Voices

Who's Gonna Fix'em

By Raymond Padgett

About the author

As Aftermarket Operations Manager, Raymond Padgett set company records in sales and expense control. After nine years working at an RV dealership, Mr. Padgett has moved to the wholesale side of the business. However he is still available for consultation by calling 770-947-8959.

You Can't Sell
From Empty Shelves
I'm sure you've heard that saying once or twice in your life. You know it's true when it comes to selling RVs. If you don't have RVs on your lot (or if you just have substandard units no one really wants) you are not going to sell RVs. You know it's true when it comes to parts. If you don't have RV parts in your Parts Department (or if you only have obsolete or unpopular items) you are going to have a hard time selling parts.

An area of equal concern is manning your Service Department with qualified and capable technicians. If you don't have enough technicians, or if the ones working at your shop are not capable of performing their jobs, you will have a difficult time selling service and repairs to your customers. For that matter you will have a hard time selling units since your RVs will be unprepared for showing to the public. You will also have a difficult time selling parts, since we rely on skilled technicians to install the parts and accessories we recommend to our customers.

Despite our desperate need for qualified, skilled technicians, it seems that our industry is having a hard time holding on to good people. Since we can't "sell from empty shelves" we have to find a way to reverse this disturbing trend. The first step is to isolate the reasons they are leaving (or refusing to enter the industry) and devise ways to overcome each hurdle.

I might suggest that there are three reasons we have a hard time keeping technicians, and three things we can do to "keep our shelves full."

The Double Edged Sword
Everyone agrees that the industry needs "qualified" technicians. Most of us realize that to have minimum wage workers repair vehicles costing well over a hundred thousand dollars is foolhardy at best. The complexity of modern RV chassis and accessories require that they be skilled workers. We want our technicians to know what they are doing when they walk in to that mansion on wheels or else it would be better for them to stay at home (also something we do not want). Therefore we train our technicians.

Training an employee shows a level of trust in that person. You trust that they can learn the material and become a better, more profitable employee. You trust that they are willing to learn the material since it will help them to make more money. And you trust that once they get that information they will use it to benefit your company.

Training benefits the employee and benefits the company. But what makes training a two edged sword is that too many employees take that training and immediately begin looking for a better paying job. They figure they are now more valuable and deserve more money. In truth, they are worth more than they were before the training.

Think about it -- isn't that why you sent them to the school in the first place, to make them more valuable. If they are not more valuable after the training, then you wasted your money and their time. Of course most dealers believe (and rightly so) that they shouldn't have to immediately raise this employee's pay since they paid for the school or at least paid for his room, food and transportation. The dealer is likely to invest over a thousand dollars in this training and expects to see some return on that investment.

So how do we reconcile these two conflicting viewpoints? In this matter the technician has the majority of the power. They can turn in their notice at any time and leave the dealer in the lurch. So dealer and technician need to have an agreement prior to the training. A written agreement promising that the technician will work for the dealership for a certain number of weeks or months after the training would be ideal. It would be best if it was a legally binding agreement, but even a "gentleman's agreement" sealed by a handshake would be better than the current "hoping they stay" mentality.

But the dealer needs to recognize this employee's increased value and, if the situation merits, be willing to invest more money in the technician when the proper time comes. If, after the agreed upon time expires, the technician asks for a raise, the dealer needs to give the request sincere consideration. Ask yourself, "If this was a new technician coming in off the street, what would I be willing to pay?" The answer may be sobering.

An Empty Feeling
Another problem we have is technicians leaving the industry entirely. There are a lot of industries closely related to the RV Service industry that would benefit by hiring our people away. Chassis technicians can usually make much more money working at automobile dealerships. Our technicians that handle plumbing, carpentry and gas can easily find jobs in the construction industry. And since most of them are working for their respective dealerships out of financial necessity, all it takes is a better job offer from one of those industries and they are history.

I wasn't sure whether to include this story within this section or the previous one, but I think it draws these two points together nicely. A couple of years ago I was at a dealership that wanted to send a technician to Winnebago to be educated about LeSharo engines and transmissions. Because of certain extenuating circumstances, the trip cost the dealership in excess of $1,500.00. Within one week of the technician's return, he opted to leave the RV business entirely. Although having just received an extensive and expensive education, he found more money outside the industry and jumped ship.

