Bad Month

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Bolt on business suggestions? 

[NOACROSS 414]

2 hours ago, EPV said:

 

I don't know how you could do anything as a sideline, even when it's quiet you have to be ready to show a billy a car when they call so it's not like you could get involved elsewhere.

I don’t disagree. Although if (like me) you do have a couple of salesman- maybe you could. We all have a fair bit of downtime was my point. I’m sure some on here have a sideline  

I know we should be out there tinkering and rephoto’ing but sometimes you just don’t/CBA 

Edited July 20, 2018 by NOACROSS

[grant8064 219]

8 hours ago, NOACROSS said:

It’s a funny old game...

I often try to think what else we could do as sideline when there’s downtime.  I’ve never been able to come up with anything. 

I know some on here have workshops and others dabble in property. Be interesting to hear what you all do if anything. 

 

I don't know what downtime is these days...so much stock now so when I get a quiet day it's admin, weedkiller, painting the office or take a few for a run to clean the brakes off and try and pop up an EML before a punter does! Nothing better than a day doing fuel runs and seeing which window switch has decided to stop working.

Back before we got busy my colleague and I played a fair bit of poker on rainy days...fun but not necessarily a money maker!

[EPV 631]

34 minutes ago, NOACROSS said:

I don’t disagree. Although if (like me) you do have a couple of salesman- maybe you could. We all have a fair bit of downtime was my point. I’m sure some on here have a sideline  

I know we should be out there tinkering and rephoto’ing but sometimes you just don’t/CBA 

I am good at betting on horse racing and if it was easy to get a bet on (I had 12 people putting on for me at one stage) I could definitely run that as a sideline but keeping on top of it all is a full time job. I have thought about just having a smaller operation and nicking a few grand a month but I think I need to make sure the car sales business is running as smooth as possible and besides it’s been a good month so far for me so I don’t know when i’d get some time anyway. 

But something like that would be ideal. Computer based. 

[grant8064 219]

6 minutes ago, EPV said:

I am good at betting on horse racing and if it was easy to get a bet on (I had 12 people putting on for me at one stage) I could definitely run that as a sideline but keeping on top of it all is a full time job. I have thought about just having a smaller operation and nicking a few grand a month but I think I need to make sure the car sales business is running as smooth as possible and besides it’s been a good month so far for me so I don’t know when i’d get some time anyway. 

But something like that would be ideal. Computer based. 

On the subject...I know a guy who is a self proclaimed 'professional' gambler. He claims to only put on five or six bets per year but surely getting them placed is impossible if he's telling the truth? My old boss used to have a team of runners placing for him all over the place because of his limitations. Is that less of a thing now because of exchanges online?

 

[EPV 631]

3 minutes ago, grant8064 said:

On the subject...I know a guy who is a self proclaimed 'professional' gambler. He claims to only put on five or six bets per year but surely getting them placed is impossible if he's telling the truth? My old boss used to have a team of runners placing for him all over the place because of his limitations. Is that less of a thing now because of exchanges online?

 

Not really no. 

Exchanges are for traders. By the time the market is liquid, the early bookmaker prices (which are quite often badly wrong) have been corrected. The “value” has gone at that stage. Usually by 12pm theexchange market is liquid and decent bets can be struck. But as I say by then, mistakes are gone and the prices on the exchanges generally reflect a horse’s true chance. If you want to make proper money you need to bet when the odds are wrong and that is overnight and early morning which means you need runners. 

But keeping a tally of all their accounts is time consuming and ultimately people just want to win every day so even finding runners is hard. 

[trade vet 702]

10 hours ago, EPV said:

Polar opposite for me, stock of 10, 5 gone and two more very likely to be gin this time next week. I know it will be my turn soon! 

I can see why you are doing a few,website,prep,presentation,videos and voice overs,photos,descriptions and general attention to detail etc very impressive......As long as you don’t get an intellectual property rights legal claim from AD,you should do well.

[EPV 631]

9 minutes ago, trade vet said:

I can see why you are doing a few,website,prep,presentation,videos and voice overs,photos,descriptions and general attention to detail etc very impressive......As long as you don’t get an intellectual property rights legal claim from AD,you should do well.

That’s really kind of you to say TV and means a lot to hear it coming from a seasoned vet like you. I’m lucky I have an eye for detail and enjoy the presentation, not necessarily the work but the presentation. Obviously as a door stepper I have to make sure i’m better than everyone else or at least most others to have any chance of getting people to come out. 

AD has been really helpful to me and I have definitely adopted plenty of his business in mine. Along with Nick from Lovely Cars and Rory from RS, these are successful men who are to be listened to, along with the elder statesmen of this forum like yourself. 

 

[Autolink100 34]

It was a rubbish June for us, worst month of the year. This month has been better, certainly not flying. Currently on 14 for the month with stock currently hovering around the 25 mark. We should have 30 but finding it so hard to buy.

[Ocsltd 133]

3 hours ago, tradex said:

Been OK for us then dead as can be.

