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Hi, Just in the process of doing all that fun stuff when starting to setup a new business. I have another businesses, but this is the first motor trade business and so whilst I am OK with generic things such as tax and accounting, there are many new things I have not come across before. What Paperwork I am sure I am going to sound a, "Right plonker Rodney" when I ask what paperwork do I need to provide a buyer, but I would sooner feel a muppet than get it wrong. Obviously I am going to provide all of the vehicle related paperwork, but in terms of a Sales Invoice/Receipt is the example in this link adequate and all that I need? http://rmiwp.co.uk/product/rmo048-new-used-vehicle-sales-invoice-pad# Do I need anything else? Cheers Jimnibob

I work in a Volvo franchise and we had a great Q3. Did over target with no self registration. Not sure if this is actually an indication that the recession is over or there are just mad deals about. People are getting lots of PPI payouts which I'm sure some are using as deposits. How was it for you?

Hi all, what invoicing software are you currently using? I am only a small setup with around 20 cars for sale and about 10 in prep, just getting sick of typing out all my invoices manually using a template. Wanting something with VRM & Postcode lookup but not really too fussed about all the SAGE & VAT stuff as of yet. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

As a dealer you may be wondering 'how important is digital marketing for me?'. In short, nowadays it is almost pivotal. Therefore, knowing the basics and what you should be doing can provide massive returns on anytime you invest in a digital marketing strategy. As more and more people start to use the web for everything from finding out where to go, answering their questions, as well as fulfilling transactions, it becomes increasingly important for brick and mortar stores to have an online presence. Maybe you have noticed this already, but on average, a car shopper will only make two visits to a dealership - the rest occurs online. This means that the car buying journey has to be engineered not only through in-store sales but also through providing the right information to the customer at the right time on their journey. Dealers looking to tap into this market should, therefore, seek to answer a few fundamental questions that are frequently asked via web-based platforms: Which car is best Is it right for 'me' Can I afford it Where should I buy it Am I getting a deal All of these questions require an understanding of your audience. As an established dealer, you probably already have insights into the answers to these questions depending on what type of customer has walked into your school. Being able to understand 'personas' and answer questions for them will greatly enhance the capacity of your online venture to fulfil clients' requests. Such personas can include families, businessmen, first-time buyers and city drivers (to name a few). Each persona requires different answers to the above questions. Users that then see this content on your website will be finding out what they wanted to know, which is ultimately going to drive larger amounts of traffic to your store and potentially result in conversions. That being said, if you are new to the industry, or are unconfident about engaging in web-based marketing, there are a plethora of companies out there that can aid you in this endeavour. These range from complete services for creating a digital strategy involving creating a website and getting it known, to consultancy activities to point you in the right direction. Outside companies can also be beneficial in providing information about your potential clients and where you can best promote to them and what you should be promoting. Such a style of data-driven marketing has become somewhat of a trend nowadays in order to target user preferences for a much more successful return on investment. One final note - Mobile devices are the next big thing. If you are not optimising your online presence for mobile devices you will fall to the bottom of the pile. As more and more users are searching on their mobile devices, having a site that appeals to this will be of massive benefit. Think about how many times you use your mobile to find 'the closest shop to me', or 'Chinese takeaways near me' - the same applies for dealerships. With the right approach to your modern marketing practices, your dealership can establish itself in a position of authority and strength in your locality, enabling greater returns on your investment and conversions in store.

Strange situation I tripped across couple of days ago and just want to make sure you are not affected ! I check on & off on Autotrader to make sure ALL my cars are advertised and if they look OK etc etc … Spotted couple of days ago only 28 Advertised from 38 … spoke to my account manager who’s currently still checking whats wrong .. resent all the cars back live on dealer portal over night feed all cars OK – Morning feeds somehow deletes some of the stock .. this morning 32 advertised out of 38 …. Issue still not resolved – Technical dept looking into it but as I’ve explained to my account manager – doesn’t help me as cars not being advertised ! So- guys and girls just keep an eye on it , this may just be an isolated case ! Better to check !

