The dealership culture wars

[sallen1]

I'm sorry I don't visit here much but when I do, I sense a common vibe: us vs. them.

Parts vs. Service
Fixed ops vs. sales
new vs. used

I read thru the forums and many threads are about the internal war in your dealerships.

Honestly, how much time do your people spend figuring out a service discount and what department pays? And then there is used car reconditioning or the cost to send a salesperson to program a garage door opener. Why is this stuff difficult?

My stores enjoy the same battles but we have a resolution process: what is best for the dealership?

Sometimes the answer is not what a particular department manager wants, especially if it effects his/her pay. Ultimately, if the decision/process/policy/discount... is good for the dealership it will be good for all those working at the dealership.

Maybe it is an education process and I'm not speaking of "culture change" or "diversity training". The real nuts-and-bolts of running a automobile dealership lies in having the right people with the right training doing the right thing day in and day out.

And honestly, do any of your stores operate with constant harmony? HA! My job, every day, is to referee the team to focus them on what is good for the customer with an eye on the overall business impact. Some decisions are easy, some are not but fighting amongst your people is not helping.

Dealerships run on people and capital. It's a relationship business and from some of the things I read in these forums, dysfunctional comes to mind.

What are your observations?

scott allen, out west

[Old Irish]

I hear ya, brother.

I have spent years knocking down the departmental walls at our dealership. With perserverance you can meet with sucess...maybe not 100% sucess, but, still, a worthwhile improvement.

What I keep pounding into the heads of the other managers is "Do what is right for the store, not what's right for just *your* department". (And, for god sakes, don't let the customer be the victim of dealership internal strife).

Hmmmmmm....I think that's what YOU just said ! How 'bout that?

Is there any DP who would not support this notion? And, hey, if it is supported at the top....well...."so let it be written, so let it be done."

In the beginning the players have to swallow some pride...sometimes heaps of it....but over a period of time everyone gets into the swing of things and it becomes "if your not part of the solution then you're part of the problem."

*Somebody* has to put their best foot forward and start the ball rolling. Who will it be at your store? Who will it be that takes the high road? Who walks the walk instead of just talking the talk?

It can work. You gotta hang in there, though.

Cheers
DD

[texaslp]

Hear, hear. I've kept my thoughts to myself on this subject but I've been shaking my head at some of the remarks, and we have the same thing here. We have one parts counterman who really irritates me with his "damn car salesmen". I have to remind the office staff sometimes of how the money to fund their paycheck is generated!

It seems like people are so suspicious of their fellow ee's and are just expecting somebody to take advantage of them or something.(I had a parts mgr once furious with me because of a $19 charge to parts expense he thought should have been service.)Makes you wonder how/where they've worked before to learn that kind of attitude.

Does anybody's service mgr and used car mgr get along? I used to have a svc mgr who thought he should have the authority to sign off on expenses to the used car dept. Uh, no.

I do have to say that we don't have a new vs used problem though. WHY? they're all paid on total variable. Pay plans do make a difference, but even absent those kind of pay plans, it'd be nice to see people working together with the concept that we're part of one team. Often the things people squabble over have such a tiny affect on their pay so that isn't really a good excuse.

Oh well I could ramble on all day I guess-better get some work done.

[skittlecar1]

I think the problem is too many people are paid off of profit. If everybody got a fair salary and did their job correctly there would be less US vs.THEM. The only people paid commision at this dealership are the salespeople. If an employee needs monetary motivation such as bonuses paid off of profit to do their job correctly that person needs to go.

Thanks for letting me speak my peace.

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jC...

[partman01]

After 17 years, 6 dealerships and 4 manufacturers I have finally found a home. This is the first place I have been that didn't have a "ME FIRST" attitude. Too often we forget why we are here in the first place(the customer) and let petty difference get in the way of doing business. Keep in mind that if we take care of our customers first, all other problems will work themselves out. I have finally seen this in action and know it to be true.

[scotstrong]

Especially in today's world, people do what their payplans motivate them to do. Quite frankly, there are simply too darn many dealers who still play games with the expenses and try to limit people's income; regardless of the job they are doing.

Until this changes, all of the squabbling, in-fighting, and lack of cooperation between departments that everyone likes to complain about are SYMPTOMS! Too much effort spent trying to fix the symptoms instead of the root cause -- payplans.

My hat is off to those dealers (including my present one) who have figured this out and have moved beyond it.

Scot Strong

[kcatdeejay]

I really feel that some dealers like this type of climate within their places of business and only they can tell you what they feel that they could possibly gain from such a negative environment. They are also the ones who hire people with 'dubious' backgrounds to run their various departments at the expense of others, including the dealership itself. Hmmm, thirty years as a manager and only one boss who actually had a clue what he was doing-not real good odds. If they didn't want the negativity, they would take steps necessary to change it

[Old Irish]

Scott, IMHO pay plans are not 100% of the story, although no doubt they can enter into the problem.

Even with pay plan revisions to eliminate the problems you describe you STILL need managers and employees who want to do what's right for the store, who want to help fellow employees, who want to do good by the customer...if even not directly tied to their department at the time.

Pay plan revisions *alone* will not accomplish that.

At our store all managers have their own pay plans with no common demoninators....and the spirit of cooperation is higher than it has ever been. As I mentioned a few posts back, its not a utopia....but it sure sounds a whole bunch better than what I read about from others posting on this forum.

An awful lot comes down to the DP. Does he have (and support the concept of) a "Management TEAM"...or ...something else?

Cheers
DD

[bosslady]

sallen1....i absolutely agree with your observations...i too, am from out west (one of your neighbors) and have always thrived in a resolution based environment...there is nothing to be gained for the customer or dealership from "in-fighting"...it's the old "do you want to be part of the problem, or part of the solution" adage...works every time!!

[Lhansen]

Old Irish:

I couldn't help but smile when I read your posting! When I conduct training classes, I always use the phrase "Utopia Motors" for the dealership in Never, Never land where everything is done as the process deems. Thanks for adding a chuckle to my weekend!

Linda


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Linda Graham Hansen
Auto Dealer Focus
www.autodealerfocus.com