware of their competitors’ products, pricing, and processes, and can use this to their advantage to close the sale. Chances are, you’ve done a little research online about your competitors or visited a competing dealer before stepping into another. By being educated about competitors’ products and business practices, sales managers can prove their outlets are superior to others, and can intelligently pass this information on to customers.

charisma is key

Charisma is essential for any sales role, but automotive sales managers must be able to demonstrate charisma to both customers and their sales staff. Charismatic people are confident, excited, charming, positive without being condescending or pushy. Mastering open body language and self-awareness as well as simply making eye contact when speaking to others is a decent start. You should try to show this passion to others as much as possible.

Part of charisma is influencing and motivating others. This helps when working with the sales team. Giving the dealer a ‘positive’ presence makes the place overall more enjoyable and less tense. This is good not only for staff, but also for customers who are generally less thrilled with the car-buying process.

Building a strong team

Car sales managers can achieve individual success, but dealers need to build strong sales teams for collective success. It’s well known that car salespeople have the highest turnover rate, so finding and retaining the best salespeople is critical. Habitual selection of motivated, ambitious, and eager to learn is the first step to meeting and exceeding sales goals. Sales managers must constantly ensure that the people they hire fit well into the dealer culture and bring a range of skills and knowledge to the team.

be a good audience

It sounds cliché, but being a good listener is one of the most important traits of a successful sales manager. A common complaint among car shoppers is that salespeople are too pushy to quickly determine what they are looking for. That’s why it’s important to take the time to step back and really listen to what your customers are looking for. The best car sales managers understand customer needs and concerns emotions behind them.

When salespeople truly listen and understand their customers’ needs, they can find the perfect vehicle for them. Talking too much during the sales process can be a roadblock, so enabling customers to communicate their needs is a key factor in helping customers make the final decision. At the same time, sales managers should also be good listeners for their teams, as they can provide positive feedback that leads to improvement and ultimate sales success.

create a relationship

Of course, car dealers want to target new customers and bring in new business. However, building strong relationships with existing customers can lead to them coming back or referring other customers to dealerships. It’s important not to miss the step of forming some sort of bond with every customer. There are definitely long-term benefits.

The habit of building relationships with everyone who walks through the door should always be practiced. Even if some customers decide to purchase a vehicle at a different dealership, they remember the bond the sales manager formed with them for the next time they needed a vehicle. It is also important to build relationships with sales staff, which leads to trust and an improved sales environment.