the dealer panel
Chris Saraceno AndrewDiFeo Brian Benst ock Joe Clement i Merchandise, marketing, location and processes are all key to a dealership’s success, but one element comes before all these: the dealership’s staff. A good staff can turn around bad times, and make good times even better; a poorly functioning staff, however, can make it impossible for a dealership to be profitable, even in the best circumstances. Decisions made in the hiring process will color every other decision a dealer, GM or manager makes. For this series of our Dealer Panel, we wanted to gain insight into how our dealers make these crucial decisions, and how their personal experiences have shaped the way they choose who to add to their dealership’s team.
THE
DEALER PANEL
For this installment of our panel, we spoke with Chris Saraceno, vice president and partner of Kelly Automotive Group in Pennsylvania and Florida; Joe Clementi, general manager and sales trainer at Sacramento Kia in California; Brian Benstock, vice president and general manager of Paragon Honda and Acura in New York City; and Andrew DiFeo, general manager of Hyundai of St. Augustine in Florida. AutoSuccess: When hiring for a sales position, besides some of the more obvious qualities, what separates a candidate from the rest of the pack looking for a position at your dealership? Andrew DiFeo: An outgoing personality and a positive attitude —
those are two important things we look for. But, in today’s day and age, with the way consumers shop for everything, one of the most important factors that separates a candidate is how comfortable and proficient they are with technology, specifically beyond just their ability to use a CRM. We look at things such as if they utilize a tablet and a mobile device for their daily work responsibilities, as well as communicating with customers and using them in their sales presentations. Joe Clementi: We look for people willing to do what less-qualified candidates won’t. Being an average car salesperson is similar to the neglected rose that never truly blossoms. Failure to receive the proper nutrients on a consistent basis stops the potential. The need for an immediate solution overrides the need of planting the seed in the first place. Traditionally, top performers are relentless at performing the “mundane” steps on a consistent basis. They do the small things that, in the moment, seem to produce little-to-no results, such as making a phone call, sending an email, capturing a video or improving product knowledge skills; incremental, but these are the solutions to failing sales.
part 1
Hiring: Making the Right Choice evaluation, you ask yourself, “Would I let them watch my kids?” You ask yourself if you could trust them. Given the dollars and business transactions they’re going to be dealing with, you ask yourself if you can trust them with your customers. That first, initial impression is a big factor. AS: When hiring in the service department, what qualities do you or your managers look for? AF: Service is a very challenging position to fill, because not only do
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they have to have solutions a lot of knowledge successful providedfrom by the technical aspect of cars from a repair and maintenance standpoint, but they have to also have very good relationship-building skills, because we want our customers to have their “go to” person in the service department over a long period of time. It’s really important that our service personnel have that ability to build trust with the customer and nurture that relationship over time. JC: We look for an associate who radiates a welcoming attitude. We want our associates to understand that they are the extension of our team and the face of our franchise. We want good listeners who can provide our customers with the experience they desire. We look for those associates who are used to working in a team environment and have played a role in the success of their prior team at some level. We want solution-oriented people who are interested in reinventing themselves and our processes. We want people who understand the sign doesn’t say “helper”; it says “service.” CS: They have to have the certifications. We review their work history to see what kind of training they’ve attended, we discuss the tools they have — most technicians have their own tools, so if they don’t have the tools needed, are they really committed? What OEM or manufacturer-franchised dealer experience do they have? Are they job jumpers? We want people who want to be part of our team. It always helps if they’ve been a technician with the same franchise they are applying for. For example, for our Ford store in Florida, we’ll choose a Ford technician over a Chevy technician with equal experience. That person is familiar with the product, is Ford-certifiied and familiar with the way Ford operates.
the dealer panel
BB: We want them to be well rounded. We want them to understand
that they’re not just part of one department, but they’re a part of the holistic dealership. A service manager or service director has got to have a good understanding of how the new and used car department impacts his or her department. We really want to find people who are able to work within all those departments. If you’re in charge of service, how do you move forward with the ability to grow your department using the other departments in the dealership?
Chris Saraceno: Past performance, in most cases, will predict future results. If someone has a proven track record of success —in athletics, in business/commissioned sales, etc. — they already know and understand the skills, habits, attitude along with the time, effort and discipline needed to excel. Finding great people also means we have to first believe Next month, we’ll take a look at what our dealer panel does with new they exist — and they do. When interviewing the experienced sales candidate, we lookTony for candidates are used to making $60,000-plus Chris Saraceno Provostthat AndrewDiFeo Brian Benst ock hires once the decision has been made, and what they do when that new per year. This person doesn’t want to go back to making $40,000. They’re hire might not perform as well as expected. used to making a certain amount, and they know and understand the behaviors needed on a daily basis to maintain or improve that lifestyle. Brian Benstock: The initial feeling you get from
a candidate is important. On a quick, 30-second
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DEALER PANEL
If you have questions or are a dealer who would like to be considered for the panel, please contact us at thepanel@autosuccessonline.com.
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