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Vision Glasses

Posted on | by Tom Hampton Agency

This is it folks, the time to say goodbye to 2022 and Hello to 2023. I am sure you have heard it ALL before, this is a season of reflection & review – both in personal and business arenas. As you review  

How did you stack up?  

Did you make goal/target?  

Do you like what you were able to accomplish? –As sometimes, you actually made it to a goal you did not know you wanted or needed.  

It can be extremely easy to get lost in what others think your goals should have been. Looking at all the big and small achievements made over 2022 through the lens of what others believe is detrimental. We no longer see anything accomplished as a win, big or small.  
 
No more measurements of OURSELVES against anyone! “THEY” do it so much better, “THEY” make more profits with less fuss! They, They, They…or He, or She, or Them – It is all the SAME. Placing “Them” above YOU (while likely administering self-abasing punishment for not being like them and getting their same results) grinds your self-confidence.  

My suggestion is to LEARN from people, model their successes wherever you find them! Take all you learn and make it YOURS, do things that FIT you and benefit your strengths and natural abilities.  

Important point to follow my friends: 

This success you want to emulate and become, must be your own. Let me give you an example. If I struggled with my sight, I would go to a doctor and receive a prescription for glasses. When I put them on, my vision improves. If you put them on, your vision will worsen. You would probably get a headache, trip over your own feet, and in general – lose clear sight of everything around you. Your “Vision Glasses” must be your own so you can clearly see the details of your future success. 

Ask yourself: Is your focus and your vision short sighted? Long sighted?  

Is your focus forwards? Backwards? 

Is your vision multi-tiered? –Carrying with it varying degrees of details at different levels and different distances of successes along the way to your big goal? 

How clear are your details for your visions & subsequent goals? 

The person in the mirror is the only true competitor you will ever have… and the only person you ought to want to be better than in 3 months, a year, 5 years, etc. from this very moment. In a decad, you will be astonished by all you’ve done and where you’ve gone. 

A big secret to success… is small daily shifts. However, the not-so-famous secret… Nearly every successful person on this planet has used a To-Do List in one form or fashion on the path to their success. In order to embrace a To-Do list, I’ve learned the trick of creating a To-Don’t list as well. The To-Don’t list will assist you in pulling FREE of the distraction(s). 

WHAT IS A “TO-DON’T” LIST? 

In one of her workshops for women leaders, Sally Helgensen defines being intentional as “Knowing what to embrace and what to let go of as you move to a higher level.”  

The embrace is the to-do list. The let go of is the to-don’t list.  

Your To-Don’t list could include things you want to stop doing and tasks you want to drop or hand off. Balancing them requires you to give conscious attention to how you manage responsibilities, relationships, and behaviors so you can decide what really matters and what does not. By identifying activities that eat up your time, keep you trapped, or offer a minimal reward, a To-Don’t list brings intentionality to what you want to say no to. 

Once your To-Don’t list is complete and you are actively not letting distractions consume your focus and efforts, you will notice how quickly your goals transition into accomplishments. Get your To-Don’t list fired up! 

Here are some examples I found on Oprah.com of To-Don’t list ideas:  

  • I will let go of answering the phone on the first ring—it makes me feel rushed and doesn’t give me time to prepare. 
  • I will let go of immediately saying yes or no to requests so I can take time to think about what works for me. 
  • I will let go of nodding my head when someone’s talking because I’ve learned that this often gets interpreted as assent or agreement. 
  • I will let go of trying to win the regard of my colleague because she’s made it clear that she resents me. 
  • I will let go of getting pulled into the gossip fests that plague our unit. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 
  • I will let go of answering questions with “Yes but,” since it’s just a disguised way of contradicting others. 

 

Okay so you are prepped and making ready for 2023…right? 

We here at Car Guys Agency hope you and your wonderful team are enjoying time with your families during the holidays. We wish you a happy and healthy new year that is full of successful vision, satisfied clients, and bountiful inventory! 

Create A Great YEAR IN ‘23 

TOM, ANA, LETY 

How can we better serve you?

Posted on | by Tom Hampton Agency

How can we better serve you?
By Tom Hampton

For years now, we have created monthly newsletters to help and serve YOU, our community. Now I ask, how can we at Car Guys Agency better serve you? What would you like to see from us, in the ways of support, information, topics or the like? There is so much going on out there. However, if it is of no value to you, my friends, then no presentation is needed; So, let’s find stuff that IS!  Over the next 30 days, I am asking you to start sending us subjects, questions, information, etc. that you feel holds value for you, your dealership, and your team.  Email us here: [email protected]

This is the part where audience participation is key.
I am depending on you to let us know so we can better serve you. 

Every business navigates uncharted waters at some point. It has always been the goal of our monthly newsletter is to keep you, our community, informed and prepared. It would be awesome if we could all get together in a big open meeting once a month – just to build each other up and toss out possible solutions we can all benefit from. (And MAYBE do a little business on the side!). I know schedules and hectic busy lives would never permit this to actually happen… however, it sure would be nice!  

