Sure, we are all plagued by day-to-day demands. However it is those who develop a strategy to eliminate these issues that gain respect and notoriety amongst their peers.

Of course proper planning takes some time and energy, but chances are you’ll be surprised by how truly simple it can be. Best of all – you don’t have to go at it alone.

Want to ensure your 2010 is more profitable? Here are a few suggestions to help you create and implement a winning plan that will define you as more than just a problem solver.

How Can December’s Down Time Be an Advantage?

Let’s face it. The weeks leading up to Christmas aren’t typically known for high sales volume, or drastic increases in dealership traffic. So what’s a dealer to do with some of that pre-holiday down time? The answer is simple: Brainstorm.

• What advertising tactics might you like to try in 2010?
• Have you revisited what worked throughout the past year?
• Do your current vendors offer any new tools which could help grow one or more aspects of your dealership?
• What have your managers or employees come across that they believe is a good idea?
• How can you retain key people that have helped you grow your business? 

Getting input from inside and out can be essential to discovering (and in turn implementing) solutions that get you where you want to go.

What’s the Benefit to Prior Planning?

Prior planning prevents poor performance. I’m sure you’ve heard it a hundred times. Yet despite this fact, many of us overlook this point when it comes to developing strategies for our businesses.

In working with dealers over the years, I’ve watched many develop outstanding strategies only to forever postpone the actual execution of their ideas. Some tell me this lack of action is the product of tightened spending, while others have been brave enough to admit their fear of risk. Although few see that the biggest risk one could take, and the most expensive mistake one could make, is in never doing anything at all.

How Does Planning Lead to Goal Setting?

Consider it like this: A plan comprised of ideas builds expectation. Let me explain what this means through a simple example. A dealer in Kalispell, MT, booked 3 staffed events over the course of 4 months, and agreed to regularly consider new ideas which could help his events reach full potential. As a result of such proper planning, the dealer generated more than $680k in gross profit, exceeding his own sales expectations by $70k - $130k per sale. When all was said and done, it was the dealer’s due diligence that increased the value of the sale.

Would you want to reap rewards like this dealer did? Start by determining what you want to change. Set week by week goals and compile ideas for improvement on a weekly basis. This helps to ensure that each idea is given complete consideration and critical thought as it comes time to implement. As an added advantage, addressing goals and ideas on a regular and frequent basis lends clarity to the idea and the amount of money you can expect to spend implementing it.

How Does Planning and Expectation Lead to Forecasting & Budgeting?

Have you ever considered a tough economy to be the wrong time to feverously control costs and expenses? Chances are probably not. Yet in reality down economies offer the best opportunity to gain the biggest bang for your buck.

The automotive industry is filled with last minute decision makers whom often overlook the opportunities lost as a result of delayed action. Planning ahead and finalizing commitment with vendors can often save you some cash thanks to frequency discounts, etc. But keep in mind that getting something on the cheap means nothing if the product or service you purchase provides no value over time. In order for a plan to be successful, it must focus more on business development and less on cost savings. Consider what you’re planning for:

• What goals have you established?
• What steps are you planning to take to get there?
• Is it more important to achieve these goals or come in under budget?

 By devising a strategy which is based on ideas that aim to achieve a set goal, you’ll be better prepared to formulate a well calculated yearly forecast and build a budget that reflects these initiatives.