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Have you considered if you have the right people in the right place to get the job done next year? Two things to consider in people terms would be sufficiency/over-sufficiency and calibre.

Tough Targets to hit ?

Tough Targets to hit ?

Tough targets to hit ?

Have you considered if you have the right people in the right place to get the job done next year?

Two things to consider in people terms would be sufficiency/over-sufficiency and calibre.

In terms of cost ? the major contributant to cost and which we can influence, is payroll.

Run with too many people and their payroll and benefits cost may overwhelm your ability to perform.

The industry is also littered with KPI?s and all the main manufacturers provide them in number. The key is in separating the vital few from the irrelevant many and on majoring on the lines you can influence ? no point getting hung up on rent or notional rent, as you can?t change it.  Some old chestnuts would be units per salesperson (225 for volume), hours per tech (1750 general mechanical inc service work and pdi), prod/non-prod 2:1, parts sales per parts employee (ranges from ?250k factor van sales to ?400k parts wholesale), sales admin 1,000 units per annum new or used unless the new car franchise is especially cumbersome to administer. DP/GP% ball park should be around 50/50 for all departments i.e. the department keeps as net profit half of the gross (after variables) which it generates. Service (with oil sales in and no parts gross profit transfer) should generate around 75% gp on all sales and retain at least 50% of that; Parts generally (with no distortions such as internal transfers) should retain at least 22% gp on all sales (unless they are a large wholesaler, in which case you need to start at buying margin in each sales area and work back), with 10% used to run the department, leaving 12% net retained on sales.  Indirect overhead depends on the group ethos, such as computer system, rent versus mortgage etc ? it?s a line by line slog I?m afraid.

  

Once the cost and kpi piece is understood and any necessary changes planned, you could move to assess the calibre of your team. If a careful assessment of the capability and attitude of each of your team members tells you that you have some good material to work with, then you could break down each of your next years challenges and share them out with your team. The sum of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts ? you?re bound to have heard that before and in this context, properly executed; it really works. The Performance Management process has the capacity to transform business results, however, it can be lengthy and cumbersome to deliver. It all depends on how sincere you are and how determined to install improvement.


 

 

 

 

Agreeing and Setting objectives ? through the Balanced Scorecard or SMART objectives approach.

 

The standard format for setting objectives is through the Balanced Scorecard approach. The Balanced Scorecard is a business performance measurement model. It is aimed at aligning behaviours and business objectives. The BSC enables participants at all levels to track financial results while simultaneously monitoring progress in building the human capabilities and acquiring the intangible business assets they need for future growth.  This enables the individual and manager to have a better balance to their objectives as it focuses objectives around (say) four key areas that in turn align closely with business objectives. These four areas might be Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process, Learning and Growth,

 

Progressive stages

Clarify the answers to the questions above and ask what you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to support success in each criterion.  What actions do you need to take that will support these four perspectives. These are called initiatives. You should question whether anything that falls outside of these four areas is really adding value to the business as a whole.  Set clear deadlines for achievement of your initiatives.

 

Finally

You need to start thinking of milestones ? interim and objective. Naturally, objectives should still be Specific, Measurable, Achievable but stretching, they will be Relevant to the business, suitable for a cascade process and, lastly they must have a Target date or timescales to achieve them.

 


 
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About Tom Booth, Company Director

How Much can A Car Salesperson Expect To Earn

A Selection of our Current Motor Trade jobs

How to become a Car Salesman


job info

>> How much can I expect to earn
Want to know how much you can expect to earn working as a Car Salesperson? Check out our no nonsense guide to salary expectation in Automotive Retail Sales.

>> Sample 999tom Sales Training
Check out a limited version of our online sales training, With comprehensive Sales training broken down into manageable Modules. The full unrestricted version comes with Audio, Video, testing and assessment.

>> How do I start in Car Sales
Want a change of career? Always wanted to drive and sell expensive, top of the range cars? Check out our guide to becoming a Car Sales Person together with the benefits you can expect to receive, including an all expenses paid company car, pension, commission scheme, career progression etc, etc.

>> Selection of our current Jobs
Looking for a specific job? Check out or latest vacancies - we can't possibly keep pace with everything we are working on but this should give you a really good idea. And if none suit you - what about your friends and colleagues?

