Sales staff are generally only as effective as those who lead them, making an effective sales manager an integral part of a successful dealership.
While management styles differ from person to person, an intent focus on motivation and communication is fairly uniform.
Dennis Boswinkle, sales manager for Nashville, Tenn.-based Nacarato Volvo says he holds a sales meeting with his six-member sales staff every Monday at 8 a.m. “without fail,” which lasts approximately an hour.
“I ask them to come prepared with what they’re working on, who they’ve seen and the things they’ve got in the works,” he says.
Chris Marsh, sales manager for Massachusetts-based Tri-State Truck Center, says he prefers to forgo standard weekly sales meetings with his four-person staff in favor of daily follow-ups and a monthly meeting to review sales programs/industry news.
“I like to keep in touch with guys on daily basis,” he says. “If you’re in touch daily, there’s not a lot of point in sitting down once a week.”
Jason Cluck is now with Nacarato Volvo as well, but in his past life at Arrow Truck Sales, he says he would hold a sales meeting every Monday and Thursday, each lasting less than an hour.
