Dealership owners and management take great pride in their company culture and the business standards they work to live up to every day. Unfortunately, forces are always at work to undermine what they’ve built–rapid growth, market slowdowns, increased competition, and assimilating acquisitions to name a few.
The ability to maintain company culture and standards was one of the main challenges cited by ENX magazine’s 2016 Elite Dealers. Here’s what they are doing to preserve them.
Internal marketing and communication. Growth will threaten company culture as dealers add employees and locations. Applied Imaging experienced growth from existing products, expanded services, and geography. Through all of that, it has not only maintained its culture, but have expanded its importance through internal marketing and stressing it at employee events. Most recently, Applied Imaging published its Culture Book, which outlines the values it expects employees to adhere to.
Fraser Advanced Business took its queues from the military. It hired the consulting firm The Corps Group, which is made up of former military officers. Their program helped Fraser learn the ins and outs of effective communication and strengthen team collaboration to drive the business using practices from military leaders. The program has improved its communications with our staff and its ability to work together as teams to collaborate.
Hire people who are compatible with your culture. The Swenson Group has developed a set of core values that it lives by. The company looks for job candidates who embody those values during the hiring process, passing on those whose work and personal experience do not mirror its values. While this approach makes hiring more challenging, The Swenson Group has found success using recommendations from current employees, who get $1,000 if the company hires a candidate they recommended.
Set standards that are measurable. Fraser Advanced Business turned to a consultant, The Corps Group, to help them develop a high performing culture that maintains superior and measurable results. Being able to quantify how well the staff and company are performing to standards makes for more meaningful conversations when debriefing the teams.
Share your values with your customers. Applied Imaging is proudly committed to running its business in a sustainable manner. It has always promoted sustainability initiatives internally and is now helping its customers to fulfill their objectives. Whether it’s moving them toward a paperless office or partnering with PrintReleaf to reforest paper consumption, Applied Imaging employees understand they have a critical role when it comes to respecting the planet for future generations.
