An interesting article in the Sydney Morning Herald today. 

In Sydney Australia, the car sales industry seems to have been dominated by snappily dressed, well-coiffed men since the horse and cart were put out to pasture.

But the male domination of the car yard will soon end - at least for one local company.

High-end retailer Trivett Cars has been granted an exemption from sex discrimination laws so that it can hire only saleswomen for its 22 dealerships in western Sydney and Melbourne.

Trivett hopes that by increasing the proportion of women among its sales and service staff it will attract female customers who are sick of patronising questions like, ''Is your husband around?'' or ''Wouldn't you prefer something yellow?'

I wonder if there will be a similar situation here in the USA, and if so, which State will be the one that steps out on a limb?

Read then entire article here

What do you think?

 

I remember being told that I should seriously consider moving back to Australia if I truly thought I could sell cars on the Internet back in 1995, If you were a Clifford Stoll disciple you no doubt agreed, yet here we are 15 years later and how the world has changed. First I want you to read what Clifford thought in "95"... The Internet? Bah! http://www.newsweek.com/id/106554 Yet, has the attitude really changed in some of our dealerships...how many people do you know that have not embraced the viability of social media and how it should be used. Social Media Marketing, what it basically comes down to for any size dealership is understanding what is really involved in launching a social strategy. Success in social media requires some advance planning, as well as some fundamental shifts in marketers' attitudes toward online marketing. Following a few simple steps, a dealership can deliver a social media strategy that will provide a platform for refinement and success as we move forward in an ever changing consumer content driven world. Take the time and do some research into where your customers are holding conversations about you, your dealership, and the auto industry. Your customers may be active discussing your dealership and personnel through Facebook, Twitter or on DealerRater. Build your profiles and ensure that you have someone monitoring and engaging them with relevant communication. By taking the time to identify where your audience is active in the social media sphere, you can save yourself a lot in both time and aggravation. Going to where the conversation is being held is one of the fundamental elements to social media success. If you don't do the research to find out where your audience is engaged, you have no chance of connecting with them. Launching social media strategy involves all departments within the dealership, and possibly some outside vendors or partners.  A social media strategy helps you anticipate both the expected and unexpected in addition to getting all the key players on the same page, it brings all of your resources together and helps to make sure they are working with each other, rather than operating as separate silos. Without an overall social media strategy, the potential for failure rises even higher. If one department is responsible for the social media efforts and they are just operating on the directions of "get us out there in the community," failure is right around the corner. Anyone engaging customers in any medium needs to understand the company's overall marketing goals, messaging, and customer service strategies. All stakeholders in must communicate or you will eventually run into trouble when your social media efforts bear fruit. Without a cohesive strategy, major blunders are more likely to happen, and the risk of your social media efforts failing increases exponentially. One of the quickest ways to fail in social media is to not be transparent about who you are and why you are "here." Social media is all about building relationships in communities and the conversations you have. Relationships are built upon trust, and if that trust is broken in any way, your efforts are wasted. Do not have a third party masquerade as a dealership management or as employees. If you do and are found out all trust will be lost and your reputation within the community will be destroyed, usually followed by a far larger PR nightmare as mainstream media becomes involved. Dealerships can be very egotistical when it comes to marketing. For years, it's been all about getting our message out there so the customer will buy or service their vehicles with us . With social media, this kind of thinking will get you ignored, or could even cause a backlash against your dealership. Social media is about building relationships, and it's about conversations. Conversations involve more than just you pushing your carefully crafted message onto the consumer. Social media is about a community sharing experiences, and dealerships listening to the chatter by the participants. The old adage "God gave us two ears and only one mouth for a reason" speaks volumes for social media. Dealerships should be out there listening to the greater online community, engaging them in bidirectional communication, looking for feedback,  and embracing new them as valued clients with a view to increasing customer interaction at all levels. Forcing your prefabricated marketing message upon a social media community will only generate resentment and ultimately failure in social media. If dealerships take the time to work on some of these elements with their efforts in social media, they will build a solid foundation of valuable consumer feedback that provides an on-demand source of information from your best prospects of future revenue. Social media can be a very effective and successful tool, but only if companies take the time to strategically plan for it and not just rush into it head on without first putting in place the right structure, process and marketing.

Selling cars is not going to be any easier in 2009 than it was in 2008. However, even at the worst estimate, which seems to change weekly, there will be at least somewhere around 10,000,000 new retail vehicles sold this year. So which dealers and salespeople are going to get their fair share of the pie out there? January always brings some type of resolution for me, if I were still in the retail side of the business these would be mine:

• Commit to cleaning up your database. Have your database administrator or database vendor remove duplicate or dated information, appending contact and consumer details will open opportunities for additional business. Look at analyzing whom your best, and worst customers are, both sales and fixed operations. Segment the year by quarters and start communicating with those customers now. Look at orphan customers who used to frequent the service department but have not serviced their vehicle in over 9 months. Start contacting any financed customers six months before the end of their contract.

