As dealers we sometimes get caught up in the day in and day out of our store. But sometimes, it’s valuable to look into the future and see what’s coming for the industry, and evaluate how we need to prepare. It’s time to see if your dealership is ready for what’s ahead. Here are seven critical areas that will be impacting dealer operations in the next three to five years:

1. Hiring and motivating the perfect sales team. Turnover in the industry is still extremely high, even with desires to make changes and lower it. How is your dealership going to change pay structures, company culture, and flexibility to reduce turnover and save money? How is this high turnover hurting the industry and what can you do to help?
2. Used vehicle strategy.  How will used car sales look in five years? Discussions about the economy and changes in politics all motivate how used vehicle sales will change over time. What is your dealership doing to be on the cusp of these changes?
3. Millennials and car buying. Mobile, social media, ride-sharing, these are all major innovations that industry professionals should be considering! Many manufacturers and brands are working extremely hard to stay up with these changes, what is your dealership doing to also compete?
4. Fixed ops retooled for competition. Economists’ outlook on softer sales numbers means that fixed ops needs to step up. What is your dealership doing to ensure that numbers will stay profitable even in downward sales years?
5. Marketing in a mobile first world. More than half of car buying traffic happens on mobile devices. Does your dealership have a strategy to work with mobile marketing and improve social media? If not, your competitors might be outselling you.
6. Overcoming new dealer model threats. Competition for the dealer model is coming from all over; Amazon even announced recently their online car buying website. So what can your dealership do to fight these new models and stay profitable?
7. Innovating on customer experience. Customers are expecting more and more when it comes to the car buying experience. Learn about new technologies and see how you can keep a competitive advantage.

In conversations with dealership panels and experts, these are the things we really believe will be impactful in the next year. We want you to have a voice in the industry moving forward, and Presidents Club is the place to do that. Please fill out this survey so we can see what dealerships around the country are doing to prepare for industry changes and advancements, and to give your advice to other dealerships. We need your thoughts to truly change the industry and give everyone a leg up moving forward.

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Because these seven areas are so critical to the future of dealer operations, the DrivingSales Presidents Club is focusing workshops and discussions on these areas. Everyone has thoughts and opinions about how to handle these challenges, and it’s a great experience to meet with others who are just as invested in the future of the industry as you are.  Instead of listening to a speaker talk, you get to debate the topic with other dealers who are successful. This workshop format, structured like 20 Groups, will help your dealership actually tackle individual problems and improve. You won’t just take notes and walk away with a list of things you think you’d like to change; you can walk away with customized ideas for your dealership that you’ve discussed and debated.  Learn from other dealers who are facing the same issues and discuss the changes that are coming for the industry all at DrivingSales Presidents Club.