 

Sadly, we in the independent dealer’s community do not always stand united in sharing knowledge, resources, and information. We tend to be the complete opposite, compartmentalizing all our knowledge, resources, and information to the point of almost keeping it under lock-and-key. The competitiveness of this business often leaves us holding tight to our tactics, afraid if we share, the competition will develop some kind of advantage over us. 

 

Again, I ask… What do you want to learn that will help you build more value into your business and yourself? You are our most important asset. We are here to serve, help, guide, strengthen, and support YOU.  It has been one of my greatest honors to share with you month after month. I hope that I have been able to help some of you overcome, grow, and build the business of your dreams.  

 

We eagerly await your emails letting us know how we can help!
Email us here: [email protected]


If I don’t know the answer, I will find it. Please join us in our Facebook group and dealer community, Tips & Tricks for Today’s Used Car Dealers.  

 

Create-a-great-day! 

Tom Hampton  

The Basics

Posted on | by Tom Hampton Agency | 1 Comment on The Basics

There will always be plenty of companies contacting you professing solutions AND profits…and all you need to do, is use THEIR program/process/formula/app, for a nominal fee…. of course!  

My emails (multiple accts), Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts are flooded daily!  

“Do this and you’ll be rich in hours!”   

“Use our system and NEVER fail again”   

…yeah, yeah, yeah! Same rhetoric, different set of words from all the so-called experts.  

Please understand, that I am the first to say money spent to improve yourself and your business are solid investments in your journey to financial success and business stability; I have spent thousands educating myself! Be cautious, however. Financial investments will never return unrealistic and/or extraordinary results with little to no effort. If something promises it will, it is a scam. Change and improvement comes from continuously working at it and staying committed to achieving daily goals.  

Let’s start at the beginning and brush up on the basics! I have found these 4 fundamentals to be the cornerstone to every successful business or venture.  

  1.  Communication  

Communication is one of those things that can make or break your business. I have experienced all types of people and businesses that are not aware that real communication skills are centered around the way the other person learns; Visually, Auditorily, Kinesthetically, or by Reading/Writing. Through my investment in Neuro-Linguistic Programming training, I have learned to how to spot different cues that tell me which learning style a person most likely uses to communicate. For example, if a person’s eyes move up when you ask them a thinking question, they are visual learners and need to see the information I am presenting.  

  1. Listening  

If your customer does not feel like you are hearing them, you might miss out. What I often see happening is people listening only long enough to respond. I like to call it talking at one another. They spot (and often assume) the problem, then immediately supply a solution. After all, providing our customers with solutions IS what we are here for! By not having great listening skills, you could be missing important information that will help you completely understand what your customer wants.   

  1. Customer Service 

With great listening skills, comes GREAT customer service! Providing your customer with a top-notch experience cultivates loyal (and referring) customers. Going back to my Neuro-Linguistic Programming training, by also learning to switch communication style to match the person being engaged, conversation flows naturally, the customers’ needs are all being met, and rapport follows!  

  1. Providing Quality Products 

Being the best you is only the foundation to a great business. At the end of the day, all of that is only as good as the product/service you are providing to your customer. I also suggest investing the time to ensuring your team is well trained and knowledgeable of the products you are selling.  

These four basics of business are paramount for growth to occur. My best advice is to invest in yourself first. The rest will follow. When the time is right, reach out to us and we can get you started on your road to success. For a limited time, I am offering a FREE 30-Minute Kickstart Guidance session! Let’s brainstorm!  

Create a Great Day! 
Tom Hampton 

A KEY TO PROSPERING DURING COVID-19

Posted on | by Tom Hampton Agency

Weeks of continuous communication across the nation and across the industry has allowed me to put a few tick-marks under some points on my TALLY sheet! 

These conversations are all the same: 

  • HOW are you (the owner) Re-Inventing in all areas (personal/business)?  
  • WHO are you collaborating with (friend & foe)? 
  • WHICH areas would you recommend an immediate change in? 
  • WHAT communities are you a RESOURCE for and which communities are a resource for YOU? 
  • WHERE would you concentrate MORE effort into and why? 

The conversations have lasted from 10 minutes up to 4 hours! The answers have been insightful, inventive, original and most of all … full of HOPE! 

The point on my tally sheet that got the most tick-marks? 

A REFERRAL PROGRAM!    

Using Texts, Calls, Emails, and/or Video Chats. All have been fruitful. Integrating your referral program into your Social Media is PARAMOUNT to prospering. 

That being said, 

HOW is your referral program? Old School Simple to the rescue! It is very simple, very effective, and no complications necessary! It also provides a very powerful income stream to your previous customer (scared & financially insecure)! 

A Simple Referral Program example: 

You (previous customer) notify me (the owner) that someone (referred friend/family) is coming to do business with me. I (the owner) roll out the covid-19 sanitized Red Carpet for the client (referred friend/family). When the referred potential customer (referred friend/family) does business with me then You (the previous customer) that referred the new customer will receive a pre-determined MONITARY amount!  

Example:  

I sell used cars, you bought one from me 2 years ago. You got my Rewards Program email and are in need of extra bucks during this crisis. So, you tell every Tom, Dick & Henrietta to see me if they need a car! 

