William Cafarella is an expert in auto sales. He has been named one of the top general managers in the country and has a history of running numerous dealerships in the U.S. to the top. William Cafarella recently shared several tips for inspiring your sales team toward success.
“Inspiring your auto dealership sales team is similar to inspiring any company sales team,” William Cafarella said. “However, with roughly 17,000 franchised car dealerships located around the country, it’s important to ensure your team is always at the top of their game.”
William Cafarella explained that one of the best ways to inspire your team is to create short-term, achievable goals that work toward a major goal for the year. Smaller goals are those that individuals break up into weeks or months to achieve the larger goal. William Cafarella added that the larger goal is typically the number of vehicles to sell or a monetary sales goal to reach. It should be set at a level that is difficult to reach yet still achievable.
“One of the most important parts of building your dealership team is forming a sense of community,” William Cafarella said. “When members of your team see each other as teammates rather than competition, goals are reached more easily. Salespeople are then able to motivate each other without feeling like they’re aiding the competition.”
William Cafarella suggested holding regular meetings to discuss successes, new ideas, and concerns. Activities outside of work, such as weekend getaways or dinner nights, can have a major impact on the way employees trust and help one another. He added that processes are essential to operating a dealership and keeping all departments productive.
“I put a system in place, and there are processes installed in every department of the auto business,” William Cafarella said. “These processes are followed 100-percent of the time in the sales, service, and parts departments. This confluence amongst all departments keeps all teams working toward a common goal and always on the same side.”
William Cafarella added that it’s important to build personal relationships with your team members. There’s no doubt that everyone will experience a sales drop due to exterior stressors at some point. When noticed, it’s important to speak with this team member and let them know they’re supported. Knowing they have a support system at work and that you understand the issue can help them stay driven and focused.
“Finally, it’s essential to recognize all team member achievements as often as possible,” William Cafarella said. “Some dealerships tend to continuously recognize the same top salespeople again and again, and this can have a negative effect on the sales of others.”
finding something positive to say about each team member while in group meetings. Accomplishments should be recognized outside of group meetings too. Giving compliments and recognizing achievements is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to keep your team striving toward success.
