Bringing clarity to your dealership employees in 2022

On the latest episode of Mind Your Own Business, host Jonathan Dawson, founder of Sellchology Sales Training, discusses the importance of providing your car dealership team with clear and fair leadership in 2022.

Dawson begins by describing a recent circumstance he came across while on a dealership visit. He was meeting with the General Manager to discuss operations and process changes for 2022 when all of the sudden a sales employee passes by and the manager makes a comment that he is planning to terminate that employee. Dawson then asked the manager why?  

According to the manager, the employee knew the job they were supposed to be doing, and they knew the pressing tasks, but they just simply were not doing the job. Dawson says this situation presented a unique opportunity. So he had both the manager and the employee participate in an exercise where they evaluate the employee’s position. He asked them each to write down the top 10 tasks, processes, and operations that are most important to the specific role.

Turns out, the manager and the employee had very different lists. The employee was doing the tasks that they believed were the most important. These tasks, however, didn’t match the manager. It wasn’t that the employee was willfully ignoring objectives or processes, they simply believed their role encompassed different things.

This exercise highlights the importance of clarity in communication. So before you make the decision to terminate an employee, try this exercise and then evaluate. Ask yourself, Are they really not doing the job? Or has there been conflict and confusion around process changes and tasks adjustments? 


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Jonathan Dawson
Jonathan Dawson is an automotive consultant, sales trainer, author, speaker and coach. For 14 years, he has been helping dealerships and sales teams improve sales, reduce turnover and implement effective marketing strategies. His core teaching philosophy is known as Sellchology - Selling through Psychology. This approach focuses on understanding buying behavior and why some sales methods are more effective than others. Salespeople and managers who understand why a technique works become more educated, empowered and effective.