Over the last few weeks, almost everyone has had Olympic fever. The opening ceremony, the Eiffel tower in every shot, Snoop Dog, the super-human athletes that we’ve come to personally know from the comfort of our sofas who all have a favorite color… Gold! There’s no shortage of reasons to get swept up every 4 years.
And no matter what you love most about Olympic sports, there’s one thing everyone can agree on. That victory belongs to those who are not only skilled, but prepared. Putting in the work, day in and day out, month after month, year after year, all with the goal to bring home the gold.
By looking at the rigorous discipline of athletes, alongside the strategic preparation of top-performing automotive sales teams, parallels can be drawn, and inspiration can be found. Together, let’s look at how adopting the mindset of champions can elevate you and your sales team’s performance and drive you to gold-medal glory.
From Salesperson to Olympic Athlete: Putting in the work
Recently, I had the honor of speaking with my dad, automotive legend and Master Sales Trainer and Principal Consultant, Chip Thomas, about the ways in which automotive sales teams can best prepare for the daily demands of their job. After all, when it comes to standing out in such a competitive field, just like elite Olympic athletes, the dealership staff who have the most success prepare both physically and mentally for the role to close the deal (bring home the gold!) every day.
Along with pre-game focus, top athletes make good decisions in their personal routines outside of practice. It all goes hand-in-hand. Here is Chip’s top advice for building the best routines and habits that drive positive results.
#1. Systems, habits, procedures help your sales team gain the competitive advantage.
According to Chip Thomas, you don’t need to take drastic actions to stand out above the rest. You just need to be consistent with the basic small habits that ultimately build on one another to make a big difference. “I made it a habit to send a handwritten ‘thank you’ card every time I sold a card,” he explains. “It’s all about consistency, perseverance, and developing good habits, like coming in every day with an action plan.”
Get the Gold: Have a clear direction and action plan for each day – when you plan to work and work your plan it makes a huge difference in the long run.
#2. It also falls on leadership to get your team to the podium.
Chip cited examples of the difference good leadership can make speaking from his own experience of 41 years at the same dealership. “If I don’t require you to do the things necessary to be a champion, you’re not going to be a champion.” Our Olympic athletes exhibit the very definition of greatness. But even with an incredible amount of practice and desire to win, almost every athlete needs a coach. Both coaches and leadership should be focused on helping you grab the gold, by setting a winning strategy, mapping out how success is attainable, and showing you how to use your strengths in order to bring out your best.
Get the Gold: If you’re a leader – demonstrate the same commitment to your career as you’d expect of your team. If you’re in sales – ask your leader to hold you accountable to your goals and true capabilities, then show your commitment to reaching those goals to inspire and raise the bar for the entire team.
#3. Even Olympic athletes recharge their batteries.
You need to get adequate sleep and exercise to do any job. And, according to Chip Thomas, there is no job more mentally, emotionally, and physically draining than what automotive salespeople do. “Most salespeople waste four to five hours just waiting for something to happen,” he explains. “If you want to win, you have to go in every single day with a game plan.” Did a customer come in while you were out who needs immediate follow up? Have you familiarized yourself with the new and current inventory? Are you up on the current promotions and incentives? Ensure you’re clear on what you need to do that day and have the energy to make it to the podium each day.
Get the Gold: If you’re rested and recharged in your personal life, you’ll be ready and willing—both physically and mentally—to come into the dealership ready to be and do your best.
#4. Practice and prepare for whatever’s next
The greatest athletes practice far more than they perform. Simple things like meeting and greeting, overcoming objections, your walkaround and approach are all things you can improve. It may look like luck to those who didn’t see the work you put in, but you’ll know better. And you’ll be prepared for the unknown.
Get the Gold: Successful salespeople don’t just leave it to chance. They prepare for the future and make their own opportunities both today and down the road. The old saying is true… practice makes for (eventual) perfect.
For the Road Forward
As the closing ceremonies take place, whether an athlete has won a gold, set a personal best, gave their best but came up short, is crying tears of happiness or tears of wishing they would have performed better, the beautiful thing about both athletes and sales is that every day is a new chance to give and do your best in the future.
For Olympic athletes the training never ends
and the same holds true for automotive salespeople.
To be successful in a competitive market, salespeople must treat their everyday with the same commitment athletes do – with goals, an action plan, and with the desire to put in the work to do what it takes. Leaders must also channel the spirit of an Olympic coach, guiding their team with a finely tuned strategy and the wisdom of experience on how to help others succeed.
When you prepare day in and day out to have the success you know you’re capable of, you’ll find yourself winning the gold more times than not. And with tools like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book on your team, you’re set to be one of the first sprinting towards the finish line.
Autotrader provides you with qualified leads for people who want cars. We have the data that connects and activates your data, and we have the shoppers. We know what they want, and our goal is to match them with our dealer partners, driving quality leads that have the highest gross profit on average industry wide. We connect you with customers virtually, to move shoppers to you, so that you can focus on building and letting your brand shine – shine as bright as GOLD!
Embrace and adopt the podium making tips shared, and like the most celebrated Olympians, you, your sales team, leaders and dealership will not only reach for gold, but grasp it firmly in victory.
