“Best Dealerships” Provide Insights, Inspiration

 

I had the special honor and privilege to participate in the inaugural Automotive News “Best Dealerships to Work For” event this week in Chicago.

Wow. Talk about a stellar gathering of dealers. I sat among teams from 100 dealerships whose employees nominated their stores to receive this first-ever industry honor. As contests go, there had to be a winner, and Park Place Dealership’s Jaguar Plano store earned top honors.

But every one of the 100 finalist dealerships deserves recognition.

In fact, I couldn’t help but think these dealers, and particularly those who presented their approaches for leading and motivating their people, are heralding a new era for our business—one where a dealership’s culture, commitment to performance improvement/training and esprit de corps are as essential to the long-term health of a store as showroom ups.

I especially liked how dealer Rick Niello of The Niello Company in San Francisco regards the honor of being a finalist: “This is a new, powerful recruiting tool.”

I’d encourage every dealer to visit Automotive News’ coverage of the event and profiles of individual dealers who’ve come to recognize their people—and the experiences they deliver to customers—represent the way forward for a prosperous future.

I’ll also be sharing some of the insights and inspiration I learned from these “best dealerships” in upcoming posts.