March SDADA Column

I hope you have been following the electric-car manufacturer Tesla Motors' battle with dealer associations in Massachusetts and Minnesota over its retail model. Tesla is aggressively lobbying policymakers, reaching out to fans to foster public support and even countering with its own franchise law proposals. 

The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association is opposing Tesla's market entry because the California-based automaker wants to sell cars directly to consumers without using local franchisees like other manufacturers do. The company plans to open a store at Mall of America and a service center in Edina, MN.

MADA recently recently withdrew a bill at the Minnesota Legislature that would have clarified the state's franchise law. Instead, it's now bracing for a court battle.

Do I think Tesla Motors will come to South Dakota to threaten our state franchise law? No, not yet. But the money they spend fighting franchise laws in other states could serve to weaken them and make all dealers more vulnerable. It is fair to assume that Tesla is not spouting positive remarks about franchised dealers as they attempt to dismantle our franchise laws. 

The franchised dealer model has been proven many times over to be the most efficient model for the sales and service of new vehicles. Dealers have been concerned about manufacturers and distributors owning dealerships for a long time. This makes publicizing the benefits of the franchise system a top priority for NADA and state dealer associations.

I hope you're following this because I can promise you that your manufacturer is!!
Dealer Operations Brings Many new Offerings
One of my committee assignments this year is Dealership Operations. Not only does Dealer Ops have perhaps the widest reach in NADA, it probably offers you the most direct value for your membership.

NADA University falls under Dealer Ops and NADA U has been busy! They are currently rolling out several new products and services that you need to be aware of:

NADA University Online Launches ‘My Career Path’ to Facilitate Training

The new “My Career Path” for dealership employees features job-specific training recommendations, links to relevant content from NADA University and tracking capabilities for a growing list of job positions. Career paths are organized into six areas of training, which includes core courses, dealership basics, marketing and operations, legal and regulatory, customer relations and employee relations. Career paths are now available for the general manager, new- and used-vehicle sales consultant, service advisor, F&I manager, service manager, sales manager and parts manager, with more on the way. Sign into www.NADAuniversity.com to take a look and begin.

Special Ops Training Programs in Academy, Allows Managers to ‘Zero In’ on Departments

If you are looking for top notch training for key personnel, NADA University has introduced an all-new Special Ops training program that allows dealership managers to hone their skills for specific departments by attending individual weeks of NADA-ATD Academy programs. The training focuses on the following areas of dealership operations: Financial Management; Fixed Operations I – Parts; Fixed Operations II – Service; Variable Operations I – Used vehicles; and Variable Ops II – New vehicles.

NADA U FUEL

NADA U Fuel is a private online community, is being launched by NADA University exclusively for the following NADA and ATD members: Academy students and alumni, 20 Group members and NextGen ATD members. The online community was created to enhance and expand the collaboration and idea-sharing that already exists among these groups. FUEL provides community members with instant access to peer discussions, subject matter experts and NADA University’s comprehensive education and training resources. It’s a way to exchange ideas and tips for doing business, discuss trends in the marketplace, resolve business problems, give and get advice and keep in touch. FUEL’s custom online platform is powered by DrivingSales, whose technology creates an individualized profile and view, displaying only the content that is relevant and useful to each user.

NADA U Enhances the HR Essentials Product, Adds it to the Learning Hub Premium Subscription

The HR Essentials management tools, with content powered by Bloomberg BNA, have proven invaluable to users over the years. Job Descriptions Online enables managers to customize job descriptions quickly and easily. The product contains descriptions for more than 100 dealership-specific jobs—and thousands of additional jobs. Recently, NADA University engaged Northwood University to review the dealership-specific jobs. Completely new and updated descriptions are now available in the online product. Coming soon, NADA U will add an entirely new feature to HR Essentials: Fast Answers™ Online provides fast and reliable answers to more than 2,400 questions on thousands of everyday HR topics. HR Essentials also includesPerformance Evaluations Online and HR Policy Handbooks Online. The package is included in the Learning Hub Premium Subscription. The package and the individual components are also available separately as an annual subscription.

NADA Members can log intowww.NADAuniversity.com or call (800) 557-6232 for more info on any of the services.