Attracting Gen Y and Net
There are some things we need to do to attract and retain these people.
The biggest one is to try the compressed work week.
The way to do this is to have 12 hour shifts. If a dealership is open more than 12 hours a day, it's too long! The ups are too focused on walking raw into a dealership for customers, rather than referrals.
Have a salesperson work either 5 straight days, then have 3 straight off, or work 4 straight days and have 2 straight days off. This will lead to better routines and better rested people. The body is not designed to work different times of day. This has got to me and I am having a hard time recovering from this. This will then allow salespeople to attend networking events on their days off. I have seen lots of people at these events, but never someone in car sales! This is the dealers thinking that the more days they work, the better. The truth is that nurses have worked these types of shifts, but more and more are going into other industries. The success and personal development of the workers and companies has gone up where this is tried. We tend to be shot on working days, lets lump it together for maximum desire and focus!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Simpson on -
Training and development; especially recent college grads, need to feel like they are being given the opportunity to learn and grow every day.
Participation in the expectation; leading by example in live situations. You watch me do it, we do it together, I watch you do it.
The right to fail; our people have to have the right to fail. It exposes opportunities for growth and development, eliminates fear of failure, promotes self-awareness, and a receptive spirit.
Innovation; we have to be ready for young people who are inexperienced (and untarnished) to want to feel like they are contributing. Listen actively to ideas, however unorthodox. Require research and due diligence on their part; have them put their idea, research and conclusions in writing. They will either figure out how to make their idea successful, or talk themselves out of it.
Support: Make sure that everyday we are asking, "What did you learn today? How do you feel about what you are going to do the next time?"
Advancement; look for the right fit for each person, not just the next rung on the ladder. Give expectations of results, a time-table for reviewing progress, and a plan for what's next in each person's growth. We have to manage to the expectation everyday with each person, in a positive way.
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Permalink Reply by Matt Page on
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People talk about shadowing someone successful, but what will it take to get over the too busy mentality?
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Permalink Reply by Tony Troussov on
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David, I'm totally on the same page you are. T&D is absent in most dealerships, or it is so far on the back burner, it's not funny. Managers are not trained on how to train and most of the time have no time to "coach/mentor" someone how to execute activity.
12 hours shift will not be attractive to majority of Gen Y or Net. Let's face it, they like their "time-off". And they sure as heck will not be going on their days off to some networking events. The 40-45 hrs week, with great training and management support is a far better solution, in additiont to a pay plan that will provide better stability. If anone wants to further the discussion about pay plans and training solutions, feel free to email me at ttroussov@adgtoday.com or call me at 612-804-1706.
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Permalink Reply by David Simpson on
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Matthew,
Overcoming the "too busy" mentality takes discipline, and leadership. So much of what we consider "busy" (what I call "busy-ness")" is totally different from doing "business". Activity without achievement. Daily disciplines, doing the things that productive managers do, will make you a productive manager; it's the "Act as If" rule.I abhor the "too busy" mentality. I went to watch football practice the other day at my son's school. Towards the end of practice the starting varsity offense was scrimmaging with the starting Junior Varsity defense. That is 22 of the 56 boys that make up both teams. There are probably 8 boys that are subs for either side, offense and defense, who have to be ready to go in at any time, and 2 players on crutches. That leaves 24 players who have nothing to do during this time of practice. I walk around the corner, down to the practice field and there are those 24 boys sitting on the sideline cutting up, there are 4 coaches on the field directing and coaching the players in the scrimmage, there are 2 coaches sitting in the golf cart that carries the water, first aid kit, and other supplies, there are 4 coaches standing in one end zone talking to one another. 6 coaches doing nothing and 24 players who do not start on either offense or defense sitting on the sideline doing nothing. If those 6 coaches wanted to work with the 24 players during this time that none of the above had anything to do, those players who are not good enough to participate in the scrimmage much less ever see the field during a game, would be getting coached at a 4-to-1 ratio.
I am sure that had I asked, those coaches would have considered themselves "busy". What would have been a better use of their time than developing those players?
My favorite activity when I go into a store is to look at the leader board and see who has the fewest vehicles out for the month. I find that salesman and work with them 1-on-1. What about the F&I manager who is running less that stellar numbers? The service advisor who needs to improve their hours-per-R/O? What better use of my time is there? Are their managers doing that? Unfortunately they typically are not.
Most "busy-ness" is a facade managers use to create the perception of "business". They do this for one of 4 reasons:
1. They are genuinely busy doing their required work; buying or ordering inventory, charting production reports, pricing and repricing inventory, etc...
2. They do not have the skills to do for their struggling sales people what needs to be done to improve their production and productivity.
3. If they train them and they still fail, they are culpable
4. They do not care.
Is that to say managers don't have work that has to be done throughout the day? Not at all. However, with proper time-management, the daily duties of a manager should/could take up about 2 hours per day. The rest of that time needs to be used training their replacements, developing their own skills,following up on unsold prospects, managing internet leads, mystery shopping the competitions websites, etc...
And, by the way, having "meetings" and calling that "training" is a myth. In a group setting our people absorb about 5% of what they hear, 1-on-1 our people absorb 80% of what they hear. Why do we like meetings rather than 1-on-1's? In a group setting we can disguise our own weaknesses. We need to target our training with our people 1-on-1, delegate most of our BS duties to sales people, assistant managers or that receptionist reading the latest Twilight saga, and remain focused on developing our people.
Act as if.
Matthew Daniel Page said:
People talk about shadowing someone successful, but what will it take to get over the too busy mentality?
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