Erik from CarDealership.com 
BDC ROI: How to Calculate the Return on Your BDC Investment Bottom Line Up Front: Your BDC’s Show Rate Is Your Dealership’s Future Your BDC isn’t a cost center — it’s your store’s growth engine. When you calculate BDC ROI properly, you’re measuring more than appointment conversions. You’re tracking how effectively you’re turning digital interest … Read more
BDC vs Salespeople for Follow-Up: Who Handles What Bottom Line Up Front: Your BDC Is Your Future Your show rate determines your future. Everything else — your inventory mix, your F&I penetration, your CSI scores — matters only after customers walk through your doors. That’s why the BDC vs salespeople follow-up debate isn’t academic. It’s … Read more
Fixed Ops Customer Experience: Service Department Excellence Your fixed ops customer experience drives more revenue than any single metric on your dealer scorecard. While front-end gross gets the attention, service customer retention determines whether your store thrives or just survives. Every interaction in your service drive impacts lifetime value, referral generation, and your ability to … Read more
Building a Female-Friendly Dealership: Inclusive Sales Culture Bottom Line Up Front: The 72-Hour CSI Predictor Your female customer satisfaction scores predict your store’s overall CSI performance better than any other demographic metric. When women rate their experience highly, your retention climbs 15-20%, referral volume jumps, and your service absorption improves. Building a female-friendly dealership isn’t … Read more
Customer Surveys for Dealerships: What to Ask and How to Act The CX Metric That Drives Your Bottom Line Your customer survey dealership strategy directly impacts three numbers that matter: CSI scores, customer retention, and referral volume. The stores crushing it on customer experience see 40%+ service retention rates and generate 25-30% of their sales … Read more
Customer Surveys for Dealerships: What to Ask and How to Act The Customer Experience Metric That Drives Your Bottom Line Here’s what every customer survey dealership initiative comes down to: one key metric predicts everything. It’s not your CSI score, though OEMs obsess over it. It’s not even your NPS, though it matters. The metric … Read more
How to Handle Angry Customers at a Dealership Bottom Line Up Front Your dealership’s ability to handle angry customers directly impacts your most critical performance metrics: CSI scores drive manufacturer incentives, customer retention determines your variable ops profitability, and referral volume accounts for your lowest-cost acquisition channel. Stores that master de-escalation and recovery see 15-20 … Read more
F&I for EV Sales: Products and Financing for Electric Vehicles Your F&I department generates more profit per hour than any other department in your store. On electric vehicle deals specifically, F&I for EV sales presents unique opportunities — from specialized warranties to charging equipment financing — that can push your EV back-end gross well above … Read more
Building Lender Relationships: Getting Better Rates for Customers F&I: Your Highest-Margin, Highest-Risk Profit Center Your F&I department generates more profit per square foot than any other area of your dealership — often delivering 40-60% of your total front and back-end gross. But it’s also where regulatory violations, customer complaints, and chargeback issues can torpedo months … Read more
Aftermarket Products for Dealers: Accessories That Add Revenue Bottom Line Up Front Your F&I department should be generating 60-80% of your total store gross on the front and back end combined. When you look at aftermarket products dealer margins specifically, you’re talking about profit percentages that make even your best used car deals look thin. … Read more
