December 5, 2008.
Opened 1926.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20081205/BIZ/81205005
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Lithia Ford - Omaha, NE
October 17, 2008.
http://www.ketv.com/news/17745276/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news
http://www.ketv.com/news/17745276/detail.html?rss=oma&psp=news
Reagan Buick Pontiac GMC - Omaha, NE
January 10, 2009.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10533672
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10533672
Peninsula Dodge - Redwood City, CA
January 2009.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=6613470
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=6613470
Score Chrysler Jeep Dodge - Middletown, OH
January 6, 2008.
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/05/daily11.html
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/05/daily11.html
Capitol Buick Pontiac GMC - San Jose, CA
December 30, 2008.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=6579051
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=6579051
Alan Young Pontiac Buick GMC, - Richland Hills, TX
December 22, 2008.
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/12/22/daily9.html
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/12/22/daily9.html
Eddie Wiggins Buick Pontiac GMC - Warner Robins, GA
January 14, 2009.
http://www.macon.com/197/story/585987.html
http://www.macon.com/197/story/585987.html
Bill Buckner Dodge Chrysler Jeep - Emmett, ID
December 10, 2008.
http://news.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/carsblog/2008/12/bill-buckner-do.html
http://news.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/carsblog/2008/12/bill-buckner-do.html
Bauer Jaguar - Irvine, CA
Their website calls it a "consolidation" with their Newport Beach location. Sounds like a shut point to me.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
EDITORIAL: Little Sympathy
I know that it isn't proper to say that I don't feel much sympathy for all of the car dealers going under, but I can't help it. The automotive retail industry has been bloated with hacks and idiots for eternity.
George Carlin said, "Dogs think everything is forever." He could have said the same about car dealers.
Let's take a look at why dealers are some of the least progressive business people in the world.
Let's start with the owner. Who owns dealerships? It is either a sales guy who worked hours on end and got a chance to buy in, or the dealership was handed down from daddy. Either way, chances are they have only a high school diploma. Some may have gone to a college nobody has ever heard of. But really the chances are they started on the sales floor at 18 and never needed to go any further with their education.
Which brings us to GMs. Why would an owner who got his education from the school of hard knocks ever hire someone smarter than they are? God forbid someone comes in and tells the owner that things can be done much better. The owner's ego couldn't take it. Their name is on the building for Christ's sake, they must know best. I think I can count the number of GMs I've met with an MBA on one hand, even if I cut off three of my fingers.
So what we have is an entire industry, with the extremely rare exception, that has a deep contempt for higher education (want proof, ask ANY factory rep). The result are dealership owners and managers with huge egos who think they know all there is to know about business when all they really know is the car business, which is far from the same thing. Just look at how long it takes to drag dealers kicking and screaming into new technology! Ask them about a histogram or a standard deviation from the mean and watch the glazed look on their faces.
Here's an interesting idea for a dealership too radical to ever be implemented...stock it with managers for whom an MBA is mandatory. Then, and only then, will dealers start to look at problems strategically and actually plan for downturns instead of reacting to something new every 30 days.
George Carlin said, "Dogs think everything is forever." He could have said the same about car dealers.
Let's take a look at why dealers are some of the least progressive business people in the world.
Let's start with the owner. Who owns dealerships? It is either a sales guy who worked hours on end and got a chance to buy in, or the dealership was handed down from daddy. Either way, chances are they have only a high school diploma. Some may have gone to a college nobody has ever heard of. But really the chances are they started on the sales floor at 18 and never needed to go any further with their education.
Which brings us to GMs. Why would an owner who got his education from the school of hard knocks ever hire someone smarter than they are? God forbid someone comes in and tells the owner that things can be done much better. The owner's ego couldn't take it. Their name is on the building for Christ's sake, they must know best. I think I can count the number of GMs I've met with an MBA on one hand, even if I cut off three of my fingers.
So what we have is an entire industry, with the extremely rare exception, that has a deep contempt for higher education (want proof, ask ANY factory rep). The result are dealership owners and managers with huge egos who think they know all there is to know about business when all they really know is the car business, which is far from the same thing. Just look at how long it takes to drag dealers kicking and screaming into new technology! Ask them about a histogram or a standard deviation from the mean and watch the glazed look on their faces.
Here's an interesting idea for a dealership too radical to ever be implemented...stock it with managers for whom an MBA is mandatory. Then, and only then, will dealers start to look at problems strategically and actually plan for downturns instead of reacting to something new every 30 days.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
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