Digital Dealer - May 2019 - 12

D E A L E R OP S & M ANAGEM ENT: L e a d e rshi p

By Chuck Barker
President & Founder,
Impact Marketing &
Consulting Group

The Greatest
Threat for
Survival Could
Be You
Steps to
Demonstrate a
Sense of Good
Business Judgment
The common excuse
for dealership complacency is; "well this is the car
business." Break this slogan
down and what you get is;
"yes, we are a corporation
with a P&L statement,
balance sheet, HR department, and sometimes
shareholders to report to
along with all the assorted
corporate stuff. But when it
comes to disciplined
accountability, engaged
employees, solid leadership, and developing a Seal
Team 6 of our own, well,
you know, this is the car
business."
Spoken like it's a hall
pass for not being in class.
We all know, stupid is not
illegal, but it sure is expensive! Average is everywhere
because it is typically
brainless. And, one of the
biggest problematic issues
facing many average or below average dealerships is
'ignorance arrogance' when
it comes to management
12

M AY 2 0 1 9

actively seeking ways to
improve and grow the business and their employees.
You can't occupy leadership
space without seeing and
building a solid base of
improvements.
Some managers radiate
a know-it-all attitude as a
defensive mechanism and
become arrogant when
presented with new leading-edge principles, which
confuse their 'rule set' experience comfort zone. The
damage arrogance creates
in the workplace is boundless. Arrogance creates a
blind spot and overlooks
things that can help you,
your people, and the dealership grow to greatness. Total all unit sales last month
then divide that number by
the number of salespeople
you have. The average
salesperson in the car business sells roughly 10-12
units a month. So, where
do you and your store stack
up? Below, above or average? If it is the first or the
latter you need to refocus
on some improved agenda
items or simply remain average or below - C, D or F.
You wouldn't want your kids

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

coming home with those
grades so why settle for
the same for your business
legacy? Time to shoot for
the A and B grades.
Your limitation is not what
you don't have, its what
you're not using.
Remember you can't harvest before you plow so, to
get your team on the Honor
Roll, here are a few agenda
items to check out in your
store:
BE A VISIONARY

Business gurus continue
to speak about the importance of visionary leadership in any business. Why
is it this industry largely
doesn't grasp the same
concept that successful
companies embrace regarding adopting a corporate
vision for growth? Ready,
shoot, aim seems to be the
mantra. This will give you
progressive deterioration if
left unchecked along with
high attrition, lost deals, lower profits, team disintegration, and wandering people
lost in the desert waiting for
their next job. Put on a new
pair of glasses and enhance
your vision by taking your
team to new heights of

skill achievement. Effort +
Direction = Progress. Do
not confuse short-term motivational 'rah-rah' locker
room sessions, product
certification or technical
skills with team development enhancement. What
you expose your team
members to is what they
will emulate.
Having vision is the
cornerstone for true
leaders because they cast
out their sight way beyond
the reaches of mediocre
shortsighted managers
who wait for opportunities
and/or problems to present
themselves before they
act. These are the fixers
and they usually bring people down with the store.
Too little too late. No, true
leaders reach out to the
future and envision ideas
for business getting better,
their team getting stronger,
and envisioning a dealership synergy that bonds
the team together like Bondo. This is when everyone
looks in the same direction
instead of each other.
We must visualize our
store and our people growing to the fullest potential.
Then, constantly begin
seeing the improvement
areas to take them there
every hour, every day,
every week, every month,
and every year. Your
reward for this 'corporate
approach' to running your
business will be rewarding
in so many immeasurable
ways. The galaxy of opportunities will surprise you.
PLAN FOR GROWTH

The importance of
planning is critical for true
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Digital Dealer - May 2019

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