Study your employees

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 I had), and this seemed like the logical choice. The powersports industry is a small one, our customers are passionate about the vehicles, they use their own language, and the sales process is aided by a transfer of enthusiasm. Being a closed industry, it was also easy to follow up on references.

As both myself and the dealership grew, I began to realize that we benefited from experience, knowledge, and practices that came from outside our industry. I began to realize that a person with the right attitude could quickly learn the intricacies of our industry. I always prompted these “outside” hires to participate in the sport, either by taking an MSF course or going out for weekend trail rides.

In some cases I succeeded, in others I failed. It’s hard to fake passion, but sincerity is a great offset. There are also some areas where there is no getting around a lack of industry experience (think A-Techs).

What do you think. Have you had any luck hiring from outside the industry?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/markjsheffield_powersports-dealers-dealer-activity-6592052047879684096-T9Wz

#powersports #dealers #dealer #motorcycles #management #hiring

Hire for experience or attitude?

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