This post was written by NCM 20 Group Moderator, Wayne George and was originally published on the Up to Speed blog.

Every recall comes with a certain amount of pain and customer discontent. Some of the current recalls that have been announced are extremely volatile. So what, if anything, can you do to keep your entire store’s mindset positive and in a…

This article was written by Robin Cunningham of the NCM Institute and originally published on the Up to Speed blog.

At the NCM Institute we conduct our …

This article was written by NCM Institute instructor, Steve Hall, and was originally published on the Up to Speed blog. 

Today’s article is intended as a wakeup call to General Managers and a profitability lesson to Parts Managers.  So, I’m going to lay it on the line…

It amazes me when I see parts departments with…

I read a whitepaper recently by The Training Associates comparing the cost of staff trainers to contract trainers. Because in the NCM Institute Manager Training Survey several respondents cited their use of staff trainers as to why they do not use outside training providers, I was eager…

Written by Steve Hall. Originally published on the NCM Institute Up to Speed blog.

People are interesting and they never cease to amaze me.  At the NCM Institute, one of the classes I teach is …

Written by Paul Stowe. Originally published on the Up to Speed blog.

The rapid growth of both new and used vehicle sales over the past three years is stunning. Because of this, you need more salespeople. Recruiting, training, and retaining new sales talent into our business is difficult and challenging. But you simply have two choices: Accept this fact and take action……

Written by Robin Cunningham of the NCM Institute Center for Automotive Retail Excellence. Originally published on the Up to Speed blog. 

In order to write this blog article I am compelled to admit that…

From the Up to Speed blog:

In any industry, top-performing management measures, tracks and makes decisions based on key performance indicators and metrics. In the auto industry we tend to focus on market share, unit volume, gross per unit, net profit as a…

A Consultant’s Approach to Developing Sound Compensation Strategies for Dealership Managers and Sales People

There are today, and there probably always will be, as many different compensation plans as there are dealerships. That is the nature of our business: to be individualistic; to have a unique dealership culture reflected in the way we treat our customers and our employees. And management and sales pay plans are certainly a part of that unique…

Late last year I was reading the Sunday paper and came across a story that was a collection of quotes from Nelson Mandela, who had passed away the previous week.  Reading those quotes made me very reflective both personally and professionally. One of his quotes that really struck me…

Written By: Dennis Kane

 I have seen a significant number of high value claims as a result of contractors or subcontractors not carrying insurance or inadequate limits of insurance.

Examples of high value claims against dealerships include:

• Claim against a dealership’s workers’ compensation carrier or general liability carriers due to an injury of a subcontractor’s employee and the subcontractor doesn’t carry workers’ compensation…

Written By: Steven Banks

Lately it seems I am unable to hide from the term, Big Data. I’m exposed to it in headlines, newspapers (a bit old school but I still read them), magazines and yes, even blogs. But what does big data truly mean and why are we being doused with it? The term is so new I couldn’t locate it in the…

Written By: Garry House

Last month I published a blog focused on the difference between good and great automobile dealers, and I promised to follow that up by discussing what we, at the NCM Institute Center for Automotive Retail Excellence, have learned about the differences between some of the good and great processes employed by these dealers. This is the first of those follow-up articles.

Most every dealership manager…

Written By: Robin Cunningham

Most Monday mornings I find myself standing in NCM Institute’s beautiful training facility welcoming a new class of retail automobile dealership managers who have come to Kansas City for formalized training specific to their job responsibilities. After introductions, I tell them something like: “We won’t be talking about what you think you have come here to learn until just before or…

Written By: Garry House

In the first couple of paragraphs in his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins makes several interesting statements:

Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good – and that is their…

A quick look at the current state of auto retailing would suggest that things are good. Tough times (and a couple of notable bankruptcies) have thinned dealer ranks. Although pressures are mounting, the manufacturers are still demonstrating discipline around production volumes. Most importantly, customers are returning to showrooms.

Add all factors together and the result is that volumes and margins on both new and pre-owned vehicles are strong. So strong, in fact, that many…

Written by: Steve Hall

Dealers know you must provide fast, convenient, and competitively-priced service in order to retain your customer base. They also know that oil changes and light maintenance are the most requested service items by customers. Knowing this, why do dealers continually fight express service?

I’ve heard all the excuses: it hurts my hours per repair order; it hurts my gross profit percentage; it hurts my effective labor rate; I can’t make any money in express…

Written by: Rebecca Chernek

EMBRACE CHANGE

The glass ceiling for women’s acceptance in the finance industry was shattered over a decade ago.

According to the 2012 Catalyst Census of Women Executive Officers and Top Earners, which counts the number of women in upper management in Fortune 500 companies, women comprise over 18% of all executive officers in the finance industry, and 19% of board directors in the finance and insurance industries in…

Written by: Thomas Bear

Realizing the dealer/general manager’s day is full of interruptions, if you could wave a magic wand and create the perfect day, what would you do during this day?

Which activities do you wish you did every day? Which activities are the top ten for you to do every day?  Here’s an exercise we use in our 20 Group meetings from time to time that might be helpful for you to realign your daily priorities.…

Written by: Gene Daughtry

In BHPH, like any other automobile dealer, you’ll start the sales process out with a meet and greet. From there you should go in a different direction from other retail outlets. If you have been on a franchise dealer sales floor I am sure you or your sales staffs have joked about wanting a screening machine that they could walk a customer through for an instant credit reading. Since that doesn’t exist, your sales process is probably similar to: 1. “up” your…