As dealer groups grow in store count and acquire a diverse range of operational processes, cultures, and
technologies, store individuality must yield to group-wide standardization and consistency.
Just as each store monitors and measures its financial performance according to generally accepted
accounting principles shared upward in the organization, so must processes, performance monitoring
and reporting.
Stores can resist submitting to group-mandated operational decisions and practices, but the writing is
on the wall.
There is no other way – than through process and practice standardization among stores and top-down
decisioning – that large public and private operations will achieve the return on investment or earnings
per share from their acquired stores to meet shareholder expectations.
This means:
Using the same responsibility and accuracy yardstick throughout the organization
Insisting on applying this yardstick throughout variable and fixed, including reconditioning, a primary driver of used car department profitability
A standardized recon yardstick among all stores within a group (of any size) will ensure apples-to-apples performance measurement and reporting from store to store and group-wide
Every month, we see a few dealerships trying other yardsticks, failing to understand that vehicle
reconditioning is more than counting cars faster. The risk here is opting for ease over thoroughness that
dismisses the opportunity to build a consistent culture of continuous process improvement.
The CarMax model proves this continuous improvement mantra. CarMax organized a spectacularly
successful business model by standardizing stocking, pricing, merchandising, and sales to which each
location commits.
For C-level executives with today's private and public groups, only standardization of inputs and how
they are reported can make honest and manageable performance comparisons equal among stores and
across the enterprise.
I'm not coming at this from the dugout. I've been in the game for years. My Silicon Valley background
with the computer and the semiconductor industries -- and my direct work with OEMs like GM, Ford,
BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Fiat -- taught me the value of management by Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs), standardization and continuous improvement.
Twelve years ago, I created Rapid Recon with the lofty expectation of cutting the average store
reconditioning performance by half. For many dealers practicing our time-to-line efficiency standards,
their time to line dropped by 80%! But even in these dealerships, ingrained inefficiencies between fixed,
variable, parts, and F&I continue to put their businesses at long-term risk.
How will stores not operated and managed by standardization to Key Performance Indicators accurately compare critical metrics such as vehicle workflow tracking and reporting, recon time-to-line speed, sale ready volumes, turn, and aging? Where stores are allowed to operate essential functions -- as
reconditioning is today for your dealership -- an apples-to-oranges comparison dichotomy exists. This
gulf in standardization is costly.
Too much efficiency variance and money linger unnoticed in dealerships where different and unequal
practices from one store within the next are permitted. Leaks become part of group dynamics that put
ROI and EPS goals at risk.
Without clarity into the practices, processes, and personnel performance metrics of newly acquired
dealerships – and what will continue to plague group dynamics if not addressed – are these:
Efficiencies will lag, running up holding costs and tripping up responsiveness to market demand
Costs will escalate where responsive systems are not present to provide real-time cost and deficiency reporting to users and management.
Lack of accountability for who does what next – and a time-stamp for accountability – will permit time leaks to erode speed to sale speed, margins, and sales volume.
Lead conversion and sales retention will remain slippery without customer-facing transparency and trust-building tools that boost the ROI of online vehicle marketing investments.
You can continue to tolerate stores resisting any loosening of their autonomy, but the writing is on the
wall.
There is no other way than through store-by-store and group-wide standardization and top-down
decisioning that large public and private operations will sustain the return on investment or earnings per
share projections to justify their acquisition.
About Rapid Recon
Reconditioning workflow automation from Rapid Reconis the industry standard in time-to-line inventory turn and speed-to-sale vehicle revenue enhancement for automotive retailers. Benchmarking data based on 13 million vehicles processed uniquely positions Rapid Recon to advise dealers on how to improve their store’s profitability. Used by more than 2,000 dealerships, Rapid Recon ensures the accountability of processes, property, and people. Hence, dealers know answers quickly, find assets anywhere, and sell vehicles promptly to grow dealership profitability. www.rapidrecon.com CALL US: +650-999-0497
