As the owner of an auto dealership, how long have you relied on insiders to give opinions about your team's customer service techniques? It's not always a smart idea to depend on internal analysis since bias is always apt to creep in.

You're better off going through a dealership consultant to help analyze how you present yourself to customers. Without this outsider view, you'll never really know what you're doing right or wrong.

Customers have more demands now in what they want out of a dealership. Take some time out for automotive management training so you see what you need to change.

Make Your Customers Feel Welcomed

No car buyer wants to enter a dealership and then stand around waiting for someone to help them. How welcoming are you to new customers when they enter your doors?

You should have a sales staff that warmly welcomes the customer without appearing desperate. Simply asking if they can help is a good first step so you don't make it look like you're only out to push a sale.

Today's customers are far more attuned to old school sales techniques, so any hint that you're in an aggressive sales mode will turn off some people. Most of your first-time customers are probably just looking for new or leased car possibilities rather than being convinced to buy.

While what your customer service team says is important, their appearance is a major component for positive first impressions.

Presentation of Your Employees

It might sound obvious that your employees should look well-manicured and dress neatly. Nevertheless, it's still easy for sales staff to slip on this if they become too complacent.

A new customer will set immediate impressions about your dealership based on how your sales staff looks. Shaking hands with a sales representative who looks even slightly unprofessional could send a red flag about attention to customer service.

We all know the typical dress code of car sales associates is business casual. Even if you want your employees to feel more relaxed in their work clothes, make sure they at least wear appealing business clothes to provide the most professional appearance.

When you have consultants come in to give you automotive management training, they'll observe exactly what your staff does, what they say, and how they look. They'll give you tips on how your sales staff should groom themselves, including the best type of clothes to wear to uphold dealership trends.

Bringing a Positive Attitude

Some of your sales staff may find it difficult to maintain positive attitudes if you've seen sales slip in the last year. Never let personal problems or internal issues affect how your sales staff presents themselves to customers.

Maintaining a positive attitude in your dealership will do a lot to help attitudes of your staff. This is going to carry over to your customer service in the long run when there's a feeling of well-being and mutual respect. Once you start achieving a positive mindset, you'll soon eliminate any frustrating sale lags.

As many car sale experts note, much of this relates to using positive language in your dealership and making it a daily routine. Maintaining good physical health also makes a big difference in how your customer service team feels.

Customers are going to notice whether your team is genuine or not, but proper training helps set a positive atmosphere.

Where to Turn to Find Automotive Management Training

At Vanguard Dealer Services, we've created a comprehensive source to give you everything you need for your dealership to succeed. This includes everything from F&I products to sales training.

Contact us to learn more about our automotive management training that goes into the realm of customer service presentations. Our team of experts show you the ropes on proper presentation through careful and non-intrusive observation.