Pub. 1 Issue 2

VIRGINIA AUTO DEALER www.vada.com 10 Moving these women into more visible roles as service advisors has meant better customer outreach, improved customer loyalty and retention, and increased sales and profits. It remains to be seen whether the re- structuring will be a success in the long term, but she has shown that she is able to make the tough calls when she thinks that is the smart thing to do. • She has been an advocate for gen- der equality within the company. In 2018, GM was number 1 on the list for companies that treat the genders equally. Of all the companies listed on the 2018 Global Report on Gender Equality, it was one of two global com- panies that can say there is no pay gap between genders. Liza Borches Liza Borches, the current CEO of the 13 Carter Myers Automotive dealerships, has said, "We have prioritized recruiting and hiring female advisors to create a more diverse group that better represents our customer base." As a result, some 25 percent of the employees that work at the dealerships are now women. According to the 2017 NADA Dealership Workforce Study, that's six percentage points higher than the rate of women working in dealer- ships in 2016. How have the Carter Myers Automotive dealerships accomplished this? • Borches’s team has put a great deal of emphasis on looking at women’s potential more than at their previ- ous experience when hiring service advisors. They identify that potential by watching how women interact with customers in their current roles. Women who build solid, trust-based customer relationships by demonstrat- ing the ability to communicate and organize effectively are encouraged to apply to be service advisers. As a result, women who have worked as, say, billing clerks in the back office are able to make the jump to service advisor even though they don’t have any technical experience. • The group began using social media to draw attention to the female advisers at its stores and to tell people about great job opportunities. On Colonial Honda's Facebook page, for exam- ple, employees are recog- nized on their employ- ment anniversary. That recognition reinforces the dealership's credibility for retaining employees as well as hiring them. • Borches tries to ensure that when a female candidate is be- ing interviewed for a job, a female employee is included in any interviews that take place. Having a woman present during the interview means the candidate can, hopefully, be more comfortable and confident. Liza Borches believes in empowering women in the auto industry by connecting with them. That connection can give them the confidence they need. The key is being willing to try. After all, the required tech- nical skills can always be taught to anyone who is willing to put in time and effort. The dealership’s efforts to hire more women, and especially to hire more service writers, are working. Today, 18 out of its 40 ser- vice advisers — that is, 45 percent — are women. How does that compare with other dealerships? According to the 2017 NADA Dealership Workforce Study, 19 percent of service advisers in 2016 were women, so the dealership’s numbers are much better than the numbers for its peers. Moving these women into more visi- ble roles as service advisors has meant better customer outreach, improved customer loyalty and retention, and increased sales and profits. Custom- er-paid labor sales and hours per repair order have both increased. Naomi Bussinger is an adviser at Colonial Honda who never would have applied for the job she has if she hadn’t been encour- aged by Karl Soloe, a service manager at the dealership. Karl told Naomi that women add value, and he convinced her that she would be in a friendly environ- ment that provides everyone with the same opportunities, regardless of gender. During Bussinger's interview, dealership managers told her they respect the women who sell cars. They also told her that they help these women succeed by giving them access to educational opportunities. She felt comfortable and was convinced that she would be part of a great work environment. Although company employees share a vision of creating an environment that is powerful and collaborative, she gives a lot of credit to Liza Borches. Liza has men- tored Naomi, and she has made it clear that she wants women to be successful in the automotive industry.