November - Volume 2 Issue 3

The
Volume 2, Issue 3 • November 2007
Inside
TRACK
In the Loop: Sam Dantzler
As the 2007 year rolls along, 3rd quarter MIC data will tell you
that we are down a steady 8% over last year. It’s important to
remember that the MIC doesn’t count the influx of some 280plus brands of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean product. Most
of these brands are selling small displacement off-road bikes,
scooters, and ATV’s. When looking at the on-road sector, we
are down only 5% over LY, with a huge opportunity to make
up the difference. The point being, the industry is not down at
all, just the brands that the MIC is tracking.
If you don’t have a door counter, you simply must get one.
Listed in this issue are six different suppliers for door counters,
all under $500. The reason to have one is to truly measure
the traffic in your dealership compared to the prior year. The
staggering statistic that the composite brings to life is that there
are more door swings and less greets than last year. That’s it.
That’s where the focus needs to be for every dealership that is
down in units. The average metric dealership spent over $120K
in advertising, and it worked. MORE people came in, but we
did LESS with them.
Forget internet sales. Forget eBay. Dealers need to stop looking
for a magic bullet or trying to “buy” the answer, and simply
focus on the front door. Training is a must, and the dealers who
are embracing that concept have reaped huge rewards in both
the Metric and H-D arenas. With H-D’s new allocation method
and the ease of financing, H-D dealers should be experiencing
the best of times as product is now available and markets
aren’t flooded with over allocations. This is only happening
to those dealers who embrace a structured sales process and
accountability. The metric dealer is seeing the acceptance of
motorcycling in the US as a family activity, no longer for the
weekend wanna-be or hooligan. Pre-sales of the BP Spyder
(reverse trike) are indication of more products from OEMs
that appeal to a new type of motorcycle buyer, as half of the
deposits are from women. The demographic on motorcycle
riders continues to evolve and grow.
Overall
Dealership - 3
November 2007 - Volume 2 Issue 3.indd 1
Sales
Department - 6
The number one reason that people leave their jobs is
training, or lack of it. Spend your money in your people
and allow them to rise to the level that most of them want
to perform at. Yes, some will leave. That’s a reality of retail,
and of the specific industry that we are in. But that shouldn’t
cause you to be gun shy over investing in their future while
they are with you. You stand to gain far more while they are
employed and trained than what you lose once they leave.
As we approach the end of 2007, one thing remains quite
evident. We don’t spend nearly the time training our P&A
and Service staff as we do the sales team. Yes, the money’s
in the metal and the sales department can generate money
for all departments. However, we continually see P&A and
service departments starving for training and attention.
In our MDP’s, some of the basic principles that we teach
to dealers are foreign concepts to these employees. Ask
yourself, “Do I have a parts team who happens to make
sales, or a sales team who happens to sell parts?” The
opportunity in these departments is staggering with just a
small amount of sales training. P&A per R/O numbers tend
to sky rocket when a service writer is trained on how to
sell. Bring your team to Update. This 3 day training event is
part of your membership and is geared for your managers.
It’s a recharge session, and we’ve book-ended the event
this year with 14 different 20-Clubs. This year, in addition
to industry partners being brought into the main rooms,
Assurant trainers and new material will be infused into
the main presentations. Couple that with 4 training rooms
running simultaneaously, and you have the making for an
entirely different and dynamic slant to managers being
exposed to best business practices. When you’re trying to
justify the cost of their flights to Denver, ask yourself how
many incremental sales they would need to make as a result.
If someone is willing to be trained, training always works.
Remember, “Bring ‘em, don’t send ‘em.”
F&I
Department - 7
P&A
Department- 8
Service
Department - 9
11/20/2007 11:11:23 AM
Keeping you up to speed on the current happenings at the RPM Group:
• As we solidify the relationship with Assurant, all training (RPMG and Assurant) is now under the RPMG umbrella. We
have come together on content, and are cross training all of our trainers to deliver the same message as most of you will
witness at our annual Update. All Management Development Programs will be run out of Denver, as well as some regional
training. Our Atlanta facility has expanded it’s offerings to include some of our very popular RTEs (sales process training
for sales, parts and service employees) and F&I training. The level of talent and content that we now possess is simply
unparalleled in the industry. Doubling the national norm F&I numbers are completely attainable if you are willing to train
your people. Remember, the talent should compliment the process… not the other way around.