We all these leads , lets see how YOU would respond to this enquiry ..in time I'll Let you know how I replied and what happened ! "Name Bob Thomson Message whilst car looks very attractive appears overpriced for year. what would be your best cash price if i travel to view car" This is the car : http://www.specialistcars-stoke.co.uk/listing/peugeot-207-cc-gt-coupe-convertible/ Umesh

Evening All, After some advice re salesman and the correct ratio of salesman to cars. We now have 90 retail vehicles (all used) and have just moved from one to 2 salesman. Clearly 1 salesman was not enough but getting one more has made me think would we be better with 3? Or is that too many and will upset the apple cart & give everybody the hump? Is there a rule of thumb? Thanks in advance

What an interesting conversation with a customer ! Rings about a car £9000 -, tells me the PX he has is being 'sold' at £9000 , How much would I do a deal to swap. His car is worth £7250 so I tell him I need £1750 to swap ! He says but you want to make profit on both cars , why are you being so greedy ? He says IF I sell my car for £9000, cause that's what they're selling for it would be a straight swap! Long story short I kept it very amicable - and explained I am in BUSINESS AND I NEED TO MAKE PROFIT OB BOTH cars , as they are individual deals! He said I thought you'd do me a favour !! I said that's fine I'd you a favour as long as you pay my wages as a favour back ! He's gone away to see if anyone else will do him a favour ..anyone want his number !

Well I guess it's this time of year that we all look back at the joys and triumphs , wondering where 2015 went ..it only seems 5 minutes since we were welcoming 2015 never mind waving goodbye to it. For me business has been challenging in 2015 compared to the 2 years of great results, so I have to think was it the market, was it me, the strategy ..we all do it and wonder what we did right /wrong or indifferent , so many things to take into account. In trying to see if I make next year absolutely awesome , I've been looking at Autotrader iControl system , lots of interesting data and a totally new way to sell cars, but one of the things that it shows is desirability of cars in areas, especially in my area, this would obviously help to sell cars faster and more profitable ! I also use motors.co.uk and asked for some data on my stock , now you'd think that would match AT desirability chart , wouldn't you ? Both give me different information , call me old fashioned but I've always worked on what I think I can sell from my business profitably , doesn't always work as its gut feeling , not actual science. Majority of the time gut feeling works ,but the odd few just do not work out , but then again if it was that easy everyone would be selling cars! Curious to know · How's your year been in comparisons to say last 2 ? · How do YOU buy cars ? desirability ? value? ?? whats on offer at the time? · will YOU Change the way you buy/sell cars in the coming year compared to 2015? · Do YOU Price your car at 'the price' as opposed to higher and then lower it if it doesn't sell ? · Do you have an overage policy or till it sells? · What ONE thing did you learn this year that you believe will significantly change/help you business next year ? Thanks for your input guys, wishing you all a happy new year and a very prosperous 2016.

Hello, New to here.. We have an 80+ car independent dealership in Liverpool selling mainly ex fleet cars £4k-£8k. We usually sell minimum 60 retail a month but half way through November we have only managed 20 and had to fight for them all. How is anyone else of similar size doing??

I’ll throw this in and lets see what you guys think ! In reality ALL WE want is to advertise our cars for the cheapest method and get the best return /sales , but business constraints / open market /return on investment etc etc all dictate what can be done for what price. Also in reality WE Know Autotrader cannot bring down prices , So what can they do to make us all happy ! or how can they help us all ? magic wand – ideal situation- Fire away and lets see what ideas we can throw in , and just ,maybe just we can gain something from us all…. Thoughts Guys ?

