Today we’re pleased to welcome back Frank Lopes, vice president of the Forrest & Blake digital advertising agency. While the majority of automotive dealers have fared well during the Coronavirus pandemic, they should now focus on preventing bad habits from forming in their ranks. In this segment, Lopes and anchor Jim Fitzpatrick discuss how dealers can get back on track and stay there.
Two things Lopes has noticed across the board in dealerships nationwide are:
- The mentality and position of managers in the sales department
- The lack of managerial training
He explains, “Every manager should be coming into the dealership every single morning with the exact same mentality as a second-grade public school teacher.”
In March and April, when dealerships closed due to COVID-19, managers stayed behind and started to answer phone calls and monitor leads. They found a new appreciation for the time and skills it takes to execute a sale. As soon as the season of sales opportunity came back in May and June, managers questioned why their staff members were struggling with these tasks. Meanwhile, the manager had been covering it successfully themselves!
Any public school teacher, teaching young children, has experienced this. Managers need to train their staff over and over again on a consistent basis. Repetition is the key. However, managers themselves often say they don’t get enough training and tend to get overwhelmed. Lopes says that while there is no ‘manager school.’ Automotive dealers have to be creative and dedicated to training their trainers whether it be with online tools, workshops, or one-on-one sessions.
In addition to his role at Forrest & Blank, Frank Lopes is also an acclaimed performance coach and the host of Live With Lopes on Facebook. He is also the author of “The 7-Minute Setup: How to Achieve your Business and Personal Goals Faster and Easier.”
For even more great advice and insight from Lopes, be sure to watch our full interview above or check out our past interviews here.
Did you enjoy this interview with Frank Lopes? Please share your thoughts, comments, or questions regarding this topic with host Jim Fitzpatrick at jfitzpatrick@cbtnews.com.
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