- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) laser focused on protecting employees, families and communities

 - Best practices from FCA plants in China and Italy helping guide North American safety protocols

 - More than 57 million square feet of production floor cleaned and disinfected

 - Thorough daily cleaning schedules to be instituted to maintain enhanced levels of cleanliness and disinfection

 - Temperature checks and daily health self-screening required for all employees and visitors

 - Nearly 17,000 workstations analyzed for social distancing with more than 4,700 requiring redesign or modification

 - Staggered start times, increased break and lunch times implemented to increase social distancing

 - Installing thermal imaging cameras as added safety check

 - Masks and safety glasses to be required personal protection equipment

 - New safety protocols and procedures communicated in Return to Work package mailed to nearly 47,000 represented employees in the U.S. and Canada

May 12, 2020 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - As Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) prepares to resume its North American manufacturing operations, the Company has developed and is implementing a comprehensive program of enhanced safety measures to protect employees, their families and the surrounding communities from the spread and transmission of COVID-19 when the plants reopen.

“Above everything else, our top priority has always been to do what is right for our employees,” Mike Manley, FCA CEO, said. “We have worked closely with the unions to establish protocols that will ensure our employees feel safe at work and that every step possible has been taken to protect them.

“We have drawn on our collective global expertise and best practices to rethink our production processes to put in place comprehensive protocols to keep our workforce safe,” Manley said. “There is no question that coming to work will look and feel different. I have now visited several of our Detroit-area facilities, met with our teams and walked the floor. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of our colleagues who have done an incredible job putting in place safety protocols to protect our people. Thank you all.”

Since closing its plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on March 18, FCA has been working to put in place best practices that have enabled the restart of operations at its facilities in China and Italy. Aligned with World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations, these robust protocols, along with the actions employees will be required to take to safeguard themselves and others, were communicated as part of a Return to Work package mailed to nearly 47,000 U.S. and Canadian represented employees. Mexico will share the same information through in-person training.

FCA is implementing layers of protection to combat the spread and transmission of COVID-19. This includes cleaning, disinfecting and social distancing, but most importantly, ensuring the wellness of everyone entering an FCA facility. With that in mind, the Company will require its employees, as well as all visitors, to complete a Daily Health Risk Assessment, which consists of:

 - Taking their temperature less than two hours before reporting to work or visiting the site with either a Company-provided temperature strip or personal thermometer

 - Completing a self-screening questionnaire and turning it in upon entry

As an added measure of safety, the Company is installing thermal imaging cameras to verify what employees and visitors have self-reported.

Consistent with the direction of governmental agencies, employees will be required to wear Company-provided masks and safety glasses at all times when in the facility. Employees will also be asked to wear gloves and safety glasses when applying or cleaning with disinfectant spray. Visitors and contractors to any FCA facility will be required to provide their own personal protection equipment for entry.

During the production pause, FCA completed a significant number of cleaning and social distancing activities to prepare its facilities for when operations resume. These include:

Cleaning and Disinfecting:

 - More than 57 million square feet of manufacturing floor space cleaned and disinfected

 - Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting schedules developed for common and high traffic areas, including turnstiles, restrooms, cafeterias, locker rooms and conference rooms

 - 135 hand-held foggers distributed for more efficient cleaning of these areas

 - Provided cleaning supplies at all workstations so surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected

 - Installed more than 2,000 hand sanitizer stations across all facilities

 - Daily audits to be conducted to ensure new standards are followed

Social Distancing:

 - More than 17,000 workstations analyzed and evaluated for adherence to six-foot social distancing guidelines

 - More than 4,700 job areas and workstations redesigned or protective barriers installed to allow for more social distancing

 - Installed plexiglass partitions and created visual management guides for social distancing in break areas and cafeterias, as well as throughout all buildings

 - Staggered start times and added time to breaks and lunch to minimize large gatherings

 - Suspended meetings of more than eight employees at a time and transitioned to virtual meetings, wherever possible

Put new approval protocols in place for facility visitors

Upon the restart of production, FCA is adopting a new level of daily cleaning and disinfecting, in accordance with WHO, CDC and OSHA recommendations, at all manufacturing locations in order to maintain the enhanced levels of cleanliness and sanitation. In addition to increasing the number of times per shift that high-traffic, high-use areas, as well as common touchpoints, are cleaned and disinfected, 10 minutes per shift will be dedicated to cleaning and disinfecting employee workstations.

