Laying a Foundation – Creating and hitting service department labor budgets
Creating a service labor budget can be a stressful and intimidating time for many service managers. In many cases, service managers are comfortable when it comes to technical product knowledge but are less familiar with financial budgeting. For some dealers, the...
You only have 24 hours
As many of you know, time is one of our most precious and expensive resources. Calculate how much it costs the dealership to keep you employed per hour. Then do the same to determine the cost to run the dealership per hour. Research suggests that we lose 25 – 30...
Dealer peer groups exchange information – So, what’s the big deal?
HAVING BEEN PRIVY to many dealers’ thoughts and beliefs about peer groups, I thought it was time to chime in on the pros and cons of being in a group. In my role as a consultant and trainer, which includes facilitating peer groups, it is apparent there is a...
Surviving in a Toxic Family Work Environment
Let’s begin by stating that the senior leaders of a dealership are responsible for creating a workplace culture that fosters high morale and productivity. Having said that, there are both family and corporately owned enterprises that fail to live up to this...
We gambled and lost twice – Now, do we cash out or stay in?
"Are you nuts?” That was the reaction I received when I proposed the idea of selling our equipment dealership. My partners, all in their thirties, were shocked. By their reaction, it was obvious that they were not clear on the reasons behind the suggestion. Taking a...
Financial Management and High Performance
“A successful dealership is like a successful sports team – not only should the manager be keeping his/her eye on the ball, but so should each team member.” The above is from Kelly Mathison’s article in the 2018 spring edition of Western Equipment Dealer and it’s...
The Family Business – Fun or dysFUNctional?
Looking back on 2017, I found it was an interesting consulting year. Family issues sabotaging effective business practices came at me from many directions. Let me share with you many of the family issues I observed. Parents who struggle making business decisions...
Aftermarket Management – Keep your eye on the ball
When it comes to parts and service departments, there is no shortage of metrics to watch so it’s hard to narrow it down to only one. To use a sports analogy, a successful baseball team must do many things well to win. When asked to narrow it down to the most important...
Know when to fold ’em
“I just don’t know what to do.” This is a common comment from the calls we are receiving. These calls come from department managers, salespeople, branch managers, dealer principals – every position in the store. The underlying message – they are just lost on what to...
We make our culture and our culture makes us
Imagine learning about your dealership’s culture from a Koi, a red-gold carp. The ultimate size (and sometimes colors) of a Koi is determined by the environment in which it resides. What does that phenomena tell you about the effect of your dealership’s culture? Let’s...
WEDA/DI Videos
- NAEDA Protect Promotional Video
- Importance of understanding financials and metrics
- The importance of a total dealership approach
- Dealer Institute What Differentiates us from other consulting firms
- Dealer Institute People Smart Leaders
- Equipment Dealer Consulting Business Valuation Services
- Equipment Dealer Consulting Succession Planning Services
- NAEDA OSUIT Student Video