Fixed Ops Magazine 2023 Vol 20-3 - 42

I repeat for emphasis ... Every SM reading this can
correct 90% or more of the out of line conditions in
their shop before they start complaining that they
don't have enough techs. Fix your house before you
start recruiting and you'll have an easier time attracting
new talent.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY - Lastly, the key to increased
sales per repair order is accountability. The ability
and the will to ask the hard questions keeps the door
to profitability open, even when the winds of recession
or change are trying to blow it shut. The dealerships
that struggle with accountability have profitability
issues. They have personnel issues. They have
customer issues. They don't get where they need
to go because no one knows where they are going.
They don't know who is responsible for driving the
bus. Accountability is a crisis management tool and
not a coaching tool. It often becomes a method of
assigning blame.
Dealerships that are profitable use accountability as
a means of making sure that stated goals are met
as well as a coaching tool to guide and encourage
personnel to excel far beyond those stated goals.
Dealerships that have accountability are profitable.
How do these dealerships hold people accountable?
Here are the " Eight to Great " steps:
1. Make it a priority to review their department's performance
daily.
2. Make the time to review their team members' performance
with them daily.
3. Act immediately when published objectives are
not met.
4. Act immediately when published standards of
conduct are not met.
5. Address specific work/process behaviors in their
coaching sessions and describe the necessary action
steps employees must take to correct their behavior(s)
and get back on track.
6. Everyone is held accountable. There are no exceptions.
7.
Hold " events'' that publicly reward exceptional
performance. Be masters of acknowledgement and
encouragement.
8. Do not allow personal behaviors to impact company
goals or cause company standards to be compromised.
Holding
personnel accountable is not always easy.
In fact, most see it as a necessary evil of doing business.
But here is an even bigger reason we must hold
personnel accountable.
It's because we all need help becoming the person
we think we are.
In real life managers and dealers sometimes find it
difficult to confront personnel when things are not
getting done properly. They delay, they rationalize,
and they wait. And they hope. Their hope is that
the employee experiences an epiphany. And after
they have this " life-changing event " they will start
to meet performance goals and written standards of
their own free will.
And guess what? They never change. Their performance
never increases. Change never happens.
Why? Because the employee thinks he or she is
meeting acceptable levels of performance. The employee
has no idea what the published performance
standards or goals are. Do you know why?
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Fixed Ops Magazine 2023 Vol 20-3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Magazine 2023 Vol 20-3
