Dealer:
Sam Slaughter
Dealership group:
Sellers Auto Group
Full-time employees:
44
2017 new-vehicle sales:
872, down 3.3%
2017 used-vehicle sales:
560, down 3.6%
Sales Manager Steve Buckman on changes to recruitment:
"For potential candidates, we treat the interview as though we are selling them on our dealership, just as much as they are selling themselves to us. We always mention the Best Dealerships designation. The most important thing we look for is how they fit with our culture and our team. The better we work together for our customers, the better we will achieve our goals, and the happier our team will be."
Buckman on rewarding employees and showing them they are valued:
"We have a trophy that gets moved daily from one desk to another, based on number of cars they sold that day, attitude and overall effort. We also encourage our team to get involved with our charity and community partners. Each year, we invite our team to a special tour of the Leader Dogs for the Blind headquarters and participate in their fundraising events."
General Manager Ron Redfern on helping employees develop a career path:
"We meet with team members regularly to discuss their interests. We encourage team members getting together from all departments, which often leads to their interests in other positions. Every time we have an open position, our first step is to look at internal candidates. As a result, most of our team members were hired in different positions from where they work today. Providing team members the opportunity to change positions and advance their careers plays an important role in achieving employee enthusiasm."
Redfern on making work schedules more balanced or flexible:
"We have shorter hours than other dealerships around us. We close at 8 p.m., and we have shorter hours on Saturdays. Each month, we ask team members what days they would like off, trying to be flexible. This allows team members to have days off to attend events or appointments without needing to use vacation."
Redfern on compensation:
"Our pay plans are designed to unite team members by working together and supporting each other. Our variable team compensation is based on a share team pool complemented with individual performance. Fixed operations commissions are also focused on performance of the team. Even manager bonuses are based on the bottom line for the dealership, not their department."
