Audi Centre Arcadia wins the Silver Arrow Award 3 years in a row

Winning the prestigious Dealer of the Year at the Silver Arrow Awards for the 3rd year in a row is the result of hard work and attitude. Picture: Supplied

Winning the prestigious Dealer of the Year at the Silver Arrow Awards for the 3rd year in a row is the result of hard work and attitude. Picture: Supplied

Published Jul 15, 2020

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Third time's a charm the saying goes when you're wishing someone good luck, but for Bidvest McCarthy Audi Group Divisional Executive and  Audi Centre Arcadia Dealer Principal, Phillip Clough, luck has very little to do with a winning culture.

Because winning the prestigious Dealer of the Year at the Silver Arrow Awards for an unprecedented third successive time has much more to do with hard work and attitude than luck.

"Being named a winner for the second year in a row last year was fantastic, but it seems we're making a habit of this" Clough smiles proudly.

"Did we do anything different than the previous years? No, we stayed the course, which is why we have a glass half full attitude and ultimately that brings you success."

As an avid rugby fan, Clough uses the Springboks' success in last year's Rugby World Cup as an analogy.

"Rassie (Erasmus) and Siya (Kolisi) had a plan when the tournament started and the whole squad bought into that plan and self-motivation plays an important roll as well. These are the characteristics of a winning team. Our World Cup is the Audi Silver Arrow Awards."

With a low staff turnover, consistency plays an important role in keeping  Audi Centre Arcadia at the pinnacle of success. "The difference we have over our competitors is that we are focused on our KPIs. The Silver Arrow Awards is a competition with a set of rules and we play hard with the knowledge that this is a marathon and we have to be consistent. Yes, there will be bad months but this is where consistency pays off." 

Keeping with the sport analogy, Clough compares the figures to an athletics event. "When you watch an event and you see that the athlete who came in sixth has a 'PB' next to his name, that's a massive achievement for them. A personal best means that they may not be on the podium but for the athlete it means a lot.

With a low staff turnover, consistency plays an important role in keeping the dealership at the pinnacle of success.

"We do the same here, we look at last year's results and staff need to try and get a 'PB' over the same period the following year. It means that the sum of the whole is the dealership."

"It's also important for internal recognition, so every month we recognise the top employees with a voucher and floating trophy, it gives a sense of pride and belonging, which adds to our winning culture." 

Social distancing has become the new norm and this year's awards ceremony was to put it mildly, a little different. "Normally it's a fantastic black tie affair with lots of people and joviality. This year I was in a studio, alone in my tuxedo making my acceptance speech. But for now that's our new normal. "In fact we've found that virtual meetings are more efficient, people tend to get to the point and once it's over we get straight back to business."

Clough is still waiting to see what the criteria is for this year's Silver Arrow Awards but is adamant that the winning ways of  Audi Centre Arcadia are not about to change.

"Thing is, if you're not busy growing then you're busy dying and we can't move forward if we're blinded like a deer in the headlights, we have to stay focused on the prize and adapt accordingly to our environment."

IOL Motoring

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