• Take time to analyze the ROI on vendors, measure them, hold them accountable and be prepared to end low-performing activities. Continue to look for ways to eliminate unnecessary and sometimes duplicate solutions, look for vendors that can consolidate multiple solutions and reduce expenses. • Lay out a marketing strategy for the year, it should be reviewed quarterly and adjusted for market conditions. Use the web, Micro-sites, Partnerships, Viral Marketing and Video publishing. Tap into social networks. Integrate your DMS and CRM solutions so you can create consumer data consistent and rich in information that is actionable.

• Professional, timely, relevant and targeted communication is the most important action you can do in is this market. Make sure you continue to reach out and touch customers (and prospects) regularly, Voice, text, mobile, email, and in person. Provide a platform that allows your customers to let you know their preferred communication channel. Empower your customers to communicate with you by giving them their own personal Webpage (PURL).

• Learn more about your customers by mining the riches of your own database; monitor user reviews like DealerRater, Edmunds and CarFolks. Do not be afraid to negotiate with a vendor to test-market a new tool with one of your stores for a discount. Attend conferences; read everything you can, absorb as much new information as you can, it is a completely new world out there this year.

Last but by no means least, network with your peers, they will be the best source of the new ideas, products and strategies that are working…and those that are not.

Mirror Neurons, Spindle Cells, and Oscillators. What does this have to do with leadership and running your dealership better? Recent research at the Harvard Business Review entitled Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership concludes that leaders can improve group performance by understanding the biology of empathy. (A sense of shared experience, including emotional and physical feelings, with someone or something other than oneself.) It was recently discovered that our brains have "Mirror Neurons" that act as a mental "Wi-Fi," and allow us to navigate our social world. These cells become activated when others' behavior gives us cues into their mental/emotional state. The mirror neurons then create the same emotions within our own brains. "Collectively, these neurons create an instant sense of shared experience." And, their research found that successful leaders are highly adept at responding to these mirror neurons. Literally, experiencing empathy alters both our own brain chemistry and the brain chemistry of others around us. It affects you and everyone around you. In fact, the research finds that empathy taps into our collective mind. That's pretty powerful stuff. Therefore, you'll be a much more effective leader if you talk less and listen more, pay more attention to those around you, and seriously consider others' points of view. I know this is hard for many of us, but it is important to consider. And, it will not just help with leading employees; it will also enhance the service you provide to your customers and prospects.

I noticed recent Discussion Board postings about whether to brand your dealership or yourself.  It is an interesting discussion, particularly in our industry with the estimated employee turnover of 40%.   I started thinking about how this issue relates to improving dealership employee attrition.  And I think in most cases both the dealership and the individual should be branded, and this includes all departments that are customer facing.  Your customers should have an attachment to your dealership, and this means an attachment to your employees because they are a part of the dealership.  If they don't feel apart of the dealership, you're not managing well: either you're not creating a culture of inclusion or you hired the wrong person.  Customers (in most industries and especially ours) notice when their key contacts leave.  Vehicle purchases and even parts and service can involve a lot of money, and a lot of emotion.  When consumers develop trust with dealership personnel, they can be incredibly loyal and make referrals.  It's one of the best ways we have to generate more business.  And you can easily lose that business when employees leave.  Yet another reason to focus attention on retaining your good employees …   

It is inevitable that you will lose employees. It's part of life. With the proper management, structure and hiring process, we do know that you can (and should) greatly reduce that loss.

That being said, now and then a good employee will search for greener pastures. When this happens, be sure to keep your wits about you. Don't make empty promises, offer unfair raises/promotions or beg them to stay.

You have to set a good example for the remaining employees and make sure to keep them in mind when you're negotiating to keep another employee from leaving. If you're tempted to offer them a better position or better pay, evaluate the position and pay they're currently at. How long have they been with the company? Are they being paid fairly? Do they have the ability to take on more responsibility, or do they really need more training?

Be fair to yourself, your other employees and the employee on the way out. Take time to think about your response and decide what that employee is worth to you in the context of your business and your other hardworking employees before you make an offer.

According to research from Vanderbilt University and Cornell University, low "behavioral integrity" erodes employee moral and intention to stay in a particular job. And just what is behavioral integrity? It's just a fancy way of saying the match (or lack of) between your words and your actions. If your behavior does not match what you say, your employees, at all levels, notice it and it has a strong negative impact.

