Featured Candidates and Positions

December 2019

Season's Greetings!

And just like that, we find ourselves at the beginning of the holiday season and at the end of another year. We would like to take the opportunity to thank you, our readership, for following along with our newsletters throughout the months and years. Things might be slowing down at your place of work as the holidays approach, which makes it a good time to form more long term strategies. For our final newsletter of 2019, we identify the first steps of succession planning and why it is necessary for any critical role. But first, see our Featured Candidates and Positions.

Candidate 1: OEM Certified Pre-Owned Regional Manager

This automotive professional has 20 years of experience in the automotive retail sector in various facets at both the store level and corporate level. Along with a team, this candidate has spent the last several years supporting over 300 dealerships in the U.S. and expanding their certified pre-owned business. This candidate has helped countless dealer principals across the country by drastically increasing revenue in their sales, finance, and service departments through comprehensive in-store training on effective and efficient sales strategies. This candidate has shown exemplary performance managing their own dealership teams over the years, leading the charge to completely revamp how one dealer group looked at online sales and digital marketing, improving online sales by over 200%. This person has had first-hand experience turning around a store’s performance and becoming one of the top dealerships in their region. This candidate is ready to get back to the shop floor and take on a new challenge in helping a dealership learn new strategies and processes to conquer the evolving market we are facing today. This candidate would be ideal to manage a single site or support multiple locations and build a winning culture through both front and back end. Email information@tieronesearch.com for more details or call +1-313-887-8300 ex.106.

Candidate 2: Sr. Manager of Variable Operations

This candidate has had a successful and well-rounded career in the dealership world, touching all aspects and departments at store level. This person has managed teams in both sales and F&I at store level and now has full responsibility for net profit over 15 stores, selling both import and domestic brands. This candidate has consistently exceeded all retail objectives for volume, finance, and manufacturer CSI goals. This person contributes their success to the idea that the most valuable asset a dealership has is it’s people, and that you must build the right team, and have them in the right place. Over the years, this NADA graduate has been able to turn several stores around, leading one pre-owned department to increase sales by over 50% by revamping their selling process overall. They also were able to take a store that was selling less then 50 cars a month and, through rigorous training and a complete overhaul of their company culture, was able to make them one of the top performing stores in their region within 6 months. This person is open to relocation and is looking for the opportunity to be a strategic partner at the corporate level or help grow a market as a multi-site director. Email information@tieronesearch.com for more details or call +1-313-887-8300 ex.106.

Position 1: Service Advisor

This organization has been serving the Eastern US market for just shy of a century with several rooftops selling a variety of import and domestic brands. Our client has built a reputation as a philanthropic, family run establishment that gives back to their community above and beyond providing reliable vehicles and service. We are looking for an experienced service advisor to join this team and help our client to continue to give top-notch service in their service department. This individual should have at least 3 years experience and a proven track record of loyalty to an employer. They must have superb communication skills. As the main contact for the customer, this individual will need to build trust and cultivate relationships that allow you to work with the customers to prepare a thorough RO, present and explain estimates and warranty inclusions and exclusions. This person will also be expected to advise customers on suggested vehicle repairs and follow up afterwards on their satisfaction with the service provided. We are looking for an individual that has consistently met and surpassed CSI goals in the past and has a proven ability to help build service retention. This organization is able to offer a team oriented culture and the opportunity for career growth. They are one of the top groups in the region to work for based upon employee satisfaction score and can offer career growth. Email information@tieronesearch.com for more details or call +1-313-887-8300 ex.106.

Position 2: General Sales Manager: Mid-West

We are looking for a General Sales Manager to help a store find innovative ways to dominate the evolving market that the car industry is heading into. This organization has 12 stores and has been a staple in the mid-west for over 35 years. They have shown growth year over year and can offer longevity and career advancement. We are looking for a candidate with proven turnaround capability and a strong acumen for building a successful forecast and business plan to increasing gross profit in both new and used auto sales. Leadership and communication skills must be very sharp, ownership believes in a transparent, collegial environment, being able to build and train the right team and foster a strong selling culture will be crucial to this store’s success. If you are a driven individual with a passion for leading a sales force to achieve new heights though innovative and forward thinking sales strategies and procedures, email information@tieronesearch.com or call +1-313-887-8300 ex.106 for more details.

Succession planning is the strategic process where current employees are identified and developed with the expectation that they will one day replace a current leader who might be leaving the business, retiring, or is unable to continue their work. Succession planning can and should be applied to any important role of an organization, regardless of level, and at any size of business, whether it is a multi-billion dollar corporation or a small family-run business.

Succession planning is all about being proactive and having the right people in the right roles at the right time. This type of planning ensures you are never left scrambling to fill a very critical role for your company. A lack of succession plan could lead to a stall in your company's growth.

Benefits of Succession Planning

Having a succession plan in place and communicating this plan to those involved can have additional benefits like retention of top performing employees, reduction in recruiting costs, and gaining a reputation as an employer that promotes career growth. A culture that includes succession planning will lead to higher employee satisfaction and more knowledge transfer and mentorship.

A Shortage of Succession Plans

With all of this in mind, it can come as a surprise to know that many businesses do not have a succession plan in place. Reasons why many forgo succession planning have included leaders being fearful that they will be replaced early, short-term thinking and a lack of designated responsibility - no one knows who's job it is to put the plan in place. Many of these obstacles can be removed simply by clear communication between all parties involved.

The 5 Steps of Succession Planning

1. Understanding the needs of the business
Identify the company's vision, goals and future needs (not just current). Define the key roles of the business and how these roles help the business reach its goals.

2. Assess current staff
Through surveys and manager assessments, uncover the skills of your current employees as well as important qualities such as motivation, adaptability, and desire to grow and learn.

3. Talk to current staff
Not all staff members will be interested in leadership roles. Have a conversation with current staff about their career goals and future life plans.

4. Apply the data
Using the collected data, evaluate current employees for future potential and make a plan.

5. Communicate the plan
Share the plan with the select employees who are affected by the succession plan. This will generate retention and buy-in from those involved.

After the Plan is in Place

Your work is not over. Once the plan is in place, more action is required in terms of getting this person "ready" for their next role through knowledge transfer, hands-on experience, and further education and exposure. Once the succession has actually occurred, the results and the process that brought those results should be evaluated for future succession planning.

Even once a successor has made their way to their new role, the succession planning always continues. Succession planning is a constantly evolving process much like the staff of a company are constantly evolving.

Sources and Further Reading

Deloitte Insights - "The holy grail of effective leadership succession planning"

Infinity HR - "How To Create A Successful Succession Planning Process"

Investopedia - "Succession Planning"

The Business Journal - 3 Steps to Succession Planning"

Wikipedia - "Succession Planning"