Menu Selling - The Three Pillars of Success

Part II - Using The Three Pillars Of Success To Make Menu Selling Work For You

In Part I (Why Some Fail and Some Succeed) we examined the menu selling experience at two dealerships. One failed, the other succeeded. In part II, we’re going to examine each of the pillars and how they should be applied for a successful menu implementation.

The three pillars for success are simple; commitment to menu sell, timely menu setup, and proper training. The first pillar is about commitment. In our example in Part I, “commitment” to menu selling came from the top. In fact, it was a condition of employment, if the finance manager wanted to work at that dealership, she had to menu sell. A boss saying “this is the way it’s going to be” offers the highest commitment – there’s no alternative. In this case the general manager was obviously already convinced the menu selling process was more effective than step selling. What if he or she wasn’t sure?

We saw clearly in part one what happened when a half-hearted commitment was made to try menu selling. It failed. Realistically not all commitments are going to be as resolute as “this dealership menu sells, and if you want to work here you’re going to have to as well”. Dealers that aren’t convinced need to do as much research as they need to do so they can minimally commit to menus. Research should include, Google searches; speaking with their F&I providers; finding out what other dealers in their “Twenty Group” are doing. When they’re convinced, a minimal commitment should be at least four months. Alternatively a finance manager that comes to the general manager with the idea to try menu selling should also make at least a four month commitment. The general manager should hold them to that commitment and support them during that period. If you are doing an evaluation, compare the three months leading up to implementing menus with the final three months of a four or five month trial.

Let’s move on to menu-setup. Some experts believe buy-in is created when the finance manager sets up their own menu templates. That may be true in some cases, but all-too-often, all you’ll find at the end of that process is hastily created menus and a very frustrated finance manager. Training and support people employed by menu software providers are able to set up menus in a fraction of the time a new user can. More importantly, they’re able to offer suggestions that will more often ensure a better menu. Get some help setting up your menus. It’s worth it.

The third pillar is training on how to menu sell, not to be confused with software usage. While I wouldn’t say training is the most important of the three pillars, I’d bet against your success unless you got some. The first place you should go for training is your F&I provider. They may have their own training program or be able to recommend a company that can provide you with some. Menu selling training sessions are usually no more than one day and are held at the dealership or off-site. I’ve found both types equally effective. So what if you don’t have access to training? While some companies provide tools like word-scripts and short movies explaining the mechanics of menu selling (Quantech Software does) they’re not a substitute for the real thing. Let’s put this into perspective, you’re making a change to the way your business office does business that will increase your revenue tens of thousands of dollars every year. Don’t quibble about a few thousand dollars in training costs – how much did your dealership spend on service department training last year?

Having worked with hundreds of dealerships and finance managers, menu selling is how I would approach selling F&I products if I worked in a business office today. And while I strongly believe menus will work with just about any customer, I’m not so naïve as to believe it will work for every dealership. If you’re thinking about menus, remember the pillars; commitment, menu setup, and training.

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