We've touched on this before, and it's something that you need to be mindful of at all times. Their research of nearly 2,000 employees at over 100 work locations found, "a correlation between supervisors receiving low scores on behavioral integrity and line employees measuring low on trust, job satisfaction, contributions to the workplace, and intent to remain on the job. What’s more, low behavioral integrity tended to shape the culture of the entire workforce." Wow, that's pretty strong stuff!

Have you ever worked somewhere where your manager was always talking about the importance of courtesy and fast responses to email and phone inquiries, but when it came to your questions, s/he didn't ever seem to have time? Have you ever had a general manager who would go on and on about the importance of marketing on the Internet, but when budget time came around, all those line items were cut?

I once had a new manager come into the dealership talking about how much he valued employee feedback, but when people starting sharing their thoughts with him, he summarily dismissed their feelings as invalid or unreasonable. Worse yet, he actually became angry with an employee and said that his request was stupid. Well, you can imagine how much feedback we offered after that, and we all found out very quickly that our boss was a real jerk.

And ultimately, the vast majority of your employees are going to mirror your behavior. So if your actions aren't consistent with your words, theirs won't be either. You simply can't have trust and loyalty in this type of environment.

To sum it up, the research concluded the following:
• Actions must be consistent with words, mottos, and policies or employers will lose the support of their employees.

• Bad behavior being carried out by those at the top of the company does not stay within the boardroom, but spreads throughout the organization.

Walking the talk (high behavioral integrity) is one of the best ways to help ensure that you keep your good employees and a positive work environment. Always make sure your actions match your words. People notice it if you're guilty of this and your dealership will suffer greatly.

Do you have funny (painful at the time) stories about bosses with "low behavioral integrity?" Share them with us!

Understanding employee needs and concerns while they’re in your employment is considerably more important that understanding why they leave. Exit surveys may have their place, but the best way to solve the problem of employee attrition is to keep current employees happy. Focus groups, monthly surveys, and regular refreshers on company policy/goals/mission are all good ways to engage employees now. And they are much better than waiting till they’re walking out the door. Services like SurveyMonkey.com are easily adaptable to your purposes. Write your employees a note about their importance and solicit their anonymous feedback with a customized survey. It’s important to engage your employees. Consistently communicating your business’ position and your gratitude or concerns will help them to see you as an interested individual and not a cold and distant leader. Remember, communication is a two way street. Soliciting employee thoughts and feelings will not only help to curb attrition, but may also bring some great ideas to light and ultimately increase your ROI.

Employees leave jobs for all sorts of reasons. If a company experiences serious turnover, there’s a good chance that many employees are leaving for the same reason. Employers often try to employ exit surveys in hopes of locating the problem area; however, it’s rare that exit surveys really get to the bottom of a company’s problem. Employees and ex-employees alike fear retribution or “burned bridges” and are not likely to really express how they feel. Additionally, employees tend to be reluctant to speak with management about their concerns and discontent. One way to encourage employee interaction in company-wide problem solving is to create a venue that allows employees to voice concerns to several representatives, with no names attached to issues raised. This allows employees to maintain some level of anonymity. Representatives are also able to voice concerns without claiming them necessarily as their own. You’re far more likely to get an accurate depiction of company life by removing the fear of retribution or being “singled out.”

Author David Silverman’s list, 11 Habits of the Worst Boss I Ever Had, is a collection of “demotivational lessons.” Frequent mind changing tops the list.

Again, when employees are left to feel uncertain about goals and expectations, you can be sure you will not get their best. No one feels comfortable in an atmosphere of doubt and insecurity. Mixed messages and mind changes not only confuse and disorient, they also lead to fear about job security. Any employee who is afraid they can’t do their job effectively and may be fired is probably going to look for alternative employment. In addition, any truly motivated person will be out the door the second the opportunity arises. Employers should prize motivation and drive. Nothing kills those attributes like a constantly changing or confusing message.

Silverman’s list is comprised primarily of various degrees of poor communication. As an employer, you should help your managers lay ground rules for communication. Be sure to clearly communicate your goals and, in turn, help your managers to clearly communicate those same goals. Explain the importance of a structure that works. Don’t enforce or encourage meetings for the sake of meetings or any other inflexible bulwark designed for good, but dedicated to a lack of productivity.

In general, employees are happy when they know what they’re working toward, and have the freedom to work toward, goals in the most effective way for them.

Check out Silverman's complete list at:
http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/silverman/2008/07/the-flip-side-of-leadership.html.
Are you guilty of any of these leadership sins? Be honest…