Dealers’ Domain

Question: How do you encourage your employees to take on leadership roles in your dealership?

Our dealership has evolved over the years from just my wife and me to where we now have several employees, including a shop foreman and a parts manager. We set goals for each department and review our total sales monthly to see if we have met them — both year to year and month to month. We keep a poster in the lunchroom that shows these totals, so that all of our employees can see it. We encourage them to have pride in their departments, that everything they do here at work is a reflection on our company. We give bonuses for work that is above and beyond our expectations.
— John Moon
Moon’s Farm-Yard Center
Ulysses, Pa.

I train them to help show new equipment. At that point, the customer is usually pretty nice and my employees don’t mind helping. I also train them to help the customer find parts. Other than that, my employees cringe when they have to deal with customers. As well as we all know, “unless I’m just the lucky one,” the public can be pretty demanding and degrading. I try to help my guys know that the public is ticked at the business and not them, but they take it personally and then the tempers flare.
— Tony Nation
Nation’s Small Engine, Inc.
Hot Springs, Ark.