Working with people who are different than you is tough, right? Especially if they are family! One of the things that we hear time and time again about the challenges of family business, and small business in general is the frustration of working with different generations. Currently, there are three different generations present in they workforce with a fourth getting ready to join. Understanding how each generation works together is vital to the success of [...]

My dad started Bob Clements International over 30 years ago. Small business is all I have known since I was a kid.  Like any small business, I have seen the ups and downs. We have had many vacations that were coupled with meetings; that was “normal” to me. If you would have asked me, up until about a year after I graduated from college, if I would have joined the family business my answer would [...]

Last week we talked about setting yourself apart from the Big Box stores. One way to do so is by showcasing your dealership. The easiest and most effective way to showcase your dealership is through your businesses signage. The most important aspect of an outdoor sign is to grab someone’s attention- almost like a magnet pulling a customer toward the store. The more recognized the name, the more people that will be attracted to your dealership. [...]

Some people will say that I am nuts about knowing the numbers in your dealership and then managing to those numbers to improve profitability. I believe it is important in every department, but today I wanted to share the important numbers you need to track in the sales department. Calculate closing ratio It all starts off with some basic calculations, the first being your closing ratio. Let's say that you kept track for a two-week [...]

An excerpt from Bob's upcoming book, "The 7 Principles of a High Performance Dealership". Is your dealership bleeding?  Is it a small cut or is it losing blood by the pint?  Perhaps your business is on the brink of losing its life?  I meet dealers across the country whose businesses are on the equivalent of life support – struggling each day to simply keep the doors of their business open.  The names and locations of [...]

What does it mean for a company to operate lean and why does it matter? If a company is operating lean it means that the overhead a business has is as low as possible and it translates into cash in your pocket. Here are three ways to help your business operate lean - today! 1.Become obsessed about eliminating waste. Eliminate wasted supplies, wasted time, wasted movement; get rid of all the waste! Not only will [...]