- Nov 30, 2009
- 96
- 1
- First Name
- Marc
Afternoon DR! Hope the month is finishing strong. I am need of some help and advice. We are in the process of taking our used car photography “in house.†With that said I have some not so normal obstacles to overcome.
Here’s the Cliff’s notes version of how we are set up:
- We have 8 buildings and 5 brands setup within a mile of each other
- All used cars reconditioning gets done at our Hyundai dealership (monster service building)
- Used Car Detail is done at our Toyota Dealership and our GM Used Car Buildings
- 3 Separate Used Car Lots
- We don’t have a central location to take pics
- Once cars are traded in they are taken to Hyundai and our Pre-Owned Director decides which cars go to which lot
- Approximately 300-350 total used cars in stock
One thing we are about to start implementing on the advice of Len Critcher from eCarlist is to detail up our cars first, then send through service. This way we are getting our cars marketed anywhere from 2-5 days faster rather having them get stuck in service…then wait on my lot service to take pics.
So…here’s where I need advice. I am spread out and need to be as efficient as possible. We will be staging our cars at each dealerships building to take the pics so here is the current workflow I am thinking.
Car traded → delivered to Hyundai → Pre-owned Director decides which dealership they go to → Car Taken to appropriate detail → Car then put in “holding tank†for photographer to come by and take pics each day → Photographer takes pics and adds window stickers → Car priced & marketed online → Car delivered immediately to service after pics taken → Car goes through service → Back to appropriate dealership lot for sale
If I were in one location this would be 10x easier. If I had one place to take pics (ie. centralized photo-booth) – this would be 8x easier. I am working with what I have and trying to minimize confusion and headaches.
So does anyone see any pitfalls in my workflow? Any suggestions you guys and gals have for me that you would help me overcome making this transition? Any better ideas? Am I an idiot for trying to do this over 40 acres of dealerships?
Any and all help, advice, critiques, or ANY words of wisdom - please don't hesitate to help a DR brutha out!
Here’s the Cliff’s notes version of how we are set up:
- We have 8 buildings and 5 brands setup within a mile of each other
- All used cars reconditioning gets done at our Hyundai dealership (monster service building)
- Used Car Detail is done at our Toyota Dealership and our GM Used Car Buildings
- 3 Separate Used Car Lots
- We don’t have a central location to take pics
- Once cars are traded in they are taken to Hyundai and our Pre-Owned Director decides which cars go to which lot
- Approximately 300-350 total used cars in stock
One thing we are about to start implementing on the advice of Len Critcher from eCarlist is to detail up our cars first, then send through service. This way we are getting our cars marketed anywhere from 2-5 days faster rather having them get stuck in service…then wait on my lot service to take pics.
So…here’s where I need advice. I am spread out and need to be as efficient as possible. We will be staging our cars at each dealerships building to take the pics so here is the current workflow I am thinking.
Car traded → delivered to Hyundai → Pre-owned Director decides which dealership they go to → Car Taken to appropriate detail → Car then put in “holding tank†for photographer to come by and take pics each day → Photographer takes pics and adds window stickers → Car priced & marketed online → Car delivered immediately to service after pics taken → Car goes through service → Back to appropriate dealership lot for sale
If I were in one location this would be 10x easier. If I had one place to take pics (ie. centralized photo-booth) – this would be 8x easier. I am working with what I have and trying to minimize confusion and headaches.
So does anyone see any pitfalls in my workflow? Any suggestions you guys and gals have for me that you would help me overcome making this transition? Any better ideas? Am I an idiot for trying to do this over 40 acres of dealerships?
Any and all help, advice, critiques, or ANY words of wisdom - please don't hesitate to help a DR brutha out!