Erik from CarDealership.com 
Used Car Manager Guide: Running a Profitable Pre-Owned Department Bottom Line Up Front The difference between a used car manager who survives and one who thrives comes down to inventory velocity management. Top-decile used departments don’t chase front-end gross at the expense of turns — they optimize for gross profit per day on lot. When … Read more
Dealership General Manager Guide: Running a Profitable Store Bottom Line Up Front The difference between a top-decile GM and everyone else isn’t about selling more cars — it’s about building systems that deliver consistent performance regardless of market conditions. Your best month should be your average month. When you pull your monthly P&L and see … Read more
FTC Safeguards Rule for Dealers: Data Security Requirements Bottom Line Up Front The FTC Safeguards Rule for dealers isn’t just compliance overhead — it’s your liability shield and competitive differentiator. While your competitors scramble with basic compliance, top-decile stores are leveraging their data security investments to win enterprise fleet accounts, improve customer retention through trust, … Read more
Fixed Operations Guide: Maximizing Service and Parts Revenue Your service and parts departments shouldn’t just be profit centers — they should be the fortress protecting your dealership from market volatility. When new car margins compress and used inventory gets tight, fixed operations revenue becomes the difference between stores that thrive and stores that survive. This … Read more
Dealership Expense Management: Controlling Costs Without Cutting Value Bottom Line Up Front The top-decile stores in every 20 Group share one trait: they manage expenses like investors, not just operators. They know the difference between costs that drive revenue and costs that just exist. While weaker dealers slash marketing budgets and cut training programs when … Read more
BDC Internet Lead Response: Templates and Timing That Drive Show Rates Bottom Line Up Front Your BDC internet lead response isn’t just about customer service — it’s about survival. While your competitors are still calling leads back tomorrow, the stores crushing it are responding in minutes, not hours. Your show rate is your dealership’s future, … Read more
Improving BDC Appointment Show Rate: Reduce No-Shows Your BDC Show Rate Is Your Dealership’s Future Your BDC appointment show rate directly determines whether your floor traffic comes from qualified prospects or walk-in tire-kickers. A well-run BDC with solid show rates feeds your sales team pre-qualified ups who are ready to buy, while a poorly managed … Read more
BDC KPIs: Key Metrics to Track and Targets to Set Your BDC’s show rate isn’t just a department metric — it’s the leading indicator of your dealership’s future sales performance. While most dealers obsess over closing percentages on the floor, the real profit opportunity sits in your appointment-setting operation. A well-run BDC can improve your … Read more
BDC Agent Training: Skills and Processes for Success Your BDC’s show rate isn’t just a department metric — it’s your dealership’s future revenue walking through the door. A well-trained BDC agent turning 25% of inbound leads into solid appointments will drive more incremental grosses than most of your advertising spend combined. But the gap between … Read more
Service to Sales Pipeline: Turning Service Visits Into Car Sales Bottom Line Up Front: Your service drive is your most underutilized sales channel. Every customer through your service lane already trusts you enough to service their vehicle — they’re pre-qualified, in-market prospects with established payment patterns. The stores maximizing their service to sales pipeline convert … Read more
