In my days as a professional sportsman, I was sponsored by two different car dealerships. I always tried to make connections with all the staff—both front of house and in the engine room, the workshop! It actually reminded me a bit of rugby, but in reverse. The forwards are the engine room with their cauliflower ears and full of blood, yet the pretty boy backs score the tries and get all the credit. I guess that is usually how life works. 😊
In the motor trade, you start every month at zero, and you are only as good as your last month. There is no time to waste on beating yourself up if you have had a bad month, so you dust yourself off, get up, dress up, and show up!
NAVIGATING MARKET FRICTION
In the past, brands like Mercedes, Toyota, and Volkswagen had very little competition, as the Chinese brands hadn’t really penetrated the South African market. The current market has been disrupted in a big way and many people are buying Chinese cars, so how do you compete? I guess that is a big question in many car dealer principals’ minds.
I have never been in the motor trade, but I can talk about having a glamorous front-of-house team (backs) and a back-of-house engine room (forwards). In rugby it is in reverse, but the principle is the same. Someone has to do the dirty work, and someone has to do the glamorous and more financially rewarding work! How do you get the two to work together for the greater good?
PUTTING THE TEAM FIRST & MUTUAL RESPECT
Firstly, and most importantly, the team must come first. If everyone in the organization understands that the whole team comes first and then the individual, then you are on the right track.
The next thing is respect for each other as team members, because everybody has a different skillset. The mechanics with the greasy hands in the workshop understand that they are not in sales, and the sales team understands and respects the mechanics because they don’t want greasy hands.
Mutual respect for what individuals bring to the table is a key ingredient where staff members have very different skillsets. In rugby, a wing like Cheslin Kolbe knows very well that he cannot do Ox Nché’s job and vice versa. Hence, the unbelievable respect among Springbok team members for the skillset that each brings to the team.
THE FOUNDATION OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE
Reliability and consistently good service will always be in demand, and that will distinguish the good from the great—whether you are selling cars, fixing cars, or playing in a rugby team where part of the team does the dirty work and the other part of the team does the glamorous work.
Respect, loyalty, and reliability are rare traits in modern society. Be the person who is always on time, always willing, and always available—then you are on the right track.
GET IN TOUCH
If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.