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Dealers need trained, motivated, people to get the job done, day in and day out. “If you don’t have enough trained people, you can’t get it done. It’s that simple. Our former Parts manager made more money than he ever did in his life, and he got lazy and didn’t want to do the right stuff anymore. He’s not working here now,” he continues.
“Last year, the Service manager was doing the job, but he was causing chaos, he was driving everyone crazy, so we got rid of him. At that level, it takes more than skill to run the department, it takes ‘wanna do it’ juice. It’s difficult to find those people.” Shenk has since hired new managers for Parts and Service.
A customer via phone wanted information on a discontinued model of a motorcycle helmet. The store didn’t have the model. “We didn’t ask her what got her excited about the helmet,” Shenk says. “We didn’t try to sell her a different helmet. Or gloves. Or boots. Or any other of the really cool stuff we have. It didn’t happen, and it doesn’t happen in 99 percent of dealerships.”
Note that in this LAB project, Shenk basically is an absentee owner, working at the dealership only part of one day a week. “If I were in the dealership every day,” he says, “I’m sure they would be doing more.”
