Recruiting the Right Salespeople Creates a Lasting Impact
Do you believe in recruiting salespeople, or do you hire them the old-fashioned way – through in-person applications? We hope you believe in the value of recruiting, because it can make a huge difference in a number of ways.
You are well aware of exactly what qualities you want from each member of your sales team. Now, doesn’t it make sense that your odds of finding these people go way up when you recruit them, rather than sitting back and waiting for them to come to you?
As you and your managerial staff move about your community, look around for potential candidates. When you find one, take a few moments to explain to them the benefits of working at your dealership, as well as the automotive industry as a whole. Tell them that experience isn’t necessary; that the right person can be trained to be highly successful. (Note: Many of the larger dealership groups actually employ a “Recruitment Acquisition Manager” whose sole responsibility is bringing in new talent.)
Debunking Recruiting Objections
The biggest objections to recruiting salespeople, of course, are time and money. But here’s the best rebuttal to that: You spend money on TV, radio, Internet, newspaper and other forms of advertising to get people to come to your dealership. Once they’re there, isn’t it of utmost importance that they’re taken care of by the best people possible?
Another advantage to recruiting is that you always have good people at the ready whenever a job opening comes up. This keeps you proactive rather than reactive, which is huge. After all, reactive people have to settle for the best person available at that time; in other words, a body to fill a position. With a strategy like that, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the new hire doesn’t last – meaning you’re right back to the drawing board again, spending more time than you’d like to find someone competent.
To be clear, by “recruiting” we mean actively going out and looking for the right people. We don’t mean just logging on to careerbuilder.com and sifting through resumes, though this can be one of the ways your dealership recruits potential employees. But it shouldn’t be the only way!
How much you need to spend on recruiting depends on your methods and the size of your dealership – but here’s something we found that is relevant to the conversation. According to a Software Advice survey done in February of this year, the average auto dealership spends approximately $86 on advertising for each new hire. When you think about how important your sales force is to your bottom line, that is $86 well-spent.
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