Planning for 2012

With many signs pointing toward a positive, albeit tepid, recovery for the economy in 2012, the question arises during this time of year on what you want to accomplish with your CTi Dealership in the upcoming 12 months.

The best way to approach this exercise is to look at the areas of your business you can control. Some of the areas to look at are:

1) The amount and type of advertising to spend. While customers may be more cautious these days, it doesn't mean they're not buying. With many small companies decreasing their advertising due to fear factors about the economy, it offers an opportunity for your Dealership to stand out more in a competitive arena that doesn't have near the amount of messages bombarding the customer. With less static in the marketplace, it means your message is more likely to be seen and, more importantly, responded to.

2) Training and motivating the troops. Customers are out there, but they're looking for more for their money. Your Dealership can better satisfy this demand with training in areas such as your education of the customer during the sales call. The better you understand how to motivate a customer to purchase your products, the more winning relationships you will create with them. Sales is not about pushing someone into a product they don't feel good about. Effective selling is the education of your customer on the benefits of the product, the benefits of using your company, and the benefits they will experience with ownership of the CTi installation. The better you can explain this process, the better your customer will feel about doing business with you which leads to more satisfied customers through the referrals you generate. Sales classes are available through the Dale Carnegie group, The Sandler Institute and other sales training companies. The investment will be well worth it.

3) Understanding what makes the Dealership tick. The challenges brought about over the last couple of years have made the typical small business owner acutely aware of items such as overhead costs, cash flow, debt service and other factors that affect his business. The more you learn about how to effectively grow a business, the better you will control the factors that cause the growth of your business and its bottom line. Many colleges offer basic business courses that can share a wealth of information that can help you operate more effectively.