Digital Dealer - December 2017 - 15

By Chuck Barker
President & Founder,
Impact Marketing &
Consulting Group

// Dealership
Management

Your Limitation
Is Not What
You Don't Have,
It's What You're
Not Using
It's Time to Shift
from Potential to
Kinetic Thinking
Those of you who
know me have heard
me tell this story before
and I feel it is so worth
repeating because of our
current marketplace. A
few years ago, while I
was working in Moscow,
Russia, I visited a wealthy
friend of mine in Frankfort, Germany. He was a
very proud new owner of
a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
After gawking over the
car for some time we
decided to take it for a
spin on the Autobahn
because he couldn't wait
to show me the "potential" of his new ride. As
we accelerated quickly
getting on, we migrated
over into the fast lane and
he continued to accelerate until he found a
"comfortable" cruising
speed of around 135
miles an hour. Frankly,

we were both holding our
breath a bit realizing that
we were really cooking
down the road. He then
said to me, "can you
believe the power in this
thing?" Then, all of a
sudden, glancing in his
rear-view mirror he said,
"Oh my gosh are you
kidding?" I turned around

flashed past us in a blur I
happened to notice it was
the same model Porsche
we were driving but most
likely doing somewhere
in the neighborhood of
175 miles an hour. Hum,
just when we thought we
were utilizing the potential
of this Porsche we were
immediately humbled by

...WE BOTH HAD TO
LAUGH AT OURSELVES
FOR THINKING WE WERE
THE TOP DOG OUT
THERE."
expecting to see German
police lights but instead
saw another vehicle
bearing down on us in our
lane a half-mile back
flashing its lights for us to
get out of its way. My
friend shifted into the next
lane to the right of us to
give way to this rapidly
approaching vehicle.
Here is the interesting
point; As this vehicle

someone else who was
actually utilizing the car's
potential much greater
than we were. We both
had to laugh at ourselves
for thinking we were the
top dog out there. Humbling to say the least.
In my travels around
this country, I see the
same thing occurring
in dealerships all the
time. Some stores think
D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

they are utilizing their
fullest potential while
there are stores who are
blowing right past their
competitors by utilizing
contemporary sales
development and relationship-building training
and methodologies.
Many dealers are not
challenging themselves
to become better than
they currently are. I have
seen stores who essentially have a very similar
sales team, management team, product line
and desirable location
yet are different in so
many ways. In spite of
these similarities being in
place, some stores sell
more units, double and/
or triple the gross profits,
as the other stores. They
also have created a total
team synergy platform
from which to build upon
and a pride themselves
on a low attrition rate.
Why is it that some
stores drive along at
135 and almost identical
profiled stores are doing
175? Where does the
difference reside? Is it
the "comfortable" speed
they are attacking their
business? We all need to
be disruptors and break
out of being complacent
while pushing towards
accelerated business
growth.
Go out to your local
mall and ask 20 people
this question; "What are
the first thoughts that
come to your mind when

Continued on pg. 16

DECEMBER 2017

15
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - December 2017
