Pub. 4 Issue 2

20 www.glancda.org environment and if they know and agree with the business culture. “Some dea le r s rely on rec r u it i ng outside talent or they promote the next associate in line, but it’s important for dealers to create career paths,” says Jim Mueller, vice president of JM&A’s Northeast Zone, who works closely with dealers. “This gives your team encouragement and an incentive to work hard.” Mueller suggests dealers follow up with training throughout an associate’s career, although he recognizes that some are hesitant to invest in training. “A lot of dealers are concerned about t he cost assoc iated wit h t ra i n i ng and ask, ‘What happens if I train the associate and they leave?’” says Mueller. “But the operative question should be, ‘What happens if I don’t train them and they stay?’” The good news is there’s no shortage of t rai n i ng prog rams for dea lers. The National Automobile Dealers Association, OEMs and companies such as JM&AGroup offer training solutions and resources. “Our field team doesn’t just provide dealers with the F&I tools and then walk away,” says Scott Gunnell, vice president of Sales Strategy and Development for JM&A. “We go into dealerships and assess every aspect of their operations to provide training and in-store support, but we also offer off-site and virtual training options.” For JM&A Group, going to the dealer is a great benefit, but it is important to get people out of the dealership environment. It allows associates to focus on the course information and not what’s happening on the other side of the walls in the showroom. Kraybill believes it’s important for dealers to communicate a clear mission and objectives that translate into purpose. When the showroom sales star gets bumped up to sales manager, you want the change to be well received so that team morale is not disrupted. Leadership skills and buy-in to the company’s culture are the main ingredients for managers, and not all sales personnel possess those characteristics. Nevertheless, dealers can use assessment testing to determine an associate’s success in management. “If change and being adaptive is central to your business operations, you can and should evaluate whether someone has been a change leader or a change resister,” says Kraybill. Coaching,mentoring and training the staff is a proactive approach to succession planning. Once a dealer recognizes the value in implementing a training and development program, partnering with the right people who understand t hei r company cu lt u re and goa l s becomes paramount to establishing an effective process. “The idea is to complement dealers’ efforts, not interrupt their business,” adds Gunnel l. “We ach ieve t hat by suppor ting them with the best practices and tools to help maximize overall performance.”  20 Issue 4 2016/2017