How to make a difference and build a great car dealership sales team

On the latest edition of Straight to the Point, host Frank J. Lopes is joined by Tim Cox, Co-founder of CarNow. Lopes gets straight to the point by asking Cox, Can car dealers, general managers, and salespeople in the dealership truly make a difference? Cox begins the conversation by discussing the three attributes of leadership that John C. Maxwell coined years earlier.

Number one, the leader says, I want to make a difference. Secondly, with people wanting to make a difference, and lastly, doing something that makes a difference. Cox continues to say, you really know you’re making a difference in the culture of your team, that when if and when they miss their numbers, they are most upset about disappointing you, then the financial aspect of their paycheck because you have poured into them.

Cox says it’s the leader’s responsibility to make sure they have an accountability partner. Salespeople also should have the ability to do other things that don’t necessarily fall under their job description. Cox also says, when you truly try to serve your customers, good things will happen. There are two words to eliminate in your car dealerships: insecurity and pride. It takes consistency.

Significance is caring about the person other than the numbers, says Cox. Truly caring about where the employee wants to be and you’re invested in your team’s personal lives.

Cox says, says the most important thing leaders can do is one-on-one’s with team members, away from the car dealership or business. It gives the manager or owner the opportunity to know them. Some of the greatest successes come from the biggest failures. Cox believes, it sets the tone of humility for leadership and a tone of significance.

Cox concludes the conversation by telling his employees, they don’t work for him, he works for them. He is there to serve them. The question Cox says to always ask is, What could I have done better and how do we grow from this?

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