How/When did you know you were ready for management?

[Impala67]

I am a young parts advisor, I am looking for just some insight as too when all of you other managers knew when you were ready to step up and how did it happen. I know that I am still a long ways away from there. But some advice would be great.

GM, Ford, Chrysler Experience
5 years experiences, Primarily Back Counter.

[LOKI1]

You could start now with GM as a rep.

[bigmac]

You've got way too much experience to be a GM rep.

[JMShocker2010]

You've got way too much experience to be a GM rep.

LMAO



How much do you understand of all the numbers? i.e. the composite, aged inventory, inventory turns, stuff like that?

[Zep33]

I started off dumping trash, then driving customers home, then detailing cars, then lube guy, then a tech for 5 years, then parts advisor for about 7 years, and have been a manager for the last 10 or so.

I thought I was a ready after maybe 5 years in parts or so but I was lucky, my boss showed me how to do everything in the parts department. I was a pretty fast learner and had a good memory. There's a lot to know behind the scenes and hopefully, your boss doesn't keep it all to himself. Where I am now, these guys had never been shown anything aside from looking up parts and billing them out. I've been slowly working to change that since I got here last October. I much prefer that everyone can do everything but that's not always the case.

So I guess it depends on how much you know and how much you want to know.

[Bailo1]

Impala,

A lot of what Zep had to say was very true. I'll say this--if you have a solid work ethic, good knowledge of how things work in general in the parts department, are a good communicator and want to be a good parts manager then you can be ready. I made the jump to management when I saw and opportunity and because I needed to do it for my family (had my first little one on the way and wanted to make an improvement to my income). Did I know everything one needs to know to be a good parts manager? NO! Still don't. However, I put in the time it takes to figure things out and leaned on my peers (and this forum ) when necessary. I think a lot of parts managers don't necessarily know/understand the formulas and benchmarks that JMShocker mentioned initially but that stuff starts to make more sense as you work as PM day in and day out...at least it did for me. Hope this helps and best of luck!

[LOKI1]

Read this forum and the DFOAB as much as you can. In your spare time go through everything you can in Global Connect too, that will help you to be able to find the resources you might need. GM itself will not be much help, some of the classes are good but most are a waste of time. I try to get the people I work with to do that but not much interest has been shown. The last store I managed had people that did that and now they have moved on and have stores of there own. I believe that if you have ambition you can get there. It will also take an owner or service manager or sales manager or fixed op manager or general manager helping you out. We never learn it all.
Good luck

[Fungoul]

"Get out now"

[scott2112]

I was a service advisor for 7 years before taking the PM position. Our service side was dropping and couldn't feed three advisors and our PM was caught embezzling. So, I jumped at the chance to make more money and gain more knowledge. I have been the PM here for 10 years and I am also the parts director for our 6 other stores. But I feel our industry is in a downfall. Granted vehicles will always need parts, the industry hasn't done its due diligence in cultivating a workforce of technicians. Thankfully, I have ridden the wave a quality techs and benefitted from their ability to fix vehicles. Sadly, there aren't many of those techs left. Its seems to me that GM is more interested in selling maintenance that actual repairs. We are the only dealer in our town and we have reached critical mass in service. We are extremely busy and in some areas it can be 4 weeks before we can look at your vehicle. And, it could be another 4 weeks before its fixed. I fear that is may be too late and that it may be our demise once another dealer moves in. There aren't techs to hire and the ones that have the training are hired guns that move from place to place getting guarantees with no care about the hours they produce. And the young techs are content with making 60 hours a pay period...no drive and no ambition.

All that being said, if you are younger than 30, get out!!!! Many of us, are too old to jump professions and hope to make the money we make now.

[PartsPlant81]

Started parking cars for service when I was 16, then became parts driver, then parts consultant, then internet parts manager/rental department manager, then service appointment coordinator, then parts consultant at a different dealership, now finally parts manager for over 4 years at my 3rd dealership in my 18 year career.
The biggest advice I can give anybody that wants to be a manager is to find a mentor that has been successful and learn everything they do and why they do it.
You will always have your own style and make your own tweaks to what you learn from your mentor(s) but it is invaluable to have one in my opinion.
The other thing is always try to have fun and learn something new; as hard as it gets sometimes dealing with techs, customers, advisors at the end of the day you want to feel good about what you accomplished and hopefully make your customers happy along the way as well.
Good Luck!