• To assist Suzanne Taylor with all of the training demands, we have brought over Danny Brown from the Assurant side of
the fence. Danny will partner with Suzanne on training efforts and work directly with RPMG and the 20-Club division. This
allows us to focus on what we do best… 20-Clubs. We have new moderators, more follow-up, and more value added pieces
ready to inject into our existing groups, as well as creating new groups as the direction of certain members are fine tuned.
• October 19th began the first day of filming for our Parts, Accessories, and Apparel sales training DVD set. With the success
of the Sales Training (Unit sales) set, the P&A set will be available for purchase in late November. The Service Writer’s set
should shortly follow that with availability in 1st quarter 2008. Please call RPMG to reserve your copy.
• Our database, which has been patched, repatched, and over patched throughout the years, should be completely
redesigned by the year’s end. We will be beta testing the new database in 1st quarter 2008 with the hope to release it by June.
With this new redesign, we will be able to query all categories, make quick changes to the look at content, and simply better
refine the document which has been the industry standard since 1981.
• Our work with Ducati continues to grow, with co-op dollars available straight from the OEM. As of 2008, Ducati North
America will be paying 100% of dues for all members of our 3 DMGs (Ducati Management Groups). In addition, a 1% retail
bonus is offered by Ducati for membership participation in the DMG Clubs. The average DMG member increased net 200%
in the first year of the program, with a 250% increase in F&I dollars. It’s been a great relationship to date.
• A BRP package is on the horizon including certification points for 20-Club participation, training dollar reimbursement,
and possible “model stores” which will first appear in Canada.
• Many projects will now come to the forefront thanks to the involvement of our new big brother, Assurant. The resources
are now available and you (the client dealers) will recognize the changes throughout the year to come. We are exploring a
“flooring division” for all RPMG members to offer discounted flooring options. Also on the horizon is a “virtual 20-Club”
held in video conference over the internet.
• As always, thanks for the support, and we’ll look forward to seeing you all at Update in January.
Version 4.0
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November 2007 - Volume 2 Issue 3.indd 2
11/20/2007 11:11:24 AM
General Dealership
• Are you looking for a new leader for a department in • A good portion of the riders who have purchased
your dealership? Typically, managers have been chosen
for their ability to command authority. Many HR experts
see the ability to be innovative, adaptable and curious
just as important. To identify potential managers, look
for people who are suggesting new and better ways of
doing things, people abreast of innovations and those
who measure their work against others.
motorcycles lately don’t understand the basics of
motorcycles and their maintenance. More and more
dealers are running new owner clinics to educate the
customer on their new toy. New owner clinics can be
held monthly or quarterly to educate the new customer
who doesn’t know yet what can and will be needed.
MIC Motorcycle (no ATV)
% Change YTD 2007 vs 2006
24.2%
25.0%
-15.0%
-13.9%
-3.4%
Total
Suzuki
-11.2%
Yamaha
-3.0%
2.5%
Triumph
-4.6%
Polaris/Victory
-10.0%
-4.6%
1
Piaggio
-5.0%
2.5%
KTM
0.0%
Ducati
5.0%
BMW
10.0%
13.0%
Kawasaki
15.0%
Honda
Harley-Buell
19.4%
20.0%
-6.4%
• In order to increase customer service and limit • William Moore at Hattiesburg Cycles has an
distractions, implement a no cell phone policy in the
dealership for all staff members. The policy would
simply state that no cell phone’s are allowed in the
dealership by staff members at any time, they must be
left at home or outside the dealership in vehicles.
• The state of Wyoming is doing really well lately due
to oil and gas revenue. They are doing so well in fact that
they have offered certain businesses (i.e. motorcycle
dealerships) the ability to get their employees training
which is paid for by the government. It requires a little
paperwork but it’s worth it for the free training. Check
with your local government office to see if they pay for
employee training as well!
interesting new way to advertise their dealership. The
local mall in Hattiesburg, Mississippi typically has a
business which “sponsors” the Santa exhibit during
December. This year all the kids waiting in line to sit
on Santa’s lap will see kid’s bikes and cool apparel
underneath the trees surrounding them. It might
spark a couple of them to add one more item to their
list before meeting ol’ Saint Nick. Plus, Santa’s official
arrival at the store will be in a utility vehicle from
Santa’s favorite store.