Signage promoting the themes of health and safety have been posted throughout all facilities to remind employees and visitors of proper protocols related to cleaning, social distancing, required personal protection equipment and handwashing or sanitizing. Employees also will participate in small-group training sessions on the new policies and procedures as part of their first-day activities.

“We have taken a ‘belt and suspenders’ approach to mitigating the spread of this virus by implementing lots of layers of protection,” Scott Garberding, FCA's Global Chief Manufacturing Officer, said. “You are a key part of successfully resuming operations. In this new environment, we all need to take responsibility for our own safety and that of the people around us. An effective start-up will require detailed understanding, teaching, coaching and patience from all of us.”

FCA will continue to monitor and audit conditions at all facilities, as well as the latest information on COVID-19 from federal and state agencies, to implement new safeguards and procedures as needed.
 
FCA
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is a global automaker that designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles in a portfolio of exciting brands, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep®, Lancia, Ram and Maserati. It also sells parts and services under the Mopar name and operates in the components and production systems sectors under the Comau and Teksid brands. FCA employs nearly 200,000 people around the globe. For more details regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.   

 - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) laser focused on protecting employees, families and communities

 - Best practices from FCA plants in China and Italy helping guide North American safety protocols - - More than 57 million square feet of production floor cleaned and disinfected

 - Thorough daily cleaning schedules to be instituted to maintain enhanced levels of cleanliness and disinfection

 - Temperature checks and daily health self-screening required for all employees and visitors

 - Nearly 17,000 workstations analyzed for social distancing with more than 4,700 requiring redesign or modification

 - Staggered start times, increased break and lunch times implemented to increase social distancing

 - Installing thermal imaging cameras as added safety check

 - Masks and safety glasses to be required personal protection equipment

 - New safety protocols and procedures communicated in Return to Work package mailed to nearly 47,000 represented employees in the U.S. and Canada

May 12, 2020 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - As Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) prepares to resume its North American manufacturing operations, the Company has developed and is implementing a comprehensive program of enhanced safety measures to protect employees, their families and the surrounding communities from the spread and transmission of COVID-19 when the plants reopen.

“Above everything else, our top priority has always been to do what is right for our employees,” Mike Manley, FCA CEO, said. “We have worked closely with the unions to establish protocols that will ensure our employees feel safe at work and that every step possible has been taken to protect them.

“We have drawn on our collective global expertise and best practices to rethink our production processes to put in place comprehensive protocols to keep our workforce safe,” Manley said. “There is no question that coming to work will look and feel different. I have now visited several of our Detroit-area facilities, met with our teams and walked the floor. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of our colleagues who have done an incredible job putting in place safety protocols to protect our people. Thank you all.”

Since closing its plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on March 18, FCA has been working to put in place best practices that have enabled the restart of operations at its facilities in China and Italy. Aligned with World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations, these robust protocols, along with the actions employees will be required to take to safeguard themselves and others, were communicated as part of a Return to Work package mailed to nearly 47,000 U.S. and Canadian represented employees. Mexico will share the same information through in-person training.

FCA is implementing layers of protection to combat the spread and transmission of COVID-19. This includes cleaning, disinfecting and social distancing, but most importantly, ensuring the wellness of everyone entering an FCA facility. With that in mind, the Company will require its employees, as well as all visitors, to complete a Daily Health Risk Assessment, which consists of:

• Taking their temperature less than two hours before reporting to work or visiting the site with either a Company-provided temperature strip or personal thermometer
• Completing a self-screening questionnaire and turning it in upon entry

As an added measure of safety, the Company is installing thermal imaging cameras to verify what employees and visitors have self-reported.

