Given a near record-low unemployment rate and fewer than 1 percent of job seekers interested in working at a dealership, it’s important for your dealership to sell applicants on the opportunity joining your team presents. Many job seekers have the misconception that dealership careers — whether in sales, fixed operations or another department — have limited opportunities for career growth.
To combat this misconception, your dealership should consider implementing a management training program — if you haven’t already. By implementing a management training program and promoting it on your career site and in your job descriptions, you can attract engaged applicants who are driven to build long-term careers at your dealership.
Not sure where to get started when it comes to building a management training program? Take a look at some examples of dealership groups with strong programs in place, outlined below.
Fox Motors
One of Fox Motors’ key mottos for employees is “Start Here. Stay Here. Grow Here.” The dealership group, which has 32 dealership locations across Michigan and Illinois, has a variety of training and employee recognition programs to encourage continued employee growth.
Fox Motors has a Department Manager Mentor Program, which is designed to develop employees interested in advancing into management positions. This program teaches employees the technical skills required to run a successful department, and each participant receives mentoring from a seasoned manager. Beyond learning the necessary technical skills, Fox also has a partnership with Davenport University, enabling employees to learn leadership skills so they are in a position to successfully lead a team.
Another training program Fox Motors has in place is the General Manager Mentor Program. This program is designed to further develop managers so that as opportunities arise, the growing dealership group has qualified employees who know the company’s values, culture and processes. This mentor program puts managers in a position to successfully lead a dealership operations team. The program is designed to teach qualified managers everything they need to know about dealership operations and provides mentoring from current general managers and division directors.
Walser Automotive
Walser Automotive Group, located in Minnesota with 11 dealership locations, is committed to investing in the development of every employee. Walser considers itself a management-producing leader in the automotive industry. The training team regularly holds “career conversations” with all employees in which they discuss key career goals and how Walser can help them achieve this goals. Through these conversations, Walser partners with employees to help them reach the next step in their careers. At the same time, employees are well-equipped to help Walser reach the next growth step, whether it’s adding a new management role or opening a new dealership.
In addition to recurring career conversations, beyond initial training, Walser offers its employees continuous training through an average of 25 learning opportunities available each month. These classes cover selling, customer service, communication and other topics to make employees successful in their careers. And some of the training opportunities also focus on how employees can make the most of their lives outside of work — including personal finance classes.
Fox Motors and Walser Automotive are just a few examples of dealerships offering strong management training programs. Beyond implementing a similar program, your dealership can take many other steps to capture the interest of today’s top talent.
For more tips on how to get quality applicants excited on your open roles, read “The Top 50 Retail Automotive Job Descriptions.”
