Mission Statement

Does your dealership have a mission statement? Were your employees involved in the makeup of your mission statement? Do your employees know what the business mission statement is? Do they see you live and die by this mission statement? Do your employees believe in your mission statement? If you don’t have a mission statement have you thought of bringing one to fruition? Some owners may think a mission statement is useless however a mission statement can be useful if the employees were involved in its makeup, from its concept to a living document. Some organizations use a mission statement as a publicity tool and others use a mission statement as a compass for leadership decisions and organizational direction.

The primary purpose of a mission statement is to describe what your values are, what you do and whom you serve. A mission statement should not be a slogan, but rather a statement letting people inside and outside the business know exactly what your purpose is. When writing a mission statement, it is imperative that you already have the prerequisites for critical customer service skills within the framework of your dealership. These critical customer service skills that all of your employees need are;

1. A passion for taking care of customers
2. Integrity and commitment
3. A willingness to be flexible to our customers needs
4. A work ethic based on dedication to the company and its ongoing mission
5. Self motivation and goal oriented in every endeavor
6. An eagerness to continuously grow and learn new aspects of the business
7. Persuasive sales skills
8. Excellent communication skills
9. Leadership ability.

If you decide to institute a mission statement you must be prepared to change, for you will have to live and breathe this document. You will need to set goals in all departments that are realistic. You may have to start internal training seminars for your front line employees. It is always easier to implement a mission statement if you have direct input from your employees, then they will own it. Once they own the way in which you will conduct business, the easier the changes will be and the transformation into an exceptional customer service oriented dealership will be smooth. If the employees have a say in the way things are implemented or are at least included, the easier they will digest changes.

Questions you may wish to use in your quest for your business mission statement:

What are we selling?
Are customers always right?
How do we make a difference?
Do we go the extra mile?
What is more important short term profitability or longevity?
Are we committed?
Do we care?
Is this an exciting place to come to?
Are we accessible to our customers?
Do we provide a fun friendly atmosphere for our customers?
Are we honest?
Do we show caring and commitment to our own integrity and that of our customers?
What are our long term expectations and commitments as a community business?
What do we exemplify?
Do we listen to our customers or our peers?
Do we care about our employees?
Are we committed to excellence?

“Being right is less important than being successful” David Spicer

David