Can you and your employees brainstorm to figure out this puzzle. Connect all of the dots with four straight lines without lifting your pencil.

Hint # 1 The lines may cross

O           O            O

O           O            O

O           O            O

It has happened to me and it has probably happened to you too. We get stuck in a box. We go to work everyday and conduct business the same way everyday. Your salespeople sell the same way, the business office closes deals the same way, the sales lot is arranged the same way.

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Maybe you're satisfied with all aspects of your business. Maybe you meet your sales goals, control your overhead and are happy with the way your business runs. I have found that I tend to get stuck in a box sometimes. I think inside the box, I make decisions inside the box, I run my business from inside the box. I do okay, I usually make the monthly sales goals, but I have found that when I get out of the box my results are much better. I don't limit my thinking to what I have always done in the past. I consider that technology has changed, buyers have changed, and I need to change if I'm going to stay competitive. I have gone as far as putting a sign above my computer that says, GET OUT OF THE BOX.

The information age is upon us. The internet is here to stay. Our customers have unlimited access to information right at their fingertips. They do more research than ever before, they have a better understanding of the buying process and they expect exceptional customer service. We cannot continue to sell to them or provide service to them the way it was done in the good old days. We have to get out of the box. We have to be innovative, try new strategies and discover the things that our customers already know.

Getting out of the box can be difficult, because we spend so much time in the box. We fall into a comfortable routine and don't want to upset it. We tend to be creatures of habit. We have our morning coffee at the same time every day. We take the same route to work, park in the same parking space, and conduct business the same way. Getting out of the box means changing the way we do business.

Ask your employees for recommendations on how to improve the way things are done at the dealership. If somebody offers an innovative approach on how to improve something try it for a period of time. You will be amazed at what your employees are capable of if only given an opportunity. They want to be recognized for a job well done and if they see you are out of the box they will get out of it with you.

Ask your customers for some suggestions or input about the dealership, and then try to exceed their expectations. When they bring a unit in for service and its not that busy have it washed before they pick it up.

Visit other business establishments. It doesn't matter if it's a restaurant or an automobile dealer. See how they do business. If they impress you in one way or another see if you can incorporate it into your business.

My five year old is always getting out of the box. It's because he doesn't understand any limitations being placed on him by today's society. I try to encourage him to stay out of the box, but over time he will have to force himself to get out, just like we have to. I am guilty of getting stuck in the box like everyone else, but when it happens I just look at the sign above my computer, or at my five year old if he's there at the time.

Did you figure it out yet?

Hint # 2 Think outside the box.

If you're still having trouble go to www.period.com/puzzles/puzzle02