Smart Business Magazine, Oct 2012

October 2012 Smart Business Florida 21 Get the right people on board TAKEAWAYS Hire people who can support change Keep the focus on improvement recession sent the auto industry into a tailspin and few businesses were immune Despite the financial challenges Zinn and his top leaders have continued to work hard keeping employees focused on executing the new processes Those were some very very difficult times some of the most difficult times in this industry ever Zinn says You just have to keep your head down and make certain that it happens because it works Id say if we didnt embrace this I dont know if wed still be in business today I dont think so We couldnt continue to do things without having established firm processes in place One built in benefit of the process automation was that it gave the company the ability to measure and monitor business metrics in areas such as sales customer satisfaction and customer retention Zinn says that giving everyone in the company access to these results including individuals department heads and upper management has helped motivate employees by holding them accountable to continuous improvement We hold ourselves and each other responsible he says If we get a great report I shoot off an email to the individual the department head or the whole department and tell them what a great job that theyre doing or tell them that we need to pick it up Today the company is much more efficient and spends significantly less time putting out fires thanks to the new processes Zinn says At the same time he believes that its the focus on results not reasons that will keep the company innovative and competitive in the future In fact if you ask Zinn what is the biggest difference between his company today and five years ago he wont hesitate to tell you that its accountability We have to feel like were looking for constant improvement he says We have to feel like were all on the same team This is the direction that were going to go and you follow the captain or you dont And thats one thing you cant teach HOW TO REACH Warren Henry Automotive Group 888 856 3113 or www warrenhenryauto com Reprints offer a powerful statement about your product service or company Customize your editorial content into a strong marketing tool by inserting a company logo adding highlights to bring out stronger points or place an advertisement to capture your targeted audience Reprints can be used as Tradeshow Handouts Media Kits Point of Purchase Displays Direct Mail Campaigns REPRINTS EPRINTS PLAQUES POSTERS Customize your Reprints Call today 877 652 5295 and allow our reprint coordinator to assist you with some proven marketing ideas