I recently received this email from Larry Hawkins, Director of Training for the Metro Atlanta Auto Dealers Association. This topic evoked a lot of interest in me…”Switching the Batting Order” as he calls it. It’s sort of like recycling your human resources. Makes great sense and I will share more of my thoughts in terms of how it can actually help boost your Automotive Career! More on these thoughts following Larry’s email…
Larry Hawkins, Director of Training, MAADA
SWITCHING THE BATTING ORDER
Hello Diane
Just got an idea that I want to run past you; do any of your Dealerships have Salespeople that should be selling “SERVICE”? Or maybe they have Service Advisors who should be selling cars? Rather than lose a good employee who may not be happy or is less effective than they should be in their current position, why not consider salvaging all that time and attention that you have lavished upon them by switching them from their current slot to one that is more suited for them? What I am referring to is quality individual that may be unhappy due to the hours required of them to be successful in sales. Due to family and scheduling conflicts they may be better off with the daily routine offered in a Service Advisor capacity. The compensation is often comparable and you’ve avoided having to go through the entire recruiting, selection, training process, grooming them to fit into your corporate culture and hoping that you have made the right decision! You hired them in their current capacity but they are just not performing as expected or required to keep their job. As we tell entry level salespeople, the secret to selling more cars is “switch ‘em,” switch them to a different vehicle before you let them leave to go shop somewhere else if the first one selected is too much money! Same principle applies to personnel. If they are not going to make it but are good people, switch them to another slot before you send them packing. If you don’t, someone else certainly will recognize their potential and will put them in the right job. Then, you will be competing against them! Ralph King and James Parker are two examples in my experience that went from sales to service and excelled! People liked them as salespeople, and loved them as service writers! Every one of you can name service personnel who went on to become outstanding sales people, managers, even dealers!
Please mention our 2 Day Service Advisor Training to your Dealerships. Our training will help them to make the transition Sales to Service smooth. Please give me a call if you have questions or people to register.
Best regards,
Larry Hawkins, Director of Training, MAADA
Here’s my take. I think it’s a no brainer. The catch phrase really makes it. ”Switching the Batting Order”… It paints the word picture. This is an excellent strategy from the Candidates angle as well as the Employers. If you take the time to learn all the facets of the Automotive Industry and make lateral moves throughout your career, you are increasing your skill set and marketability as a Candidate for upper Automotive Management positions, particularly General Manager. Let’s face it an Automotive General Manager must have a good knowledge of Fixed Ops. Either that or they’ll be faking it till they make it which is no fun dealing with the day to day repercussions of your own mistakes. Take the time to invest in yourself. If you’re looking for a promotion and your boss offers you a position which you feel is not a promotion but lateral, I’d think twice. Knowledge is your greatest asset. You can achieve more by giving yourself an edge and taking advantage of the training and resources your Dealership has available. The Automotive Industry is one of the highest paid professions without the requirements of a formal education. Why not try to get to the top? Take advantage of the opportunities. Invest learn and grow. You may be surprised!
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