>> Not sure where to start in the motor trade?
Looking to ger into the Motor trade, but aren't sure what role is for you? check out our guide to the kind of jobs available to you, including qualification and experience requirements to help you find the job for you!




employment issues

>> Disability and Sexual Discrimination
KEY FACTS your business needs to know about discrimination legislation
>> Age
Employers can no longer discriminate against employees on grounds of age and there is more to that than meets the eye.
>> Redundancy
A model guide to Redundancy policy and practice
>> Discipline
A model Disciplinary procedure to aid management
>> Bullying and Harassment
A guide to identifying and policing bulling and harassment

Could you save someone's life if the opportunity arose?
Could you save someones life if the opportunity arose? Moreover - could your staff? It might be worth posting a clipping of this to your notice boards - what harm can it do?

No Smoking Policy
From 1 July 2007, the smoking ban took effect in virtually all workplaces and enclosed public places in England.

Quarterly Appraisal for Sales Manager
Example of a quarterly appraisal for sales managers to be carried out by the General Manager

Monthly Appraisal for Sales Controller and Business Manager
Quarterly appraisal for sales controllers and business managers to be carried out by the sales manager

Monthly Appraisal for Salespeople
Monthly appraisal for salespeople to be carried out within 2 days of the month close by the controller or sales manager

Definition of a Sales Appointment
Shared responsibility for the creation of footfall is at the heart of all upper quartile motor retailers. The hunt for appointments therefore needs some regulation around exactly what an appointment is - and it is not an appointment until and unless it is confirmed with a date and time.

Customer Requirements Form - Appraisal/Qualification - the first concrete step
The essential first requirement of any sales process

Sales managers Standard Operating Procedure
Essential core practices to achieve consistent retail results

The Ultimate 5 Minute Briefing
Knowledge is power - take our 5 minute briefing and maybe strike a chord with your own business

Business Recovery - High Level Pass
See the wood for the trees - establish the vital few from the irrelevant many

Cash Flow
Cash at Bank predictive spreadsheet - quarterly horizon

Business Recovery Plan - Investor Initial Presentation
Heads up for the Bank or key business partners

Business Recovery Plan - detailed SMARTs and connects
This is the working recovery master plan normally spun off the presentation Strategy document which precedes it. It is the control document and joined up thinking link to which each contributants SMART action plan forms a part

Morning Meetings
A few pointers to breath life into current or lapsed morning meetings

Referrals as a profit tool
Forgotten by nearly all Automotive retailers - including household names and upper quartile operations yet the backbone still of the personal finance and insurance markets

Tough Targets to hit ?
Have you considered if you have the right people in the right place to get the job done next year? Two things to consider in people terms would be sufficiency/over-sufficiency and calibre.

Performance Management, balanced scorecard approach
Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. And the nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression

Email - the cheapest route to market
Are you finding that traditional press advertising is increasingly ineffective and yet the press continue to charge huge page rates for a dying art? Have you seen a huge increase in internet enquiries over the last 5 years? Do you agree that email and internet enquiries are often one and the same thing?

Hire Slow - Fire Fast
10 simple secrets of letting people go with dignity. – Courtesy of the Integrity Centre

Recent developments in recruitment methods used by Candidates
Executive attitudes are changing- why are old dogs learning new tricks – on-line job applications increase in popularity. – with partial thanks to Online Recruitment magazine

Interviewing Tips for Employers – courtesy of Kelly Services
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How to undertake salary reviews – courtesy Francesca Randle Cactus Research
Pay is probably the most emotive discussion point between employers and employees but do you and your organisation have a well thought out appraoch to both annual reviews and ad hoc requests for more money?

EMPLOYEE ABSENTEEISM – manage the situation
Around 2 million people are reporting they suffer from an illness which they believe was caused by or made worse by their current or past work. Around 35 million working days are lost every year (1.5 days per Worker – bet it’s even higher in your business) 28 million days lost due to work-related ill health and around 7 million due to workplace injury.

Mindmapping - ever heard of it?
For those not familiar with Mind Mapping, it is a note making, note taking and thinking system that is designed to help people access their own thinking power in a way that is efficient, effective........and enjoyable. Mind Maps have been around for over 30 years and are used in every country in the world.


projects

>> Perrys Motor Sales - a high octane formula of team dynamics for upper quartile results
>> Polar Motor Group - a Fred Dibnah job around chimney mentality and a clear representation plan
>> Royal Bank of Scotland - an exquisite re-engineering piece
>> Lookers - traditional motor retailing techniques at their very best
>> Stirling Investments Transformation of mothballed office and adjacent wood-turning shed into full facility distance selling operation for motor retailing
>> Endless LLP Undertook senior interim assignments in Chief Executive and Operations Director roles
>> Interim Partners Interim Partners – insolvent business solution
>> Black Horse Manage the rundown of an exposed stocking situation and reduce risk