Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/379417
2 Kim Harrison has turned to RpmOne for more than a decade to enhance her dealership's profitability. And Harrison, not surprisingly, expects the partnership to continue for decades to come. Harrison, general manager of Coleman PowerSports Group in Virginia, has seen both of her stores benefit from the partnership with RpmOne that began in 2003. "The longevity in itself is one of the key things that sets them apart," said Harrison, a Powersports Business Power 50 dealer in 2013. "When I've worked with all of these other aftermarket companies, they have so much changeover, and you don't get any consistency. With RpmOne, they know our operations; they know how we work. They can come in for a day and hop in and begin training a new finance person or working with an established employee. They know the flow and operation and can easily interject and say 'This slipped from what you used to do, or how about trying this.' It's so nice because we have that relationship and it's evolved over all those years." And while Coleman has an established relationship with RpmOne, she's aware that there are always profit leaks that can be uncovered. That's where RpmOne steps in with its Business Development Assessment (BDA) performed by the company's dealer development team. "One of the things that impressed me the most is they're not just focused 100 percent on back end products and sales. They really want to help and advise and review the entire dealership," Coleman said. "They believe if they make one department healthy, it's going to benefit the whole dealership. Where I see them coming from, or their perspective as I see it, is they want to come in and improve your entire dealership and make sure the entire thing is healthy and running on every cylinder that it possibly can." Coleman herself was aware of the dealership's written processes, so that has been a focal point of the partnership in recent months. "We want to make it easier for a new salesperson to come on board," she said. "We're constantly doing training when we have new hires, but we don't have anything to hand them and say, 'OK, we're going to teach you this but here is the written process so you can follow back up on it and read it and really understand it." Tasks as basic as answering the phone at the dealership can lead to a customer coming to the store to make a purchase, or deciding that the phone service isn't so great, and opting to call a different dealership for an enhanced phone experience. "A lot of times we assume that it's common sense — how to handle a sales call," Coleman said. "So what we're trying to perfect is actually coming up with scripts and true processes to hone in on and make the whole team better." Following the BDA, the dealer development team provides solutions and suggested high-impact paths for improvement. It's an approach that Coleman appreciates, mainly due to its team-like approach. "They review their observations with you, and together you decide which ones you ENHANCING DEALERSHIP PROFITABILITY PART OF TEAMWORK Coleman PowerSports Group benefits from collaborative approach with RpmOne trainers 1.85:1 Coleman PowerSports Group's current ratio of F&I contracts sold per vehicle retailed, up from a 1.5:1 ratio prior to partnering with RpmOne. 2 Kim Harrison has turned to RpmOne for more than a decade to enhance her dealership's profitability. And Harrison, not surprisingly, expects the partnership to continue for decades to come. Harrison, general manager of Coleman PowerSports Group in Virginia, has seen both of her stores benefit from the partnership with RpmOne that began in 2003. "The longevity in itself is one of the key things that sets them apart," said Harrison, a Powersports Business Power 50 dealer in 2013. "When I've worked with all of these other aftermarket companies, they have so much changeover, and you don't get any consistency. With RpmOne, they know our operations; they know how we work. They can come in for a day and hop in and begin training a new finance person or working with an established employee. They know the flow and operation and can easily interject and say 'This slipped from what you used to do, or how about trying this.' It's so nice because we have that relationship and it's evolved over all those years." And while Coleman has an established relationship with RpmOne, she's aware that there are always profit leaks that can be uncovered. That's where RpmOne steps in with its Business Development Assessment (BDA) performed by the company's dealer development team. "One of the things that impressed me the most is they're not just focused 100 percent on back end products and sales. They really want to help and advise and review the entire dealership," Coleman said. "They believe if they make one department healthy, it's going to benefit the whole dealership. Where I see them coming from, or their perspective as I see it, is they want to come in and improve your entire dealership and make sure the entire thing is healthy and running on every cylinder that it possibly can." Coleman herself was aware of the dealership's written processes, so that has been a focal point of the partnership in recent months. "We want to make it easier for a new salesperson to come on board," she said. "We're constantly doing training when we have new hires, but we don't have anything to hand them and say, 'OK, we're going to teach you this but here is the written process so you can follow back up on it and read it and really understand it." Tasks as basic as answering the phone at the dealership can lead to a customer coming to the store to make a purchase, or deciding that the phone service isn't so great, and opting to call a different dealership for an enhanced phone experience. "A lot of times we assume that it's common sense — how to handle a sales call," Coleman said. "So what we're trying to perfect is actually coming up with scripts and true processes to hone in on and make the whole team better." Following the BDA, the dealer development team provides solutions and suggested high-impact paths for improvement. It's an approach that Coleman appreciates, mainly due to its team-like approach. "They review their observations with you, and together you decide which ones you ENHANCING DEALERSHIP PROFITABILITY PART OF TEAMWORK Coleman PowerSports Group benefits from collaborative approach with RpmOne trainers 1.85:1 Coleman PowerSports Group's current ratio of F&I contracts sold per vehicle retailed, up from a 1.5:1 ratio prior to partnering with RpmOne. CASE STUDY NO. 1: Coleman PowerSports Locations: Falls Church, VA and Woodbridge, VA 10514S-PSB-RPMOne Dealer Case Study.indd 2 8/29/14 10:30 AM