Digital Dealer - January 2019 - 31

A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH WILL NO LONGER
WORK WITH A DIVERSE, MULTI-GENERATIONAL AND
INTELLIGENT WORKFORCE."
Labor and talent are
another potential 'red light'
for dealers. We are seeing
record low unemployment rates, shrinking the
available labor pool and
increasing the fight for talent
stronger than it has been
in decades. Furthermore,
those that are available or
willing to move are asking
for financial packages that
exceed the norm essentially because they can.
In fact, finding talent right
now is one of the biggest
struggles we hear across
the country. Hireology(2)
reported in June 2018 that
the unemployment rate fell
to 3.8%. Not only is the
unemployment rate low, few
of those graduating from
college are considering
working in a dealership as

arrangements, and trusting
in the younger generations
coming up to lead.
Trade tariffs and talent
are just two examples that
are having an immediate
potential negative impact on
retail automotive dealerships. A recommendation
as you are looking strategically at your future and for
ways to protect against the
unforeseen would be to consider these few questions:
 What makes your dealership unique and different
and what is your mission?
Answering this question
will provide insight into why
your customers do business
with you, and why your
people choose to work for
you. You will also find the
answer may provide you
with an opportunity to create

RETAIL DEALERS HAVE
A PERCEPTION ISSUE TO
OVERCOME IN ORDER TO
ATTRACT AND RETAIN
KEY MANAGERS FOR THE
FUTURE."
a career option. Therefore, retail dealers have a
perception issue to overcome in order to attract and
retain key managers for the
future. This is just one issue
related to labor and talent.
Others include motivating
multi-generations in the
work place, shifting thinking to more flexible work

a tangible 'unique and different.' Defining your missions
will also provide a purpose
to your employees and a
clarity in business during
impending erratic times.
 What are you doing to
motivate your people?
Answering this question
will give you the opportunity
to identify IF you are in fact

motivating your people,
and if so, are you doing
it effectively. A one-sizefits-all approach will no
longer work with a diverse,
multi-generational and intelligent workforce. You need

to engage the challenges
ahead.
There is no crystal ball
into what to expect in the
future, or when things may
occur that will have an
impact on our economy

DEFINING YOUR
MISSIONS WILL ALSO
PROVIDE A PURPOSE TO
YOUR EMPLOYEES AND
A CLARITY IN BUSINESS
DURING IMPENDING
ERRATIC TIMES."
to invest in being authentic
with them and providing motivators that engage them
and make them want to stay
under your leadership with
your dealership.
 What are you wanting
from your dealership in the
next three to five years?
Identifying what that looks
like, takes a strategic thinking session that doesn't stop
with simply creating your
vision. An identified action
plan needs to detail what
your next three to five years
look like. No doubt, they are
ripe with additional challenges and forces that will
cause additional change.
Answering this question will
help you reevaluate your
strategic, and maybe even
your vision. Putting a plan
in place will ensure at least
one thing; you are proactively (rather than reactively
being the victim) looking
D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

and environment. However,
we have two very telling
"change factors" knocking
on the door of the retail
automotive world - and that
knock keeps getting louder.
Perhaps it is time to truly
start looking forward, before
you find yourself looking in
the rear view, and asking
how you got there.
Source/Reference:

(1) www.bea.gov/news/glance
(2) https://hireology.com/blog/
record-low-unemployment-howcan-your-dealership-attractrecent-graduates/

Being a part of his own family's
business, Champ Rawls
has a unique insight into the
difficulties, challenges and
triumphs families face when
combining family and business.
Champ has been officially
associated with The Rawls
Group (www.rawlsgroup.com)
since 2012, although it could
be said he become a part of
the team in 1984, when he was
born into the family business.

JANUARY 2019

31
http://www.bea.gov/news/glance https://www.hireology.com/blog/ecord-low-unemployment-how- can-your-dealership-attract- recent-graduates/ http://www.rawlsgroup.com http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Digital Dealer - January 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - January 2019
