Walking in your Shoes
Automotive

Enquiry Management – Fix the Follow-Up, Unlock the Future

If there’s one topic that’s been talked to death in automotive retail, and yet still causes major leakage in results, it’s enquiry management. We’ve both seen the tools. The CRMs. The automated SMS systems. The follow-up scripts and prospecting templates. But despite all that, many dealerships still struggle with the basics: logging, tracking, and following up with every single opportunity. Why? Because enquiry management isn’t a software problem — it’s a leadership and habit problem. At its core, enquiry management is about Giving every lead the attention it deserves Having clear standards on who follows up, when, and how Making sure nothing falls through the cracks, especially when things get busy Training your team to treat every enquiry like a potential delivery, in other words cash in the bank From a customer’s point of view, the experience of being ignored

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Walking in your Shoes
Automotive

Fixed Operations – The unsung hero of dealership profit and where tomorrow’s buyer lies in wait….

In many dealerships, the front-end of the business gets all the attention. New car sales, advertising campaigns, closing rates, these are the visible battlegrounds. But anyone who’s been in the game a while knows: if your fixed operations aren’t right, the rest doesn’t matter. Service and parts are your profit stability engine. They’re less volatile, more consistent, and, when managed properly, can not only smooth the bumps in any market they can be the greatest source of repeat business you have. But here’s what we’ve noticed working with dealerships across the country - fixed operations too often become the “quiet corner” of the business. If there aren’t customer complaints, leaders assume things are fine. But dig a little deeper and you’ll often find Labour recovery slipping month-on-month Lost parts sales or stock control issues Unacceptable Work in Progress levels that

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Walking in your Shoes
Automotive

Key Staff Retention – Your people make your business

When things get tough in a dealership, it’s rarely the cars or the process that break first, it will be your people. We’ve both seen it first-hand: key staff burning out, quietly walking out the door, or mentally checking out while still on the payroll. And very often, it’s not the “poor performers” who go first, it’s your best ones. The people who prop everything up. The ones everyone turns to when things go wrong. The cost of losing these team members goes far beyond recruitment fees. It shows up in lost sales, service delays, frustrated customers, and pressure on the rest of the team. And when the market is tight, like it is now, replacing talent isn’t easy or quick. One of the biggest red flags in any dealership is over-dependence on a handful of people. If there’s only

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Walking in your Shoes
Cash Flow

Cash Flow Management – Your Dealership’s Lifeblood

Let’s not sugar-coat this one, cash flow is the most important area of operational control in any dealership. It’s also one of the most misunderstood and neglected. Too often, dealership leaders are told they’re profitable, only to feel constantly under pressure with bills, floorplan limits, and payroll looming. As we’ve seen time and time again: you can be profitable and still go backwards, because profit on paper, isn’t cash. In this market, cash flow stress is magnified. Receivables from manufacturers are slowing. Warranty and bonus payments are delayed. New vehicle deliveries are getting stuck throughout your delivery pipeline. Meanwhile, costs keep rolling in, wages, rent, interest, marketing, the list goes on.  I always likened this to being stuck in traffic in a taxi and the meter never stops running; the costs just keep piling up and you aren’t making forward

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Walking in your Shoes
Dealership Fundamentals

The Five Fundamentals of Dealership Success – An introduction

When things get this tough, it’s tempting to chase silver bullets. New tech platforms, dramatic restructures, radical new marketing plans, all pitched as instant fixes. But after decades in the industry and hundreds of dealership conversations later, one truth stands firm: long-term success is never about the latest shortcut. It’s about getting the fundamentals right, consistently. We call them the Five Fundamentals of Dealership Success. They aren’t flashy. They aren’t new. But in this market, they’re more relevant and more powerful, than ever: Cash Flow Management – because profitability means nothing if you run out of cash. Key Staff Retention – your people are your real competitive edge, especially in a tight labour market. Customer Care – loyalty is earned, not assumed.  An investment not a cost. Fixed Operations – the often under leveraged profit centre that can power your

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