Consistent with the direction of governmental agencies, employees will be required to wear Company-provided masks and safety glasses at all times when in the facility. Employees will also be asked to wear gloves and safety glasses when applying or cleaning with disinfectant spray. Visitors and contractors to any FCA facility will be required to provide their own personal protection equipment for entry.

During the production pause, FCA completed a significant number of cleaning and social distancing activities to prepare its facilities for when operations resume. These include:

• Cleaning and Disinfecting:
  • More than 57 million square feet of manufacturing floor space cleaned and disinfected
  • Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting schedules developed for common and high traffic areas, including turnstiles, restrooms, cafeterias, locker rooms and conference rooms
  • 135 hand-held foggers distributed for more efficient cleaning of these areas
  • Provided cleaning supplies at all workstations so surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected
  • Installed more than 2,000 hand sanitizer stations across all facilities
  • Daily audits to be conducted to ensure new standards are followed
• Social Distancing:
  • More than 17,000 workstations analyzed and evaluated for adherence to six-foot social distancing guidelines
  • More than 4,700 job areas and workstations redesigned or protective barriers installed to allow for more social distancing
  • Installed plexiglass partitions and created visual management guides for social distancing in break areas and cafeterias, as well as throughout all buildings
  • Staggered start times and added time to breaks and lunch to minimize large gatherings
  • Suspended meetings of more than eight employees at a time and transitioned to virtual meetings, wherever possible
  • Put new approval protocols in place for facility visitors

Upon the restart of production, FCA is adopting a new level of daily cleaning and disinfecting, in accordance with WHO, CDC and OSHA recommendations, at all manufacturing locations in order to maintain the enhanced levels of cleanliness and sanitation. In addition to increasing the number of times per shift that high-traffic, high-use areas, as well as common touchpoints, are cleaned and disinfected, 10 minutes per shift will be dedicated to cleaning and disinfecting employee workstations.

Signage promoting the themes of health and safety have been posted throughout all facilities to remind employees and visitors of proper protocols related to cleaning, social distancing, required personal protection equipment and handwashing or sanitizing. Employees also will participate in small-group training sessions on the new policies and procedures as part of their first-day activities.

“We have taken a ‘belt and suspenders’ approach to mitigating the spread of this virus by implementing lots of layers of protection,” Scott Garberding, FCA's Global Chief Manufacturing Officer, said. “You are a key part of successfully resuming operations. In this new environment, we all need to take responsibility for our own safety and that of the people around us. An effective start-up will require detailed understanding, teaching, coaching and patience from all of us.”

FCA will continue to monitor and audit conditions at all facilities, as well as the latest information on COVID-19 from federal and state agencies, to implement new safeguards and procedures as needed.
 
FCA
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is a global automaker that designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles in a portfolio of exciting brands, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep®, Lancia, Ram and Maserati. It also sells parts and services under the Mopar name and operates in the components and production systems sectors under the Comau and Teksid brands. FCA employs nearly 200,000 people around the globe. For more details regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.   

I want you to think about Super Mario Brothers for a minute.  If you aren’t old enough to go there, think of your favorite mobile phone game.  The same principles apply, and you can harness these principles to help you improve your employee retention.

How much fun would a game be if you had to beat the “boss” right away?  How long would you continue to play the game if you couldn’t pass the first level easily?  

There is a very methodical approach to game design. They use the first few levels explaining how to play, and you learn as you go. The levels start simple.  It’s just about the fundamentals of gameplay.  Once you master these fundamentals, the levels get progressively more complex, and the rewards get larger.  By developing a game this way, the designers create an experience that is challenging and sticky.  You want to keep playing. It can become a habit.

