Articles by Kevin Day - Contributing Author

I can’t understand the mentality of some dealerships. I see stores fighting their competition tooth and nail to get the sale. Margins are cut, promises are made and profitability follows CSI right out the door. The part that amazes me the most is the fact that a good majority of stores in the country are weak in their finance departments. Think about it for a minute. The deal is sometimes worked for a week or more to make what ...

I am often amazed at the differences between dealerships. Why do some dealers hit such high levels of success and others struggle? Why do dealerships do well for the first year or two, and then numbers drop off?

SFI Newsletter

Today’s dealership climate differs drastically from that of several years ago. We have seen the resurgence in the popularity of BHPH across the spectrum.

Kevin Day - Sales personnel across the country are barraged by enraged customers demanding better rates and loan terms. Obviously, the special finance segment of the auto industry is not the same as it once was; although, some customers haven’t seemed to figure this out. Special finance salespeople are taking

Kevin Day - During the 12 years I spent as a dealer, it seemed someone was always trying to sell me something. I put my “guards” in place to thwart these avid peddlers, and thus I would avoid most of their sales pitches. However, in doing this I often...

Kevin Day - Most people know and understand what typical insurance is; insurance is the means of guaranteeing against loss or harm. What people don’t understand (and during my 13 years as a dealer I didn’t understand this either) is RRGs. An RRG is ...

Kevin Day - Just after the turn of the century, mighty Wal-Mart (yes, that Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer) entered the used car market. This amazing saga began as a joint venture between Wal-Mart and an established dealer group called Asbury.

Every dealership needs to focus on employee satisfaction and support, as a means to reduce costly turnover and increase productivity. The revolving door for sales personnel must stop.

Kevin Day - The Hollywood portrayal of a car salesperson is a fast-talking, bow tie wearing person in a cheap suit that knows more closes than a door. This portrayal is easy for a lot of us involved in the business to shrug off. However, what if we took the time to really analyze what people think about us …