As we reach the home stretch of 2018’s final hurrah, it’s not too surprising to learn that one of the biggest stumbling blocks confronting our list of Elite Dealers is the need to identify, hire and maintain quality employees. As we’ve seen time and again, many dealers can boast of carrying a technical service and/or admin staff with 20-30 years, but considerably fewer have had that same level of success with keeping quality account representatives.
We’ve culled a sampling of the dealer viewpoints as to their quest to staff up in light of turnover and growth, along with the strategies they’re employing to ensure that candidates who mesh with their corporate culture are appropriately compensated and motivated to bring in net-new business while expanding on existing work with clients.
One factor that can challenge dealers is a regional consideration. Take Novatech of Nashville, TN, for example. The portion of Tennessee and its surrounding regions that the dealer draws talent from is currently enjoying a low unemployment rate. That translates into fewer qualified candidates for positions, particularly in sales. It also intensifies the competition for strong candidates not only from other dealers, but adjacent industries that are fishing in the employee pond.
“The low unemployment rate slows the filling of open positions,” the dealer reported. “To meet the challenge, Novatech has its own recruiters, bonuses to employees for referrals and a constantly growing culture.”
Expanding Local Profile
Hiring productive salespeople tops the priority list at 4 The Office of Pittston, PA. The dealer is expanding its local online presence and is in the process of completely revamping its website, which it believes will give the dealer an edge over its larger brethren.
“We believe an e-commerce-friendly website that is content rich will allow us to get a jump on most traditional larger dealers,” the dealer wrote. “Additionally, the resources that will be available to the prospect will be much more in-depth than we currently have.”
Bolstering its sales force is also a key moving forward for Smile Business Products of Sacramento, CA. “Our focus is spending more time and money on recruiting the right people, and maintaining those through ongoing training,” the dealer added.
In response to the need for more effective staffing, Offix LC of Gainesville, VA, hired a new regional sales manager who has created recruiting, onboarding and training procedures to produce more impactful hires. The dealer is also working on a recruitment video that will be pushed out through its website and social media channels.
Make An Effort
Vision Office Systems of Charlotte, NC, has been frustrated in finding sales reps that are willing to put in the time and effort to be successful. Fortunately, the candidates that Vision has been able to acquire do not have entitlement issues.
“Everyone wants a ton of money for little to no work,” the dealer lamented. “We have found some in the last year who are doing a great job, but it remains tough to find qualified talent.”
The good news for Access Systems of Waukee, IA, is that it has reaped growth across all of its departments. On the flip side, this entails the need to staff up in order to maintain the quality of experience it has provided customers.
“We are currently enhancing our in-house recruiting strategies as well as utilizing external staffing agencies,” the dealer reported. “Our marketing team is focused on sharing our ‘recruitment brand’ through our web presence and social media channels to feature our culture and workplace environment.”
