By Jordan Jankowski, Armatus Dealer Uplift

Every year, as dealers begin to work on their annual labor rate submissions, many are quick to grab their policies and procedures manuals to get started. For most, it’s a process that may involve filling out a competitive survey, producing a certain amount of consecutive qualified repair orders, or a…

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Myths are dangerous things. They are invented from misinformation and the unknown.  For example, only a few thousand years ago it was generally believed that if you sailed too far out to sea, you would fall off the end of the earth. It was only when man dared to sail out beyond where they had previously sailed that they proved the myth wrong. There was a time when people actually believed that the moon was made of cheese. That was disproven with the aid of powerful telescopes. Or how about…

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So I have a friend who called me up in late June and asked me for some help.  His daughter, who had graduated college the year before, was having trouble finding a job.  He knew I’m in the automotive industry and wanted to know if there might be an opportunity for his daughter. Knowing Tammy, I was thrilled to think that this bright young woman would have an interest in an industry that I love so much. 

 

Although her college had been paid for, Tammy, not one to be idle, worked…

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A recent Automotive News article covered the decrease in trained automotive service technicians graduating from vocational schools. Not only are the vocational schools producing fewer graduates in the automotive repair field, but the training they…

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by Kathryn Carlson

For the second time, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) postponed the effective date for posting its employee rights notice. The new date is April 30, 2012. Most private-sector employers including dealerships must post a new notice issued by the NLRB entitled, “Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations…

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(Originally published on Dealer magazine)

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(Originally published in Dealer magazine ... I broke the story! Even got a mention in the Huffington Post's article about it. w00t!)

 

On Friday, May 20, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against a luxury…

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There are 7 Measurable and Improvable Key Performance Indicators that every Fixed Operations Director/Service Manager needs to be aware of.



They are RO Count, HPRO, Labor Gross Margin, Parts Gross Margin, EFL (Effective Labor Rate), Total Gross Profit and Total Net Profit.



When you have a constant update on these measurables and a mandate to improve their numbers you can have a really impressive Financial Statement at the end of the month.



Think about what a 10%… Continue

2011 is on the doorstep.



Anytime of the year is time for reflection, goal setting and renewed committment.



However, this time of the year is particularly important as the year is winding down and we take time to look at what we have accomplished in 2010 and what we would like to do better in 2011.



This is not a “Goal” setting blah blah blah blog post. If you are in a Leadership position in your Dealership and you need a lesson on Goal setting and business planning,…

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Two friends are out hunting, and as they are walking along they come upon a huge h*** in the ground. As they approach it they are amazed by the size of it.



The first hunter says “Wow, that’s some h***; I can’t even see the bottom. I wonder how deep it is.” The second hunter says” I don’t know, let’s throw something down and listen and see how long it takes to hit bottom.”

The first hunter looks around and spies an old automobile transmission lying in the grass. He tells the… Continue

It is not enough to measure.



That's right, I said it.



Measuring your numbers is a waste of time if you don't do anything with the numbers you measured. In order for the numbers to mean something, you must do something with them. It is not enough to just gather and store the information.



"You must measure what you need to manage".....and...."you must inspect and evaluate the efforts of your people daily" says Don Reed, CEO of DealerPro Training… Continue