Performance Group 101: insider secrets (Part 2)

December 2, 2024

In the second of our two-part series, we present an Insider’s View of how to get the best results from a Performance Group

Last issue, I gave you a glimpse into the very first Performance Group I ever attended and some of the early lessons I learned from it. 

This issue, we will fast forward fifteen years and many Performance Group meetings to the present day. 

I found myself talking with a friend and colleague who had just recently become a dealership General Manager for the first time. He mentioned he was attending his first performance group meeting the following week and was quite nervous. As we talked, I remembered and realized that these meetings, while very productive, can also be daunting and stressful in some ways for those attending.

Lesson #4 – Understand the role of the moderator

Performance group moderators can be intimidating. This is a person that knows the massive composite and dealer financials inside and out. 

You’ll be amazed at their ability to remember what the KPI for “Page 52, Line 6” is out of thin air. While you are still scrambling to find the page, the moderator will already be sculpting the conversation around the best and worst performers for that metric. 

It is important to know that the moderator is there to challenge the participants into thinking critically and strategically. It can sometimes come across as hard-hitting, however trust that the moderator’s intention is simply to see everyone improve. They also have the not-so-enviable job of keeping a bunch of dealers on topic and on schedule. 

Objective setting is the most important thing that results from a performance group meeting. General Managers need to be realistic, however, on what they can accomplish relative to their day-to-day operational workload before the next meeting. 

When the meeting ends or at one of the breaks, find the moderator and thank them for sharing their knowledge. You might also be able to keep in touch for some future advice.

As I continued to coach my friend on what to expect at his first Performance Group, I made sure he knew to approach it with the mindset of a unique collaboration between dealers from all over Canada with different levels of experience and knowledge. It would be a formative two days, so listen, learn, and contribute to the idea pool.

Lesson #5 – Be humble and thankful

Even though there can be some big names and personalities in the room, remember that everyone is there to learn and no one has perfect KPIs across the board. 

If your dealership is showing well in the composite on some things, be humble and share your paths to success. If your dealership is lagging on some pages, be open minded to advice and express gratitude to those trying to help. 

A week later, when my friend returned from his first performance group, I was pleased to see he was excited and energized to change the world. I asked him what objectives to bring back from the meeting, and he proudly pulled out his notepad with more than twenty different line items, all of which he wanted to tend to right away. 

Lesson #6 – Be realistic about objectives

Objective setting is the most important thing that results from a performance group meeting. General Managers need to be realistic, however, on what they can accomplish relative to their day-to-day operational workload before the next meeting. 

I advised my friend to prioritize no more than five objectives that he could build out and make measurable progress on in the coming quarter. The remainder can be kept handy for reference if additional time and capacity become available. 

It is also a best practice not to inundate your store’s management team with a flood of objective action-items immediately on return, rather you should start layering them in to meetings and other performance-related discussions. 

This helps avoid “performance group panic” among your staff and allows the objectives to become natural process enhancements.

With each passing year, I now approach each Performance Group meeting with excitement, positivity and the most open mind possible while making new friends and strengthening relationships along the way. 

Since our business is so multi-faceted, not even the most seasoned of Dealer Principals or General Managers can know every possible KPI to analyze. 

Having many different brains and points of view in a room for two days, along with a knowledgeable moderator to keep things flowing, will pay dividends for everyone.

About Bruce Duguay

Bruce Duguay is a professional business leader with two decades of experience in automotive retail, including more than a decade operating premium brand dealerships in Canada. You can contact him at duguaybruce@gmail.com or reach out via LinkedIn.

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