When I was 19 years old and new to the Military, I got bored of doing the same tasks over and over again. We’d be tired, the days would be long, and you’d think the officers were never going to
Read moreMark J. Sheffield
Research – Plan – Execute
The Best Time to Practice for the Busy Season is When You are Slow
Locking In The Gains
Facilitating 20 Groups for the last 6 years, two areas I always focused on were employee productivity and efficiency. I didn’t do this for all dealers, but it was an area of opportunity for most of them. While most dealers
Read moreHow Many Days Should A Dealership Remain Open?
This is a reprint of an article I wrote for the March 2021 issue of Powersports Business. I started working in a motorcycle dealership in the fall of 1992. Since then, I have worked in a handful of other dealerships.
Read moreMinimum Wage Increases – The Impact On Dealerships
Currently, federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 an hour. It was last increased in 2007. Some states have passed laws to increase the hourly rates up to a maximum of $14 an hour ($15 in DC), but as of
Read moreSalesperson Responsible for Selling Their Own Trades! Wait, What???
For some odd reason, I am seeing more and more Marine dealers adopt a policy of reducing a salesperson’s commission on a deal when a trade-in is involved. Instead of paying that individual on the full deal, commissions are reduced
Read moreEpisode 2. Winter projects for dealers. Coaching or training?
When I was in 8th grade, my math teacher was also my track coach. I’m sure there are some differences between teachers and coaches. Teaching is about the fundamentals. It’s often a repetitious transfer of knowledge, all while trying to
Read moreEpisode 1. Things dealers can do this winter. Training your best employees.
A few years back I read a thought provoking article. The author thought that business owners were making a mistake when it came to spending the majority of their training efforts on the low performers. The premise was that even
Read morePPP Small Business Loans – Making small business feel like corporations!
PPP – Probably the only time in our lives where the government will treat small businesses like they treat large corporations every day of the year. As small businesses, our voices are often just viewed as background noise. We can’t
Read moreWhat’s your company’s policy on employee marijuana use?
This week’s topic. Weed, and how should dealers address the use of this drug by employees. At the Federal level, it’s illegal. Certain States have approved its use at different levels. Business owners are caught in the middle. When asked
Read moreDealer policy on employees having a second job?
The other day one of my dealers asked me if I had a policy on employees having a second job. My response was a little over the top, but in summary I told the dealer that if an employee had
Read moreCOVID Infections – What’s Your Liability?
I just got back from our dealership in TX. While our County has a mask ordinance, there is no fine for individuals who don’t comply, but a $1000 fine for the business for not enforcing compliance. We average 3 belligerent
Read moreWhen COVID-19 Finally Strikes!
I’ve spent the last week back at our dealership in TX, a great State, but one that places more belief in hopes and prayers than it does in science. Failures of government at all levels (both in messaging and preparation)
Read morePaycheck Scam – Be aware
This is probably the quickest way to put this message out to a large number of dealers. As this weekend is the end of the month, timing is critical. Yesterday our dealership was hit by a scam where our office
Read moreAre you struggling to get your employees to return to work?
I’ve had a few of my clients complain that some of their staff don’t want to return to work because they are making more money being on unemployment than they would if they were working. My answer to these dealers
Read moreThe Difference Between Management and Leadership
A good article from Spader Business Management‘s own Jim McCann on the difference between management and leadership. “Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal,” said McCann. That contrasts with leadership, which is more
Read moreBreak the cycle – Review first, Raise later
Last week I was talking to a dealer who had a rough go of things during the last 2 years (but now using our Spader Business Management guidelines he has gotten the business turned around and will net over a million $$
Read moreWhat’s the right uniform for your employees?
The other day I was at my local Chevy dealer getting my truck serviced. I pay more, but they treat me well. As a student of the industry I was watching their sales staff. Mostly young kids (to me) but
Read moreIdentifying Accounting Fraud
Over the last few months 3 dealers I work with have identified employees who were stealing from the dealership. Some of the mechanisms used to steal were quite unique (I won’t share them as they are easy to replicate) and
Read moreWhat personality type makes the best salesperson
What type of person will be the most successful at sales, an introvert or an extrovert? The answer might surprise you. Something to think about when you make your next hire. #Management #Sales #Introverts #Extroverts #Motivation
Read moreThree strikes – but who is out?
The other day I was talking to one of the dealers I work with. Smaller store, single line, but very successful. He’s an extreme enthusiast when it comes to motorcycles, but he also came out of the restaurant industry. In
Read morePay plans and their unintended consequences!
Not a week goes by where a client doesn’t reach out to me with questions about building pay plans and asking for any sample plans I might have (I don’t have any – just a guide on how to build
Read moreHire for experience or attitude?
Early days in my powersports career as I worked my way into management, I placed a lot of value in hiring employees who had experience in the industry. I never had any training on how to hire (now I wish
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