Some of our blue chip stuff like low miles C1 VTR's and Clios are hanging around too....time of the year, too hot, sunspots, Brexit, World Cup, tides, Boris resigning, too much daylight, not enough bees.....just the usual excuses for this time of year.

Not enough bees.... 

[Paddy 31]

17 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Bolt on business suggestions? 

Not a bolt on but I dabble in plant and machinery, used stuff that needs a bit of fettling and either sell as is or if time permits then I'll get dirty and get stuck into a refurb... You think car punters are bad you should try dealing in the pikey domain! not all of them but certainly more than the cars. 

[AutoJacob 34]

11 hours ago, Paddy said:

Not a bolt on but I dabble in plant and machinery, used stuff that needs a bit of fettling and either sell as is or if time permits then I'll get dirty and get stuck into a refurb... You think car punters are bad you should try dealing in the pikey domain! not all of them but certainly more than the cars. 

I did wonder with a name like Paddy 

[Paddy 31]

49 minutes ago, AutoJacob said:

I did wonder with a name like Paddy 

 I fucking hate Pikeys  

 

 

 

 

 

But they've always got cash 

Edited July 22, 2018 by Paddy

[Dave2302 387]

8 hours ago, Paddy said:

 I fucking hate Pikeys  

 

 

 

 

 

But they've always got cash 

Yeah, but they buy the cheap Tarmac Roller your selling, then come back a week later and steal the 2 diggers and a Shogun that they saw while they were casing your site

[c_cars 56]

On 21/07/2018 at 8:28 AM, tradex said:

time of the year, too hot, sunspots, Brexit, World Cup, tides, Boris resigning, too much daylight, not enough bees.....just the usual excuses for this time of year.

Then it’ll be ‘they’re all on holiday / paying for their holiday / back from holiday skint / kids back to school / christmas is coming’ 

I love the motor trade excuse book!

Quiet here too, though have done two long term stickers this week which is always nice.

[Dave2302 387]

LOL /\ /\ /\ 

You forgot "January Sales" followed by "they're all skint after January Sales", 

[Rory RSC 596]

Yesterday turned it around for us back in business 

[EPV 631]

This business is like fishing. If you cast your line, you may wait a while before a shoal appear. You haven’t done anything different to what you did when you were catching but now you’re not. Or even more specifically, you’re fishing for pike but all that’s swimming past your bait is bream, and they’re not looking for fish to eat they’re looking for bread. 

Sooner or later a couple of pike swim nearby and attack the bait together. 

You can’t control when the fish shoal past your bait but what you can control is making sure your bait looks tastier and fresher than the chap in the next swim to you. 

Thats why this business isn’t linear, x per month x per week. There’s only so many fish and lots of anglers. But if you get your bait seen by all the hungry fish and make it look better than everyone else’s bait, you’ll catch more than everyone else. 

[Grantlfc81 88]

3 this month with absolute shite margins but all cars sold were all major problem cars. so good news.

moving to our new site 1st of august so not buying any stock.

[Mikey360 68]

Sold the first one of the month yesterday, absolute horror though! 

Battery completely flat and wouldnt jump, they turned up as it was hooked up to my work truck. Had to send them off with a tenner for a coffee for half an hour whilst trying to desperatly find a battery when all the motor factors shops are closed past 12 on a saturday. 

Found one and just managed to get it swapped after they got back. No time to clean it or even put a bit of diesel in the bugger! 

Then out on the test drive the offside rear window dropped! Couldnt write this crap if I tried!

They still took it happily after a bit knocked off the price thank god! 

[Del Boy 76]

8 minutes ago, Mikey360 said:

Sold the first one of the month yesterday, absolute horror though! 

Battery completely flat and wouldnt jump, they turned up as it was hooked up to my work truck. Had to send them off with a tenner for a coffee for half an hour whilst trying to desperatly find a battery when all the motor factors shops are closed past 12 on a saturday. 

Found one and just managed to get it swapped after they got back. No time to clean it or even put a bit of diesel in the bugger! 

Then out on the test drive the offside rear window dropped! Couldnt write this crap if I tried!

They still took it happily after a bit knocked off the price thank god! 

Wow. You done well to sell that! lol

[Mikey360 68]

22 minutes ago, Del Boy said:

Wow. You done well to sell that! lol

To give the car credit, stacks of history, cambelt and pump just done, MOT till june next year and nearly new tyres all round. Drove it for about 2 weeks to check it was all fine, guess its just sods law it all went nuts! Must be the heat!

[James01 21]

How has everyone ended up this month then?

After a stonking May and June it has been relitivly slow for us, not disatrious but not great. Would be nice to get a couple more away before the end of the month! 

 

[EPV 631]

Seven from a stock of ten and not a stretch of the imagination to think i’ll have three more sold by month end. Good average profit per unit, four figures. 

[SC Derby 259]

We hit a sticky patch mid month but then sold 9 in last four days, so it's been fine really.