General Managers

[gene calhoun]

Where is it written that all General Managers must come from sales? You find very few GMs that come from Fixed Operations. It seems to me a Parts Manager or Service Manager should be able to run a dealership from front to back as well as a salesman. In my 38 years in the business, I have served as Parts Manager, Service Manager, Body shop Manager, and Fixed Operations Manager. I only know of a handful of GMs that come from Fixed Operations. Why?

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[jdaniel]

Because the dealer came from sales. How many dealers come from the Fixed Ops world? Very few. Why? Because all that the factories really care about is moving units.

Jack

[bass]

I AM A FIXED OPERATIONS MANAGER AND I HAVE BEEN A GENERAL MANAGER. FROM MY STAND POINT, I WOULD RATHER BE IN THE BACK END. ITS NOT THAT MANY OF YOU ARENT QUALIFIED, BUT IT IS A DIFFERENT WORLD, AND REMEMBER, WITH SALES COMES NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS.

[Truckguy1000]

As a service manager or S.D. you are qualified to run Sears Auto department, a Goodyear store or manage a region for Autozone. But auto sales is so far removed from anything else in the sales world that only someone who has been there can do. Auto sales is NOTHING like retail. It relies on a whole different set of skills and mentality. Put another way, all of things about a salesman that makes the service department not like them...........well that's what a GM needs in triplicate. They don't teach sales in colleges.......they can't.....they never will be able to. Nothing replaces the experience needed like the experience itself.Ever wonder why sales turnover is so high? Most of the applicants come from sales backgrounds and don't make it. Because auto sales is so different. You either get it or you don't. You're a car guy or you're not. If you think I'm joshing......have this conversation with a few of your best car salesmen and get their opinion.

[grosser]

You need to be a salesman to be a sales manager, but you need to be a BUSINESS man
to be a general manager.

I have met many traditional GMs who cant read a financial statement or understand expenses / net profit.

Recent years have been good for car sales. So long as the gross was there, the net was there and any idiot..er salesman could run a store.

Times are a changin though, and the rule of thumb about fixed ops covering the fixed expenses is more important than ever. How many Sales Managers know how to do that?

[CroweChizek]

I agree that a good GM is a good businessman. Regardless of their background they need to be able to identify and keep good managers (Sales, Service, Parts and Accounting). They need a broader knowledge than just sales. They also need to be able to read and react to problems that surface in the financials. Especially when car sales are down and there is more reliance on fixed operations. How many future sales are lost by poor service in fixed operations?