• To drive traffic, team up with your local Lions Club
for events. The Lions Club will usually provide the
food and advertising.
• Another idea for free advertising and to drive • To visually illustrate areas of concern have the General
additional traffic is to team up with local RV dealers
to display product in their RVs and trailers at shows
and events.
Manager walk through the store with a digital camera and
takes pictures of “messes” and or problem areas. Next
print them out and hand them out as duties to be done.
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Total
ATV
Dual
1
-1.8%
-5.0%
4.3%
Scooter
0.0%
Off-Highway
5.0%
On-Highway
MIC Segment Performance
% Change YTD 2007 vs 2006
-4.6%
-8.2%
-10.0%
-11.0%
-15.0%
-15.1%
• Look for school teachers who ride motorcycles to fill seasonal summer positions. It’s a great fit for both parties.
It’s great for the dealership since it is peak season they only need temporary seasonal people and for the teacher
since they don’t teach during the summer months and need something temporary.
• Try using tickets for food at events you hold at the dealership. Attendees can get as many as they want, but
in exchange provide their name and number. Make sure their contact information makes it on the traffic log
and that your sales staff follows-up with each person to ensure that you make the most out of every event you
hold.
• End of the summer parties… Are you sitting on some inventory that you want to get out from under? Several
dealers are experiencing this at this time of year. One unique way to “blow out” some inventory is to hold a
creative sale where you increase your discount every hour throughout the day. Start an item out at 10% off at
10:00 a.m., 20% off at 11:00 a.m. and so on. First of all, the customer doesn’t know how deep the discount will get,
and two, the customer will have incentive to buy sooner than later so that someone else doesn’t snatch the item
out from under them. The worst case scenario is a customer walks around your dealership carrying the item that
they want for hours on end waiting for the 40%-50% off to be offered.
• Push the “I’ve got a great idea” promo in your dealership. Encourage staff to voice their ideas for a fresh look
at new ideas. Give away a flatscreen TV once a quarter to the winner. Not only may you get a great idea but
inclusion helps with buy in.
• To increase bike builds try a whole dealership set-up party. The entire staff assists in the setting up of units.
The tech builds and the rest of the staff helps out by getting crates, throwing away crate trash, cleaning and
detailing the unit, and staging the unit on the sales floor or warehouse. All of this is done while the tech’s just
keep building.
• Looking for good, inexpensive labor? Hire an intern! From website design to EBAY sales, college interns cost
little or nothing, need work in order to graduate, and you just may pick up a long-term employee.
• More dealers are experiencing problems with fraudulent driver’s licenses. Some dealers are now purchasing
a bar code reading device which reads the 2D strip on most government ID’s. The scanner can also check age
verification. These scanners can run from $600 to $1000 and can be found at www.badgestuff.com and www.
photobadge.com.
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11/20/2007 11:11:24 AM
• What is your “Owner Orphan Base”? You spend • To filter out some of your job applicants inform all
so much money trying to get new customers into our
dealership yet so often you neglect the ones you already
have. PPM was set up to retain some of those customers,
yet how many are still out there. MIC information
shows that people swap out their bikes every 2.1 years.
With so much turnover on the sales floors, what are
you doing to recapture your customers?
• Garage parties are a great way to get customer’s
excited about the products you sell. Increase the
effectiveness of your garage parties by catering to
the largest growing demographic of your customers,
women. A couple dealerships around the country have
instituted a ladies only section in the dealership during
open houses. To attract and build relationships with
female riders during these events female staff members
give presentations on the following topics.
• Changing the oil on a unit. This may take a little
time and effort, however, it will make the female
demographic feel much more at ease with owning
and understanding their unit, especially since a
woman is showing them.
• Picking up a fallen bike. This can be a big fear for
some women to overcome, knowing how to do
it correctly and seeing another woman do it will
boost their confidence level.
• Product knowledge. Pick out a latest and greatest
unit that will fit the female demographic and have
a woman give a thorough presentation on it.