Bingo! Now I (the dealer/business owner) have an ARMY of salespeople giving the BEST kind of recommendation on the planet – Free positive advertising via word of mouth! 

****Note: Be sure the reward paid out is fair and intriguing enough.  

In the previous example that dealer would have started his referral fee at about $250 and climbed up to a preset limit. Think about it; Previous customer sends a buddy that buys a $25,000 truck – caution if paying out a $100, that customer will never send YOU (Mr. Dealer or Mr. Business owner) another referral.  

On the other hand, if you own a carpet cleaning business and you do the whole JOB for $250, then that referral may look like a nice Thank You card and a $20 gift card (about 10% of the job). 

It is all relative, however, the KEY is the referral program. There you have a little nugget, that if worked properly, may well be you/your companies’ lifeline for a while. At the very least, it will be fun adventure! 

Remember. If you don’t CREATE your future, then your future WILL create you! 

Create-A-Great-Day, 

Tom 

Time to Change

Posted on | by Tom Hampton Agency | 4 Comments on Time to Change

Funny thing, time… it has so many different meanings and associations.  

We here in Houston measure distance by time- “My Office is only 30 minutes from the Galleria.” We as Dealers buy according to the seasons (another different measurement of time) – for example, during the holiday seasons, we buy less and for Tax Seasons and Back to School Seasons, we buy more. 

Time regulates us. Here in Texas, you can only operate certain hours and for certain days (no consecutive Sat & Sun). Time is a man-made concept used to regulate and equalize life across the planet. 

We all have 24 hours in a day, no matter where you are on the planet. It is whether we spend or invest those hours that determine our financial future, our emotional future, and what guides us on our charted path. 

We as business owners often find ourselves in the “there are not enough hours in a day” mode. We hurriedly put out fires in various directions as we attempt to accomplish at least ONE thing on our growing TO-DO list – before the phone rings yet again? 

Sound a little too familiar? 

It happens to all of us at one point or another, after all, we are Entrepreneurs’ and we can handle ANYTHING! Well um, maybe some can, however the rest of us devoid of super-human abilities, we muddle through each day. 

Muddle time is over, (oops, there’s that time thing again) my friends! Earlier I quoted that you can either SPEND or INVEST your time. Most Dealers “spend” time looking for inventory, getting cars in and out of the shop, attempting to collect information for financing, and a whole host of other things! 

Some Dealers “invest” time sourcing inventory, recon is done in-house for most vehicles, and they have people or services prescreen their leads to expedite financing! 

What? You say that is investing MONEY and not time? Money we can always get MORE of; time, on the other hand, you cannot get back. 

So, the answer is YES. By investing capital, you gain TIME. 

Most business owners think you only have x-amount of hours in a business day. Well, I am here to tell you that you can easily “buy more hours” in a day! Some of you by now might be a bit confused, so I will clarify. 

Investing capital to “buy” more hours: Hire someone or some company to do some of the tasks you are doing right now! 

Think long and hard before you answer these:  

  • Would you pay $200hr to run to the courthouse for 3 hours to get 4 cars titled? 
  • Would you pay $200hr to run get parts or drop a car off to the shop? 
  • Would you pay $200hr to make calls for missing information and verify information already given? 

In fact – most Dealers do this every day and wonder why their business is so stressful and their profits are so low. As a business owner, your time is worth approximately $200hr! 

So, the smart operators pay out $25-$50hr to get something off their list so that they can INVEST the time into growing their business, not SPENDING their time running their business. (In some cases, the business runs the Dealer!) 

Yes. A business must be “run” in order to make money, however, that does not mean you have to run it all. 

Competition continues to come into the Independent Used Car market every day. That means your slice of the pie gets smaller with each new Dealer in town. However, the more time you can invest in yourself and your dealership, the quicker you gain market share. 

When was the last time you took a sales course or even had a sales meeting? When was the last time you paid a service to evaluate your webpage and then implement the changes When was the last time you went to a networking opportunity in your community? When was the last time you overhauled your Social Media strategy – or came up with one? 

You see my friends, there are numerous opportunities to “invest” in your future – some take capital, most simply take time. 

March 8, 2020 Time will change yet again (Daylight savings) and we will barely notice. Ask any 14 yr old the horrors of losing an hour’s sleep and March 8, 2020, has a very different meaning! 

Perspective is the key to success. 

Some may see themselves investing their time wisely by running the company; After all, they are saving money! That is what I call treading water. In a deep endless ocean, you can only tread so long before you drown. 

This is your business and your 24 hours. My role is to play WHAT-IF. So, what if you started paying a title company to run a few titles a week? What if you tried a couple of wholesalers and saved 10hrs at auction this week? What if your salespeople or heaven forbid – your customers – only be allowed to turn in complete applications for financing? What if you started your own Dealer Group to share resources and ideas? 

What If’s are endless. Your possibilities are too. 

Invest or Spend. What will you do with your TIME? 

Create a Great Day! 

Tom Hampton 

Contact us today MyRep@CarGuysAgency to learn more about our dependable products and services! Invest in growing your dealership today!  

www.CarGuysAgency.com