The month of May wrapped up with a very tightly contested provincial election that saw Danielle Smith and her United Conservatives hold on for a majority government with what appears to be 49 seats to the NDP’s 38 seats.  This may move a little as UCP candidate, Jennifer Johnson, who won her seat, may not be permitted to sit as a UCP member, based on comments made during the campaign.  When you add to this the fact that the party will also select a Speaker, it results in the closest balance of seats in the Legislature in Alberta history.  That said, continuity is a good thing and once we get Ministers selected, it should be back to business as usual.

Our Annual General Meeting was held at the Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club in Calgary on May 11^th.  During the meeting, we elected our new Executive Committee and Board of Directors.  Congratulations to Glenn Smaha, who becomes our Chair for the next year and a huge thank you to Colby Longmate, who has agreed to join us as our Second Vice Chair.

We don’t ask a great deal of our Board Members but when issues come up, they have always been willing to lend a hand where required.  A special thank you goes out to our exiting members who gave of their time whenever asked.

Curt Compton completed his year as our Chair, and I would like to pass along my personal thanks for the support and advice along the way over the past year.  When you have your own business to run, it can be difficult to be available at the drop of a hat.  Curt was always available when I needed some direction and provided great insights to support our progress with government and the industry in general.  I’m pleased to be able to work closely with Curt as he takes on our role as CADA Director, representing Alberta on a national basis.  Thanks Curt on behalf of all members for your commitment to the MDA.

We’re getting ramped up for the Chairman’s Tour next week and if you haven’t registered yet, go to the website and pick a date and time – we would love to see you.

The Western Canadian Dealer Summit registration for dealers will open this week.  This year’s event is looking like it will be the best ever – and that’s saying something after Jim Pattison’s participation last year.  For those who haven’t heard yet, the dates are November 16-19^th and we’ll be at the spectacular Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise!  Hope to see you there.

Gerald

Unfortunately, there has been a number of questions recently about what happens if a dealership inspection or investigation results in a review by the Director of Fair Trading.  Rest assured, there is a very clear process available to every dealership to ensure that your side of the story is heard and considered.

The following steps have been communicated by Service Alberta, if you have any questions, you are welcome to call the MDA Office and we will endeavour to help where possible.  The process starts once you have been advised by AMVIC that the file is being referred to the Director for consideration.

• The Director of Fair Trading prepares an Enforcement Proposal, which is sent to the business. The business has 30 days to make a representation back to the Director, for consideration in finalizing the Enforcement decision.

• The Director of Fair Trading issues the final enforcement decision to the business. The business has 30 days to appeal to Service Alberta Minister (Service Alberta Appeal Board process is convened).

• Enforcement actions are posted on AMVIC’s website once the appeal period has expired and/or the business has paid the penalty.

• Appeal Panel decisions are posted after the appeal has been decided.  This can take up to 10 months.

Keep in mind that the MDA holds a Legal Action Fund where should a situation arise such that an AMVIC decision could potentially negatively affect the membership, we will financially support the initial by our legal counsel.  If you would like to discuss this process, or your situation specifically, please call the MDA Office.

Harnessing Emerging Technologies and Navigating the Changes in Digital Marketing for 2023

As we approach the halfway mark of 2023, the online space has experienced an unprecedented acceleration in the last 8 to 12 months. The rise of emerging technologies such as ChatGPT, Google's BARD, Jasper A.I. and others are impacting the marketing strategies and tactics of your dealership. Join us for the MDA unWorkshops, a collaborative opportunity for dealership leaders and marketing teams to identify game-changing strategies for business growth. With hands-on and ready-to-implement sessions, you'll hit the ground running and take your dealership's success to the next level. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity!

This session was Inspired by the best selling book “Who Moved my Cheese” by Spencer Johnson…change is inevitable and can be positive if we learn to anticipate it, adapt to it, and even embrace it. 

