If you have been around our team at Bob Clements International for any length of time, you know we are fanatics when it comes to your dealership generating obscene amounts of money! In order to do that, you must have a business that meets your customers’ expectations throughout the experience. Wish as you may, your business can’t exist without your customers. Most of the dealerships we work with sell a high-quality product, provide excellent service, [...]
As we think about setting our goals over the next 90 days, let’s focus our attention next on whole goods, or the sales department. During season, if we miss the mark on this department, it is painfully obvious! We like to view the whole goods in a dealership as an apple tree. We plant the tree, through the sale of a piece of equipment. Then, we reap the benefits year after year in terms of [...]
The Parts Department is one of the most profitable departments for a dealership. Depending on the product mix the dealership sells, most parts departments that we work with make a 35% – 52% margin on their parts. The other reason that parts remains profitable and easily scalable is the fact that just one parts person can handle anywhere between $350,000 – $600,000 of parts on their own (again, depending on the mix). We see that [...]
For many of you, the season has slowed down and you are getting a chance to catch your breath for the first time. While it is important to grab some much-needed rest as you end your 2019 seasonal journey, it’s also the perfect time to reflect on the season while it is still fresh in your mind. This is the time that we begin working with the dealerships we consult with to get their sales [...]
It’s probably no surprise to most owners and managers, but typically, the biggest expense in a dealership are the people you employ. In the heat of the battle, when you feel the pain of needing another set of hands, it can be easy to justify adding another body to the dealership and another person to payroll. However, as you approach slow season, you may find yourself questioning the decisions you have made around adding the [...]
Have you ever had a terrible manager? I have, and my guess is you have too. Whenever the topic of management comes up, I can’t help but mentally go to all of the bad managers I have had. When I think about a terrible manager, I think of someone who micro-manages, lacks communication skills and motivates with fear. The first manager I had, in my first “real” job embodied all of those characteristics and often [...]
Last week, I went to the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. I always enjoy going to industry shows. There is something about the excitement in the air that always leaves me energetic and optimistic about the state of the industry we are in. While I was at the show, they have a special section called the inventor’s corner. Think Shark Tank meets the dealership world. It was incredible. As I was talking through some [...]
Who is your typical customer? Do you know? Grab a piece of paper and write down the answers to the following questions about your “typical” customer. What is their gender? What is their average age? What is their favorite radio station? Got it? Now, next to that I want you to write your gender, your age and your favorite radio station. Do the two look anything alike? If you are like most owners or managers, [...]
Our final FAQ Blog will be covering two of our most common marketing questions. Check out Sara Hey’s advice below! If you have any questions you would like answered, send them to Vanessa@bobclements.com! What percentage of sales should be spent on marketing?W There is a simple rule of thumb in dealerships when it comes to how much you should spend on marketing. If your dealership is less than 5 years old, or if you have [...]
What does a marketing budget look like for a dealership? If you’re like most people I talk with, you’re having one of two reactions. The first reaction I get is that when I say the word “budget” the first group says, “No! Not a budget!” However, when I mention a budget to the second group they say “Yes, a budget! Where has this been my whole life?” A budget is simply giving us permission and [...]
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