I Did it Because I Could


"Because I could." was the response given by former president Bill Clinton when asked by news anchor Dan Rather why he had become involved with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. I heard that news just days after I had written the article for the July issue of Dealer Marketing in which I had suggested that there were just two basic causes which lead otherwise good employees to commit dishonest acts. They are: (1) Opportunity and (2) The belief that they can get away with it. When these two conditions exist simultaneously employees will commit dishonest acts, just because they can. Hearing the former president's explanation for his actions, so simply stated, confirmed to me what I had known for years but only recently understood. Simply eliminating either one or both of the basic causes can stop employee dishonesty of almost any type, including misuse and abuse of dealer demo plates.

Now I don't pretend to know enough to advise anyone how to eliminate either or both of the a fore mentioned causes in many of the aspects of the complex operations of a modern dealership, but I am certain that if they were eliminated or at least controlled to some degree, the losses due to employee theft would be dramatically reduced.

However one aspect of dealership operations in which I have had more than twenty years of experience working with dealers is in controlling use and access to demo plates. When it comes to solving problems with demo plates I can assure you that the implementation of a quality demo plate control system which has been designed specifically for the purpose of controlling demo plates can and does eliminate both the opportunity to misuse or abuse the use of demo plates as well as the belief that such abuse or misuse could go undetected. When employees realize that demo plates are constantly accounted for and that they can no longer have a demo plate without anyone knowing who has it, where it is or when it was last seen, they understand that they can no longer take advantage of a dealer's assets for their own benefit.

Some dealerships have experienced serious problems caused by uncontrolled demo plates. In one case a dealer's insurers refused to renew unless measures were taken to rein in uncontrolled demo plates. In another case a dealership had more than 100 demo plates unaccounted for and was at risk of being audited by the state. Installing and implementing a demo plate control system solved both of these dealerships' problems.

In virtually every instance where a control system has been implemented, which did not rely on some person, employee or manager for the integrity of its operation, the 'games' with demo plates in the dealerships have stopped immediately. Our information shows that most sales persons that have worked in dealerships that used a demo plate control system preferred having such a system to not having one. Many sales persons and managers, when moving to other dealerships, encourage their new employers to install demo plate control equipment. These employees realize that their time is too valuable to use babysitting dealers demo plates. They want to stay focused on selling because that is how they and their dealer earn their living.

Don't wait for problems to find you, take control of your demo plates now, by investing in a quality Demo Plate Control System today.