Our moderator Jay Radke has a great lineup of presenters focused on the following topics:

1. This rise of ChatGPT - what GPT is/isn’t, how to start using it and where GPT is going in the future.
2. The digital advertising game is changing. Major advertising platforms such as Google, Bing, and Meta are utilizing advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to deliver more personalized and data-driven advertising campaigns, resulting in a shift away from traditional keyword-based advertising. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in advertising technology is crucial for all dealerships
3.  Localization is here to stay.   If you’re not dominating local search results, you’re not going to be able to grow your business. 

Bonus sessions include: An unWorkshop favorite - roundtable marketing challenges and solutions session and a surprise product showcase of a tool for service departments that we think is pretty awesome

In typical unWorkshop style, you'll leave with deeper knowledge and ideas that you can implement immediately at your store.

Click the link below for more information and to register.

Register Now

New MDA Chair, Glenn Smaha, thanked Curtis Compton on behalf of the entire membership for his hard work and dedication as Chairman this past year. 

The MDA also thanked Chad Zender for his dedicated efforts on behalf of his fellow dealers throughout his term on the MDA Executive Committee.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the outgoing board members for their support and efforts over the past years.

Click here to view the 2023-2024 Board of Directors. 

Please join the MDA in welcoming the following new members.                            

Dealer Member

Southgate Volkswagen

Associate Members

Hey Auto Inc.

Almost all of us know someone who is currently struggling with the Wildfire challenges in the province.

Even the average Albertan, who doesn’t live in the area may be dealing with smoke related issues or family at risk.

The importance of business continuity stems far beyond the pandemic and epidemic related concerns that we have all become familiar with- it is a plan that can protect the dealership in the face of any emergency or significant operational challenge.

Business Continuity plans are the “playbook” for operational contingencies when staff shortages, vendor deliveries, distraction injuries and other factors impact how smoothly the dealership functions.

Here are some key areas to consider if you do not have a BCP (Business Continuity Plan) that addresses natural disasters:

• How will you retain the required Human Capital to cover your full schedule if multiple team members have concurrent absences?
• How much “wiggle room” do you have in your delivery schedule for supplies, inventory, and related requirements?
• What is the plan for scheduled customer interactions in the event of an absence and/or shut down?
• Do you know what your insurance coverage includes and what the cost-effective threshold for a claim is?
• How do natural disasters impact record keeping, health and safety and other regulatory functions?
• Who is accountable for each step of the plan, and how well are they trained in their assigned tasks?
• What is your media policy and are all staff aware of the parameters?
• Do you know what leave entitlements apply to your staff and are they being applied/tracked correctly?
• Is your “call tree” or contact list current and accessible.
• Are your front-line people able to address new concerns and increased frustration to provide an exceptional customer service experience?

Most of these “Top 10” are related to Managerial responsibilities, but what about the customer experience? At a time when your customers are likely to face the same challenges as your staff, the potential for an overreaction to small inconveniences is heightened.

Are your staff prepared to address aggressive customers, diffuse situations and be a point of relief for those who are already distressed, or is their dealership experience only going to add to their bad day, and leave a negative impression?

Having the ability to provide news on issues like unexpected repair costs, delays in service, cancelled or postponed sales bookings in an empathetic way, can go a long way to the way your dealership is perceived in the community. Remember, customers may not be at their best when there is the threat of upheaval to themselves or loved ones so this is a great opportunity to provide the training and resources to staff to ensure that they can go above and beyond- even when the customer isn’t being entirely kind and gentle themselves. Ensuring that your people can handle tough conversations with compassion and empathy will set you apart and make you memorable for all the right reasons when someone feels that having to deal with automotive issues is one thing too many to add to their plate at the moment.

Do you want to learn more about developing a BCP or providing your team with exceptional service and leadership training? #Let’s talk!

We hope you enjoyed this edition of the MDA’s Monthly E-Newsletter.

We appreciate your comments, concerns or feedback.

If you would like to sign-up additional staff from your store to receive this publication, please provide their names, positions and email addresses to info@mdaalberta.com.