Welcome to July's AM magazine – the people issue. Scroll down to read a sample of this month's pages.

With the recession moving farther into the distance and the car markets at full strength, the motor retail industry appears to be putting renewed focus on the skills and rewards of its workforce.

Through the economic downturn, a continual complaint from dealer group leaders was the sector’s inability to attract and retain high-calibre fresh talent. With the job market steadily improving, there’s now even more pressure on dealers to compete effectively for the best recruits. Our insight feature examines some of the efforts being made to find them, including a renewed focus on university gradeuates and the Armed Forces.

Arguably more important than recruitment is a dealer’s need to keep their existing staff performing well and feeling rewarded. Our Pentagon Group interview acknowledges this need, with chairman and CEO Trevor Reeve investing in developing his staff to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges. His emphasis on people is shared by Peter Vardy and Marshall Motor Group, which reveal they’re both setting industry-leading standards for rewards and recognition.  

We also examine how dealers can assess their staff to ensure customers are getting a consistent experience and compare the motor trade's employee evaluation systems with those at tech giant Google.

Readers can also avail of the best advice and case studies from the experts at our AM/IMI People conference held earlier this month.

As consumers become ever more engaged with digital channels, people can still make the difference in motor retail.

 

Elsewhere in July's 'people issue' of AM:

♦ Jay Nagley examines how 10-year-old demand props up residual values on new cars.

♦ Philip Nothard looks at the reasons behind the renewed market optimism reported by used car traders.

♦ Professor Jim Saker suggests that dealers will get more from their employees if they leave some things to their own initiative.

♦ DMS and Cloud computing: Is a hosted dealer management system the best IT choice for your business?

♦ Plus, we review our first drive in the new dual-purpose Nissan X-Trail.

 

Coming up in the August issue of AM - Automotive Management magazine

Face to Face – Chris Harris, HR Owen marketing and customer director: Harris reveals why he is building world-class customer communications into every part of the luxury dealer group.

The 21st-century marketing toolkit: The latest technology, products and channels to support dealers’ new and used car marketing and longer-term CRM strategy.

Jeep Cherokee: Jeep launches phase two of its turnaround with its new volume leader, the Cherokee. Has the brand improved quality and refinement enough to take on rivals in the segment?