14 Traits That Exist In Every Successful Automobile Dealership

I've spent the last 24 years trying to improve our products and services to auto dealers. In order to do so, I’ve invested countless hours interviewing the top dealers, managers and their sales people. I realized that in virtually every successful dealership there are 14 traits that are always present.

1. People setting and achieving their own lofty goals and living their dreams. The successful people I’ve studied did what they wanted – the way they wanted to do it! They didn’t hold back or follow the status quo. They reinvented the game and made all their competitors follow their lead. All of the people I studied had the ability to form a clear vision of what was possible and pursue that vision relentlessly. Let’s face it… living your dreams and setting goals is only the beginning. If it were that easy we would all be retired on a beach somewhere.
2. Everyone overcame obstacles. These obstacles come in many forms: competitive challenges, financial setbacks, health problems, cash flow difficulties, sales weaknesses, ignorance of advertising or marketing, etc. Yet these successful people all managed to triumph over their obstacles through a common philosophy.
3. Turning negatives into positives. The super-achievers I’ve studied did one thing better than anyone else they competed against. They reframed every problem or disappointment they faced into a solution or opportunity for greater success.
4. Persistence. Everyone experiences failures. The successful people never let that get in the way. They tried again, again and again until they succeeded. The people that do this, succeed and succeed massively. They have a very empowering belief system that a vision is real and deserved. These people found the best way to realize their vision and circumvented every obstacle in their path.
5. Ethics. The people I studied have the highest ethical standards. They took firm stands on what they believed in and did what was right. They didn’t compromise, they didn’t sell out, and they didn’t lower their standards. These are highly successful people who feel great about the way they got there! Taking the high road and operating in an ethical way intimidates competitors. It attracts the highest quality of employees, vendors and professionals and it serves like a magnet to bond you to the community or the industry in which you operate. More importantly it lets you sleep like a baby at night… one with a clear conscious.
6. Belief and commitment. Persistence does not work without a clear, strong belief in your right to have a goal and the reward you are after.
7. Focus and unstoppable drive. Persistence, belief and commitment are all essential to success. Yet, without clear focus and unstoppable drive, you’ll only accomplish a fraction of your true potential. Focus is the ability to never let diversions get in your way. It’s the ability to cut to the “bottom line essence” in everything you do. Drive is the force you generate in your mind and business that lets nothing, no one, and no excuse stand between you and achieving your goal. And time doesn’t hold you back either. Because when your drive mechanism is properly engaged, you accomplish more in a day than your competitors can achieve in a month.
8. Risk-Taking. Super-successful dealerships and their leaders know when and where to take astute risks. They know how to take them for maximum yield but minimum downside. Average or mediocre dealerships and are afraid to take risks. They see them as dangerous speculations. Super-achieving dealerships recognize that unless you do things differently, better and more effectively, you can’t produce the breakthrough results you’re after.
9. Fearlessness. The sky will not fall. The world is not collapsing. You won’t go broke or look stupid. Actually the opposite is true once you master all 14 traits. Doom and failure only go to those who stay stuck in the status quo. You must move from fear to fearlessness. Imagine never fearing a bad economy, or your competitors, or making payroll ever again. Imagine having total certainty that you’ll do just fine because you have total control of your business fortune. Imagine making the decision to never participate in a recession! That’s what the most successful dealerships do.
10. Learning from others’ mistakes. Why make any more of your own mistakes when there’s a powerful, infallible method you can use to tap into the successful experiences of thousands of prosperous dealership minds? The most successful dealerships pay attention to what is working and what is not working. They work with agencies who track and measure results from thousands of dealers. They are active participants in 20 groups. Start tapping into the successful experiences and lessons learned by all the bright minds around you.
11. Daily motivation. The inspiration to super-achieve. If I can steal a quick Tweet from Grant Cardone “If it’s worth doing… it’s worth doing every day!” Motivate yourself and your staff every day until, you become the business you want and will become. All the knowledge, the change of mindset and a clear path to super success isn’t enough to get you there. You need a team of dedicated people to believe in your direction. You need to push, pull, prod, inspire, compel, propel you and your team to the levels you and your dealership are capable of achieving.
12. Good handle of new-found success. Making a ton of money isn’t really hard to do. Sometimes handling success is a different matter. Once you start achieving the level of business and financial results you’re after, you have to be able to deal with the added responsibility, wealth, options and influence you have. You’ll find yourself in a different position within your marketplace and the industry. Sometimes keeping our ego and business in check requires strategy. Just look at the changes you’ve made over the last few years. The trick as business continues to pick up is not to forget about the improvements and adjustments you’ve already made. It can be easy to slip back into bad habits.
13. Giving back. All successful dealerships I have interviewed over the years give back to their community. When the success and money start to flow, they always give back. Whether you give money or time an interesting thing happens… you’ll find that your success compounds geometrically with every contribution of yourself you make.
14. “Success-ion”. The idea of “success-ion” is very powerful. It’s the process of getting other, massively successful individuals to pass on their best practices. It shortens the learning curve of your staff. Once dealerships understand and practice this concept, a higher percentage of their staff learn how to think, act and say and what their most successful employees do. More importantly… they will know why.