What does this have to do with career pathing in your dealership? Traditionally, dealership employees start their job and get thrown in the deep end.  “Here is your dealer plate, make me proud.”  This sink or swim mentality creates an experience where it is easy to fail.  It’s the equivalent of starting your game on the boss level. Your dealership career pathing shouldn’t be like Navy Seal BUDS training.

Today, 87% of employees expect a career path. They want to see what the future holds if they perform.  You need to be able to show them.

Begin your career path design by looking at career levels.  Each job role should be broken down to 3 or 4 levels, each with requirements and objectives the employee must master.  These career levels are the key to a career path.

There are three parts to a career level.  Take the time to engineer these parts into your employee development processes. 

The first part is the training requirements. Think phone process or entering a customer into the CRM. Each employee should be able to receive instruction on what it means to be successful in a skill, product knowledge, and process that makes a high-performing employee.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.  You can’t achieve success if you don’t know what to do.  But this is only the first part of a career level.

The second part is developing habits. For example, executing on the phone process or CRM usage.  You learn how to use the CRM in training requirements, you then need to develop a habit to use the CRM religiously.  Success comes from replicating the right steps over and over again. 

The final part is performance quotas.  Your career level needs to have performance quotas that must be achieved in order to advance.  For example, you may have vehicle sales or hours per RO quotas. All of the knowledge or execution in the world doesn’t matter if you aren’t achieving results.   

Build training requirements, habits, and performance quotas into each career level, and these levels make up a career path.  What knowledge, habits, and performance does an employee need to master a job role?  And how can you break these factors down into specific levels that an employee can achieve, or “level up”?

The outcome of successful career pathing is accelerated development and increased retention.  Employees will see success more frequently and actually see how they can progress in your dealership.

The other benefit is a deep bench.  If a finance manager or service advisor quits, you’ll have employees that can take their place.

The time you spend building career levels will pay huge dividends.  Your employees will have more manageable objectives and see exactly what they need to do to progress in your dealership.

CARMEL, Ind. (April 24, 2020) – As part of its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NextGear Capital, the automotive industry’s largest floor plan provider for independent dealers, announced it’s continuing to support dealers during this crisis by extending the most impactful aspect of its initial dealer relief program.

We heard what truly mattered to our customers and responded by continuing to defer curtailment and extension payments for eligible floorplan advances, for all NextGear Capital dealers in good standing, through May 31, 2020. To put it in perspective, within the first 30 days of NextGear Capital’s original relief package, NextGear Capital deferred more than 160,000 payments, providing assistance to more than16,000 dealers when it was needed most.

“After discussions with our dealers, we decided to continue the relief terms that were the most important, beneficial and meaningful to them and their businesses,” Scott Maybee, president of NextGear Capital, said. “Our hope is that, between the relief package, our incredible staff and the resources we’ve put together online, we can help our dealers make it out on the other side of this unprecedented economic crisis. Sticking together is the only way our industry will get through this still intact, and we want all of our dealers to know we are here to support them however we can.”

In addition, earlier this month, to show NextGear Capital’s commitment to supporting its customers, NextGear Capital advised dealers that the assistance provided in the initial package would be extended to the end of April. 

NextGear Capital also launched a COVID-19 Resource Hub so dealers can easily access important, up to date information in one place. The hub aggregates information from Cox businesses and outside experts like the CDC, providing valuable resources in one spot to help dealers navigate this uncertain time. NextGear Capital will continue to monitor this crisis and is committed to supporting its clients through this time.

###

About NextGear Capital

NextGear Capital is the largest independent inventory finance company in North America, providing flexible lines of credit for auto dealers to buy used vehicles from over 1,000 auto and other vehicle sources throughout North America. With a client base of more than 22,000 dealers, NextGear Capital provides comprehensive services and support enabling dealers to buy and sell more inventory through self-service management tools, title services, records management and collateral protection. Headquartered in Carmel, Ind., NextGear Capital is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit www.nextgearcapital.com.

