Inspiration to Drive Your Dealership Forward
A notable example of this methodology is the British cycling team. The team’s coach, David Brailsford, implemented small habit changes throughout the team. Individually, these changes seemed insignificant, but together they achieved the unthinkable: two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics and eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
What were these changes? Sleep habits, diet plans, personal hygiene, aerodynamic clothing, warm-up times, types of pillows, post-training massage creams, equipment weight, etc.
So, how can we implement marginal improvements in the dealership?
An Improvement Is Invisible Until It’s Measured
To apply this methodology, one rule cannot be ignored: measurement. Competitive racing improved the day they started using stopwatches. Every role, every decision-maker, and every department should measure what they do, know if it aligns with business objectives, and detect when help is needed. This will let you understand if today’s results correlate with yesterday’s, predict upcoming situations, and avoid recurring mistakes.
To facilitate this task, we designed Autologica Analytics, a tool we will launch later this year. This new data layer will be organically and naturally integrated into the DMS, allowing dealership managers to maintain a data-driven routine.
Establish Clear Goals and Focus on Daily Processes
To apply this methodology, it’s crucial to set clear goals, but also to focus on daily processes and systems that facilitate their achievement. Each workday should consist of coherent and connected actions within a framework of quarterly and annual goals.
Improvement Must Be Accompanied by a Change in Attitude
Finally, being open to change is crucial for generating improvements. Imagine the following scenario: it’s 2003, and David Brailsford arrives on his first day with the British cycling team. He analyzes habits, sets goals, identifies objectives, and spots areas for improvement. When he makes his first proposal, the response is: “We’ve always done it this way.” You can imagine the team director thinking: “No wonder they haven’t won a medal since 1908.”
How Does This Methodology Impact the Dealership?
- Increased Efficiency: Optimizing daily processes saves time and resources.
- Greater Adaptability: Small changes allow constant adaptation to new technologies and market demands.
- Error Reduction: Continuous improvements help identify and correct errors more quickly.
From Theory to Practice: Small Improvements That a DMS Offers to Achieve Big Changes
We propose implementing one new DMS function every one or two weeks, or even once a month. The trick is to create the habit of fully leveraging a tool that spans the entire company.
Parts
- Stock Optimization: Implementing an inventory management tool that suggests which parts to order and helps control inventory levels could increase parts sales by up to 20%.
- Reduction of Sales Losses: By using features that help predict demand and have parts available for service jobs, you can avoid losing sales.
Sales
- Task Automation: Implementing certain DMS features can save up to 20 minutes per vehicle sales transaction.
- Better Use of CRM: Leveraging CRM information for personalized campaigns can increase conversion rates.
Service
- Faster Vehicle Reception: Using apps for workshop reception can cut in half the speed of vehicle check-ins.
- Digital Time Tracking: Replacing manual timesheets with a digital system saves 4 hours per week.
Administration
- Automation of Repetitive Tasks: Replacing manual tasks with automatic interfaces can save up to 80 hours monthly.
- Efficient Communications: Implementing automated communications with customers and suppliers can save a salary of a person dedicated to repetitive administrative tasks.
Management
- Automatic Reports and Dashboards: Configuring automatic reports can save 80% of the time spent on preparing management reports.
- Constant Measurement: Adopting the habit of measuring all key indicators will help you make informed and timely decisions.
Conclusion
Adopting James Clear’s philosophy of marginal gains can transform how a dealership operates, achieving significant results through continuous small changes. By applying these strategies and fully leveraging the tools available in Autologica Sky DMS, dealerships can optimize their processes, increase efficiency, and remain competitive in an ever-evolving market.
