This book is the pocket guide I wish I had when I first became a general manager of a Mitsubishi dealership in New York. Honestly, I am not the brightest star in the sky and made every mistake anyone could’ve possibly made. The car business desperately needs better leadership skills, understanding of social media, inventory management, fixed operations, and so much more. There is no educational barrier to the entry into car business, and there are only a handful of universities offering a major in car dealership general management, such as Liberty and Keiser.

Automotive retail is changing slowly, and one of the main reasons for that are the franchise laws. I want to urge you to operate as though franchise laws don’t exist to protect you. At the end of the day, awesome customer service, whether in sales, service, or parts, will keep your customers coming back for more. It is ultimately your choice whether to accept change. Consumers will continue to purchase cars. The only question is: Will they will be buying from you?

Today, traditional car dealerships are facing a threat. Innovative and convenient digital startups and services threaten to disrupt the traditional car-sale process, egged on by consumers who aren’t happy with the existing sales process. If car dealerships don’t adapt, they will face an industry-wide extinction. Perfect Dealership offers help and hope for dealerships struggling to adapt to this digital-based paradigm shift.

Every dealer sells F&I products, and most dealers understand the importance of the F&I department in terms of its contribution to the bottom line. Unfortunately, F&I is not a regulated profession, meaning one doesn't need any type of state license to practice, and because of that there is very little formal education available. The actual management of the F&I department, product selection, and different types of participation programs are largely ignored, so most dealers, general managers, and finance managers must figure out these aspects in real time, on the job.

It is not hard to become a used car dealer even if you are on a tight budget. As far as the income potential is concern, it is higher than most other side gigs you will find. Just imagine this, you buy a 6 years old Toyota Camry with 87K miles for $4,500, you bring it home, clean it up, fix few minor scratches, wash it wax it, then put it up for sale on Craigslist for $7100. In the first three days you get a few calls, and after 4 test drives, you sell it for $6,600.