Future of the 'SMALLER' independents Looking and reading all the articles it seems the bigger are getting bigger , and the smaller are getting swallowed up by the big guys! or going bust! so what happens to us ? the smaller independents ! what is the future ? will be survive ? are we all just surviving and paying the bills ? Are we all making sufficient to keep re investing or just about hanging on ..for another year? Seems a very mixed picture out there, most who do admit the 'truth' are saying are going from month to month- year to year and cannot see a rosy future , it pays the bills ! So who can help -if anyone ? is it getting the right cars from the right place at the right price? is it the marketing platforms and that they could be bringing more leads /sales for less costs? is the small independent doomed or is there ways to change and its going to be the 'RISE' of the small independents ! Any thoughts ?

Interesting and wanting to see what everyone thinks ! David @The_Marques_Man And Duncan @CarDealerDunc recently posted they inquired by email about possibly buying a car - / requesting info - But neither received a reply back from the dealers ! Could it be 1- The dealer didn't get the enquiry 2- why ? if they didnt 3- if they did why not respond? any thoughts - and how much value due to put on an email lead as opposed to a telephone lead?

Do you know what’s going on in your business? I don’t have staff, but fully aware of what happens when the boss is not looking or away [i’m ready to be shot down!] So many different people tell me ‘tales’ of things that go in various businesses. What would you see different if you had camera’s? Would all your staff be working away the same? Would anything go missing if you weren't watching them? its all about trust after all –isn't it? Saying that how many cases have we all read about theft on grand scales from staff , only a few weeks ago I was talking to an old colleague who told me how he caught his ‘trusted’ sales man pocketing some of the cash deposit – and selling the ‘older part exchanges ‘ the only reason he found out was he took a call from a customer about the Part Ex – that wasn't in part ex if you know what I mean! The salesman had taken it in – sold it for cash to another customer- as he colleague said†I’ll never know how much and how long it’s been going on!†If you have time it’s worth watching (* I know its American ïŠ } but its great entertainment and a real eye opener ‘undercover Restaurants’ on free view 41 [maybe different in different area] usually 10.00 pm Have you been caught out by a ‘trusted employee’?

Why ? No Contact ? Some time ago Jim started a topic called 30% which was more about mystery shop. Sometimes I do wonder about other business and what happens to why they follow up , here are a couple of examples of what has recently happened to me: 1- Contacted a company on behalf of the business next door about some graphics on their van couple of weeks before Christmas , told them who it was for & what was required. A week went by no contact so I just emailed ( 3 people same as 1st email) as to any news? Email straight back sorry – short staff as big projects on but promise 1st week of Jan with quotes! Told them that was perfectly fine. 2- Another company have demonstrated a product which I am quite keen to go with about October time, I have demo model but need a modified part to make it more suitable for me to see effectiveness. After a meeting in late November is was confirmed 1st week of January modified bits will be sent to me! You’d be thinking the sales person needs sacking for not following up ! in both scenarios ‘owner- directors’ are the people I’ve been dealing with.... So the questions . 1- Are they too busy with other ‘bigger’ contacts? 2- Forgot? 3- Can’t be bothered? A quick email or phone call ‘just keep’ in touch would reassure me – normally I’d send a reminder email asking if they’ve forgotten but this time I thought I’d see how long before any contact was made. Any comments ? thoughts?

So another survey to see how bad the motor trade is - Do you think its justified ? Are customers get a bad deal ? Are sales staff getting poor at selling ? http://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/customers-fail-to-receive-the-test-drives-they-want/77813?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Various reasons may be ! We're told customers have done all their research and are just coming in to buy - so the sales staff JUST want to sell, why bother with test drives! 'order takers' appears many franchised dealers no longer want the 'professional ' sales person but simply someone who can quote monthly payments and shoot between sales managers office and customer ' A Puppet' ( From what I'm told by Many customers!) "Why bother with test drives the customer won't buy from us only shop around so I'll let 'another' dealer do the work and I'll just give him the best price" is what I've heard before ! Are the managers putting pressure on to 'sell' cars - Numbers as opposed to ' satisfying customer needs' 1st ? Are sales staff simply lazy? Back to basics I think ! any thoughts?