There have been countless studies about employee engagement and how, when engaged, employees tend to be happier, more productive and deliver a better customer experience. With a 70 percent annual turnover rate in sales, this is an area that the auto industry – at least on the sales side – has a problem with. Don’t think the auto industry is alone, however. According to…

An excellent article on Customer Experience Insight shared an analogy that resonated with me as it can be applied to automotive salespeople. The article compares salespeople to trees and states that only 10 percent of salespeople are considered evergreen; are strong and productive no…

We all love this industry and what it can, and has done, for our families, friends, country and our local communities. But, I fear that if we do not stop and take a serious look at where we are as far as operations and culture in our stores today, our future generations may be in jeopardy.

With the massive shift in the way businesses are being built today, it…

Great Communicators Have Meaningful Conversations

Creating a culture of strong communication can make or break your dealership.  And great communicators just seem to have a way with people. Strong leaders understand the importance of good communication for building strong partnerships and are able to authentically connect with customers.  People gravitate toward…

Communication Drives Dealership Success

When you think of all the things that go into making your dealership a success, communication ranks at the top of the list. In fact, without good communication—both inside the dealership and with your customer base—you’ll likely suffer unnecessary losses in sales, employees, and customers. And while it’s one of the most integral pieces to your success, great communication can also be one of the most difficult things to achieve. Why? Because…

Automotive News recently reported that FCA will offer free college tuition to all FCA dealership employees. It will begin immediately in the southeast region and roll out to the rest of the U.S. by the third quarter.…

For Immediate Release

Albany, N.Y. – April 27th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that it ranked number one on the Top Workplaces 2015 report compiled…

With a steadily improving economy and declining unemployment rates, the automobile industry is geared up to experience another year of expansion and progress. While this is great news, it would be wise to consider that just as customers now have more choices when it comes to buying or servicing their vehicle, employees (and prospective employees) also have more options than they did just a few years ago.  In general they no longer feel quite so loyal to their position, nor do they fear…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBANY, N.Y. – November 3rd, 2014 –Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) has been honored as one of the thirty “Best Places to Work” in New York State’s Capital region by the Albany Business Review. It is the fifth year in a row that Auto/Mate has received the distinction.

 …

Like any well-run organization, success in the dealership environment is interdependent on how clear the processes are and how efficient the associates perform within that system. There's an old business axiom that states “it’s either a process problem or a people problem". Each department is linked together through a myriad of different…

When developing an employee retention strategy, a business must ultimately consider salaries. There’s no doubt that a long-term employee will feel slighted if a new employee joins at a higher pay. Chances are they may even feel slighted if the new employee receives the same wage. In the automotive industry (and business in general), it’s increasingly acceptable to see…

An interesting article on the Forbes website shared the results of a recent study by Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends. The study was the result of an extensive survey of over 2,500 companies in 90 countries. Based on the survey results,…

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Work your pay plan.” It doesn’t matter whether you held a position in sales, service, or parts, this advice has always been considered good. Towards the end of the month, when Sales Managers need those extra units sold on the weekends in order to hit bonuses from the manufacturer, they throw cash bonuses at the salespeople. The same thing…

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain has an exciting customer service policy that empowers every employee with $2,000 to satisfy any guest without approval. This isn’t a one-time power but it’s per incident. Some business owners like the general idea but express concerns about…

In my sessions at conferences, I discuss the importance of measuring and holding employees accountable. Doing this consistently allows you to identify your top performers, check for consistency across areas of responsibility and identify employees and/or processes that may need improvement.

Speaker, author and accountability expert, Linda Galindo, recently…

When was the last time you heard of someone who had worked his or her entire live for a single company? Chances are these instances involved members of an older generation, specifically people born in the earlier part of the century. So why has something that used to be fairly common in the past suddenly become far less common?

A very interesting…

In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for employees to spend their whole working lives with a single company. People would start in their late teens and many would retire without ever having worked anywhere else. However, businesses, in general, and dealerships, specifically, are experiencing less loyalty from employees today than ever before in history.…

Frequent travelers have many choices when choosing airlines. Some choose an airline for their frequent flier benefits; some for their convenient routes or frequent itineraries and some have airlines chosen for them by their companies. For many years, Delta Airlines has been at or near the bottom of almost every survey conducted regarding airline customer service. In fact,…

In the automotive world, the bottom line is that many dealerships experience very high turnover rates with employees, especially in sales. Our world is one of high stress, long hours and feast or famine. (This might not be as true in the service departments.) However, the face of your dealership to a customer who bought their car from you is their salesperson. Yes, it is.…

Can efforts to capture customer loyalty be thwarted by employee loyalty?

Evidence gathered from top retail groups, including auto dealerships, indicates that employee loyalty directly affects customer loyalty and thus business results.

Dealer operators and their managers do their business, their stakeholders and their shareholders disservice…