Pub. 1 2019-2020 Issue 3

A lthough the U.S. economic climate is now far different (and far worse) than anyone expected at the beginning of the year, the ability to pivot and adjust to the current situation has never been more critical. Re- strictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are loosening up in the U.S., but the crisis is still fluid. If states see an increase in diagnosed cases, then the country could go back to shutdowns across the continental U.S. In the fall, experts are warning people to expect a second wave of disease. Although scientists are working hard to create a vaccine, no one knows when (or if) they will succeed. Early results are promising, which is good news, but you have a dealership to run, and you can’t afford to wait for the scientists. The first goal is to survive. If you can accomplish that much, what can you do to maximize your efforts so your dealership can be as profitable as possible? NADA has launched a Coronavirus Hub at nada.org/coronavirus to help dealers. Instead of in-person training, NADA is also working on a series of Dealership Lifeline Webinars. A webinar about how to create a plan to reopen your dealer- ship took place on May 15, 2020. (To access the webinar, visit nada.org/compre- hensive-planning-for-re-opening-form/.) The webinar was taught by Ian Grace, Senior Manager, Partner Performance, who works at automotiveMastermind. When times are good, paying attention to maximizing your resources may not matter. You may not need to care about what you missed as long as you still have plenty of sales taking place. But that is not the current market. As Ian Grace BACK TO BUSINESS: RECOVERING FROM COVID-19 A NADA Dealership Lifeline Webinar pointed out, now is the time to make sure you don’t miss any opportunity to make money, because those missed oppor- tunities will determine whether you can stay in business. Do not neglect them. You may have furloughed staff. Going forward, you are going to need enough staff so that each department can work efficiently, but you might want to consider staggering shifts. Be sure that whatev- er you do is compliant with health recommendations. As you work to motivate your team, you will want to make sure that all employees are doing the same things: • Practicing social distancing • Wearing masks and (in some cases) gloves • Not shaking hands with potential customers • Rearranging work areas to allow more room than was allowed previously • You will also want to review sales quotas, goals and pay plans. What used to be realistic a few months ago may not be reasonable now. Adjust accordingly. That done, turn your attention to your customers. Commu- nicate with customers on all external touchpoints, but fo- cus on the ones that are most likely to reach them. • Schedule an event such as an email blast to tell them what your plans are. • Don’t neglect the obvious. You want to attract people who are driving by. Now might be the right time for some balloons on the lot. • People are often at home now, which means this is an excellent time to send direct mail, such as maga- zines, to customers. 20 Pub Yr 1 2019-2020 | Issue 3