When any individual enters the job market seeking employment there are several things to consider.  Are you in search of a job or career?  There is a definitive difference in the two.  A job is an employment position that you settle for to help you attain your long term goals and asperations and you knowingly go forward with no intent of staying the course with that position.  A career is entered with the intent to master the many facets of an industry and become the best at every level that encompasses that particular industry. 
So remember, if you are in the market for a job, it is only fair to enlighten your prospective employer of your intent so that the companie's investment in you is true.  Companies are more likely to invest in a career minded individual with professional training and the inner workings of the employers business providing knowledge, experience, and time that will give the employee the rewards that come with a career and enhance the value of the employee.  A career now becomes your long term goal.

Well, the much anticipated "Cash for Clunkers" program has a full head of steam for automotive dealers all over the U.S.  Dealers have been busy utilizing the funds to move what was an aging new car inventory fleet and taking the cash from Uncle Sam.  After quickly running out of cash not realizing the adaptability of auto dealers to move rapidly into retail mode, the U.S. government is said to have replentished the program with additional funds keeping "Cash for Clunkers" alive.  

But is this a receivables nightmare in the making?  Time will be the teller of that tale when all the money is used up and sitting on the receivables of over 20,000 automotive dealerships' books.  We rely on our managers to make the right decision when qualifying these transactions and unfortunately there will be some dealers that end up with deals that should not have been put into this program for qualifying purposes.  What will happen with these huge balances?  Auto dealers need to still appraise these vehicles as trades to get a snapshot of the exposure.  They also should go through an internal audit daily tracking the program's transactions to have a few heads verify the plausability of the qualifications of each deal limiting your exposure.  With a few simple steps dealers can take the "Cash for Clunkers" program to the bank.

If your dealership would like to see how this program can be receivable proof in your dealership contact Dealership Experts in Dallas for a free initial consultation. 

Automotive jobs are surfacing some of the top talent in the industry with the thinning out of dealers by not only the auto manufactures, but with the closing of many independent auto dealers via the inability to establish adequate floor planning of inventory.  Many banks around the country are pulling out of volitale portions of their portfolios and leaving small dealers with little options to continue without the ability to pay for the most expensive and risky part of any automotive operation, inventory.  If your dealership is not on the hunt to improve in key positions you may miss an opportunity to increase your net profit in variable and fixed operations by moving forward with sub-par employees in key roles.

Internet sales departments and BDC centers within automotive dealerships are becoming more important every day as the print of the past moves onto your desktop.  But are dealers increasingly getting over charged by internet service providers in the pay per click sector, SEO, and SEM?  If your internet department is not the growth area within your store you may be missing the gross profit target and volume to sustain significant profit within this auto market.  It is not about a flashy website, it is about how the back side of your website is put together that will move your store rankings naturally, which in turn can reduce the money your dealership spends monthly.  Let Dealership Experts provide you with a free evaluation of your internet direction today.

Well finally there is a stimulous that everyone in the automotive industry can cheer about.  It's the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.  This is bill that is aligned with the same type of footprint as the "Texas Clean Air Cars" that has been in the state of Texas for a while.  It has created plenty of new and used car, truck, and SUV purchases in the state of Texas and I suspect that if the funding is quick from the government it should pack a great economic stimulous to the one level of the auto industry needing it most, the auto dealers. 

Today is another day of uncertainty throughout the auto industry as the lenders that are responsible for keeping the volume flowing in dealership showrooms across America continue to tighten the noose. This is particularly prevalent in areas of the country where median incomes are low and the automotive special finance industry, not only blossomed, but created auto markets within auto markets. In some markets volume is down even further than the average national statistics displayed on the cover of newspapers, magazines, and the internet. One has to remember that these are averages of how much business is off, so if what is reported is 52%-55%, you can well imagine there are a lot of dealers that are off by significantly more than this. This should be alarming for anyone from the parts industry to the showrooms of luxury car lines.

The financial meltdown that is occurring within the automotive industry, you can bet, is affecting a dealership near you. Financing is the life-blood of obtaining gross profit for   dealerships everywhere, so this takes a lot of potential automotive shoppers that typically purchase on an impulse basis, and turns them into turn-downs. By the auto industry norm you must have ability and desire to purchase an automobile. With fewer buyers having both of these with the traffic on showroom floors, this will diminish a dealerships ability to control volume, gross, and net profit.

Suggestion to counter this event that we are witnessing within the dealership environment is to really work on your internet department. It used to be that dealers would focus on their PMA and advertise to that, well now the power of the internet can expand your tentacles into other dealerships PMA and DMA to directly go after the volume that you are lacking from your current market. People will drive a lot of miles to save money now more than ever. And “no” dealers do not have to spend a ton of money on search engine optimization. There are many other things that dealers do not understand about SEO that they can do at little or no cost that will penetrate markets that they cannot currently penetrate. This will increase both volume and gross that dealerships are hungry for, and more importantly help them weather the financial storm that is sweeping this country.

As we move into what used to be the prime automotive selling season into a climate where “net profit” in an auto dealership is harder to find than a four leaf clover on an iceberg, the auto industry seismic activity meter is active now more than ever.

Today is the day that Dealership Experts launches the new web-site.  I would like to wish everyone and their families a very Happy Easter.  You will find all of the previous posts that were on our Google Blog and now you will be able to visit, read, and comment right here in the automotive dealership environment, without advertisement.  Simply register, comment, and/or blog about any goings on in the auto industry.  We look forward to your feedback and we will be on the hot automotive dealership topics daily.  So stay tuned!!