Why has “Bar Rescue” been a wild success, and “Car Lot Rescue” a failure?
You probably know that I’m a sucker for sales-oriented, or more specifically business-oriented, TV programs. I find it fun to see how much of “reality” actually makes it to reality TV. For the last couple of years, one of my favorites has been “Bar Rescue,” on SpikeTV. Bar Rescue, featuring John Taffer, a longtime expert in the bar and restaurant industry, has been a hit for Spike, and something of a cult favorite.
Spike recently tried to duplicate that success with “Car Lot Rescue,” featuring Tom Stuker, a consultant and trainer to the auto sales industry. Stuker’s focus is on salesmanship, and good car lot business practices. Spike even gave Car Lot Rescue a time slot right behind Bar Rescue, so it would have a good lead-in. However, at this point, Car Lot Rescue appears to be dead. Why? I believe I know the answer – and it reveals much about both the TV show and the auto industry.
Bar Rescue was a very revealing show. While the previews always focus on Taffer’s loud and bombastic style, the show gives viewers real insight into the science and solid business practices that make up a successful bar. Taffer starts with basic blocking and tackling. Inevitably, the failing bars have a cleanliness problem (something to think about the next time you decide to grab a burger in an obviously struggling establishment), and lackadaisical leadership. Taffer works on these issues.
The fun, however, is the science of developing customized menus, drinks, pouring systems, physical layout and flow, and other things that typical bar customers don’t know. Watch a couple of episodes, and you’ll be amazed at the science of running a successful bar. It’s as sophisticated as any high-end business. And Taffer’s methods WORK. One of the most exciting parts of each episode is when Taffer designs a new concept for the bar – it’s not enough to shore up the fundamentals; he redesigns the whole establishment into something completely new, different, and exciting. Then he re-launches it.
In contrast, Stuker is virtually a cartoon stereotype of a car salesman. Loud, arrogant (at least on TV), with a big black cowboy hat, he looks precisely like the type of salesman that would cause many customers to turn away from driving into a dealership. This would be all right if the show revealed intricacies of running a car lot that customers hadn’t seen. Sadly, car lot customers are all too familiar with what Stuker teaches – get them in the car at all costs, don’t “let” the customer leave without talking to a manager, etc. It turns them off on the lot – and they turn off the televisions.
Car Lot Rescue failed because there really is no peek behind the curtain. It’s a rehash of hackneyed old tactics that customers didn’t like when they were invented, and like even less now. In watching it, I was struck by the fact that no one appeared to be having any fun – not the owners, not the salespeople, not the customers, and not Stuker himself. Instead, it was a dreary look at a business that has itself gone dreary. It’s no wonder that it failed.
What I’d really love to see is Car Lot Rescue, featuring John Taffer. If Taffer could redefine a car lot the way he redefines bars, they’d have to fight the customers off with a stick. I know I’ve harped on this in my columns before, but if there is any business that needs a reconceptualization, it’s the auto dealer. It’s amazed me – ever since I was in that business – that we live in a country that is completely in love with the automobile (and justifiably so), yet so ambivalent about the actual experience of buying them. It really doesn’t have to be that way.
Why can’t car dealerships be a celebration of the automobile, the way the most successful bookstores (like Barnes & Noble) are a celebration of reading? Why can’t the industry grab ahold of the incredible level of turnover in the sales department, and move toward a level of stability in the sales force? Why can’t they (finally) begin establishing relationships with their customers?
Yes, I’m positive that this column will offend some in the car business. I criticize because I care. If there’s any industry that needs a “rescue,” it’s the auto industry. The methods are out there, the ideas are out there, and it could work. All it takes is some people brave enough to try.
Meanwhile, look at your own business. What do your customers think and experience? Are you doing the basic blocking and tackling needed to succeed? Is it time for your own “rescue?”
