Are you ready for the new year? Many dealerships spent the end of the year focusing their energy on making last-minute sales and wrapping up the year. We won’t argue that it’s important close out every month strong, but now the new year is upon us. What’s your plan for growth now that the new year is here?
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the top 7 easy resolutions you can take to get things rolling in 2024.
1. Budget Your Advertising With The End Goal In Mind
Picking a budget for your advertising can be stressful. But it doesn’t have to be. We recommend determining your budget by working backward. First figure out how many cars you want to sell in 2024, then calculate your average advertising cost per car. Once you know both, set your budget to match up with your end goal.
2. Focus On The Customer Experience
We talk about the customer experience all the time here on the Traffic Institute because we know how important the customer is to the car buying process. Without customers, you can’t sell any cars.
By focusing on the customer experience, everything from how they’re greeted at the dealership to the language salespeople use, creating an environment where customers feel comfortable means selling more cars in the long run. Because customers will close themselves when they feel heard, understood and guided.
3. Set Micro Goals
We all have goals. They keep us focused and help determine where to direct our energy and give us targets to shoot for in our work. But most dealerships focus their goal setting exclusively on the sales team.
It makes sense when the sales team are the ones selling cars. But in reality, every department and every individual employee has a hand in helping the dealership make goal.
Break down your overall goal into micro goals that involve everyone and every department at your dealership. People work harder when they’re working towards an individual goal. And in turn, you’ll build comradery among your staff as everyone at the dealership works together towards one universal mission.
4. Get Organized
Everyone gets 24 hours in a day, yet some people accomplish a great deal more in that day than others. Although most people rarely think of it this way, “time” is simply another word for “life.” With this in mind, it’s easy to see why good time management is critical. Time is your single most precious resource, and it’s one that only you can protect.
The first step to managing your time better is understanding who or what is stealing it from you and being ruthless about eliminating those interruptions.
Make sure your time is being focused on projects that are important and profitable. Try using a planner or whiteboard to organize tasks and important ideas. If someone else can take on a task you usually do, delegate it away.
5. Train A Top-Notch Leadership Team
Yes, delegating work is important. But even more important than delegating tasks is how you delegate tasks. Your leadership team is there to help you, but they can only do so when you clearly communicate your expectations. Always strive to be both concise and clear when communicating.
Hosting weekly leadership meetings with your team is a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page and on track with the dealership’s overall goal. The book Traction by Gabriel Weinberg outlines great tools for running an effective and efficient leadership meeting.
6. Expand Your Mind Through Reading
Too many people don’t make enough time for reading. But we can learn a lot about growing our businesses from books. Here are 3 quick recommendations that’ll launch your dealership into action:
- Tribes by Seth Godin—Advice to help you build a great culture at your dealership.
- 5 Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni—Improve the way your employees work together and what they are able to accomplish.
- The Last Up by Jimmy Vee & Travis Miller—A revolutionary way for salespeople to view customers and improve sales. Get your free copy here.
7. Try Something New
Trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. And yet, year after year many dealerships are using the same old advertising methods and expecting different outcomes.
If you’re truly sick of the same results and want to see real growth in 2024, then you need to try something new. Download this free eBook to see how you could dominate your market and skyrocket your gross in the New Year.