Your Performance Matters – Newsletter Number 3

A newsletter designed to improve your sales, marketing and management results.

Show Stopping Success Strategies 

"Knowledge is power!”

There isn’t a bigger bunch of baloney out there. Knowledge isn’t power. Applied knowledge is power. The problem is, however, all too often we fall into the Seinfeld Syndrome.

"I am so busy doing nothing... that the idea of doing anything -- which as you know, always leads to something -- cuts into the nothing and then forces me to have to drop everything." -- Jerry Seinfeld

Even though this quote makes me laugh hysterically, this really isn’t how Seinfeld became so successful. He got there by working hard and taking action.

English sociologist Herbert Spencer stated perfectly in the 1890’s when he said, “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.” It isn’t enough to know. You must do!

Want to be successful? Here are some things you should do.

1. Practice the MacGyver Principle
   
   Who was MacGyver?
   
   Of course he was the fictional TV character (the show ran from 1985 to 1992) who could make a bomb out of bubble gum and over throw an evil government regime with a paper clip. Hey, don’t forget the duct tape!
   
   What does this have to do with you?
   
   Do you know anyone in your dealership that complains? Don’t tell me, you can see them across the dealership right now.
   
   You know the person who complains about not having a good enough computer program. Or the one who complains about not having enough square footage in the store. Or the one who complains that the dealership doesn’t spend enough on advertising.
   
   Well tell them to practice the MacGyver principle. What’s the principle? Use what you do have to be successful and don’t complain about what you don’t! Being resourceful will enable you to feel as if you’re making progress and more in control of your situation.
   
   
2. Don’t like people? Get over it.
   
   John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest and hardest working men America has ever produced and by the way one of the most altruistic. He is know to have told an interviewer, “The ability to deal with people …” Said Rockefeller, “… I will pay more for that ability than any other under the sun.”
   
   How do you get better at dealing with people? Read the classic , “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie. It’s well researched and these principles are never obsolete. Sum it up in one sentence, it’s not about you, it’s about them.
   
   Even if you are naturally good with people it’s a good idea to consciously understand why you are and what you can do to continuously improve.
   
   
3. Practice the “Law of the Farm.”
   
   Or put more conventionally you get out of something what you put into something. This is not pabulum. This is as real as the law of gravity.
   
   Want to get ahead?
   
   • Spend time thinking about your goals. Most people spend more time thinking about their day off then they do their career, let alone their personal goals. Put energy into your life and it will give you energy back.
   • Spend time reading quality materials. Yeah, back issues of Outlaw Biker don’t really count here. I’m talking about finding good information that will make you more informed to help your customers and more interesting to friends and family.
   • Honor your muse. This is an interesting psychological concept. The definition of muse is “the source of an artist’s inspiration. You know how sometimes throughout the day you have ideas. Like that idea you had for a cool sales promotion or that great program to find new customers. We’ll you should write those ideas down and I mean the moment that you have them. If you do, your creative side (your muse) will give you more ideas. If you don’t, you’ll stop having as many. Try it! It works.

   The Roman statesman (hey, blame the history channel), Marcus T. Cicero, said, “As you have sown so shall you reap.” Supposedly he actually stated it before it ever appeared in that other Book.

   In the last 7 years I’ve delivered over 1000 seminars mostly to motorcycle dealership people . And in all that time I’ve only ever had one person come up to me prior to the session, square his shoulders, suck in his stomach and say to me, “You ain’t gonna teach me nothin’.”
   I grinned and said, “You’re absolutely right.” Hey, you get out of an experience what you put into an experience. The question isn’t what are you getting out of your career, the question is what are you putting into it?
   
   Want people to be nice to you? You be nice to them. Want your customers to do for you? First do for them. Want to earn more? Contribute more.
   
