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Relationships Mean More Sales

Lasting Relationships Mean More Sales to Auto Dealerships

Positive relationships mean more sales in the automotive world. It makes perfect sense; just think about how the automotive world parallels your life. The healthy relationships you have are based on commitment and trust; and when the relationship is as good as it can be, it strengthens over time. Do you absolutely need a […]

Marketing Behind JKR

The Marketing Behind JKR Advertising & Marketing

There is a good reason why we call ourselves JKR Advertising & Marketing. People recognize our clients from their advertisements produced by our agency, because that’s the tangible “Advertising” part of JKR Advertising & Marketing. But there is a whole lot more going on in addition to those commercials. Today’s blog explains the marketing side […]

Overstuff Commercials

Don’t Overstuff Commercials with Information

Resist the urge to overstuff commercials with information. You may have the largest dealership facility, the biggest inventory, the most knowledgeable salespeople, the greatest cars and the most responsive service staff in your market (or at least some of them). So how do you get all that information into one advertisement, where you have a […]

Phillip Blevins

JKR Names Phillip Blevins Office Manager

Please join us in congratulating Phillip Blevins on his promotion to Office Manager, effective Monday, May 18. After starting with JKR as Billing Coordinator, he has most recently been part of Jeff Johnson’s Client Services team, serving as Account Coordinator. Phil will oversee human resources and day-to-day operations, and will also be in charge […]

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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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