u/MalorianArms_3516

Been seeing a lot of new people posting hereabout starting at dealerships so figured I'dshare what actually made a difference for meearly on. None of this is groundbreaking but Iwish someone had laid it out for me on dayone.
Know your lot better than anyone. I walked theinventory every single morning before thedoors opened. When a customer said "do youhave anything in blue with a sunroof" I couldwalk them straight to it. That builds trust fast.
Stop talking on test drives. I used to narrateevery feature like a tour guide. Closing ratewent up when I learned to point out maybe twothings then shut up and let them enjoy the car.
"I need to think about it" isn't a no. It usuallymeans you missed something in the needsassessment. Instead of pushing harder I startedasking "totally understand — what specificallydo you want to think over?" and that onequestion saved more deals than any close Iever memorized.
Follow up or lose. I kept a notebook with everysingle customer, when I talked to them, whatthey were looking at, kids names, whatever.Before I got good with the CRM that notebookwas my entire pipeline. Most of the guysaround me called once and gave up.
Learn what happens at the desk. You don'tneed to be an F&I expert but understanding thebasics of how deals get structured made meway less frustrated and way more useful to mymanagers.
Your first 30 days set your reputation. Showup early. Stay late. Ask questions. Don't hidefrom ups. The veterans are watching to see ifyou're going to last and the ones who think youwill start helping you.
Curious what helped other people early on —what's something you learned in year one thatyou still use?