Salesman-of-the-Month Must Go

I have been noticing in my daily newspaper these past few weeks, the sheer volume of ads touting various car dealerships’ Salesman-of-the-Month awards. Now, as much as the next guy, I understand the value of recognizing employees and their contributions. And I also get that, especially as it concerns car dealerships, revenue generation is one of the more important tasks that must be met daily. But then that’s business: without sales there is no business. The same rules apply to every business.

However, here’s where I take issue with the Salesman-of-the-Month Award.

A car is purchased, on average, once every three to five years. That means that if the only person you deal with at a dealership is the salesman, he can expect to see you every three to five years – providing he did a good job the first time. But a vehicle is a mechanical thing – you know, moving parts and stuff. Vehicles require servicing which should take place a little more often than every three to five years. So my question is: why does the salesman get all the glory by being publicly recognized when there are, in fact, a whole team of others who make that car run for three to five years and make customers want to come back to buy another? Why is it just the sales rep that gets recognized?

It seems to me that car dealerships, and many other businesses in fact, are more focused on the revenue side than they are the customer-satisfaction side. I would like to see a picture in the paper of the mechanic or technician who takes the time to explain why a part is being replaced to each and every customer whose car he works on. What about a picture in the paper of the wash-bay attendant who details the car before giving it back to you? How about the receptionist who calls you by your name when you walk in the door and offers a cup of coffee while the car is being serviced? Tell me these people are less important than the guy who sold me the car and can’t remember my name when I walk into the dealership.

What I’ve learned in my years in business is that it’s the “back-end” that keeps the “front-end” working well. It’s the people behind the scenes who do the day-in day-out customer service that make us, as customers, want to do business again with the company.

Just because some sales guy got his picture in the paper for making the company a pile of money doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It doesn’t make me say to myself, “I need to go spend some money with this guy.” In fact, if I wanted to buy a car, I would probably buy from the number two or number three sales rep just because I think they would do a better job of serving my needs.

Attitude Adjustment: So in your organization, is it just the people who put up big numbers in sales who get the recognition? Hey, you’re in business. You’re supposed to make money. But you’re supposed to make money by serving customer needs. So stop trying to convince me that the only thing that matters to you is the money thing and start telling me that your customer service is most important – and then make it more important. I will be more likely to be willing to part with my money if I feel that our long-term relationship is more important than writing that one big check every three to five years. And feel free to recognize the “back-end” people a little more. After all, it’s their contribution that will determine whether or not I, as a customer, spend big bucks with you again. Get rid of the Salesman-of-the-Month Award in the newspaper. It’s sending the wrong message. You’re telling people that sales are more important than service. Trust me, if you do the service right, the sales will be there.