Month end is behind you, save for those few deals that are going to be back-dated to August 31. Hopefully with C.A.R.S. you didn't need to do that. Now it's a whole new month and you're thinking "I'm at zero, clean sheet of paper, time to hit my numbers!" Since we know so many people that do that, there must have been one parent in all of our families that, when we were infants, whispered in our ears "you'll think like you'll get paid, you'll start over on the 1st, you'll scurry like hell to get everything done on the last day of every month". Man, talk about a dysfunctional family!
So here you are, 20-40 years later, convinced that a calendar determines your effectiveness and runs your life. While nobody is here to tell you it's not how you get paid, quotas are set, assessments are handled and forecasts are created, quit thinking that way. You're not starting over.
Especially in today's Internet-based world, the first of any month is just another day to tackle the 30-100 leads in your queue. You can let the management and executives control the way a company operates but you don't have to be controlled by a calendar. When you remove yourself from that process, your vision grows and you can see things in better perspective. Again, don't start a revolt or fight the way your GM runs your store. Just start to believe there's people (your customers) that work and believe in a 365-day world.
When you start planning beyond 30 days, in reality most folks hope on 30 and plan less, you can better see marketing effectiveness, referrals building, many leads actually taking 5-12 weeks to buy (rather than ignoring them until the week before and finding out they bought elsewhere), track trends and cycles, even bring customers back for parts, accessories, warranties and more!
If you truly believe that your number is 'zero' when the last month expires and the new one starts, maybe look at how you're holding yourself back. It might just be your condition, but for those that can change, it might be the most fun you've ever had at a dealership…and possibly the most money too!
Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
