Our business is really slow..How is eveyone elses??

[tjsmith]

Our dealership is in central Alabama, & it seems that our business, & the surounding dealers are really slow. I mean the phones are not ringing, not even in the shop. Just curious to see what others are like.

I guess all we can do is ride out the storm......

[byoung]

TJ,

WE ARE ON THE WEST COAST, AND BUSINESS IS UP AND DOWN LIKE A YO-YO RIGHT NOW. LAST MONTH WAS GREAT!, BUT SO FAR THIS MONTH, IT IS REALLY QUIET. BUSINESS IS DOWN ABOUT 4% THIS YEAR, BUT I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER DEALERS, AND THEIR BUSINESS IS OFF AS MUCH AS 25%.

WAR'S OVER, AND TIME FOR THE ECONOMY TO RECOVER!!

BYOUNG

[Mike Vogel]

Southern California is also up & down, no consistency right now. Although business is up slightly over last year, its nowhere near what increases we are used to in previous years !!

[theduke]

Business seems to be off in all areas of
our industry. Our dealership is in the

[tjsmith]

I guess that kinda makes me feel better.....but there is only way to go & that is UP.

[Ronc925]

So we are all in the same boat?

My new boss won't let me compare my self to anything but benchmark (high performing) dealers. There are dealer's out there showing significant increases this year and he wants to know why. He always asks what are they doing differently that I am not doing? Can I and do find things that are good that I should be doing.

I have to agree with him. Benchmarking and not externalizing is a key. What can I do that I can control, rather what I can't control is the answer.

We are starting to show a moderate 3% increase over this year in the parts business. Mostly because I have gone after mechanical wholesale rather than body wholesale which is hard to compete in. Mechanical wholesale is an untapped market here.