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AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING & MARKETING

JKR Advertising Enjoys Remarkable Growth in a Tough Year

JKR Advertising Enjoys Remarkable Growth in a Tough Year JKR partner Kevin Baumann said, If one were to glance back 24 months when auto retail was under extreme duress credit was shrinking, the buying public was unenthusiastic, gas prices were all over the place, we partners were very concerned about growing this enterprise. However, and […]

Jon Albert

JKR Advertising Appoints Jon Albert As New Partner

Jon Albert of Altamonte Springs, Florida has been appointed partner at JKR. Joining JKR three years ago as Vice President, Jon’s contribution to the growth and continued success of the enterprise has been outstanding, and as such, is entirely deserving of this place at the table, said Kevin Baumann, senior partner announcing the news to […]

Kia Dealer Elected to Congress

Kia Dealer Elected to Congress

Meet Representative Elect Hon. Mike Kelly, [R] 3rd Cong. Dist. Erie, PA Representative elect Kelly is an auto dealer with 3 franchises; Cadillac, Hyundai and Kia. During the interview he made several references to his business experience as a dealer/principal including Kia and Hyundai. If you wish to see the entire interview click the link […]

JKR Automotive Advertising Adds New Position

JKR Advertising & Marketing is please to announce the addition of Mr. Gary P. Bosses in the new position of Vice President of Dealer Development. JKR, an automotive ad agency with nearly 90 clients from coast-to-coast brings added value to their client base with the addition of Mr. Bosses. With nearly 15 years experience in […]

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Post-Pandemic Dealer Gross Profits are Down – But They Don’t Have to Stay There!
March 13, 2024

It is no secret that dealer gross profits per vehicle are down sharply in the post-COVID automotive world. According to a recent article in Automotive News, gross profits of the six largest publicly traded dealership groups plunged significantly from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023. One of them was actually down 35% per vehicle!

The article explains: High interest rates, more expensive vehicles and a steadier post-pandemic supply chain continue to soften demand and bring it closer to pre-pandemic levels. Still, new-car buying has remained strong overall …

This means that, while sales volume is similar, overall bottom lines are lower for many dealers due to the reduced gross profits. What about your dealership?

Being Realistic
It’s time to turn the page! The time for dealers to simply be order takers for people willing to pay MSRP for a vehicle (and in some cases more) has passed and dealers have to work hard once again to achieve acceptable gross profits.

Selling a high volume of cars doesn’t control gross profits, no matter how much you wish this was the case. Correct processes and menu pricing – and strict adherence to them – do!

What kind of processes?
∙ Slow down the transaction! Your sales staff has to once again sell the customer on the features and benefits of every new and pre-owned vehicle on your lot.

∙ Your salespeople and managers should devalue the customers’ trade-in value (politely, of course) as much as possible. After all, if the customer expects you to lower your price, shouldn’t you be able to do the same on their trade? Remember, you’ll have to fix it up, put your name on it and resell it to someone else with all the tenacity you would a brand-new car. So make sure you buy it right … because the profit is made when you buy it, not when you sell it!

∙ To that end, management should be ready and willing to leave the desk and do thorough walk-arounds on each trade to ensure the best outcome for the dealership.

The Cure for Low Gross Profits
If you are like a lot of dealers these days, you could use some good news. Here it is: while you may not have the capability to achieve profit margins similar to those you enjoyed during the pandemic, they could likely be improved. JKR’s clients enjoy the benefit of attracting not only more customers, but better ones, too!

If meeting and exceeding your sales goals (and increasing gross profits at the same time) sounds great to you, you need to call us. Don’t settle for reduced gross profits when help is out there to get you closer to where you’d like to be.

Want to know how we do it? Reach out to Senior Partner Richard Brauns (407) 701-4233 or Partner/Vice President Jon Albert (407) 718-2494 today.

JKR Automotive Advertising: We Move Cars.

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