By Joe McMahon, Owner, McMahon Automotive Group

 

The Training Center For Sales & Business Development was our necessary piece of the puzzle for survival, growth, and long-term security

 

Twenty-two years ago, with five children, minimum cash but with great passion, my wife Joan and I decided to take what appeared to be a major risk and begin our own company, McMahon Automotive Group.

 

Our goal from the very beginning was to create a unique culture. A culture that presented a quality company which offered an unbiased opinion on product, coupled with extraordinary services that would provide something different and better for our valued clients; to develop and maintain long-term mutually beneficial relationships.

 

Wow! I had no idea what I was getting into. Once again with five children, all very active in sports, Joan and I very active in both their activities & school and me working 80 hours a week on the business we still don’t know how we managed it. Our determination, commitment and associating ourselves with professionals where we lacked the expertise, have all been assets to our success in building a very successful independent leasing and sales company.

 

Entrepreneurs, as many of us are aware, are known to possess what they call rugged personalities, meaning that because in the beginning of a business venture you must perform all duties that as your business grows it is difficult to give up those duties and responsibilities. The old saying “no one can do it as well as me” can seriously hamper growth. Frankly speaking, one who refuses to recognize this trait may eventually come to that realization later, possibly when it is time for a succession plan, that they don’t really own a business, they own a job. This is a dangerous position for any company!

 

As we grew, I was quick to understand my limitations on the accounting and bookkeeping side of the business so we hired an outstanding staff to manage our back stage. Our front stage (SALES) however, seemed to be handicapped. I did most of the business development, later being joined by my brother Dan and son P.J., both great guys. We tried a few other salespeople but it never seemed to work out.

 

Over the years, we continued to grow our business mostly on the “3 R’s”: renewals, referrals, and our reputation. This worked fine for a while until over an 18-month period we experienced six of our quality accounts being purchased by majors. Overnight we found ourselves facing a serious challenge. We needed to quickly replace these accounts to both survive and remain on pace with our growth goals.

 

That’s when I was introduced to The Training Center and the Sandler Sales System. It was like my guardian angel woke up from his nap and provided me with this new partner just in the nick of time. We knew we had a great reputation, product, and services but, being a small tightly managed company, just did not know how to go about planning a sales approach to meet new prospects and acquire new business while still servicing our present accounts.

 

The Training Center gave each member of our sales team an analysis to identify our areas of strength and weakness pertaining to sales. This opened our eyes to the fact that we definitely needed to be connected with the experts at The Training Center. We all attended the ‘QuickStart’ Sales Training sessions and then continued religiously with the ‘Open Forum’ Classes & Topical Workshops a couple times each month.

 

The weekly ‘Sales Cookbook’ (recipe for success) was hard for us to adhere to in the beginning but after a few months of weekly meetings I don’t know how a company could manage being successful without one. I am also particularly impressed with the submarine concept. If we paid close attention to our coaches, practiced each step, really put them to use in the field, I was convinced we would obtain good results.

 

Since partnering with The Training Center, our year now starts the right way with a half-day meeting reviewing last year’s goals and accomplishments followed by a detailed plan with specific results for the new year. Each month we review our progress so we remain on target throughout the year.

 

Our monthly individual 1 on 1’s with our coach also prove to be invaluable. Our sales team now has someone else, with much more overall sales experience, to share their challenges and seek counsel. Each of our sales people has a ‘Coach File’ whereby they place notes on certain challenges, difficulties or ideas they may have or come across over the month, then share them with their coach at their individual one on ones. Our quarterly team sales meetings with The Training center allows us to assemble as a group with quarterly results, experiences, etc. along with goals for the following quarter. The value from these sessions has been tremendous!

 

Recently we have hired a new young man, Kevin Barber, as our Corporate Fleet Manager. We acquired Kevin through The Training Center’s placement services. Hiring a capable salesperson, within budget, knowing real professionals will train him the right way is a tremendous benefit to me personally as an owner of a company. Kevin and his proper sales training have already begun to see results after 90 short days. We are very pleased with our decision to seek out The Training Center for this hiring and training process.

 

As a result of us teaming with The Training Center, our fleet leasing has doubled in the past twelve months, our new vehicle sales have increased 52% and our used vehicle sales have increased 37%. These improvements in our sales division have placed us in a very good position with our funding sources to secure future growth and has enabled us to increase our marketing efforts to produce continued growth.

 

On a personal note, for the first time in business, I am able to take some time away from the office on weekends.  Thanks to The Training Center, I know that our sales team is trained, has a plan and their business development can be tracked using the tools provided me from the professionals at The Training Center.

 

 

McMahon Automotive Group is a full service independent transportation company specializing in customized vehicle leases and/or purchases for both individuals and business. McMahon Automotive Group excels at delivering the highest quality of service with integrity, honesty and consistent reliability. For more information on how McMahon can bring monetary benefit to your bottom line call 610-630-8250.

 

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