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Most of us
think that we are proactive. We know the systems and
procedures, and have trained staff to make sure things
work smoothly. We have special events designed to bring
in prospects and have at least two open house events a
year as well as rides originating from our store. But
that doesn’t mean we’re proactive.
So what
makes the difference? Creativity. If you are truly
proactive you do things other dealers don’t. You create
excitement. Being proactive means you do intensive
follow-up and intensive prospecting.
Let me give
you one example. Some years ago I was invited to speak
to the California Motorcycle Dealer’s Association. This
is one of the most active State dealer associations in
the country. Ray Nowakowski, the owner of Golden Gate
Cycles in San Francisco had been very proactive and
involved with his group. If memory serves he was once
listed as the best Pontiac salesperson in the United
States prior to getting into the motorcycle business.
Ray told me
that his sales people were trained to be very
proactive. When they were not waiting on customers they
were on the phone calling contractors, marinas and
anyone else who might have a need (perhaps unrealized)
for a power generator or any other product he had in his
inventory.
Ray also
talked about calling customers that had purchased
motorcycles in the past to see if they might be ready to
trade up. His salespeople also called recent customers
to find out if they had a friend that might be
interested. That’s what I call being proactive.
During the
past 20 years or so some OEMs have had the good fortune
to have demand exceed supply. Their dealers had to do
very little to meet sales goals. Well, those times are
over. Competition and shifts in demand have made it
imperative that reactive marketing must be discontinued
in favor of proactive marketing.
Here’s the
problem: It’s called “use it or lose it.” In this case
I’m referring to the training learned, but not practiced
or exercised. It takes a great deal of effort to stay
sharp. The classic story that brings this point home
was one related by the late great pianist, Vladimir
Howritz. He was asked by the mother of a young student
if her offspring could ever play as well as his
teacher. His response? “Of course he can. All he has
to do is practice eight hours a day for the next 40
years to learn -- and then another eight hours a day to
keep it sharp.
If you are
reactive you copy the successful events of your
competitor. If you are proactive you create events your
competitor copies. If you are proactive you go on an
aggressive hunt for new prospects. If you are reactive
you complain that your OEM isn’t doing enough to bring
prospects into your store. If you’re reactive your
store may be neat and clean but not “Wow!” If you’re
proactive you change the way your store looks at least
three times a year. If you’re reactive you spend too
much time complaining about other staff members. If
you’re proactive you love to explore new options and try
new things.
If you’re
reactive your business will depend on the demand for
your products. If you’re proactive, you create that
demand.
Finally, if
you are proactive, you are in charge of what happens.
If you are reactive, someone else is.
Feel free to contact me via e-mail (jwconsulting@comcast.net). I respond to all my e-mail messages, even from those I don’t really like.
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