I just got off a call with Greg Gershman of Recruitment HQ, and he's started a good initiative I want to get out there.  He's built a free database where employees can upload their resumes and dealerships can peruse them for potential hiring.  There are a lot of dealership employees that have been layed off or furloughed during COVID-19.  Whether you are one of those employees or dealerships looking for good people, you should check this out.

"Recruitment HQ is proud to partner with DrivingSales to help our extended Automotive Family in this time of crisis," said Greg.  "COVID 19 has ravaged our businesses and communities causing thousands of great dealership employees to be out of work.  We care about the Automotive Industry and the people in it.  Recruitment HQ and DrivingSales want to help those that have been put out of work get connected with Dealers that need to get restaffed to serve their community.  We have built a community board where workers and dealers can connect completely free."

Those interested in uploading resumes can click here.

If you are a dealership looking to shore up your staff you can click this link.

This is not open to vendors or recruiters.  We want to make a portal free of any pitches where employees and dealerships can connect.  

In this Master Class, you learned about the importance of a performance review for your employees and your organization. We are excited to help you build and implement this process. Remember the old saying, “inspect what you expect.”

To recap, you learned:

 - The leadership cycle: measure, analyze, plan, and implement.

•  - What should you measure to maximize your employee performance

•  - How to build scales and scorecards for all job roles and levels 

This is a bit more complicated to build and implement than other processes. Because of that, you will have eleven days to complete this homework assignment.  Remember to lean on the other members of your class to help you with your homework.

There are things we need you to complete:

 - Complete the Performance Review Scorecard Worksheet for one job role and email it to your Employee Management Expert (our team will load it for you into the HCM platform.) As I have mentioned, this may take some time and you may want to use other members of your leadership team to help you with this project. Take your time and identify what quotas are important to your organization and to the job role. 

 - Complete a performance review with your Employee Management Expert

 - Complete the Performance Review Track on the HCM platform

 - Conduct a meeting with your team explaining the new performance review process and the "why"

 - Set up a performance review schedule for your team (individual appointments)

•  - Comment and interact on The Power of Performance Reviews blog in the community

•  - Participate in the Scorecards and Performance Reviews forum

 - Do not hesitate to reach out to your Employee Management Expert, they would love to help. 

Here are some additional resource downloads to help you complete your scorecards and performance review homework.

Performance Review Scorecard Worksheet 

Scorecard Worksheet Example

Salesperson Quotas and Benchmarks

BDC Salesperson Quotas and Benchmarks

Internet Salesperson Quotas and Benchmarks

Quotas and Benchmarks template

Effective Questions for your Performance Review

The Do's and Don'ts of a Performance Review

Let’s talk about performance reviews.

I’m feeling some withdrawals right now.  Baseball should be in full swing (no pun intended).  One of the fascinating aspects of Major League Baseball is the hitting coach.  Think about it. You have professional athletes making millions of dollars, yet teams still employ a coach to monitor their hitting performance.  Regardless of how successful a batter is, they all need feedback to help them improve their game.

The same is true with dealership employees.  We all need to be held accountable and given insight on how we can improve.  Employees need feedback. They want to know how they are performing. Performance reviews give you a scheduled, standardized process to help you coach your team to success.  Remember, process solves operational issues.

In order to conduct a performance review, you’ll want to use the Leadership Cycle.  This cycle contains four parts: Measure, Analyze, Plan and Implement.

The first part is Measure.  Every successful performance review begins with analyzing current performance against goals, targets, or established benchmarks.  Nothing is good or bad until you compare it to something else, and the more you can use cold, hard facts to calculate performance, the more successful you will be.

Next, you need to analyze.  This is an extremely important part of the Leadership Cycle.  It’s tempting to jump right into the issues the employee may have, and there is a good chance you will be right.  The problem with this is that your performance review becomes a 1-way1 way conversation. The employee is not engaged.  All solutions will be yours, and you may not even be focusing on the real issue. Instead of jumping right in, use questions to get the employee to open up.  You can use this insight to help coach. Think of it as a performance review needs analysis.

