Time flies when you’re having fun
Well, it’s hard to believe, but another year has come and gone. I have had a great time writing this blog over the past year and hopefully will get to continue in 2017.
We have discussed many topics and I have had some wonderful feedback and responses. Let me say thanks to all those who have supported this blog and I was glad to hear from all of you who responded. I would like to offer a quick review for those who did not get to read all of them. For those that did, you can use it as a reminder, because the only way adding new information to the way we do business really makes us better is if we remember the previous items and build on them.
First, we started with the 5c’s clarity and consistency in communication creates control. And without fail over the entire year every issue that came up for us, be it between departments or between customers and our staff, some form of a breakdown in communication was at the root of the issue we had to address.
Second, we discussed training and the importance of training new staff as well as keeping our seasoned veterans up to date on the latest technology. Remember if you don’t have a training calendar and stick to it you will find a million reasons not to keep up with the required training.
Third, was a discussion about customer satisfaction and how important meeting and exceeding customer’s needs are to the success of your dealership.
Forth, was one of my favorites about how important keeping a clean and professional looking facility is to the overall impression and actions of your staff and customers. Cleaning is an ongoing process and I suggest trying to make your facility look different each year. This gives the customers the feeling that they are in a dealership that is new and up to date with the industry.
The fifth topic we covered was the importance of setting company policy and procedures for each department and ensuring they are followed by staff and management.
Sixth, we talked about the debilitating effect rumors can have on your whole team and how even one person can poison the attitude of many of your employees. This in turn can cause major issues with the operation of your business.
Seventh, we covered the importance of looking at your parts and service departments as separate profit centers and how important service is in building and keeping your customer base.
Eighth, we covered the importance of being the experts on our products and their usage and sharing our knowledge with new staff and customers to ensure they get the most enjoyment possible when using their power sports equipment.
Ninth, we discussed taking advantage of all the benefits provided by our manufactures from training to video conferences and new product shows.
Tenth, we reviewed my year in the parts department and how we established some strong procedures to ensure that departments success and growth in the future.
Eleventh, we discussed the importance of phone procedures and follow up. Listening to what the customer wants, writing it down and following up to ensure they were taken care of and able to enjoy their ride.
Twelfth is this review of the topics we covered. I think we hit on a lot of topics this year and I spoke to many of you and know some of it was useful in helping your dealerships and that was my goal; if I get the privilege of continuing next year maybe we can delve into the topics with a little more detail and I’m sure a couple new ideas might come to mind along the way. So thanks to all of you, who make this industry a success, one day at a time.
Jackson Smith is the parts and service manager at Destination Powersports, a multi-line OEM dealership located in southwest Florida. Jackson has more than 30 years experience in both the automotive and powersports industries.
