Automotive News Canada - November 2019 - 16

* N O V E M B E R 2 019

Hire faster...
and better
Dealerships should
groom their staff for
advancement and
act quickly when
the right new hires
are identified

A best-practices panel focused on strategies designed to attract and retain dealership staff.
From left: Michael Norris, dealer principal at Volvo of Edmonton; Trent Hargrave, dealer
principal of Riverside Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram; Susan Gubasta, CEO Mississauga Toyota;
Steve Chipman, dealer principal of Birchwood Auto Group; and Automotive News Canada
Publisher Jason Stein. P H O T O : G I A N C A R L O PA W E L E C

Dealer panel: Reward staff for
performance and keep the job fun
Express gratitude in
a 'meaningful way'
By STEPHANIE WALLCRAFT
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

ESTABLISHING AND
maintaining a human connection as well as recognizing high-performing employees are critical to retaining
the best and the brightest, say
dealership executives.
The recommendations
came during a best-practices

panel discussion at the
inaugural
Automotive
News
Canada
Retail
Forum,
Oct. 23 in
Toronto.
The event was held prior
to an evening gala honouring
25 retailers named the Best
Dealerships to Work For in
Canada.
Some of their key strategies

aimed at creating a positive
and productive workplace:

THE PERSONAL TOUCH
The most effective recognition, according to Trent
Hargrave, dealer principal
at Riverside Dodge-ChryslerJeep-Ram in Prince Albert,
Sask., is not a cheque or a gift
card but something that shows
the employee that the employer has paid attention to his or
her lifestyle and preferences.

SEE STAFF PAGE 17

"Offering The Ford Dealers Pension
Plan increases our success in finding
and keeping the best people."
- James Braden, Dealer Principal
James Braden Ford Lincoln, James Braden Nissan

PROMISE
A FUTURE.

GET IN AND GO, YOUR WAY.

- 2 019

19 94

YEARS

N FO R E M
PLA

LEBRATING

ERS A N D AF

O
SI

Joe Fleming * 519-860-3459 * joe.fleming@forddealer.ca
www.forddealer.ca

C A N A DI A N

GET IN AND GO, YOUR WAY. CONTACT US TODAY:

Enrollment in the Ford Dealers Pension Plan:
* Has proven to attract and retain top employees.
* Offers flexible enrollment to fit any budget.
* Provides tax advantages for dealers and employees.
* Enhances your bottom line.
* Includes over 4,000 members and growing!

PL
O
Y

Since 1994, the Ford Dealers Pension Plan has assisted
dealership employees in establishing their financial
retirement goals and working to achieve them.

By JOHN IRWIN
TORONTO BUREAU

the most effective and cost-efficient ways to hire new
employees, he said. Google
advertisements end up costing about $12 per applicant
and about $250 per hire on
average, he said, while buying a lead on a website such as
Indeed can cost $75 per applicant and as much as $2,600 per
hire.
Referrals, meanwhile,
cost about $6 per applicant and about $21 per hire,
Lowenbaum said.

IN THE COMPETITION FOR
talent, hiring methods are
DON'T WAIT TO FOLLOW UP
make or break for businesses, according to experts at
And once an applicant
the inaugural Automotive
shows interest, it is crucial
News Canada Retail Forum in
to get back to that person as
Toronto.
soon as possible, Lowenbaum
It is critical that dealers
said. It takes an average of
conduct a "full
five days for dealaudit" of their
erships to respond
processes, said
to an applicant,
Max Lowenbaum,
he said. That is
vice-president of
often too slow-
sales at Chicagoparticularly for
based Hireology.
high-quality appliBusinesses can
cants in high
often be too slow
demand.
to respond to
"The people
leads or do a poor
that are the best
job of attractin this market,
Hireology's Max
ing high-qualithey're getting off
Lowenbaum says
ty candidates in
businesses often take the market realthe first place, he too long to respond
ly quickly as soon
said. That makes to applicant leads, or
as they decide
the hiring process they do a poor job of
they want the
a drag on the bot- attracting high-quality job because it's
tom line of dealcandidates.
so competitive,"
PHOTOS: GIANCARLO
erships, causing
Lowenbaum said.
PA W E L E C
them to miss out
"If we're waiting
on high-potential
until five days,
hires.
we never give ourMoving quickly
selves a chance."
is especially cruFleming Ford,
cial in a job marvice-president of
ket that has seen
people and perunemployment
formance at ESI
rates hovering
Trends, said it is
around four-decrucial for managcade lows in 2019.
ers to know how
"We spend
to interview candiso much time in
dates.
Fleming Ford of ESI
meetings ... tryFord, who
Trends says dealers
ing to figure out
worked with
how do we trim a should ensure that
the Trillium
job applicants are
couple points on
Automobile
marketing spend," good cultural fits at
Dealers Association
Lowenbaum said their stores.
(TADA) for its
at the forum.
2019 Dealership
"I would bet that even at
Workforce Study, said 39 per
the best operators in the coun- cent of new hires do not make
try, many of us are wasting
it past six months on the job,
money finding job applicants." while 39 per cent of employees on the job are disengaged.
REFERRALS WORK
Dealers need to be careful to
Lowenbaum urged dealers
hire employees who are good
to create referral programs,
cultural fits at a dealership
which are often an economiand to quickly take action if
cal and highly successful way
employees are undermining
to attract high-quality job
others, she said.
applicants because employ"Culture is really about
ees would likely know whethwhat you tolerate, not what
er a friend or family member
you say," Ford said.
would be a good fit.
Dealerships should work to
Dealerships should also
cultivate talent, she said.
emphasize building a vibrant,
"Every valet should have
mobile-friendly career site, he
the potential to be a service
said. Among Hireology cusadviser or a salesperson, and
tomers, Lowenbaum said,
you [should] treat them like
career sites generated 30 per
that," Ford said. "We talk
cent of total hires, despite
about how expensive it is to
accounting for just four per
hire people, but now you're
cent of all applicants.
growing your own people."
Those options are among
- ANC

http://www.forddealer.ca

Automotive News Canada - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - November 2019