• Give a tour of your dealership. Give increased focus
to the service department and introduce women
riders to the manager and service writers. Doing
so will ease the intimidation factor in the service
department.
Remember, the female demographic is upward of 18%
of the riders and increasing rapidly. This demographic
is one of the dominant factors to successfully building
your business, start capturing them now.
• Theft is always a dilemma for every dealership.
Del Amo Motorsports is taking extra steps to limit
the opportunity people have to steal by requiring all
customers coming in the door to check all helmets and
backpacks with the receptionist at the front door. They
have cubby’s built into the reception desk at the front
door. The customer is given a tag that can be exchanged
for their belongings upon leaving the dealership.
applicants that your company requires a drug test.
While you do not have to actually conduct drug testing
to make this statement, you do have to make sure that
you are not being selective and communicate this
policy to every single applicant who applies.
• Within our Dealer Candidate School (DCS), students
are required to come up with action plans for each of
their departments. When reviewing the action plans
we often review with the student the S.M.A.R.T. system
for goal setting. An overview for this system is listed
below.
• Specific - The goal should be clearly and accurately
defined.
Example of a non-specific goal: I want to sell more
P&A in September
Example of a specific goal: I want to sell $100,000
in accessories in September
• Measurable - There should be concrete criteria for
measuring progress toward the attainment of each
goal that is set.
Example of a non-measurable goal: I want to
increase employee moral.
Example of a measurable goal: I want to reduce
other direct costs.
• Attainable - All included parties need to view the
goal as achievable
Example of a non-attainable goal: I want to
quadruple apparel sales in September
Example of an attainable goal: I want to increase
apparel sales in September by 20%
• Relevant - It must make sense at the time for the
business
Example of a non-relevant goal: I want to sell five
snowmobiles at 20% GP in June
Example of a relevant goal: I want to sell five PWC’s
at 15% GP in June
• Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time
frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense
of urgency.
Example of a non-timely based goal: I need to hire
four more salespeople
Example of a timely based goal: I need to hire four
more salespeople by month end
By using this S.M.A.R.T. method of establishing goals
you should get more accomplished. The goals will no
longer be vague but clear and precise.
• HD guys, hire your HOG director and put him/her in • To cater to the new rider hold Novice Nights in your
another role. The Motor Company will not let you pay
him/her as a HOG director, so find an alternative title
for him/her within your store as an employee. More
bang for the buck…
dealership. This approach removes some of the egos
and encourages new riders to become more involved
with the dealership.
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11/20/2007 11:11:24 AM
Sales Department
• Have your chrome consultant spend time in service department each morning during the peak drop-off period.
This is the slow time for the chrome consultant, so it helps build sales for not only them but service as well.
• Are you looking for a good salesperson or a possible Sales Manager? You might want to check out your local
Verizon Wireless store. Steve Ertle at Tejas Motorsports recently hired a Sales Manager and an assistant who
used to work for Verizon. Verizon has a great sales training program. To succeed in sales at a Verizon store the
salesman has to be motivated to hit their goals and objectives or they don’t last long. Verizon employees tend to
be very motivated and understand relationship selling.
• Try playing a Balloon and Dart game with the customer while waiting for delivery of new unit. To play give
the customer a dart to throw at several balloons. Each contains a different voucher for a scavenger hunt in the
dealership that entitles them to a prize.
• Put a custom painted M/C lift from the service department on the
sales floor and use it to deliver the customer’s new unit. The unit can be
elevated and the walk around can be done.
• To increase customer service and ultimately customer retention
encourage salespeople to follow-up with customers that just recently
purchased a unit. A great way to do this follow-up is with a CRM system
thank you letter. To ensure compliance implement a policy where the
commission voucher is only given in exchange for the salesperson’s
thank you letter to their customer.
• To drive additional sales partner up with a neighboring auto dealer
during their off-site mall and tent sales.
2007 YTD Motorcycles Only
Biggest Lossers
Louisiana
Mississippi
New Hampshire
Nevada
California
Arizona
Massachuesettes
Hawaii
-20.1%
-16.2%
-15.9%
-15.8%
-13.1%
-12.9%
-12.6%
-10.5%
Florida
-10.1%
• Are you having trouble getting your sales manager out of the office
and on to the floor? Take away his/her chair… literally. No chairs in the office equal all hands on deck.
