Finding good talent nowadays can be difficult. Not only that but the process of recruiting, hiring and training new employees can be expensive and time-consuming. But if you want to stop wasting resources on finding new employees, the answer is simple.
Find ways to keep the talent you’ve already got.
We get it. Sometimes it feels like you’re stuck in a perpetual cycle of hiring salespeople—but we’re here to break the news: Maintaining a low employee turnover rate at your dealership is the only clear-cut way to ensure you’ll spend less time looking for new talent and more time cultivating the talent you’ve already got.
Sounds obvious, right?
On top of being more cost-effective due to spending less on recruiting, maintaining a low turnover rate equals more cars sold. It’s simple. With fewer employees leaving, the employees you already have will be more knowledgeable about not only their roles, but the dealership as a whole.
These seasoned employees will have an air of confidence and skill that takes time and experience to create in newer employees. This confidence won’t go unnoticed by your customers—competent employees lead to happier customers, and happier customers lead to more sales.
Additionally, loyal long-term employees will be champions for your dealership. They work there because they’re proud to work there, and they’ll often be your dealership’s biggest advocates, referring both customers and additional potential high-quality talent.
But let’s face it. As hard as it is to find good talent, keeping good talent can be even harder.
According to NADA, the average employee works at a dealership 2.4 years—this paired with workers constantly chasing better benefits and higher pay means that keeping good employees for long is nearly impossible.
Despite these obstacles, here’s how you do it.
Outside of pay and location, the number one factor that will drive away a qualified employee is dissatisfaction with the work environment.
Whether it’s catty coworkers, unsupportive management or unclear expectations, people don’t want to work in an environment that isn’t enjoyable.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, things like gossiping desk receptionists and short-fused sales managers are outside of your control—it’s hard to manage everything yourself. After all, you’re only one person.
But we’re here to tell you there’s a simple way to turnaround a bleak employee atmosphere, create a harmonious working environment and reduce your employee turnover.
The answer?
Build a strong organizational culture at your dealership that people want to be a part of.
Here’s how you start.
All teams are connected by two basic linking mechanisms: common goals and proximity.
Some dealerships have proximity by virtue of workspace availability. But for larger dealerships or multi-location situations, consider scheduling regular staff meetings or using a company-wide messaging system in revolve to help employees feel connected to each other.
Once you address proximity, here’s how you create a common goal.
Developing an organizational mission and establishing guiding values is the easiest way to create a strong common goal for your dealership.
Write and publish a mission statement that’s rooted in values employees will feel empowered to uphold and stand behind. Then work towards having every action, interaction and decision made within your dealership center around the ideology of this mission and these values.
From interdepartmental communication to employee recognition, there are many ways to bring your values into everything you do.
And when everything that’s done within the dealership is done through the lens of your values, you’ll slowly develop a culture that’s strong, positive and purpose-driven, giving people a guide to how they should behave.
With a strong mission and set of values, your employees don’t think of themselves as working for a company, they see themselves as working towards a specific set of common goals, which is infinitely more powerful.
This mindset change will help your employees feel more fulfilled and make your dealership a more inspiring place to work. And by providing a culture rooted in values, you’re providing the foundation for less employee turnover.
Want to learn more about how dealers across the country are building strong culture and getting employee buy-in? CLICK HERE to download a free guide to building culture in your dealership.