Comment

Comment by Richard Emmons on June 20, 2011 at 7:58am

Over aged inventory caused the downfall of many failing stores.

Comment by Douglas Falk on June 16, 2011 at 4:56pm

Promote in all ways possible and then reorganize. Investigate and evaluate from the top down anyone who complains about the economy or is negative in general. Sales meeting each morning where we drill our basics.  

Comment by Marsh Buice on June 16, 2011 at 12:10pm

Check the head...the body (employees) cannot function without the head (leader). You have to get the thinking right first. Why do coaches take over a failing professional team and begin to win with the same core- they begin to believe in themselves and others. There's no books to keep if there is no generated revenue-the rest can be tweaked.

Comment by Kip Miles on June 16, 2011 at 11:46am

Blocking and Tackling!

Day 1- Sell! CIT, Warranty receivables, Factory receivables, Customer receivables, and Wholesale receivables are first and foremost areas to review. No cash, no way to operate the business!

Day 2- Sell! Read on-line customer reviews, factory CSI reports, process 'eye-ball' evaluation, and employee interviews. Is what the employees think is happening matching what the customers say is happening?

Day 3- Formulate plan to raise cash position, clean up basic sales processes (in Variable and Fixed), make needed personnel changes, delegate tasks to accomplish both, and set times lines for this accomplishment. What, who, and when sets the intensity for the needed change.

Day 4- Sell! Announce to entire staff specific goals for the month: total units sold, total hours produced, and total parts sales; track progress visually and daily. A team has to have a scoreboard to win, in order to win they must all rally together for a common goal.

Day 5- Sell! Roll your sleeves up and set the example! Celebrate every win, teach managers to teach after every loss, and confront poor attitudes. No negativity allowed!

Day 6- Sell! Verification that the delegated tasks are on schedule, review progress reports of said tasks, personally call 5 recent sales and service customers to ask about their recent experience. Inspect what you expect or it will never get done!

Day 7- Rest, recharge, and (most important) spend time with you family because you get to start all over again tomorrow!

 

Block and tackle better than the other guys, remember is just cars and people!

 

BTW- I echo Bobby's comment about Grant, nice work!

Comment by Joe Nagy on June 16, 2011 at 12:48am

I would look to see how customers are handled and treated at every point of contact in the dealership. I would also find out how employees are treated at the dealership and what the morale level is. Usually, unhappy customers are a direct result of unhappy employees.

Comment by Joe Clementi on June 15, 2011 at 8:38pm

In order to get a feel for what's truly happening you gave to observe. Judgment must be reserved until you understand what's truly not working. Most of the time dealerships fail b/c they lack the right staff. It starts from the top down. Interviewing customers, reading reviews & talking with existing staff will tell one a lot about an organization. Change can only happen if you have completed proper diagnosis. Chances are however; failure is due to having the wrong people or having the right ones and not investing in them. That's my two cents anyway :)

Comment by Alex Schoeneberger on June 15, 2011 at 8:03pm

What John said plus a full evaluation of marketing spend, allocation, and performance for the past month, quarter, and year.

Comment by Allan R Mullins on June 15, 2011 at 8:03pm

How well they Manage their Cash Position is always #1. Many managers don't know if they have enough money on a Daily basis to conduct normal business. More dealerships went broke by poor cash management than just loss of business.

Comment by John Fuhrman on June 15, 2011 at 7:50pm

I would take a tour of the dealership during the first few days there.  I would observe who is doing (or not doing) what needs getting done.  I would have exit interviews with all customers (sales, parts and service) to learn how they felt their experience was.  Then, adn only then would I develop a plan of action.

Comment by Skip Shakely on June 15, 2011 at 7:46pm

I would answer the phone, watch the lead flow and ask walkins what made them stop today.