I remember when I was on the sales floor around the last week of the month, there was always three sets of people. First there were the victims – these individuals would spend the final week of the month trying to figure out next month’s “rain dance” that would deliver them some success.

This never worked and more times than not these individuals would “victim” their way out of the dealership in 90 days or less. Second there were the hustlers — these individuals would push hard right up to that final moment to see if we could surpass last month/years number of units and/or paycheck! It’s always a game to us and the numbers always look great when the dust settles!

The third and final group were the “sandbagers” — these individuals would steer their customers away from buying this final week of the month in hopes of landing them at the beginning of the following month so they could pad their stats.

Here’s the thing: The sandbagger is worse off than the victim! You see, the victim at least has determined that they will not continue in a career selling automobiles. At least then they still stood a chance of winning in another area in life.

The hustler is always inducing new challenges on themselves which cause them to constantly stay sharp and develop. They focus more on the target and less on the route knowing that intention is greater than method and they will overcome anything that gets in their way, an incredible skill set to develop!

The sandbagger is an individual who has given up on growth and has become married to a certain “bar” or number of units that satisfy their needs and desires. Over time this “bar” can become a false reality that hinders their future!

For example, many sandbaggers will have a bonus that kicks in at 16 units. They get to 16 and then they sit on another three or four customers that they could get in and close the same month but they don’t see any value in doing so.

They say that by sandbagging they make next months challenge of 16 units easier which should be the first “red flag” as nobody has ever grown and developed themselves by making things easier. Remember, “pressure = prosperity.”

Over time these sandbaggers will speak with the highest level of conviction when stating “you can only sell about 16/month at this store.” This is because they have programmed themselves to believe this false reality.

The sandbagger never says to the dealership “hey, this is a performance based business and I’m here to perform! How about each unit over 16 this month you pay an additional $200, over and above my commission?”

You see, in my career I rarely if ever had the same pay plan as everyone else, this was because I did not perform like “everyone else.” Instead, I made myself valuable and this allowed me to “adjust” my pay plan.

Pay plans are designed to make decisions for mediocre people, period. They are not a “bar” set in stone that dictates your ability or opportunity, they are simply a guide for mediocrity.

So, what is the moral here? Simple!

Push, push, push as hard as you can at all times during the month so that you can see what you are capable of. By doing so you will experience challenges and learn to overcome them which ultimately will allow you to create your own pay plan inside the store because of your unique value.

Sandbaggers, on the other hand, whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right!