Newsletter | Dealership University™

There’s a down side to coming up through “the school of hard knocks.” That school ain’t what it used to be.

Here’s the reality. You started as an enthusiast. You learned every job in the dealership, and now you’re running a successful and profitable operation. You find yourself opening the store in the morning and closing it at night. You can step in and do any job should the person being paid to do that job not show up for some reason.

You are so busy working in the business that you have little or no time to work on it. You feel that you want your employees to know that you’re one of them, and you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and pitch in. They all know that you can do any job better than anyone else in the store. How do they respond? They step aside and let you do whatever you want. After all, you’re the boss.

It doesn’t take long before you to start experiencing the “burn-out” feeling. You no longer have time to enjoy yourself, your family, or even go riding your bike, which has very few miles on the clock. Well, Bunky, you’ve joined the biggest club in the powersports industry.

Get out of that club NOW! Learn how to work on the business, rather than in it. Get back to enjoying the business, your family and your life.

Every wonder how Donald Trump, who owns casinos, office buildings, apartments and more, seems to have all the time in the world to give interviews, attend parties and produce a TV show? He does it by delegating both responsibilities and authority. Take his clue (not his hair style) and discover that you can put the fun back in your life too by delegating.

Accept the fact that your job description has changed. Your prime directive now is to be a mentor and a coach for your employees. You are paying them to do a specific number of tasks. Let them do their jobs. Learn the boundaries of your job so you can begin working on, rather than in the business. Here’s a ten step way to start.

Don’t be the first one in and the last one out. Come and go at irregular hours. You don’t have to be at the store seven or even five days a week.
Learn to trust your managers. If you can’t trust them, fire them and hire trustworthy replacements.
Get more involved in your community. Join the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, or any other venue where other business owners share ideas and network. Become active in those organizations.
Visit your local car dealers. Talk to them about taking cars in trade and see if they are willing to work with you to buy those trade-ins.
Find a way to become an asset to the community by using your skills in marketing to raise money for causes close to home.
Visit the local pawnshops, music stores, jewelry stores, etc. You might discover they would be agreeable to having one of your bikes on display at their store. They also might be in the market to buy your traded in guitars, engagement rings or power tools.
When you do visit your store, come in the back door. You’ll get a good idea of how people work when you’re not there to monitor them.
Insist on weekly managers meetings where you minimize your input but encourage them to share their ideas.
Regain your enthusiasm by getting on the road with your customers. Perhaps you can even take a trip yourself.
Finally, keep in mind that the powersports business is one that sells escapism and fantasy. Buy into that yourself

Are there more points that could be added? Sure there are, but let’s compromise. Take the above 10 items one at a time. Put each into practice and then go to the next. If you feel you’d like a one-on-one, feel free to contact me via email (jwconsulting@comcast.net). I respond to all my e-mail messages, even from those I don’t really like.