view newsletter online  January 15, 2025

Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to build trust, and it is our collective effort that will elevate the standards of the entire automotive sector in this great state of Montana.

This year let’s set ambitious goals and push ourselves beyond the ordinary.  Whether it’s improving operational efficiency, expanding our digital presence, or enhancing the customer experience, there is always room to grow. 

I encourage each of you to share your success and best practices to chad@randashautomt.com and I can include them in our next newsletter.

As we move into a new legislative session, please know that we will be paying close attention to the developments in Helena.  We are committed to informing you about any potential legislation that may impact our industry.  Your MTIADA will be actively advocating for the interests of our independent dealerships, and we will work diligently to ensure that our voice is heard in the legislative process.

One question I often here is, “What does the Association do for me?” I’m sure you have asked yourself that question, and I’m glad you asked. There are so many ways the Association is working behind the scenes to improve your opportunity to be successful that we could go through it for hours.

As with any endeavor, there is strength in numbers. With more numbers, there is more strength and clout. Our biannual legislative session is starting this month and our influence and efforts keep legislation that is harmful to our industry from going through with no resistance. We send board members to Helena on your behalf to lobby for laws that are beneficial and oppose laws that can hurt us. We scan the docket daily looking for items that may affect you.

We are involved in the education of yours and your employees’ children by giving scholarships to deserving students. We have donated to Project Hope in the name of Independent Auto Dealer’s Association on your behalf and have put ourselves in front of bank presidents and other influential parties to explain the difference between a used car lot with no consideration for the community and our members that are dedicated to improving the independent dealer’s community.

We also have hours upon hours training available at any time and host our annual convention where you can learn from industry experts.

We send out monthly publications that include tips and legislative articles that keep you abreast of current and pending laws that will affect the car business on a national scale. There are 20 groups for retail and buy here, pay here dealers and so much more.

 

Find the latest tips and best practices from some of the nation’s top dealers to help your dealership thrive in today’s market at the 2025 NIADA Convention and Expo.

Make your plans now to be in Las Vegas for the largest event for the independent auto industry, the NIADA Convention and Expo, June 23-26, at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Registration for dealers is now open at niada.com/convention. The early-bird deadline is May 23 for NIADA members to secure registration for $545 per person ($845 per non-member). A discount is available for multiple registrations from the same dealer group.

Discounted rooms for $219 per night are available at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas until May 23, but may sell out before that date. Book your room here.

The NIADA Convention and Expo will offer the industry’s top education in five tracks – retail, BHPH, compliance, management and marketing. A majority of the breakout education sessions and panel discussions will be led by dealers, such as “Reducing Charge-Offs in Today’s Challenging Collection Environment” by Rondis Cavender of Cavender Auto Sales in Gainesville, Georgia. Cavender presented the session during the BHPH Dealer Forum to a packed room on how he’s kept customers in vehicles with his “Fresh Start” program.

As a new administration takes over in Washington, D.C., NIADA will welcome members of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to discuss regulations impacting the used automobile industry. This is your chance to get the latest compliance information straight from the source.

The Expo Hall will feature countless business solutions to help your dealership grow and run more efficiently.

The NIADA Convention will also celebrate the industry, including the announcement of the 2025 National Quality Dealer of the Year and other industry awards.

For information on our education lineup, see the agenda and register for the 2025 NIADA Convention at niada.com/convention. See you in June.

You’re closing the books on another year, and it’s time to look ahead and build a projection model for the next. Where can you improve, and how?

As you plan to grow your sales or improve other operations, are you taking a realistic view of where you are and where you can go? Are you setting your employees—and yourself—up for failure with overly ambitious expectations

While it’s good to be ambitious when laying out aspirations for the new year, it’s most important to establish what NIADA 20 Group Moderator and Consultant Brad White calls SMART goals.

“In putting together projection models, you set goals for where you want to be throughout the year,” White said. “But as we progress through the months and activities, you should be creating SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.”

White explained that SMART goals, with these five characteristics, set employees, the dealership, and ultimately the dealer up for success.
It starts with looking at your past performance and analyzing those numbers—whether they pertain to sales, collections, or service.

“You learn from experience. You look at your year-to-date figures and averages,” White said. “You’re also looking to see if the data is static across the board or shows more seasonality. Consider your tax season and other times of the year when business is booming, as well as periods when business may slow down, such as January or December.”

Analyzing past results helps establish a baseline to determine achievable and realistic goals. This is also a good time to review your staffing to ensure you have the right people and sufficient staff to meet these goals.

“If you are looking at sales, for example, you need to make sure you have enough salespeople to achieve your monthly goals,” White said. “The same goes for collections and service.”

When setting achievable and realistic goals, consider individuals' past performance. Don’t expect a salesperson who averages 15 cars per month to suddenly sell 20 without additional planning.

“If you have a 15-car salesperson and now expect them to hit 20, you’re putting undue pressure on that person,” White said. “If you know they’re a 15-car salesperson, you need to figure out how to support them to achieve more. It’s not the employee’s responsibility to figure that out—it’s the manager’s job. You have to set your employees up for success.

“Before you set a goal that exceeds what an employee has historically achieved, you must have a plan in place to help them get there.”

Unrealistic goals can lead to frustrated employees or, worse, cause you to lose consistent performers, leaving you to find replacements at a cost of time and money.

“The undue pressure of hitting an unachievable goal may even prevent the employee from reaching their usual performance level,” White said. “On top of that, you risk losing them. I’m a big believer in focusing on people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses.”

A better approach might be tackling the ultimate goal in steps. White suggested developing a plan with the employee to increase from 15 to 17 cars one month and add another step in the future. The same approach can be applied to the collections department by making gradual improvements in percentages.

Each goal should have an end date—whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual. When considering the time element, account for seasonal swings, days closed, and total working days in the period.

“A lot of times, we base goals on 26 working days because that’s how many days a dealership is open in a month. But if you’re setting individual goals and a salesperson is off every Tuesday, you should base their goals on 22 days per month,” White said.

Goals shouldn’t be ambiguous, such as saying, “We want to sell more cars” or “We want to collect on more accounts.” There must be measurable numbers, percentages, or totals.

When introducing goals, provide specific details and actions. Discuss how employees will reach the goal, such as the number of phone calls needed or appointments to be set. One-on-one meetings throughout the month can help ensure progress and reinforce the actions needed to achieve the goals.

White emphasized that coaching doesn’t stop with setting the goal or the initial action plan.

“Staying on top of things, being realistic, following through, and coaching throughout ensures you meet your goals,” White said.

Following all five steps for setting SMART goals can also help minimize emotional decisions that could negatively impact the dealership in the long term.

While SMART goals guide you into the new year, don’t dismiss those more ambitious targets. Use them as stretch goals or additional benchmarks to strive for. They just shouldn’t be the primary metrics you manage by. Stay focused, stay SMART, and stay goal-oriented.