Michele Moore

Image credit: Max - stock.adobe.com “Less is more” is the mantra of upscale retail businesses that attract and sell to customers in the higher income brackets. Years ago, I ghostwrote the visual standards manual for Saks Fifth Avenue. I bumped into their visual team at a trade show a few years ago, and their corporate director of visual merchandising told me that almost everything I wrote is still in practice 30 years later. Standards don’t change over time; only the merchandise and fixtures do.

Photos courtesy of Keystone RV Keystone’s Montana fifth wheel, which first debuted in 1999, has undergone a major makeover. The reboot is a complete redesign, with nothing transferring from the old Montana. Keystone evaluated and redesigned everything, down to the smallest detail. Early feedback was highly positive, with the new product drawing raves from both customers and dealers.

Image credit: Nuttapong punna - stock.adobe.com For decades, one of the most common frustrations heard across the RV industry has been simple and familiar: “We just can’t find good people.” And to be fair, that challenge is real. Staffing and recruiting, training and retaining quality employees — especially skilled technicians and experienced fixed-ops talent — has never been easy. Today, it may be harder than ever. But in many dealerships, the true issue runs deeper than staffing.