There’s a common theme I’ve heard in service departments over the years that seems to be more and more prevalent. “No matter who we hire, they can’t sell anything,” has been said over and over in service departments that I’ve worked with, and it’s always met with the same response. I ask the question, “Does the team believe in what they’re doing?” Many times, the answer is a version of, “I’m not sure what you mean,” or simply, “I don’t know.” Often after talking this through, we both realize that a great oversight has been committed. The manager had not properly qualified the advisor for the position or had not laid out the mission for their service team.
You see, for any organization to thrive, the people in that organization must be on the same page and working toward the same goals. In fact, there are numerous books and articles outlining all the processes that a service department needs to implement and maintain in order to grow and stop leaving money on the table. But even with all of those things, there’s still something missing. Oftentimes a manager implements a good process, teaches it to the entire staff, sets team goals, consistently holds them accountable, they still struggle to keep going in the right direction. It certainly gets frustrating to be that manager and not see positive results of your hard work and attention.
What if the one factor being missed is the process of belief? You see, in order for any person to continue a behavior, or process, they must have a positive belief in that behavior. Let’s dissect the process of belief and see if we can influence better outcomes in your department.
First of all, what is a process? The definition of process is very telling. It is a systematic series of actions to achieve a predictable and desired outcome. It is a set of actions that define how to get something done. We all know that the check-in process has steps, the walk around process has steps, and the active delivery process has steps as well. For each of these actions we have a system, or at least we should, right? The benefits of having a process are many, with one being the most important in a business. With a successful process, you’re able to effectively replicate successful outcomes for your clients, and your department.
No matter how many times a person is asked, persuaded, pushed, or threatened, to perform a certain task, they simply can’t follow through with it unless it aligns with their beliefs and values. Beliefs and values are literally the bedrock of every action taken by any person, all the time. That’s the reason it is so hard for advisors to adjust to a new dealership environment. Maybe you’ve hired a service advisor from another store, and that person just would not stop exhibiting Bad Habit A, B, or C no matter what you said. They’ve decided somewhere along the way in their career that they believe that’s how it should be done. Many times, the new manager gets frustrated and then moves on from that advisor instead of assisting that person in creating new beliefs which are more beneficial to the dealership.
I believe though that most people who we hire really do want to do a great job. I also believe that we as managers must do a better job of ensuring we are hiring people who align with our beliefs and our mission. It’s also up to us to express those company expectations up front in the hiring process. There’s no sense in just hiring people when we can hire the right people with a slight adjustment to our hiring process. Here are a few tips on how to do that.
We can’t hit a target that we can’t see. No one can get behind us in our goals if they have no idea what they are. We have to share that overall vision with our team and ask for their feedback on it. We as leaders need to know if there’s someone on the team who doesn’t believe, and the only way to find out is to let them know what the goals are.
No one can get behind our goals if they have no idea what the goals are. We must share them with our team and ask for their feedback. As leaders, that is how we will learn if someone on the team doesn’t believe.
As I said before, peoples’ behaviors come from their values. Well, the same is true of you as a leader. Modeling your values in your behavior as a manager is one of the most effective ways to help get your team to believe in what they’re doing. You see humans change their behavior because of a belief that a better result can be achieved by employing a different behavior than they are currently engaged in. If you can live out your values visibly and improve the environment, your team is likely to also want to engage in similar behaviors so they can replicate your results.
One of the biggest reasons people don’t believe in what you want them to do is that they are not sufficiently knowledgeable in that area. Your team needs to be extremely well trained in their profession. Before someone begins to believe in something they must have certainty in it. Certainty creates confidence, and confidence leads to action. When people take action in a new direction and get a good result they will repeat that action. How do you ensure your personnel have competence? You get them very well trained so that in any situation they can handle themselves with confidence and give your clients top-notch service.
No matter what training program you choose for your team, remember that service should always be senior to sales. If your team believes in service first, you can rest assured they will be ahead of the game.
Nick Willey boasts over 25 years in Automotive, including 16 as a technician/fleet manager and 10 in sales, consulting, and management. With 6 years in fleet and personnel management, including military leadership, Nick holds expertise in communication and extensive sales training. He's certified as a 10X Business Coach by Grant Cardone Enterprises and owns Mammoth Training Solutions in Eagle, Idaho. Notably, he achieved $1 million in sales in a single year, becoming the first in WA State history and hitting the BG Elite in his previous company. He can be reached at 253-844-8067 or at MammothTrainingsolution@gmail.com. Visit his website at Mammothtrainingsolutions.com.
