The great need at present is for more customers with money
to spend.
Money to spend is an issue for
government, employers, and the banks. At the same time businesses
are seeking to achieve greater productivity at lower cost, and that
can mean employing fewer people.
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If the politicians have their way,
the public sector is about to experience a massive cull in both
costs and personnel. There is speculation that the oldest workers
may lose their employment first, perhaps because they are the most
expensive rather than because they are the least productive.
Conventional
wisdom
That is the conventional wisdom.
Yet if one were to create some form of productivity index, a good
proportion of those workers at risk may well rank as some of the
most productive.
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By GlobalDataThey know what they are doing and,
if they are given the discretion, can get on with the task in hand.
Provided they have the right motivation, they could be encouraged
to be even more productive.
As a sales service industry, our
task it to generate finance packages which will be attractive to
our current and new customers.
Are we on the horns of a
dilemma?
Huge numbers of graduates and other
young people are unable to find work. We may become increasingly
reliant on older buyers with significant disposable income.
An intern could be one answer to
help your dealership. You’d be providing a young person with some
much needed work experience, and they might bring unexpected
benefits to your business.
They could pour a bucket of cold
water over some long-held internal business assumptions.
They are flexible labour and future
customers. As the economy recovers they will likely find a paid job
and, over time, want to buy a car.
They may also have a wide network
of friends and acquaintances to introduce to your dealership.
You are expert at selling products
and services, but how often have you asked for feedback or checked
out what customers really think?
The new BCA Used Car Market Report
found that 44% of dealers never bother to follow up with customers
who had bought cars from them.
Degree programmes often teach
graduates to ask questions, and they may have ideas about what to
look for in a successful business.
Think about taking on an intern:
the more you put into it, the more you will get out of the
experience.
Retailing and finance often claim
there is a shortage of bright graduates coming their way.
An internship is an opportunity to
test out a young person’s suitability for a job. Is there any
reason why you should not create a programme for a few months?
You may well be surprised at how
invigorating such an exercise can be.
The author is professor of
Automotive Management at the University of Buckingham
