The news is now dominated by questions around reopening and restarting the economy. That’s good. The economy can’t sustain the level of lockdown we’ve endured through April. Your businesses can’t sustain it, nor can mine.
Here’s the challenge, as we all know: from an epidemiological standpoint, nothing has changed. We don’t have a vaccine. We don’t have a treatment. So we’re undertaking a journey in reopening for which there is no map. And while we don’t have a map, I think we do have a sense of the road ahead. I think we can identify some of the behaviours that will give the trip it’s greatest chance at success.
While I’m no expert, here are a few of the key things I’m thinking about:
- Be prepared to change direction after a path has been chosen. Let me explain. Over the past week we’ve had the privilege of doing video interviews for CADA with past winners of the CADA Laureate awards. The best of the best of Canada’s dealers. Truly experts. And what we’ve learned from those interviews is that, for every individual, there is a different approach to how they plan to manage this next phase and how they will shape their businesses for the new normal. You’ll learn more of the specifics when CADA sends out those videos, but for now, the lesson is that there is no one answer. So gather all the information you can in plotting your path, but don’t be hesitant to change if new knowledge or disappointing results suggest you should. Simply put, the true experts are asking and trying, not telling.
- There is no question that technology will enable more of your customers to engage with you in a touchless experience — from virtual test drives and curbside vehicle delivery to remote service. You should be working hard to understand how to fully enable a great touchless and low-density customer experience across all your departments. But just as there are people who, after weeks of Uber Eats, can’t wait to spend an evening sitting in a restaurant (I am absolutely one of them), there will be customers who are eager to return to a high-touch retail experience. They will need reassurance that it can be done safely. So as you spend time designing and implementing your new touchless processes, be sure to also put time into building safeguards and customer confidence into your traditional processes. That will be part of the new normal.
Gather all the information you can in plotting your path, but don’t be hesitant to change if new knowledge or disappointing results suggest you should. Simply put, the true experts are asking and trying, not telling.
- Remember your partners. When the pandemic hit, the vendor community stepped up to support Canada’s dealers. Offers of special pricing and deferred or waived payments were widespread as the industry rallied in support. Let’s make sure we stay partnered on the next part of the journey. As we reopen and restart, we’ll need to use fair judgement with regards to those special offers. It’s tempting to try and make permanent some of the pricing reductions and special offers that were brought forward. Our businesses have taken a financial hit. There is tremendous pressure to reduce costs. We have a chance to come out of this with more optimized and cost-efficient businesses. At the same time, let’s not beat up the same partners who were so quick to step up and help. They need to be viable too, and you need their innovation to drive yours.
Stay safe, everybody.
