Some dealers see public auctions as a threat. Do they have a role? The use of auctions by dealers has been a recurring theme in this magazine, and certainly in some of my own articles, which have discussed certain advantages …
Jim Bell’s 5 “must-have” worksheets Our best practices worksheets are a hot item. Here’s a recap of five of them you can download from the Canadian auto dealer website and why you need them. Both James and I started our …
Web 2.0 guru Jared Hamilton makes the complex seem obvious As a magazine editor, I sit through a lot of speeches and presentations. Because it’s my job to be there, I always try to listen intently. My natural curiosity usually …
The outlook brightens, but forecast remains cloudy With a nod to the pop band The Cars with their 1979 hit, is there a case to be made today for “letting the good times roll” in the Canadian automotive industry? According …
There are great managers and great leaders. Which are you? Over my 25 years as an observer and advisor to the automotive retail industry, the partnership between automotive vehicle brand owners (VBO) and their independent dealers has amazed me. From …
These are a series of aids developed by Jim Bell, of Global Automotive Consultants, which will provide you with the tools to assess your operation of your service department. Their ease-of-use format was designed specifically for dealers and should, if …
Regulators and consumers are exposing fake reviews When I searched the phone number of a used goods store where I shop for guitars and musical gear, I read the shop’s only online review posted in Google. It was negative, and …
When I started on the bench as an apprentice back in 1959, my favourite vehicle to work on was a Jaguar XK 150 with a D type head and three SU carburetors. Its top speed was about 135 miles per …
Do some simple math and figure out how well you are performing This is the sixth in a series of aids developed by Jim Bell, of Global Automotive Consultants, which we provide periodically to help you assess the operation of …
The numbers are looking good, but inventory is a challenge We are well into 2011 now and some of what we expected to see in the wholesale market has, indeed, trans- pired in the first few months of the year. …
There’s never a bad time to work on succession planning Over my many years of practice I have witnessed many different ways that dealers plan for the road ahead. One thing is true — when ahead becomes now, very few …
Chaos in Japan underlies fragility of global supply chain As I write this article, about one month after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the northeastern coast of Japan, the extent to which the Japa- nese, and indeed …
