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Powersports Business • October 2026 • 19 along intel that wasn’ t theirs to share, only to need that same person’ s blessing on a referral call weeks later.
DEALERSHIP BURNT ENDS On the other side of the equation, company leadership, department heads, and hiring managers can also create unfavorable energy and invite negative feedback during the hiring process.
I wince every time I hear about a candidate who fell for the bait-and-switch or the“ not as advertised” meatball sandwich, was strung along for far too long without feedback, was lowballed upon arrival despite an impressive verbal agreement, or worse. Word travels. Reputations calcify. And in an industry this size, it doesn’ t take long for the brown goo to stick to your shoe.
Reference checks aren’ t 100 % bulletproof, but they can reduce costly and frustrating hiring misfires.
conflict, how they left, and whether they’ d be rehired. A bad hire isn’ t just one bad day. It’ s turnover costs, team disruption, lost customer trust, and sometimes a very public unraveling the whole industry ends up watching.
See Plessner, Page 21
THE OTHER BACON: ADVANCE RESEARCH That brings me to the flip side of the same coin: research. This matters whether you need a setup tech for a small department or a high-octane GM for your XL superstore. Deep candidate vetting shouldn’ t start after you’ ve locked in the terms of employment. Depending on the candidate’ s employment status, it should be a top priority before the start date.
Start by including one sentence in your offer letter template.
“ This offer of employment is conditional upon successfully passing a background check, reference checks, and a drug screen.”
Reference checks aren’ t 100 % bulletproof, but they can reduce costly and frustrating hiring misfires. That’ s why we offer complimentary reference checks on every placement. Yes, they take time, but they cost less than misfires.
Ask pointed questions about how they handled
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When I call or email ZiiDMS, I get a quick response:‘ Okay, we’ re on it.’ The response time is a huge improvement over what we experienced in the past. I no longer spend two or three hours on hold, only to get disconnected and have to start all over again.
JR Patton, CEO- Motorsports of New Mexico
Motorsports of New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico