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Hiring a Controller For Your Dealership
Dealerships that experience turnover in the Controller position point to three specific factors:
- Personality clash
- Pace of work
- Technology
Technical skills can sometimes be the reason a Controller doesn’t work out, and for a smaller organization with less resources to train and a short runway to get up to speed, technology may be a dealbreaker. While it’s true that knowing the DMS is crucial, that is a piece that most experienced Controllers can learn quickly and is not the reason a Controller doesn’t succeed.
The day-to-day duties of a Controller might change depending on the size and scope of the store or group, but often these duties are very similar across the board.
The degree to which a Controller is compatible with the personality of the owner and their accounting team, along with their ability to handle the pace of the role, will determine whether or not they stick.
Pace and technology are intertwined because adapting to new technologies is a perpetual task. A new CRM for leads, a new fixed operations tool, a new warranty platform, or a new customer satisfaction solution—there is a constant stream of getting up to speed on new tech.
The size of the store, the ownership complexities, the number of real estate entities, and the pure volume of units sold will all factor into the culture of the organization.
A Controller that comes from a large dealer group might have a vastly different work style than a Controller from a single owner or buy here/pay here store. A Controller from the Northeast might not be compatible with a store in the Deep South. These are legitimate factors in considering the right Controller.
Ultimately, finding a Controller that fits your organizational personality and maintains an ability to adapt to new technology, is what all owners want in a person tasked with the financial health of their stores.
HHM Talent knows our clients and the dynamic of each office environment. We are consistently successful in finding Controllers across the United States. To learn more about working with HHM Talent, please reach out to Joe Arrigo at jarrigo@hhmcpas.com or 423-702-8152.