Why Dealers Should Make Time for the MidAtlantic Annual Convention & Tailgate

If you’re running a dealership, it means you are constantly pulled in a dozen different directions. Focusing on inventory, employees, customers, compliance, financing, service, and everything in between, all of this comes up in a normal day, and stepping away from the dealership for a convention can feel difficult, I get it! BUT… I believe that is exactly why making the time to attend is so important!

Our industry is constantly changing, we see it on social media, on the news, and at conventions every day. The way we buy vehicles, communicate with our customers, structure our deals, manage accounts, use technology like AI, and measure overall performance looks very different than it did a few years ago. If we continue operating simply because “this is how we’ve always done it,” we risk missing opportunities to make our dealerships more efficient and more profitable.

One thing we should be paying close attention to right now is our data. If you know me, you know I love to data mine, a lot!

Most dealerships have an incredible amount of information available to them, but many aren't fully using it.

Your dealership's numbers can tell you which vehicles make you the most money, how long inventory should realistically stay on your lot, where you are losing money, how your customers perform, and where changes could improve profitability.

That is one of the conversations I hope dealers will have with me at the convention. Ask me what we are tracking at Red White and Blue Autos and, more importantly, what we are doing with that information. I am always interested in hearing what other dealers are tracking as well because “we don’t know what we don’t know”. Sometimes one conversation with another dealer gives you an idea you can take home and adapt to your own operation, turning it into a meaningful improvement.

That is where I think conventions have tremendous value. You have access to dealers, vendors, lenders, technology providers, and industry experts who are dealing with many of the same challenges you are. Take advantage of that and ask questions. Or sit in on a session that isn't necessarily in your comfort zone and talk to the dealer sitting next to you. Try to find out what is working for them and don't be afraid to share what is working for you.

I have been in this business long enough to know that no dealership has everything figured out. Some of the best changes we have made at our company started with a conversation, a question, or an idea we brought home from someone else in the industry.

My goal when I attend a convention isn't to come home with 50 new ideas, because who has the time, resources, or sanity to do that? If I come home with one or two ideas that make our company better, more efficient, more compliant, or more profitable, the time away from the dealership was worth it. Plus, it’s Atlantic City, you know you want to be there! For me, the most successful dealers I know never stop learning and the convention gives us the opportunity to learn from each other, then take those ideas home and put them to work.

See you in AC!