Outperform in Leadership

As a business owner or leader, you are tasked with understanding the changing conditions, steering your team through any obstacles, identifying the right opportunities to pursue, and setting your dealership up to successfully capture them. Turn to this Spotlight and the Dealer Week 2024 Leadership Pathway Sessions to create a roadmap for success as the market and your customers continue to evolve.

MRAA Ask the Expert Webinar

As a dealership leader, you’re likely feeling the weight of today’s economic uncertainty. Rising interest rates, fluctuating inventory needs, and shifting consumer spending make it tough to plan ahead with confidence. You’re not alone in wondering how to navigate these changes as we enter 2025. That’s why we’ve partnered with Huntington Distribution Finance to host a powerful webinar to help you stay a step ahead.

In this event at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 19, you’ll hear from Ian Wyatt, Huntington Director of Economics, who will break down the latest economic trends in a way that’s easy to understand. His insights will touch on how factors like interest rates and customer behavior might affect your dealership. Ian will be joined by MRAA’s Educational Director, Bernie DeGraw, and a guest dealership expert who’ll dive into real-life strategies. A live Q&A time will give you a chance to ask your questions, so you can feel prepared and confident about guiding your dealership in 2025.

MRAA Members, when logged in to MRAAtraining.com, you have immediate access to the webinar recording.

MRAA Ask the Expert webinar logo
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Your marine dealership should celebrate your big wins, but it’s often the small, incremental improvements that lead to lasting success, say guest blogger Chris Kulaga, Lightspeed Product Manager. He shares a leadership strategy that involves inspecting the finer details of your operation to make micro changes. When you do this, you can create efficiency, stronger leadership and enhance customer satisfaction. He adds: “Remember, in the “aggregation of marginal gains,” no change is too small to make a difference.”

A cycling story by Chris Kulaga
7 Tips for Driving Up Dealership Profitability
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You’re busy, and your resources are stretched. We understand. Use these seven simple, actionable tips to help you inspire your team, reduce turnover and drive sustainable growth. With these strategies, you’ll not only improve employee engagement but position your dealership for long-term success and profitability.

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There’s no time! It’s too expensive or challenging to juggle. What if they leave? These are just some of the concerns dealers have about training employees. However, investing in training for your workforce creates a culture of accountability and trust, fosters better engagement and takes a proactive stance toward retention! By making time for training and planning for it, you help your employees advance their careers and find greater job satisfaction. You want them to enjoy coming to work, so much so that they are willing to sing your praises and declare that they LOVE their job!

Take This Job and ... LOVE It!
Outperform in Leadership - Leadership Decisions Infographic
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Outperform the Competition

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Workforce - How to Motivate, Cultivate and Maintain a New Generation of Employees
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When times get tough, dealership principals and leaders have to find ways to reduce costs to “ride out the storm.” However, a reduction in your staff is never easy and isn’t necessarily the most cost-effective reduction. Certain dealers are still understaffed. Others have just enough people aboard to get by, but are contemplating cutting employees to save. You have to consider the true cost of hiring new workers (when the time comes) and the morale issues your workforce subtractions could create. Here are some ideas to find savings while retaining your current workforce levels.

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As a manager or business leader, how can you make certain you’re encouraging lifelong learning at your dealership? By encouraging lifelong learning, you help strengthen careers and your workforce family while also establishing accountability and trust.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning
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Writing and following a business plan is crucial for success in your business. A plan is needed by banks to provide loans, employees to understand success strategies, and by you to track profitability. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers an interactive, eight-step business planning tool that can be accessed through this link. Save your work and return to it later, but prioritize creating a plan to benefit your business.

Writing Your Business Plan
Lead Your Team by Uniting Them Around a Common Goal” with Jordon Schoolmeester
“Is It the Market or Me? Sort Fact from Fiction in a Tough Environment” with Pat Kennedy
“The Name of the Game is Revenue Diversification” with Max Materne & Sam Dantzler
“Protect Your Dealership from the Growing Cyber Security Threat” with Robert Siciliano
“Create Great Culture in Tough Times” with Dave Newell


The Value of Employee Satisfaction Surveys:

MRAA Dealership Certification Program

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MRAA Members Only: Download the Executive Summary!

Stories Give Service Data Meaning - MRAA Service Management Special Report
How to excel as a dealership leader and manager course package
EDUCATION:

How to Excel as a Dealership Leader and Manager Course Package

  • Influence your team’s attitudes and beliefs
  • Boost employee satisfaction and prevent burnout
  • Increase overall dealership performance
  • Strengthen the bond you share with your team
  • Help employees see your business through the “owner’s eyes”
  • Avoid common dealership time crushers and gain control of your day
  • Manage stress effectively, improving both job performance and satisfaction
  • Create a detailed, realistic and customized business plan
  • Focus on key tasks for maximum business impact
  • Recruit, assess, interview and select top talent for your dealership
  • Onboard new hires and hold employees accountable for high performance


Silver & Gold Members ONLY:

MRAA Bronze members can upgrade to gain access to courses? Email Director of Membership Sherri Cuvala. 

Not an MRAA Member? Sign Up Here.

EDUCATION:

Drive Dealership Performance Through Interdepartmental Harmony

with Kurt von Ahnen

In your dealership leader role, you want to grow, excel and build a culture of unity within your various teams. It’s vital to embrace empathy for every role and department to gain insights into the benefits of enhanced communication and collaboration. You can create a seamless customer experience by mastering your meet-and-greet techniques and effectively transitioning customers between departments.

Kurt von Ahnen, Educator and MRAA Certification Consultant, shares strategies that go beyond transactions and focus on building meaningful relationships — both within your team and with your customers.

Silver & Gold Members ONLY:

Not a Silver Member? Learn more about Silver Membership!

EDUCATION:

4 Steps to Solving Your Dealership’s Most Complex Issues

with Dave Newell

It’s easy for leaders and decision-makers to get overwhelmed because they face a constant issues streams, both large and small. Indecision can creep in when the pressure mounts to solve problems and make clear decisions, especially as urgent matters outweigh your complex challenges.

This MRAATraining.com archive session, led by Organizational Development Consultant Dave Newell, will help you understand the psychology behind the barriers that delay problem solving. Learn a four-step process for identifying and overcoming challenges, create an attack plan for the issues you’re currently facing and apply your new skills to your process now and in the future.

Silver & Gold Members ONLY:

Not a Silver Member? Learn more about Silver Membership!

EDUCATION:

Rethink How to Engage & Hold On to Your Employees

with Gloria Sinclair Miller

Your success as a leader hinges on the well-being and engagement of your employees. This course, led by Gloria Sinclair Miller of the Society of Human Resources Management, provides you with essential HR strategies and retention tactics to help your workforce — and your business — thrive.

Explore innovative ways to connect with employees and create a workplace culture that promotes productivity and loyalty. Learn to develop a tailored plan to support your employees’ growth, ensuring that your dealership remains competitive and your team stays motivated and committed to your shared goals.

Silver & Gold Members ONLY:

Not a Silver Member? Learn more about Silver Membership!