Credit: Ross Helen

1. Do I encourage my team to overwhelm me with new ideas?

Growth doesn’t happen in numbers, but in insight and lives you can impact, no matter what business you’re in.

The best way for industry leaders to stay relevant is to always keep their doors open for new ideas, no matter how crazy and risky they may seem.

2.  Are we operating as a band of brothers and sisters, and not internal competitors to see who gets the biggest sales or performance bonus?

Spartans were considered the most formidable fighting army in Ancient Greece. Their uniqueness wasn’t in how strong they were, or smart, or the technology of their weaponry (bronze shields and iron/steel spears, a novelty at the time!), but the fact that they fought and strategized as a single unit.

They wouldn’t tolerate weak links. Every soldier was a world-class fighter. Whether they won or lost, they did it together, as a unit.

3. Are we too frightened to make mistakes, or are we taking chances in being truly different from our competitors?

There’s comfort in what we know works. The danger is complacency. Remember AOL and Blockbuster… Who?

4. Are we leaders or followers? Are we copying our competitors or are they copying us?

There’s nothing wrong with one or the other, as long as you know who you want to be and not be surprised by the outcome. I prefer to blaze a trail while learning from my mistakes and others.

5. Are we leveraging well-established technologies that suit us best, instead of what’s popular and bright and shiny?

Email continues to be the number #1 tool making billions for online marketplaces. The thing is, it’s boring, and it hasn’t changed in 25 years. So people ignore its true potential, and gravitate toward new and shiny, hoping they get a spike in endorphins and get excited about something new and unproven.

This is a big mistake. Find the tech that suits you best, but stick with what continues to move the needle for your dealership. Email and SMS work best for dealers right now. The question is: Are you using them the right way?

6. Are we playing the short-term or long-term game in our industry?

Short game: Focusing on Buy-Now prospects only. The long game: Create a process to stay close to Buy-Later prospects. Branding and real growth come from the latter.

7. Are we investing enough in acquiring data to understand our customers better?

Insight into customer behavior comes from data, data comes from advertising, creating good ads is a team effort. We can show you how to do it, or we can do it for you, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do it!

8. Are we seeking marketing and advertising advice outside of our own expertise?

Even if what you’re doing is working, a fresh set of eyes can make the difference between just a happy client, and a delighted client that keeps buying from you and sending you referrals without you even asking!