   
4. Practice R2.
   
   And we are talking rigor and repetition. There are some things in business that if we are really going to master we have to do … often and a lot. Like handling price objections, answering frequently asked questions, like, “What’s my interest rate?” “What’s my monthly payment going to be? ”
   
   So write down those questions that you get asked frequently. Create a killer response. And then; practice, practice, practice.
   
   Historians say that the Samurai warrior practiced his battle maneuvers thousands and thousands of times. Why? So that in the heat of battle, there would be no anxiousness, no uncertainty, rather the cool calm execution of what was practiced.
   
   Well hopefully, doing business at your dealership isn’t quite as hard as the battles fought by the ancient Samurai. But the point makes sense. Do you ever get nervous or uncertain when working with customers? Really dislike it when a customer asks you about a particular bike or accessory. Chances are it’s because you haven’t prepared sufficiently.
   
   Why is this important? We’ll as Zig Ziglar likes to say, “Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it architect of accomplishment.”
   
   
5. Employ the KISS principle.
   
   No, not the overused acronym keep it simple silly. Kiss, you know the bombastic rock band from the 70’s, which was still doing farewell tours (yes, plural) in 2002. What gave this rock entity such staying and selling power?
   
   Well even though they were far from musicians (Gene Simmons, bassist for the group is famous for saying, “Are we musicians? God no! We’re entertainers.”) They gave fans coming to there live shows an event they would talk about forever. They blew stuff up, spit blood, and basically gave fans their money’s worth.
   
   Are you giving your customers their money’s worth? Do you make dealing with you extraordinary? Do you do things to surprise them? No I not giving you permission breathe fire on your annoying customers, but you should ask yourself, “How can I make working and interacting with me a memorable experience?”
   
   So go dig out your Kiss Alive 8-Track and think of 3 ways you can add value to your customers and your dealership.
   
   
6. Find the fun.
   
   Striving towards your goals both professionally and personally require focus and dedication. Humor is important. There are few things that will keep you going when the vicissitudes of life strike like humor. Studies show that laughter is beneficial to physical health and mental well-being. Laughter stimulates the "feel-good" chemicals like dopamine the brain so we want to do it over and over again.
   
   Researchers at the University of Maryland are taking laughter seriously after finding that it actually causes the endothelium, which lines the body's blood vessels, to dilate. This enables that blood to flow more freely and to promote better overall cardiovascular health.
   
   Of course you don’t want to have fun at your customers or coworkers expense, but when you can laugh you get rejuvenated, feel relief and psychologically prepare to get back on track to achieve your results.
   
   Plus you’ll probably sell more stuff. Customers come to your motorcycle dealership to have fun. That’s part of what they pay for! Practiced appropriately there is an old adage in sales, “Be more funny, make more money.” Look you don’t have to be Chris Rock, but you shouldn’t be a stick in the mud. Remember it could be worse; we could all be working real jobs.
   
   
7. Concentrate on what’s important.
   
   Life and business is really made up of just three things. So while what follows is not exactly the meaning of life, it sure is a good model to help you keep you sanity.
   
   Life consists of:
   
   • Stuff you can CONTROL:
     
     You know like what time you get up, when you go to bed, what you put in your mouth. Your actions.
     
   • Stuff you can INFLUENCE:
     
     This group may include your spouse, your co-workers, your kids (unless they are teenagers!).
     
   • Then there are the things in life that you CAN’T control or influence.
     
     This list may include the weather, the Federal Reserve, your service manager (I couldn’t resist).
     
     But the power of this model lies in understanding how to use it. You should spend up to 90% of your time on just what you can control.
     
     Why?
     
     That’s where you get the biggest return on your investment of time, talent, skills and ability. You should spend 7% of your time on those things you can influence. And you should spend 3% of your time, kicking back; contemplating life over a Heineken and wondering why it is you can’t control or influence that other stuff.

Ok so there you have it seven show stopping strategies for success. Now don’t be one of those people who knew but didn’t do. Remember applied knowledge is power.

Want more cool success strategies?

Check out www.PeakDealershipPerformance.com