I remember my promotion to management very clearly. One day I was “one of the guys” on the sales floor and the next I was promoted to pre-owned manager. I was over the moon with excitement and could hardly wait to lead the charge through the month.
I looked out at the sales desks and saw people reading the paper (they still did that back then), drinking coffee and telling each other how smart they were. It was about 9:00 in the morning. I figured they would start calling customers early like I had been taught by my first mentor (“Get to ’em before someone else does,” he told me). But as the morning wore on, no activity. I had never paid much attention to them when I was a salesperson because I was busy doing my thing and earning my paycheck. Now, however, my paycheck would be dependent upon them.
I realized they needed some motivation but wasn’t sure what I should do. The internet wasn’t really a thing (besides AOL), so I decided to go to the bookstores and libraries to read.
I found material by leaders like Dave Anderson and Grant Cardone, devouring material as fast as I could. Then the fun part came as I tried to put it into practice. I was terrible. Some of the salespeople even said, “What are you trying to do? Teach us?” (Mind you, they were all older than me and in their eyes hadn’t earned the right to try to get them to do something they didn’t want to do).
I read all of the industry publications I could get my hands on (Dealer magazine, Automotive News, Dealer Marketing magazine, etc.), trying to find whatever new ideas and products that were hitting the market.
Thankfully, the internet “grew up” and more and more resources came online to help me figure out ways to motivate the troops. I found websites like Driving Sales, Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with others and learn from them.
And the more I tried to teach it to my people, the more I learned myself. I learned that I have to motivate myself before I try to motivate any others. As I progressed up the proverbial career ladder, I met thought leaders and teachers like Tim Burgess and Al Lindeman, who helped me learn to think and visualize the results I wanted.
I read constantly and came to the conclusion that there is no magic bullet to motivate employees. You have to get to know each of them and find out what makes them tick. They aren’t going to all respond to the same things (money is not the end-all, be-all), so you’d better learn some different approaches if you want results.
And you know what? I learn a little more every day. I love meeting new people and getting to know them so they can teach me. Chuck Barker keeps me grounded and on the right path during our phone calls and Sean Kelley is always asking questions, getting me to challenge my assumptions in an effort to constantly improve.
So, what are your thoughts? Who do you follow to motivate yourself and others? What sites are helpful to you to run your business?
Make it a great day! (it’s a choice)
Dan
