An open letter to my Sales Team...

Team,
Goals without a plan are just wishes and wishes rarely come true. Looking at our own individual success we can break down exactly what it takes to reach our own goals mathematically. If our goal is to sell 20 units this month its easy to work backward and find out what each workday requires and then build a plan from that....

To sell 20 we need to write up 40
To have 40 write-ups we typically need 65-70 demo drives
To get 70 demos we would need to have 80 customers in front of us.

We generally work 20-22 days each month. 80 customers in 20 days is 4 per day. 

To have 4 customers show up we need to have 8 appointments made and confirmed.

On the surface, it seems pretty intimidating, however, we are not limited to only the NEW LEADS that everyone seems so intense about. Each of us has a customer base that none of us can honestly say is being worked. One of the reasons I always ask for detailed notes in the CRM is for future follow up! Our memories are great a few days after delivery but not so much a month or three later. Wouldn't it be much easier to open a conversation if there were a whole mess of notes about the customer's likes, habits hobbies and the like? What if the customers favorite sports team had made the playoffs? Wouldn't a note in the system be a great opening line to engage the customer in a meaningful conversation that can be transitioned into asking for a referral rather than just pick up the phone and say 'whos next for a new car Joe?'
There is also whats being called 'social selling' as a means of finding customers. It's not always just posting a new car on your Facebook! Sometimes just a cool pic or even just a mention of a vehicle that you like a lot is enough to open a conversation that can lead to a deal. And it goes without saying but our own friends and family should know that when they need a new car they can look to us for the best assistance! 

Reaching your goals doesn't have to take days and days of bell to bell shifts, it does take effort but the tools are here and in place already all we have to do is make the simple decision that we are willing to do the things needed to be successful. Wanting and willing are not the same, we cant want more if we are willing to do what it takes to get more. 

Let's get to work.