When a key dealership employee leaves — whether they’re responsible for major unit sales, parts & accessories, or service — the impact on dealership revenue can be immediate and significant.
A vacant seat in a revenue-generating role is one of the most expensive problems a dealership can face. The question is: How do you protect your dealership from that risk?
The answer starts with preparation — and ends with a commitment to always be recruiting.
Ask yourself:
If one of my top performers quit today or had a health issue that kept them from work, how would I protect the revenue they generate?
The best dealerships always have a “next up” plan — identifying who could step into that seat quickly and effectively. The strongest operators don’t wait until there’s a resignation to start looking; they plan transitions before they happen.
Promoting an existing team member is ideal. Internal promotions reward loyalty, motivate staff, and create smoother transitions because the employee already understands your dealership systems, processes, and culture.
Consider how you can build an internal ladder of opportunity:
When employees see growth potential inside your dealership, they’re more engaged — and you’re less likely to face sudden, damaging turnover.
Sometimes internal promotion isn’t an option. In those cases, hiring an experienced candidate can shorten the onboarding process — but it’s rarely a plug-and-play solution.
Experienced hires often need to unlearn old processes or adjust to the specific product lines and systems your dealership uses.
The key is to set expectations early, provide a structured onboarding plan, and train for alignment, not just ability.
One of the best hires I’ve ever made had never worked in a dealership.
My wife, Nicole was shopping at our hometown Walmart when an employee asked if she needed help finding anything. She was surprised — the employee didn’t just help her find the item; he loaded it on a cart, walked her to her vehicle, and loaded it for her with genuine enthusiasm.
Nicole told me about the experience and got his name and number. I called him the next day and offered him a position on our sales team.
He had no dealership experience, but with focused product, process, and sales training, he became one of our top performers within 45 days.
The lesson? Always be recruiting. Great people are everywhere — and with the right training, they can quickly become top contributors.
Keeping a recruiting mindset ensures you’ll never scramble to fill a crucial role. Here are three proven ways to keep your talent pipeline full year-round:
Your current team knows your culture and standards. Incentivize them to bring in great people.
Offer a referral spiff that reflects the importance of the position. For example:
You’re not just paying for a name — you’re rewarding an employee for finding someone who can generate revenue and fit your culture.
Your dealership website should feature a careers page with a simple form-fill option for interested candidates.
Promote open positions on your social media channels, and when someone applies, set up an auto-response linking to a one-way video interview platform such as HireFlix.
This process allows candidates to introduce themselves on their own time while you quickly gauge their communication skills, energy, and professionalism.
Even when you’re not actively hiring, you’re collecting warm leads for future opportunities.
These platforms help you reach both active and passive candidates, keeping your dealership visible as a great place to work without significant expense.
Identifying your “next up” employees and recruiting new talent is only half the battle. The other half is making sure they’re ready to perform.
Training isn’t a cost — it’s an investment that protects your revenue and strengthens your brand reputation.
For a limited time, Herohub is offering a New Employee Fundamentals Course for:
This course is designed for employees who’ve started within the past year and need a fast, effective way to ramp up productivity and confidence.
👉 To apply, click here.
At the end of the day, your dealership’s success comes down to people.
Plan ahead. Promote from within. Recruit constantly. Train relentlessly.
Because when you always have the next-up employee ready — and when every hire is well-trained and aligned — you’re not just protecting revenue… you’re building a dealership that’s unstoppable.
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