Pub. 9 2019 Issue 4

21 IN THE UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD OF THIS ERA OF NEW PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES THERE IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EMPHASIS PLACED ON SALES GROWTH, MARKET SHARE AND THE NUMBER OF LOCATIONS THAN THERE IS ON PROFITABILITY. velocity model for used car sales. They’ve conducted major overhauls on their marketing accepting that traditional media approaches no longer provided the sure-fire way of reaching their customer. They invested in world class facilities, implemented Business Development Centers, and managed through their manufacture incentive programs. Today’s dealer embraces CSI, they are way past trying to manipulate the score without regard for how their customers really feel. For the car business the speed of change has been intense. As much as the last ten years threw change at us we can all sense that the change is only speeding up. There is no time to be reminiscing about the good ole days. Honestly if as a dealer you’re thinking longingly about the past, the future is going to be cruel for you. But if you embrace change and focus on where the puck is going to be vs where it is now your future is bright. Why Carvana will lose? A well-capitalized entrepreneur embedded in a local market with the right attitude towards customers and employees embracing technology has an enormous advantage. Sometimes the huge overhead that comes with our state-of-the-art facilities feels like an anchor around our neck. But most customers still want to drive a car before they buy it. Most customers value having professionals to service and repair their vehicles as needed. The most important thing? Listen to your customers. They’ve spoken and they’ve spoken loudly. They want speed, they want transparency and most want to complete part of the transaction online before they come purchase. That last one can take on many shapes. They could be looking for lease payments, trade figures or a loan pre-approval among many other things. When the dealerships response to anything the customer says or asks is “come on down”, the dealer is demonstrating that they just don’t get it. At Automotive Development Group we help our dealer clients bring their recruiting and training practices forward to meet today’s customers standards. We are working with technology providers for our dealer partners to be able to meet the demands of today’s customers. Because with the right approach we very much believe our dealers will win. We want to go where the puck is going to be, not where it is today. Progressive dealers today are looking for any and all resources to help them embrace future change.  For more information, please contact Francis Fagan with Automotive Development Group at 312-608-4979 or ffagan@adgtoday.com . Francis is the Regional Training Director for Illinois and Indiana. At AutomotiveDevelopment Groupwe put the emphasis on training. Visit our website for our training calendar and to meet our nationally renowned trainers. www.AutomotiveDevelopmentGroup.com