When Drew Pearlman (GM of O’Neil Nissan) takes over a dealership, he starts by showing staff members where they really belong, instead of showing people the door.
His strategy: “I’ll interview literally everybody and I’ll find out their kids’ names, where they live, what they do,” he told hosts Sam D'Arc and Uli De’Martino on Daily Dealer Live. “Then I’ll also ask ’em… what do they see themselves doing in the car industry? What do they like about it? What don’t they like?”
That intel shapes his playbook in who stays and who shifts into a better-fitting role.
Case in point: In his latest turnaround at O’Neil Nissan, Pearlman didn’t fire a single person. He just restructured roles.
Because in his view, most stores are struggling with misalignment on the inside—an issue that hiring more people can’t always fix.
“You can put them somewhere else that would be amazing at,” he said. “You don't need to hire car people. You just need to hire good people and then train them how to do it the right way.”
What that unlocks:
At a high level, it builds a more engaged team, with people who want to be in their roles.
But it also creates a smoother service experience, because every customer touchpoint is covered by the right person.
And the results follow…
Pearlman said O’Neill Nissan is holding a 71% service retention rate, which is something he attributes to process and to energy in the building.
“It's people and process, right? It's having people that care and that have the same mindset that you have,” he said. “You just watch it carefully, and you make sure that everybody's treating customers like you want them to be treated. But it's not hard. This business isn't hard. It never has been.”
Between the lines: Pearlman knows it’s not a perfect science, and that not every store is a good fit. That’s why, aside from the headcount situation, he quickly locks in what the owner of the store is looking for.
“First thing is, what's the owner's mindset, right? That's the first thing I have to know before I go into any dealership,” he said. “If it doesn't align with how I would wanna run an organization, I'm out. There's not a question.”
Looking ahead: In a market short on labor but full of potential, the real edge might be in seeing the existing team in a new light, instead of starting from scratch.
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