Female trainee entered the industry Nov/Dec 2019 – February 2020 delivered 42 car
Female trainee entered the industry December 2019 – 4 weeks later sold her first car
Male trainee entered the industry February 2020 – 3 weeks later sold his first car
Male trainee entered the industry January 2020 – 4 weeks later sold 4 cars
So why the difference? What is it about these young people that's so special? I don't think there's any one specific thing, but here's what I know of the 30 trainees I've trained and mentored in the last 7 months…. they want it. They're prepared to invest and just want an opportunity to apply themselves to. Naturally, when we invest in our growth, we show our commitment and respect toward it – that's the biggest difference!
According to many - millennial's are lazy, lack enthusiasm and don't know how to talk to people. They want to be the GM even before they've reached your front door.
This may be well and true for some (or perhaps the majority), but here's what I've come to notice, after spending my time coaching and mentoring them; whilst some of our opinions are correct, we seem to forget something critical. They've been raised in a world where they want everything and everyone to be equal. They have the tools and drive to fix all the things that generations before them broke. They're passionate about the environment and preserving all the things we never did. We were busy working hard, paying the mortgage and setting ourselves up for the future. We never got to enjoy the now. We held onto our money because we were never sure where the next dollar would come from. Staying in our jobs for 10-20 years was the right thing to do. People in fact respected you for it. They thought you were stable and trustworthy if you did so. Not now, not anymore. In most cases, you'll be lucky if they stick around for 1-2 years. This isn't because they're not interested (unless of course you don't know how to hold their attention), this is because they like change. They're way more adaptable than most of us will ever be.
Can we really blame them for wanting more? For wanting clarity and to know what our vision is. They perceive feedback as criticism, as a lack of respect. And yes, you're correct if you think there's a special way of speaking to them and getting the best out of them.
The truth is, I've never seen so many young souls craving information. Craving to learn, craving to be mentored and shown the way. Yes, they may want a pat on the back, recognition and confirmation that they're doing ok. They want you to appreciate them for turning up 10 minutes early to open the yard. After all, their school did give them a certificate for participation!
Perhaps we need to spend more time understanding and appreciating; they may be different, with different values and different drivers/motivators – but it doesn't make them bad. It just means they need to be coached and mentored differently. In ways we never were or needed to be. Don't we have a responsibility to them? Whilst we're all waiting for things to 'pick up' and our bottom lines to be back in the black, we seem to be forgetting one key fact - customers can sense desperation a mile away. I was always taught if you focus on the money it will never come. Focus on the reason, and the money will always find you.
Which would you prefer… experience with doom and gloom, or inexperience with the hunger to succeed?
