Sustaining dealership profitability has never been more challenging. Taking a holistic approach unites the digital and traditional components of store operations and often means restructuring long-held beliefs. Outdated behaviors and processes constitute change and employees play a significant role in any plan towards auto retail digital transformation. Gone are the days when the dealership was merely a physical space employees occupied during regular business hours. Today's always connected, …
Dealership Operations
Why Dealership Processes Must Be Considered a Value Chain
After years of robust car sales, auto retail is now experiencing a softening market. It's difficult to predict what's coming next and while no one has a crystal ball, it’s clear that many showrooms are not as active as they were last year. Tightening up dealership processes could actually help dealers survive these choppy waters ahead but are they prepared to tighten their belts? When times are good, everybody's flush. It's human nature to hold off on belt tightening while things are going …
The Futility of Lead Generation Without an Effective Lead Process
All of us have heard the pitches: "Sign Up Now and Get MORE Leads!" or "Sell More Cars with Our [Awesome Product]" or "Increase Sales with Digital Lead Generation Now!" I mean, who doesn't want more leads, right? Well, perhaps you don't. Why? Because if you're not successfully converting leads to sales (with data to back it up) then piling more leads on top of a bad process, and spending even more money to do it, is an exercise in futility. All of these claims and more are heard at every …
Numbers are the Nucleus of Dealership Profitability
Numbers don't lie. It's a mindset that's been at the forefront of every auto retail operation I've ever managed or worked with as a consultant. Numbers are the nucleus of dealership profitability. In a softening market, being diligent about your numbers is vital to the health of your store. When numbers are the foundation of operations, better-informed operational decisions happen. For example, have you wanted to hire someone only to stopped because it's not financially feasible? How did …