Autotrader weekly performance email....

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Guys, I don't tend to take note of AT's emails because  we all know their figures are fundamentally flawed....But, my stats show "27 average days to turn over your forecourt". My question is...is this good beacause it doesn't say anything about other dealers ? 

[EPV 631]

13 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Guys, I don't tend to take note of AT's emails because  we all know their figures are fundamentally flawed....But, my stats show "27 average days to turn over your forecourt". My question is...is this good beacause it doesn't say anything about other dealers ? 

It's a projection based on your forecourt desirabilty. It's to be taken with a pinch of salt. Mine was 50 days last report, I sold 8/10. This monthly AT report tells me 27 days. Which I know will be cobblers. Personally as much as I love some elements of AT there are some useless ones as well.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Typically bullshit then.... Did you get my voicemail ? 

[EPV 631]

Yes thanks mate, good to have that reassurance that they do sell. Weird why that one has stuck, looks a lovely car.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

1 minute ago, EPV said:

Yes thanks mate, good to have that reassurance that they do sell. Weird why that one has stuck, looks a lovely car.

Believe me, if I knew the answer......

The good thing is I don't have anything older than 5 months..... Those on here will have cars which have beome part of the family....  

Its like a sweet shop, bonbons might be selling quickly and then all of a sudden its sherbert dips, then chewings nuts..... 

Oh and btw guys,  I am not laughing iat anyone who has a car that is growing roots.

[trade vet 697]

I think 27 days is good, if it is right.The stat I liked ( or maybe not) was the cost of sales,average cost per car over the year. Just read something where the boss of Cambria is claiming that they stock 1600 and on average it takes them 21 days in total from purchase to sale.I suspect he is including all the swappers they block to get to that figure ....

[EPV 631]

4 minutes ago, trade vet said:

I think 27 days is good, if it is right.The stat I liked ( or maybe not) was the cost of sales,average cost per car over the year. Just read something where the boss of Cambria is claiming that they stock 1600 and on average it takes them 21 days in total from purchase to sale.I suspect he is including all the swappers they block to get to that figure ....

Yeah that's got to be bollocks. My average days to turn is 27 (actual not AT's wishy washy made up stuff) but I can't see how you can turn 1600 in 21 days average including prep.

[metcars 395]

2 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Believe me, if I knew the answer......

The good thing is I don't have anything older than 5 months..... Those on here will have cars which have beome part of the family....  

Its like a sweet shop, bonbons might be selling quickly and then all of a sudden its sherbert dips, then chewings nuts..... 

Oh and btw guys,  I am not laughing iat anyone who has a car that is growing roots.

I planted two Focuses in early spring?

[EPV 631]

Ha ha ha 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

7 hours ago, met said:

I planted two Focuses in early spring?

Like 

[MattR 177]

10 hours ago, met said:

I planted two Focuses in early spring?

3 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

 

which should give you a good crop of focii next spring?

[Nick M.K. 574]

14 hours ago, EPV said:

It's a projection based on your forecourt desirabilty

I don't think it is, I think it calculates the actual days from advertising to Mark as Sold. My Stock Desirability hovers around the 2.7 mark all the time but my days to turn have been anything from 18 to 60+ in the past couple of years. I don't look at it because I advertise sometimes even before the car arrives, often before it is actually ready and leave the adverts running long after it's sold (for a number of reasons). 

[EPV 631]

7 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

I don't think it is, I think it calculates the actual days from advertising to Mark as Sold. My Stock Desirability hovers around the 2.7 mark all the time but my days to turn have been anything from 18 to 60+ in the past couple of years. I don't look at it because I advertise sometimes even before the car arrives, often before it is actually ready and leave the adverts running long after it's sold (for a number of reasons). 

You're probably right IF it's based on AT's market turn data which is pretty useless imo (and I have stated this several times to loads of people at AT and I believe it's actually changing this September) 

The market turn data is historical and it's also nationwide data. Knowing that car xyz turned in 22 days last month is fairly academic IMO because by the time you see that nugget of info, the demand may have been plugged and the demand could have been at the other end of the country anyway.

Anyway, it was best summed up by AD "typically bullshit" comment!

The desirability scale of 1-5 however IS useful. Like I said, some of AT's stuff is class leading, some of it is confused people in an office with clipboards and excel spreadsheets. Once you know how to interpret the data and what's good and what's not, it's a great tool.