• How many deals are you really never seeing??? One for a yes and two for a no. One person is allowed to say
“yes” on a deal, but it takes two senior management people to say “no”.
2007 YTD Motorcycles Only
Biggest Winners
Oklahoma
0.4%
Colorado
0.7%
Montana
1.3%
Idaho
1.6%
Kentucky
2.6%
North Dakota
4.0%
New Mexico
4.8%
Wyoming
6.9%
Utah
10.7%
District of Columbia
30.8%
• RPMG encourages Open to Buy in P&A. Why not do the same thing
on major units? Credit to Jeff Sroufe for bringing it to our attention.
• Run an ad in the cycle trader for dealer assist. With all of the
private party transactions, you can become the place to go to
facilitate the transaction. Check out Killeen Powersports (http://www.
killeenpowersports.com/) for an idea on the verbiage.
• These days gasoline prices are on everyone’s mind. A creative way to
take advantage of this is to spiff your sales staff for Traffic Log entries
with free gasoline. 50 gallons is what one dealer is using for the most
amount of write-ups.
• Midnight Sale are a great way to generate some attention to your
dealership. A dealership in Las Vegas is having a huge success by
having these events regularly.
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F&I Department
• Get more details on HD’s ‘Stick It to the Man’ finance deal. You can
see it on the HD website. Is it right for your customers?
• Implement the 400% rule...100% of the customers see 100% of the
menu...100% of the time...with 100% compliance.
• We understand that HSBC will do a 10% increase over approved
amount on same day funding on their revolving accounts. They are
willing to do bumps regularly!
• Some OEM’s have begun pressing some recourse on loans that are
not normally considered recourse financing. If liens are not perfected,
either through liens at the time of title/license, or by submitting a
UCC1 properly, the lenders are pushing recourse back on the dealers
(whereas they typically hadn’t in the past). If the affidavit of insurance
isn’t legitimate, lenders have also started to go back on the dealers.
You need to ensure that you have done everything possible to avoid
getting bit by the recourse bug.
SMDP**
(Sales Management Development Program)
Meeting #3 February 25-27, 2008
Meeting #1 April 21-23, 2008
Meeting #2 August 4-6, 2008
Meeting #3 November 17-19, 2008
P&A MDP**
(P&A Management Development Program)
Meeting # 2 December 10-12, 2007
Meeting # 3 February 11-13, 2008
Meeting # 1 April 7-9, 2008
Meeting # 2 July 28-30, 2008
Meeting # 3 November 3-5, 2008
SVMDP**
(Service Management Development Program)
• If you don’t have a menu, build one.
• Put pigtails on all bikes on the floor. The natural up-sell is the
battery charger which can be assumed in the F&I office.
• If you haven’t yet switched to Loud Financial for your American
V-Twin financing, you are really missing the boat. Check them out at
http://www.loudfinancial.com/.
• Communicate with ALL departments.
• Another untapped lending source you can use to get a few of your
customers approved is military lending institutions. If you have even
a small military population near your dealership partner and build a
rapport with military lending institutions.
• Most states require having consistent DOC fees to all customers, not
necessarily the same DOC fee to all customers. Some of our dealers
charge two different DOC fees, one for dirt and one for street, or one
based on displacement. If you feel that your product mix won’t allow
you to have a large DOC fee, consider a tiered DOC. Check to be sure
that it is legal in your state before making this change.
• Tejas Motorsports had the following great idea: During the write-
up step the salesperson is required to attach a DriveCard (RPMOne)
application. Then the DriveCard application can be processed at the
same time as the bureau is being ran. This provides the customer with
more flexible spending options.
7
November 2007 - Volume 2 Issue 3.indd 7
Upcoming Training Dates
Meeting # 2 December 3-5, 2007
Meeting # 3 March 10-12, 2008
Meeting # 1 May 5-7, 2008
Meeting # 2 August 11-13, 2008
Meeting # 3 December 15-17, 2008
DCS
(Dealer Candidate School)
Kickoff December 3-6, 2007
Meeting #2 March 3-5, 2008
Meeting #3 July 14-16, 2008
Meeting #4 December 8-9, 2008
OMDP
(Operations Management Development Program)
Meeting #1 May 12-14, 2008
Meeting #2 July 22-23, 2008
Meeting #3 October 28-29, 2008
Update
January 26-28, 2008
F&I Seminar
January 8-10, 2008
April 1-3, 2008
August 19-21, 2008
October 14-16, 2008
**These programs have open enrollment, students
can register any time prior to start of class.
