#518 - ✅ Accountability Required

TOGETHER WITH

We’re still buzzing with ASOTU CON excitement, and honestly, we can’t stop thinking about how much we loved watching everyone connect in deep conversations on so many meaningful topics.

Let's keep the momentum alive with more conversation, more collaboration, and more camaraderie.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

TODAY’S LOT WALK

• DATA & INSIGHT: Understanding the pivotal role of accountability. 🙋‍♂️

• BUSINESS: Q3 report and strike updates. 📈

• CULTURE: 3D printing is having a quiet heyday. 🎉

Reading time: 4 min 28 secs

DATA & INSIGHT

Accountability 101

In the dealership world (and most industries tbh), accountability isn’t an option, it's a requirement. And, it’s the only way to keep your whole team winning. Here are some of the basics:

🤷‍♂️ Eliminate the Guesswork:

• Clearly define responsibilities like job roles, service protocols, sales goals, and daily expectations.

• Clarity eradicates confusion and empowers staff to act confidently.

🌱 Cultivate a Collaborative Culture:


• All team members (especially managers) should embrace collaboration. 


• Encourage everyone to contribute ideas equally and act on that feedback.

• Be open to change and ready to adapt strategies based on collective insights.


🎯 Targets Guide Aim:

• Set goals using the SMART model — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.

• Break down large objectives into smaller actionable steps and then hold all responsible parties accountable.

• Share objectives and directives with the entire team so that everyone understands the role they play and can participate in the feeling of accomplishment when the larger task at hand is accomplished.

💗 From Micromanager to Caring Roamer (ain’t anagrams fun?):

• Once roles and expectations are clearly established, managers should give their teams the space they need to get the job done in a way that works best for them. Be available without being overbearing.

• Keep an eye on the bigger picture and evaluate the status and quality of the deliverables, not necessarily the process it takes others to get there.

🙌 Energize with Appreciation:

• Regularly acknowledge and praise individual and team achievements. Shouting out even the smallest of wins will show your team that you care more about their feats than their fumbles.

• Actionable recognition like rewards and benefits energizes employees and will drive them to repeat or even surpass expectations.

💬 Open Dialogue:

• Encourage staff to voice actionable suggestions. Hold regular feedback sessions and then create measurable plans to leverage and test that input.

• Actionable communication bridges gaps, ensuring dealership-wide actions align with goals.

TOGETHER WITH DEALER IMAGE PRO

Superior and Scalable

Dealer Image Pro™ provides scalable automotive merchandising technology to modern auto dealers through their content capture app, Photo Assistant™, and their online platform, Autoport®. This technology, combined with proper photography instruction, professional editing, quality control, and exceptional support, provides a superior result for auto dealers and a better customer experience.

Photo Assistant™ uses app technology on a fleet of Apple iPad® Pros with a patented wireframe guideline system. The app's wireframe guidelines ensure that dealers capture consistent photos, full-motion video, and interactive 360 experiences for their inventory online — all in-house, for the fastest time-to-market.

The result is a remarkable consistency. Auto dealers and auto groups achieve perfect content on dealer VDPs, gain a better time-to-market, streamline lot operations, save labor hours, and deliver a quality customer experience through one merchandising ecosystem.

The Dealer Image Pro platform integrates with all of the big players in Automotive.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Thank You For the Feedback!

Our friend, Steve White with Clarivoy, had some kind things to say on LinkedIn following ASOTU CON! 💘

Thank YOU, Steve! The community and industry are better because you are in them, friend! 👊

We want to share the good vibes as they come in, so keep an eye on this space for links to community members sharing their ASOTU CON experiences. 👀

Who knows? You may make a new friend along the way. 😉

Speaking of ASOTU CON…

BUSINESS

Ford Q3 and Strike Update

• Sales: Ford saw a 7.7% rise in Q3 U.S. new vehicle sales year-on-year, led by a 15.3% jump in truck sales.

• Strike Impact: Q3 sales weren't directly affected despite the ongoing UAW strike.

• Labor Disputes: Ford extended a new contract offer to the UAW, raising wages for temporary workers, increasing 401(k) contributions, and shortening the timeframe to the top wage rate. However, disagreements persist, especially over battery plants and the transition to electric vehicles.

🔍 EU Doesn't Trust All These Chinese EVs

The European Commission is diving deep into Chinese electric vehicles, suspecting they might be riding the harmful subsidy wave. 🌊 Initiated thanks to a little nudge from the French government, this probe's potential to shuffle the EU-China trade deck. With Germany on its toes, fingers crossed 🤞, the Commission now waits for a word from the Chinese bigwigs. They've got 13 months to crack the case.

GM Q3 and Strike Update

• Sales: GM boasted a 21.4% sales boost in Q3. Approaching Q4, GM sales surged over 19%, translating to about 1.97 million vehicles sold in the U.S. Electric vehicle sales comprised over 20,000, a 28% quarterly increase.

• Strike Impact: GM's Q3 sales were largely unaffected by the UAW strikes. However, the strikes have already hit the production of models like Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. GM has furloughed 163 UAW workers at its Toledo plant and laid off 2,100 workers across five plants.

• Labor Disputes: GM is negotiating a new contract with the UAW. While discussions are ongoing, significant differences remain.

🔋One Step Closer To Battery Swapping

India's oil mogul, Reliance Industries, just dropped a game-changer: swappable, multipurpose battery storage for EVs. 🚘 Swap 'em for your ride or light up your home – talk about multitasking! 💡 Part of their whopping $10 billion green drive, Reliance aims for those net-zero carbon vibes by 2035. Go green or go home! 🌱

CULTURE

3D Printing: A Little Bit Of Everything

AI is turning heads and making headlines in the tech world lately, but while we were all distracted making ChatGPT write us stories about a cucumber that came to life and really wanted to make it on Broadway, 3D printers have been busy!

Required Listening: “A Little Big Of Everything” by Dawes

In collaboration with General Dynamics Electric Boat and HLL, the U.S. Navy has 3D printed a vital part for the Virginia-class submarine USS Oklahoma, highlighting the potential of on-demand maritime repairs.

Scientists at Monash University 3D-printed living neural networks from rat brain cells, aiming to offer alternatives to animal testing and enable personalized medicine developments in brain research.

Qatari students developed a 3D printer to mass-produce edible vegetables using vegetable cells and UV light, aiming to address food insecurity and offer cost-effective alternatives to conventional farming.

Peopoly unveils Magneto X, a belt-less FDM 3D printer using magnetic linear motors, achieving speeds of 800mm/s (they typically range from 40 mm/s to 150 mm/s). Conceived during 2022's lockdown, it emphasizes open-source components and high-end performance. 

Quick Hits

• Netflix prepares for another price hike. 📈

• 30-year mortgage rates top 7.5% for the first time since 2000. 🏡

• Patrick Stewart has released a memoir, and yes, he talks about Star Trek. 🚀

History

• 1905: The Wright brothers pilot the Wright Flyer III in a new world record flight of 24 miles in 39 minutes. 🦅

• 1919: Enzo Ferrari enters his first race. 🏁

• 1969: Monty Python's Flying Circus makes its debut on BBC. 🎪