August 31, 2022

Communication within your dealership can make a world of difference for your customers, your employees, and your staff. Even if you believe your dealership is great at communicating inside and out, improvement is always possible.

Labor shortages are not new to the
dealership industry. Dealers have
known for years that they have
to be creative to attract all types
of employees, from technicians
to salespeople. Unfortunately, the
pandemic has enhanced workforce
shortage challenges across all
industries, and the automotive
industry has been one of the hardest
hit. A recent Fisher Phillips survey
revealed that 87% of automotive
employers experienced “moderate to
severe” difficulty finding and retaining workers in 2021. Additionally, 28% of the survey respondents saw more women than men leave their organizations in 2021. What does this mean for dealers? Now more than ever, you must find creative yet compliant methods for recruiting and retaining qualified employees in an increasingly competitive labor market. This Insight will provide five strategies you can implement to attract and retain qualified employees.

Catalytic converter thefts present a growing problem for dealers and their customers. In 2021, the National Crime Bureau estimated that more than 52,000 catalytic
converters were reported as stolen, compared with 1,300 in 2018. That’s 40 times as many converters, and
it doesn’t include the number of catalytic converters thefts that went unreported. If the repair cost is the size of someone’s deductible, they may not report the theft to the police or the insurance company since they will have to pay the money either way. Filing a report creates the possibility of increased insurance premiums; not filing
maintains the status quo.

Vehicles powered by electricity aren’t
a new thing. Some experts have
said the first ones were developed
as early as 1828-1832. A British
inventor named Robert Anderson
displayed another prototype in 1835
at an industry conference. In the
late 1880s, a chemist named William
Morrison fitted a carriage with a
battery. The carriage could carry 12
people and travel about 20 mph.

By educating your employees in certain aspects of healthcare, they can become better consumers of healthcare.

Franchise dealers face a variety
of challenges in the current
automobile market – the transition
to electrification, supply chain
constraints on vehicles and parts,
inflation, rising interest rates, digital
retailing, workforce development and an increase in catalytic converter
theft – just to name a few.

There has never been a more
exciting time to be a part of the
auto retail industry. For many of us,
including myself, the changing dayto-
day is what keeps us engaged and
interested in coming to work every
day. Some of the changes we deal
with on a regular basis make our
businesses stronger and make our
customers happier, but some changes, including those mandated by the federal government, add tenuous requirements to our daily operating procedures and negatively impact our ability to serve our customers.

The 2022 GADA Convention was held June 9-12 at the Cloister at Sea Island. Attendees enjoyed many networking opportunities, informative business sessions, fun social events and so much more! A big thanks to all of our sponsors
and exhibitors who make the convention possible. We hope to see you at our next event. For more information, please visit www.gada.com/upcoming-events.