Management Tips Learned Through Automotive General Manager Training

4 min read
June 8 2021

As the key driving force behind the dealership's profitability, automotive general managers have plenty on their plates. Without the right training, these specialists may miss revenue-driving opportunities, fail to evaluate employees, encounter problems with accountability, and much more.

Effective automotive general manager training can enable these experts to get the job done right. By learning the latest management tips, GMs can move the dealership forward, which is vital in the highly competitive environment.

Let's take a closer look at management tips general managers can learn through comprehensive training.

Automotive General Manager Training & Your Dealership's Success

Even the most qualified automotive general managers require ongoing training to stay up to date with the latest market fluctuations, economic U-turns, and auto industry trends.

If a GM is regularly improving their skills, the dealership grows with them. While basic knowledge stays the same, new tactics appear all the time. Training doesn't just help GMs hone their skills — it allows these experts to stay on top of their game by following the latest trends.

Here is what general manager training can teach you GM:

  • Essential skills to help manage your teams more effectively.
  • How to maintain accountability in the dealership.
  • How to stimulate the dealership's team to produce better results.
  • How to boost the team's confidence in order to drive sales.
  • How to improve communication within the team.
  • How to evaluate employees.
  • How to look for and act upon the latest industry trends.
  • How to use the available tools and technology to streamline dealership's performance.

Regardless of their experience, general managers require ongoing training to achieve top results and enable their teams to perform.

Important: Regular automotive general manager training shouldn’t be optional. It's an integral part of your dealership's success.

Establishing a Culture of Success

One of the most important aspects of the dealership's work environment is the culture of success. Establishing this culture requires a comprehensive approach by the general manager and other team members. Doing it as early as possible can set the stage for the dealership's growth, profitability, and efficiency.

A general manager is responsible for laying a solid foundation for the right culture and helping others capitalize on it. High-quality training can teach automotive general managers how to build a culture of success in a dealership regardless of its size and time on the market.

Motivational Techniques

A motivated dealership team acts as a solid unit. All members pull together to achieve the same goal. However, motivating your team members during crises or economic downturns can be a challenge. A general manager should know exactly which buttons to push to help keep the motivation fire burning.

A GM must focus on:

  • The safety of its team (especially during a health crisis)
  • Incentivizing performance (not just with monetary bonuses but also with learning opportunities, game tickets, gift cards, etc.)
  • The team's opinion (listening to what employees have to say and acting upon it can go a long way toward motivation).

Motivation is intangible and very fluid. Even a natural leader can experience motivational issues. That's why automotive general manager training that helps look at motivation from the right angle is vital to the dealership's success.

Dealer Management System Training

Taking full advantage of dealer management systems (DMS) can help dealerships achieve a variety of goals while staying competitive. While general managers usually have a good understanding of how these systems work, each one comes with specific nuances.

By giving your GM an opportunity to study your DMS closely, you are enabling them to work toward the dealership's success. Comprehensive GM training involves exploring dealer management systems and learning how to implement them into the dealership's everyday operations.

Payroll Network's Dealer People Cloud integrates into the majority of DMS solutions, enhancing it with HR and Payroll capabilities designed specifically for dealerships.

Even a short online DMS course can save your GM a significant amount of time while giving them access to effective technology.

Successful Measurement Tactics

Measuring and tracking success is the key to keeping it on the highest levels. General managers need to know which measurement tactics to implement in order to have a full picture of how the dealership is doing.

Since results of many management tactics don't appear immediately, a poor approach to tracking could throw the entire team off course.

Besides measuring the dealership's performance, the GM must know how to evaluate team members. Understanding and tracking the way employees work can help GMs motivate and enable their staff.

Proper training can teach general managers how to measure their efforts in order to adjust sales and marketing strategies promptly.

Financial Analysis

While GMs don't have to be accountants, they must speak the lingo to have a full understanding of the dealership's health. These experts need to understand financial statements, track the latest trends, and provide regular reports on the dealership's financial condition.  

Without education or experience in dealership finances, a GM can have a tough time seeing the full picture in order to create a successful strategy. With auto dealer finance training, it's possible to give the GM the necessary skills and knowledge to handle the financial paperwork and collaborate with the F&I department.   

Drive Your Dealership's Success With Automotive General Manager Training   

Automotive general managers have a huge variety of responsibilities that require multiple skills. Being responsible for the success of a dealership is a constant source of stress and anxiety for these experts. To help GMs do their job, it's imperative to arrange proper training.

High-quality training can enable automotive general managers to improve the dealership's profitability, enhance the culture of success, streamline teamwork, and much more.

Payroll Network's Dealer People Cloud can help you arrange personalized automotive general manager training to save time, reduce turnover, and drive your dealership's success. Would you like to learn more about this tool? Contact our team at any convenient time. 

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