“Have you ever thought about selling cars? You’d be great at it!”

“No way, the hours SUCK!”

He’s not wrong, you know. So, how can dealers recruit, nurture, and retain quality salespeople and managers? It’s all about the most precious asset we all share: Time.

Choosing tools and processes which decrease the amount of time it takes to perform effectively at all levels of your dealership’s operations is the key to increasing employee satisfaction. The number one complaint from dealership sales staff and the primary objection from those considering a career switch into automotive is the schedule. Typically, the hours do suck.

For dealers hoping to attract women and younger/millennial sales people (which should be ALL dealers) this is especially concerning. If you’re wondering, “But why do I need women and punk kids?” I’m so glad you asked. Women buy 54% of the cars in the United States, and influence 84% of all vehicle purchase decisions. When presented with a choice, the majority of car shoppers would prefer to work with a woman. And those punk kids, they’re the fastest growing segment of car buyers coming your way. They shop and buy VERY differently than previous generations. You need people who speak their native language (text and angst.)

You must staff your car dealership when shoppers are ready to buy, and you can’t hire more than you can afford. So how do you improve work/life balance for your team while still being available to “get while the gettin’ is good?” Simple. You wade through the ocean of vendor bullshit, take painful demos, tolerate the obnoxious follow-ups, and you narrow down the BEST products to help your dealership staff SAVE TIME.

If your desk can pencil a deal in 20 seconds versus 15 minutes, you might be able to give your sales managers an extra weekend off each month. If your BDC can quote price, loan, and lease payments in an instant, you could conceivably have less people present in your internet department each day. If your finance manager has instant access to all the available programs at a glance, the wait time might go down – and only ONE paper pusher will need to stay til 9PM each night. If we can get instant access to all the customer info before they even walk in the door… imagine the possibilities.

The answer to recruiting, nurturing, and retaining top automotive talent, including more women and millenials, is simple. Invest in time management solutions. In addition to asking “Does it sell cars?” perhaps consider asking yourself, “Does it save time??”