I suspect like most of you have, I calculated that stupid wasn’t fixable — after all someone famous — comedian Ron White — I think said that.  On the other hand, ignorance was fixable, or so I figured. I saw stupid as an inhe

A little over four years ago we looked at the up and coming factory-based inventory management programs that were just coming online. The overall objectives, as stated by the vendors, were to improve the quality of dealer inventories and increase fil

  Polston_Fixed Operations August10   The following is a true story. I took delivery of my new vehicle in January 2009. It was a smooth process and overall a pleasant buying experience. The salesman thanked me for my business and then he stuck his

I discovered a well-written, easy to read, instructional paperback written by Gary Vann, the VP of Sales and Marketing for Mighty Auto Parts, a nationwide aftermarket maintenance parts distribution company located in the Atlanta area. Mr. Vann is obv

I discovered a well-written, easy to read, instructional paperback written by Gary Vann, the VP of Sales and Marketing for Mighty Auto Parts, a nationwide Aftermarket maintenance parts distribution company located in the Atlanta area. Mr. Vann is obv

Traditionally obsolescence has been defined as parts that have not had a sale in anywhere from six months onward, the time frame dependent on the source defining the term. Over the last few years the manufacturers and importer/distributors have reduc

Calculating fixed absorption is one of the most important business-strength measurements a serious dealership investor can make. In case you aren’t savvy on this, fixed absorption is a calculation of the gross profit generated in the “fix

I have been thrashing The Garage drum (check out www.NetProfitTraining.com) for a number of columns now. We and a hundred of our closest dealer friends have learned quite a bit this past year, both from victories and gaffes while implementing this un

Less than 10% of used car buyers return to the dealership for customer-pay service work. But don’t take my word for it. Run the numbers and see for yourself. Run the VIN numbers for all the used vehicles you sold in 2009 and compare it to the VIN n