Rory RSC

I have done the same until July than started using click dealer. I kid you not, customer in the office and an invoice completed in probably a minute to a minute and half. Its rapid. Love it. If they have enquired for finance or email on the car it finds their info on the system and its even faster.

I think thats a really good mentality to have and a strong approach. Obviously working aswell.

They are all individually decent guys who are trying to help the industry. You might not agree with it, might not want their services but I think fair play for them trying to make it a better place. They have put quite a lot of hard work into something over and above running businesses which may, or may not bring you or I some benefits but give them a break.

When a grown man worries about the cost of insuring a run of the mill car you have a problem. Most feeble, pathetic cop out of them all.

46 package on AT. Biggest bill. Best advertising return to be fair.

Not strictly required but I love that

Its your shop window - All needs to be on there IMO at all times to get the best results.

'the prediction of 20% of all Independents going out of business within the next 5 years will become reality! ' Interesting comment / stat. Is this a case of not adapting and evolving and moving with the times? In business its down to all of us to put the time in to make things better and ensure we keep moving forwards. I can see the problem with the larger groups moving their focus and attention to the used market limiting supply and taking market share.

With 30 cars and 10 Autotrader slots how is that going to work?

I thought everyone just said the service book was in the post and sent out an envelope with a hole in the bottom ? If a car has full history I mention it may adverts. If it doesn’t I don’t mention it in adverts but will put just serviced as we will service the car for sale. Being clever with customers just leads to grief, we all learn one way or the other.

£1600 end of life car and the lads offering to send someone out to you to get it fixed at no cost to you on your driveway. Pretty good service to be fair. Exceptionally good service when you factor its an old tired car.

Good points - Its easier to make a video on a sporty car with loads of features ie a fully loaded RS4 or Range Rover over an entry level Rav4 with no extras and cloth trim. Thing is in video you can actually sell the benefits of your dealership through speaking or by having text pop up.....good reviews?? tell them. You prep cars properly and offer 6 month warranty tell them. Sell to them in the way you would when they come out in person whilst they are sat at home.

Got 2 of them and never had an issue with either. Start all but the biggest engined cars.

We are doing very well with Volvo V40 R Designs at the moment. Good margin across them.

They just go round cars and expect them to be like brand new. Nightmare when a customer goes to one of these places with a 5-10 yr old performance car. Had one the other week who told customer car needed full exhaust system on a VXR, due to minor surface corrosion. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it at all.

Question for Jim and others What would you do differently ? Good thread actually. I think setting up any business and making it profitable is hard. It requires loads of hard work and a lot of people are not cut out for it. It does mean sacrifice and does mean not going to such and such family event, not taking a holiday and not paying yourself. There is no other way to it. We are around 4 years in with a constantly increasing profit with continued reinvestment in our business and our small workforce. We don't pay others to do what we can do ourselves. I enjoy what I do and genuinely like this industry. It is tough to a degree but so is any business. Its not as tough as what I used to do before this. I think its all about playing the long game and setting up the right infrastructure to allow you to grow. Do as much in house as possible.

More than enough to get started with. Less than I had when starting up. Work hard. Work really hard. Work harder than everyone else. You just have to. Travel the entire country buying stock as cheap as you can, selling quickly and efficiently. Get cars, back prepped and on sale as fast as possible. Spend the time I had making video, good pics, good descriptions and recording everything accurately. Re invest and pay nothing to myself at all.

The only cars I actually really tend to reduce these days are the PX to clear type things when the guy is in front of me with the money. Mainly because I get that fed up of calls at 2am and 3am coming through and daft offers I just CBA at that point

Just the youtube app directly. Fairly quick to upload.

PM'd you

Now that is when it becomes an absolute PITA.

It happens from time to time. Put the car up for sale anyway. You just need to obtain clearance from them. When you start buying newer lease cars and stuff it happens more and more often. It is a bit of a pain but it is just one of those things. A hell of a lot of cars in auctions from main dealers are on stocking finance when taken in as PX.

40plus cars sold now this month we are dead here

BOOOM Nail on head!!!! Video walkrounds made the single biggest boost to my business this year. I hear so many excuses from dealers not to do it. Just do it.

X5's are always going wrong avoid.