Next, you need to plan. A successful performance review always includes a plan.  Without this in place, you are really just having a conversation with the employee.  Your objective is to improve performance, and current behaviors need to be correct in order for that to occur.  Your plan should include the learning practice, role-play, etc that you and the employee agree will help with any performance gaps.  In addition, you are going to want to put a deadline to this plan.

The final part of this cycle is Implement.  Once you’ve identified the gaps in performance and determined the steps that need to take place for it to be corrected, you need to hold the employee accountable to implement the plan.  This is one reason why a deadline is so important. Concrete steps and deadlines are necessary for you to hold the employee accountable.

It’s important to note that a performance review shouldn’t be all about the bad.  You need to engineer time in the process to celebrate wins. This is a great opportunity to build rapport and credibility with your employees.  You’ll be surprised how far this goes.

Everyone needs performance reviews.  Regardless of how high an employee is performing or how successful they are at their job, regular, scheduled feedback can help them identify opportunities to improve.  

Processes solve all operational issues.  Having a performance review process will help your organization implement other initiatives.  Employees become hyper focused on the quotas that they are being held accountable to. Build and execute a performance review process in your dealership.

As you may have heard, DrivingSales is conducting some free Manager Certification training for dealers right now.  The first Master Class is currently in session, and here is the homework for Week 1.  If you haven't applied to join one of these cohorts, you can click here for more information.

For those of you in Master Class 1, congratulations.  You are on the way to developing employee-management processes that will improve performance and employee engagement. 

To recap, you learned:

 - The difference between the 4 factors of competencies

•  - How to create a quarterly training calendar

•  - How to navigate our HCM platform to help you with your training needs

Our goal is to get this training into your employees' hands.  However, we need several things from you in order to do that. Also, as part of your homework assignment, we need you to participate in our community to help others learn and share experiences. 

There are 4 things we need you to complete before this upcoming Friday:

 - Complete your organization’s employee management process assessment. (You may have done this already so please ignore this if you have. If you have not, please use the link below to complete your assessment.

DrivingSales Employee Management Process Assessment

 - Download and complete the Training and Development worksheet. This training must fill your organization’s performance gaps. Meaning, where would you like to move the needle? To help you with this assignment, we are giving you access to some documentations with helpful ideas. Once you’ve completed the Training and Development worksheet, email it to your Employee Management Expert. They will upload it for you and walk you through the process of how to assign it to your team. 

 - Comment and interact on the Building a Professional Training Plan for Your Store blog in the community

•  - Participate in the Professional Training Plan forum

Email your homework to homework@drivingsales.com.

Here are some additional resource downloads to help you complete week 1.

 - Training and Development Worksheet

 - Quarter 1 Training Schedule

 - Quarter 2 Training Schedule

 - Quarter 3 Training Schedule

 - Quarter 4 Training Schedule

 - Courses by Job Role: BDC Agent

 - Courses by Job Role: Internet Salesperson

 - Courses by Job Role: Salesperson

When it comes to Employee Management, there are two approaches you can take. One is Management by Intent, the other is Management by Neglect. Right now, your dealership is being controlled by one or the other (and in many cases, both).

What do I mean? Let’s look at a simple management activity: setting goals. If you have systems in place to allow employees to set their monthly objectives and processes you’ve implemented to manage to those objectives, you are managing the goal-setting process by intent. If you don’t, then the environment, market, and dealership culture manage those goals for you. Salespeople set their expectations based on their surroundings. You are managing goal setting by neglect.

Effective organizations manage by intent. They establish processes and systems that enable them to dictate the success of their teams. They don’t let the environment take charge of their operations. This is extremely important when managing millennials.

When surveyed, millennial employees underscored the importance of Management by Intent. In fact, 87% rated career growth and development opportunities as strongly important to them in a job. In addition, 76% think professional development is one of the most important elements of company culture. Furthermore, 66% need formal feedback from their supervisor every few weeks to continue to stay at a job.

Every employee has four factors they need to develop. The first is Process. This would include sales process, service process, introduction to F&I process, reconditioning process, etc. Traditionally, dealerships have been successful at building and operating processes.