Is the answer as simple as paying the technicians more money. As much as our technicians would love to hear that, it is not always practical. Many dealerships (like many other small businesses) are struggling to keep their heads above water and working hard to keep their doors open. So dealerships have to look for more productive ways to attract and retain good people.

One idea is to show your technicians how to give themselves a raise. If a technician is working on flat rate, we can show them how increasing their productivity will increase their billable time and therefore help increase their paycheck. Technicians in auto dealerships make about the same amount of money per billable hour as RV Technicians, but they routinely put in 50-60 billable hours each week. Many of our technicians produce far less than this and therefore make far less money than their automobile counterparts.

I'm not saying that this is their fault. Due to (1) our unwillingness to train them, (2) the deplorable time listed in most of the Flat Rate Manuals and Warranty manuals, coupled with (3) the lack of loyalty displayed by dealerships and manufacturers to quality technicians, it is easy to see why they have a hard time reaching the goal of 50-60 billable hours per week. Although all of these areas need addressing, the only one we hear discussed is the third. If manufacturers required dealers to use Certified RV Technicians (or at least required that a certain percentage of the dealership's technicians be certified) we would see an immediate turn in this industry.

Since all of these items would require an industry wide change that does not appear to be on the agenda at this point in time, I would suggest that we look at what we can do in our individual dealerships. I would recommend a two pronged approach.

First, review your compensation level. Our technicians have a responsibility to their families to make a good living. If they can't do that at our dealership, they will be forced to find work that will fulfill that basic need. Since we know that RV Technicians are more specialized and much harder to replace, you may find that you need to pay them slightly more per hour than their automotive counterparts. You know the saying "you get what you pay for." This is gospel when it comes to RV Technicians.

Second, review how we treat them. I once heard someone say, "People don't work for money. They wouldn't work without it, but most of us work because it gives us a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment." Many people dispute that saying, but the truth is that most of us don't count up our pennies each and every day. So if money is not the prime motivating force in our employee's heart, we have to address those areas that truly are the reasons they are working. We have to help them to realize that what they are doing is beneficial, productive and appreciated.

Too many managers spend too little time telling their people that they are doing good work. We are quick to criticize (although we may call it counsel, or training or helping) but we don't ever tell them when they are doing things right. The idea has been in countless managerial books, self-help books and any management training course you have ever attended. Yet managers still find themselves failing to apply these words of wisdom. We need to step back and start addressing the real reasons people work.

Unexpected Benefits
Most people are better motivated when they feel that they are a part of things. The more connected they feel, the more they want to contribute their very best. We need to help our technicians feel more connected.

I don't want any technician to read this and go tell their boss that Raymond Padgett said technicians need to sit on the board of directors and start signing checks for the dealership. Although technicians need to feel that they are connected to the company that employs them, I was thinking more along the line of being connected to the industry.

How many of your technicians own an RV? How many of them have gone camping in the last year? How many have never gone camping in their adult lives?

This is the best industry in the world. We are part of an industry that brings joy to people of all races and ages. An industry that is about seeing new places, meeting new people, enjoying the great outdoors, getting closer to your family and enjoying just as much (or as little) of life's luxuries as you would like. And yet, most of our technicians (unfortunately most of our workers) have never taken part in that lifestyle and have no appreciation for the services they render.

Truly successful dealerships encourage their technicians to take a unit out to a local camp ground for a weekend get-a-way. After all, what better way to build appreciation and self esteem than to let them see the fruits of their labor. When they actually use the jacks, really enjoy the air conditioning, touch and feel the upholstery, they begin to get in touch with their jobs.

Really, what does it cost us to allow our employees to take a used RV to a local campground? As long as they take care of the unit and leave it clean, we aren't out any money at all. Even if we pay the campground fees and/or fuel cost, the investment would be tiny, yet the return could be phenomenal.

Rome Wasn't
Destroyed In A Day
I've used a few quotations from obviously great thinkers to make several of my points in this article; but I don't think any of them are as important as this last quotation. Mike Leavitt said, "There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve."

This crisis is definitely big enough to see. We all recognize that it's a problem, although we may not agree on the cause or the cure. Whatever the reason, to see this problem and do nothing would be a mistake. Now, before it is too large to solve, we need to take action.

There are many problems facing our industry. It would be easy to look at them and allow ourselves to overlook this vital issue. But, as I see it, if we get the entire world to spend all of their discretionary income on recreational vehicles and yet do not have any technicians to service and repair these units, we will be selling from an empty shelf.

RVN