Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap newsletter—the key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today’s guest is Ed Roberts, COO at Bozard Ford Lincoln.
We dig into why there's no technician shortage but a massive developmental program gap, how hiring for character beats technical experience every time, and how mobile service eliminates the biggest barrier to customer retention.
There's no technician shortage—there's a developmental program shortage.
The industry blames external factors for staffing challenges while missing the real solution right in front of them.
"I don't believe there's a shortage of technicians. There's a shortage of developmental programs to create technicians. And there's a lot of people that want to do the work, but don't necessarily have a path to get there."
This approach allowed one dealership to grow from 7 to 165 technicians by creating rather than recruiting talent.
Hiring for character beats technical experience every time.
The best long-term employees often come from unexpected backgrounds when you focus on foundational qualities.
"We call it the three C's, character, chemistry, and competency. And the competency is really, are you teachable?"
Pool service and HVAC technicians already know customer communication—they just need automotive training.
Long-term thinking creates exponential growth opportunities.
Short-term profit maximization limits potential while strategic patience builds sustainable advantages.
"Most people, and it isn't just in this industry, this is in the business world, we're in it for the short game. We're in it for what can we get out of it today? What can we squeeze out today, this month, this week?"
Development programs, for example, require upfront investment but create loyalty and reduce turnover costs significantly in the long run.
People development creates sustainable competitive advantages.
Building internal talent pipelines transforms operations while competitors struggle with traditional recruitment methods.
"You don't just give them a job, you give them a career."
When 70% of team members started in different roles than they hold today, advancement becomes visible and achievable.
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Growth requires constant improvement over arbitrary benchmarks.
Setting floors limits potential while focusing on progression creates engagement and momentum.
"I don't have a floor. I have constant improvement. I don't care if you turn 10 hours a week while you're in BTI, but next week you should be turning 15."
The store's highest producer came from their first graduating class and now averages 500 hours monthly.
Mobile service eliminates the biggest barrier to customer retention.
Convenience trumps every other factor when customers choose where to service their vehicles.
"Nobody gets excited about going to a car dealer unless you're going to buy some kind of rare, exotic, some kind of halo vehicle. That's when you get excited. Other than that, there's no excitement going to a car dealer."
Mobile service, however, transforms an inconvenient necessity into a premium customer experience.
Ownership experience drives loyalty more than sales experience.
The brief sales interaction pales compared to years of service touchpoints that determine lifetime value.
"That sales experience is very short. It lasts hours, days, sometimes weeks, occasionally a month. But the ownership experience lasts years. And by the time you're done with the ownership experience, you've forgotten about the sales experience."
Dealerships that master service retention create competitive moats that conquest marketing cannot overcome.
Recalls are customer reintroduction opportunities, not inconveniences.
Forward-thinking dealers use recalls strategically rather than treating them as operational burdens.
"I love recalls because recalls is an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to our customers."
With national service retention below 31% after warranty, recalls provide direct paths to lost revenue.
Alignment beats conformity in building high-performing teams.
Leadership effectiveness comes from getting everyone moving toward the same vision rather than forcing uniform behavior.
"Alignment over conformity…when you can align and create the vision and sell that vision to our team and our team buy into that vision, then there is no limit."
This approach creates genuine buy-in rather than surface-level compliance that breaks down under pressure.
Customer fulfillment requires more than just good pay.
Money alone doesn't create loyalty or job satisfaction - people need to feel purpose in their work.
"People can be paid well, but if they're not fulfilled, they can be unhappy in their role. But if you're fulfilled and you're paid well, then you're pretty content with where you're at."
This is also why so many well-compensated employees still leave for other opportunities and why internal development programs create such strong retention.