11/20/2007 11:11:25 AM
P&A Department
• Doug Jackson at Woodstock Harley-Davidson does a calculation by dividing the P&A and
Service sales by the HIO (Harleys in Operation). If the number is too low, it is an indication
that people aren’t coming back to the dealership and retention is low!! And how about those
tire sales – over 100% penetration?
• How do you know if your inventory is moving? “10 in 10 or it goes back!” In other words, if
10 pieces haven’t sold in 10 days, it’s not going to move. Either send it back or put a program
together to move it out.
• Open to Buy is a thorough way to track and plan your inventory levels throughout the year.
If you are not using one in your MotorClothes department you should implement one. After
moderating several MotorClothes manager’s composite reviews recently, we have outlined
what we believe to be the top seven categories to get you started:
• Leathers
• Boots
• Helmets
• Riding Gear
• Collectables
• Shirts
• Company Logo Gear
Of course you are not limited to just these categories, however, these are the main seven to
get you started.
• 5 a day on eBay. Similar to the traffic log for the sales department, the P&A parts associate
must post 5 items a day on eBay. The eBay posting must have an accurate description, any
relevant additional information and contact information for the dealership and the appropriate
P&A associate(s).
• To increase your level of customer service, train P&A sales associates to help the customer
with the product, then walk the customer to the cashier for a personal type customer service
experience. Take this to the next level by frequently asking customers carrying items if you
can take the items up to the register. It increases the level of customer service and frees up
their hands to shop more!
• Increase you UPT by promoting your clearance items. It’s called key item promotion.
• To ensure that your staff isn’t hindering your customers availability to the newest and
hottest stock, place a time delay on new product. Employees must wait a specific number of
days before they are able to purchase new inventory that is for sale to customers. If they want
it now they are welcome to pay retail or special order it.
• Owners Manuals and Tool Kits should be kept behind the parts counter. This promotes a
mandatory turnover to the P&A department and increases the value of the customer’s walk
through the dealership and gives the opportunity for the P&A department to present items
that will complete the customer’s riding experience.
• For multiple store operators, put together T-Shirt bundles, one from each store. Package
selling for tourists has proven to increase line items per ticket.
• We’re all in sales – how about a shirt, underwear, tattoo, or whatever, that says it!?
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Service Department
• Are you having trouble with technicians taking vacation time during your peak season?
At a recent 20-Club one of our dealers in a seasonal area has come up with an innovative
way of dispersing vacation time. The dealership typically offers their techs 10 vacation days
a year. If the technicians take their vacation time during the slow months (October – March)
they receive a vacation day bonus of 1.5 days for every 1 day of vacation increasing their
vacation time. By doing so technicians typically will take limited time off in the summer and
take the extra time off during the winter when the shop isn’t so busy. If you are considering
implementing this or a similar vacation plan, check with your state legislation to ensure it
falls within employee benefit guidelines.
• Use standard job options in your DMS systems. It helps with proficiency and consistent
labor quote times. Use pre-built job codes in the DMS system
• To increase P&A per RO, use a free Labor board and/or stickers that advertise overlapping
labor. For example the board would promote a free installation of brakes pads while you are
installing a new tire.
• Is your dispatching process simple or complicated? It should take a service advisor no
more than a minute to find out the status of a job in the shop. Ideally it should take less than
30 seconds. Whether it is a dispatch board or routing sheet, it should be easy to access from
the service advisors desk.
• Service and P&A Managers need to have regular weekly meetings. Main topics of
discussion should be:
• The lost sales log and what parts need to always be on hand.
• What would be easy up-sells in the service departments and how does the P&A
department support this.
• Overall how can the P&A Manager assist the service department making it easier to sell
in service.
• What inventory can the service department focus on selling to help decrease obsolescent
P&A inventory.
• Any information on how the two departments can collaborate in order to drive the
success of each department.
