Premcar turns 30 in 2026. To celebrate, we’re sharing some of our carmaking knowledge. This time, it’s about why people are step one, and products are step two.
Tell me if you’ve heard this before:
“I don’t understand, our product is so much better than the competition.”
If you work in the automotive sector, you’ve probably encountered it…
- In a sales meeting, when the numbers are low or falling
- In a finance meeting, when the revenue or profits aren’t reaching their targets
- When reading a new-car comparison and discovering the media prefer ‘their’ car to ‘yours’
- At a racetrack, when a racing car’s lap times don’t improve, despite set-up changes
You’ve probably heard it many places. And here’s why.
People, and the order of priorities.
In those four examples, everyone probably thought their car would be the most popular, the most profitable, comparatively better and the fastest.
In every instance, you can trace the cause of these problematic situations back to people.
It’s usually people doing the wrong things, but it’s almost always because of this:
The product, not the people behind it, was the priority.
In carmaking, if you choose the wrong people – and assign the wrong people to the wrong tasks – you will put success out of reach. This is probably true in most industries.
You’ll introduce new strategies, new plans, new tactics, and recut budgets – again and again – to reach your targets.
And when you don’t, you’ll launch a rainbow of PowerPoint decks trying to explain why.
Business author Jim Collins nails the solution in ‘Good to Great’:
His research revealed that executives who ignited transformations that took their businesses from good to great did this:
They “first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it.”
He shared three truths great leaders understand:
- Begin with ‘Who’, then ‘What’.
- When you have the right people, the problems of motivating and managing them goes away
- Great vision without great people is irrelevant
The right people come first. The car comes second.
The right people – targeting the right audience – will make the right product, and it will sell.
You’ll hit your targets, and bypass a whole lot of expensive heartache.
Bernie Quinn, CEO of Premcar
About Premcar:
Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For 30 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. Premcar’s body of work is extensive. It is the name behind more than 213,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines. The company has delivered technical advancements and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.au.
