Most of you reading this are either currently a sales manager or you were and are now a general manager or dealer. You know beyond any doubt that one of the hardest responsibilities you have is constantly finding something to keep salespeople motivated when it’s your turn to hold the pre-owned portion of the sales meeting.

One thing that I recently saw that I really liked, that was not planned, turned out really well. I was doing an in-house and we were discussing recon cost, problems, policy adjustment from pre-owned come backs, etc. and how or what could happen to insure that we would be able to overcome these problems and get the sales people to buy in. The next morning in the sales meeting the used car manager walked up to the white board and said, “I want each of you to write down one item you would like me to make certain happens when our vehicles go through mechanical reconditioning, and also write me one for cosmetic.” By the time the sales meeting was over we had a complete outline orchestrated by the salespeople themselves to give the service manager to insure us that the problems that most often occur and the things that these individuals run into with the customer in tow, are handled up front. When these vehicles come out to go on line the weekly adopt-a-car meeting at that point in time that adopted salesperson will point out or look at to insure that on their trade in, those items were done.

Until next month remember the three things about a pre-owned department: They have to start, they have to stop and they have to make a profit.