• One of our dealers now has one person doing all test rides for the dealership. By doing this
the dealer was able to lower his insurance costs as the rider had an impeccable driving record.
• Thanks to Matt Mechling at Interstate Cycles who came up with this great idea. Have your
Dyno wall be available for signatures. Get a silver pen and a white wall. Have customers post
statistics and “Sign the Wall!”
• Keeping your techs motivated can be difficult, consider a different incentive to increase
your techs’ drive. Instead of giving your techs an hourly raise give them a quarterly bonus.
$1000.00 has more appeal than $1.25 an hour increase and since it is a bonus and covers a
three month period it will have a more long-term affect than an expected annual increase.
• We understand that major OEM’s have begun paying above dealer cost, up to retail,
on warranty parts. Check your credits and start pushing. It looks like your state
dealers association may be a big help in getting this through.
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Sales Manager’s Daily Dozen
F&I Manager’s Daily Dozen
1. Traffic Log Review
2. Attitude Adjusted For Sales
3. Showroom Check/Housekeeping
4. Pending Sales
5. Credit Approval Turndowns
6. Inventory Check, Including Used Bikes
7. Current OEM programs
8. Event Planning – Reasons To Buy Today
9. Turned US Down – Why?
10. Meet with Dealer Principal
11. Motivator Board / Status Board Update
12. Follow-Up Procedures
1. Complete & Review F&I Log
2. Update Delivery Log
3. Review Pending Deals
4. Meet with the Sales Manager
5. Complete all Finance Paperwork
6. Mail Out all Title Paperwork
7. Follow-Up on any TUDs
8. Complete Unit Inventory Jackets
9. Review OEM Programs
10. Contact One New Finance Source
11. Go Through F&I Mailbox
12. Erase Dead Deals from Computer
P&A Manager’s Daily Dozen
Service Manager’s Daily Dozen
1. Today’s Staff Scheduling
2. Department is ready for Sales
3. Service ROs Filled
4. Stock Order Submissions
5. Check Shipments
6. Today’s Events and Displays
7. Return to Vendors
8. Back Order Status
9. Meet with DP, Sales Manager and Service
Manager
10. Check Accessory Needs/Orders
11. Housekeeping
12. DOC/Open to Buy Complete
General Manager’s Daily Dozen
1. Today’s Staff Scheduling
2. Today’s Work Load
3. Service Writers’ Meeting
4. All Parts Pulled for Today’s Jobs
5. Sales Department Bikes
6. Warranty Codes to Office
7. Today’s Events and Marketing
8. Quality Control
9. Meet with DP, Sales Manager and P&A
Manager
10. Department Walk Through
11. Parts Ordered by Most Expedient Means,
Tonight
12. RO Summary Complete and Turned-In
Operations Manager’s Daily Dozen
1. Walk the Floor
2. Meet with the Phone Follow-Up/National
Sales Office Manager/Supervisor
3. Meet with the Sales Manager
4. Meet with the F&I and Sales Manager
5. Meet with the P&A Manager
6. Meet with P&A and Service Manager
7. Meet with Service Manager
8. Meet with the Operations Manager
9. Spend Time on the Floor with Customers
and Staff
10. Marketing/Promotions
11. Meet with the Dealer
Principal
12. Give Five Pieces of Positive Feedback to
Deserving Staff
1. Balance Previous Day’s Till
2. Check Previous Day’s RO Summary
3. Check Previous Day’s POs
4. Make Bank Deposit/Determine Daily
Balance(s), Bank and Actual
5. Meet with Dealer Principal
6. Check Contracts in Transit
7. Make out Flooring Payment Checks
8. Check Titles in Progress
9. Document Check - Customers Orders, etc.
10. A/R and A/P Posted
11. Verify Open-to-Buy Balance
12. Backup computer
The views, ideas and recommendations expressed in our publication are suggestions only. RMP Group provides this information to its readers so they can
evaluate it and determine if it is applicable to their own dealership. RPM Group, Assurant Solutions and its affiliate companies are neither responsible nor
liable for the results of any suggestion expressed in this publication.
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7535 East Hampden Avenue, Suite 600
Denver, CO 80231
phone: 303.338.1122 • fax: 303.338.1129
www.RPMG.com
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