My close dealer friend, Ronnie Watkins, told me something the other day that every dealer or owners needs to remember and execute. Used car trends are seasonal. Certain vehicles will sell in greater numbers at certain times of the year.
Every January, Ronnie knows which cars and price points he wants on his used car sale lot. He knows the ratio of import-to-domestic, value points, cash cars and wholesale pieces. Ronnie has created a system with his used car manager for keeping records and knowing what to plan for and when. You see as a Ford dealer (a Ford dealer who holds 25% Ford penetration in his county), his goal is make the 1st quarter get off to a ‘rock star’ start and get momentum moving in his direction early in the year. It helps with profit, it helps with attitude of sales people and it helps fuel his business model. A great used car strategy can be the difference in how much money you make in ‘09 vs. how much you lose.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