The next factor is skill. These include building rapport, overcoming objections, active listening, closing, etc. A lot of dealerships hire for skills, and there hasn’t been a deep wealth of training on them.

The best way to differentiate process and skills is to think of a process as a road map. It tells you the most efficient route to get from A to B. Think of skills as driving the car. The better you are at driving, the faster and safer you will get to your destination. Make sense?

The third factor is product knowledge, and this includes the products you sell and the products you use. For example, effectively entering a customer into the system in the service drive would be an example of product knowledge.

The final factor is temperament. The first three factors can be trained, but you should hire for the fourth. Examples of temperament are attitude and resilience. It is extremely difficult to train and manage these temperaments.

A successful development plan can be demonstrated in a Venn diagram, and the bigger you can make the overlap, the more successful your development.

One of the best ways to ensure you are managing by intent is to build a professional training plan, and this means a training calendar.

Begin by determining the product, process, and skills you need to train on. Schedule weekly training that will educate your staff. For example, in a given week you could train on a quality email template, the Silverado walkaround, the four personality types, and your dealership mission statement. Repeat this calendar each week and you’ll be training by intent, not neglect.

The top organizations manage by intent and have automated systems in place that make them more efficient (think CRM). Create a training calendar and implement a process in your dealership to train your employees regularly.

What do you think? What are some of the biggest challenges you foresee when implementing a training calendar in your dealership? How can you find out what your staff needs the most training on? Chime in below. If you aren’t already in a cohort, you can apply here.

Under the “Drive Forward” initiative, starting today, April 1, consumers can take advantage of special incentives, including 0% financing for 84 months and no payments for 90 days on select FCA 2019 and 2020 models

New Online Retail Experience (ORE) allows consumers to purchase vehicles from the comfort of their homes via the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram Truck, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brand websites and participating dealer websites

30-second and 15-second combined brand broadcast spots feature OneRepublic’s all-new track, just released to address the current climate, “Better Days;” 15-second individual spots to run across each brand’s respective social media channels

• FCA program of measures to support coronavirus-relief efforts to date includes 1 million face masks for first responders, 1 million meals for school children and technical support for personal protection equipment (PPE) providers

April 1, 2020 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -

In an effort to alleviate shopping concerns and to chart a path for better days ahead, FCA is launching its “Drive Forward” initiative. Starting today, April 1, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram Truck, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brands will offer 24/7 support and well-qualified buyers can get 0% financing for 84 months and no payments for 90 days on select FCA 2019 and 2020 models.

“We are all one community and we can help during these unprecedented times,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer, FCA. “We want to both offer consumers support and assist them financially while we all work hand in hand toward better days. And we’ll continue to explore additional opportunities as a company to help as we all navigate our way through this difficult time together.”

“The band's hope is that our new song, 'Better Days,' will bring comfort as we all stay home to combat the COVID-19 outbreak,” said OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.    
 
“Drive Forward” FCA Online Retail Experience
In addition to around-the-clock support and pricing incentives, beginning today, April 1, FCA is enhancing vehicle purchasing capability with the launch of a new Online Retail Experience (ORE). ORE is a digital retailing solution that allows customers to complete the entire vehicle purchase process online and from the comfort of their own homes. Not only can consumers purchase a vehicle off a dealer lot, they can conduct a vehicle trade-in, apply for credit, receive price and payment estimates and review service protection plan options. Customers can explore the new Online Retail Experience via the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram Truck, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brand websites, where they can begin the purchase process, then connect with a local dealer to finalize the sale, saving time in the process. A call center agent is available to help consumers through the Online Retail Experience.

Once a vehicle is purchased, consumers can work with participating dealers to have their vehicles delivered directly to their homes.

For more incentive and pricing information, please visit Chrysler.com, Jeep.com, Dodge.com, RamTrucks.com, FiatUSA.com and AlfaRomeoUSA.com.