Dealerships are often experiencing adrenaline fueled days with looming deadlines and the pressure of missing opportunities that are seen as make-or break moments. Coffee is served via intravenous as you and your staff push past the usual 40 hour work week in order to make the targets.
Whether you are a general manager, salesperson or the controller at month end, you may have reached your breaking point or pushed your staff to theirs for short-term gain at the risk of losing the long-term game.
How do you get the results and focus you need around these deadlines and demands without crushing the life out of your company and your staff's morale?
1. Prepare for the unexpected - Even the most organized and strategic teams will be forced to drop their best-laid plans due to an unforeseen challenge, deadline or opportunity. It's probably more common that your plans will be derailed than they are followed, especially in today's work environment.
2. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate - Rather than simply barging ahead, talk to your team about the situation, the pros and cons of each possible solution and involve them in the best way to tackle the new work and outstanding work. Who your dealership is in adversity is the real test of your character. Build trust, be open and honest.
3. Get out of the weeds - Time spent is not always a measure of quality or productivity. Delegate to those that want or need to learn, ensure you have a team you trust and be prepared to oversee instead of overdo.
4. Early warning signs- Keep an eye on both your people, and your productivity/profits. In a world where the unknown is the only known early detection of challenges can make all the difference in achieving success. Know your indicators, personalities, KPIs and be sure that you can make solid data driven, decisions to ease the pressure and pivot quickly. Agility and preparedness can actually go hand in hand.
5. Have the resources you need- This can include anything from training and mentorship to physical assets and systems. Ensuring that your people have the right tools to do the job well can relieve the pressure to meet the crunch because they know they do not need to "scramble" to just get it done, instead, they can tackle crunch time with an effective plan and a clear target.
Resource allocation and strong communication can be difficult to achieve when you are feeling the crunch yourself. Start at the top, and fuel your own preparedness in order to guide others. Feeling lost? We can help you streamline, develop processes and effective strategies to see you and your dealership through the crunch. Email us at info@dealerpilothr.com for information on how we can assist.
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