Profession motor vehicle shop manager

Motor vehicle shop managers assume responsibility for activities and staff in a vehicle showroom. ​They manage employees, monitor the sales of the store, manage budgets and order supplies when a product is out of supply and perform administrative duties if required.

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Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• New vehicles on the market

  Latest developments and trends related to the new types of vehicles and vehicle brands on the market.

• Employment law

  The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees' rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

• Legal requirements for operating in the automotive retail sector

  Know existing regulations and legal requirements; ensure that all operations remain within legal boundaries.

• Types of vehicles

  Field of information which distinguishes rental agency classification systems, containing types and classes of vehicles and their functioning and components.

• Car controls

  The functioning of specific car equipment such as how to operate and handle the clutch, throttle, lighting, instrumentation, transmission and the brakes.

• Sales activities

  The supply of goods, sale of goods and the related financial aspects. The supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import and transfer. The financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales invoices, payments etc. The sale of goods implies the proper presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of acessibility, promotion, light exposure.

Skills

• Ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations

  Implement and monitor company activities in compliance with legal contracting and purchasing legislations.

• Order vehicles

  Order new or second-hand vehicles following business specifications and procedures.

• Manage budgets

  Plan, monitor and report on the budget.

• Ensure correct goods labelling

  Ensure that goods are labeled with all necessary labeling information (e.g. legal, technological, hazardous and others) regarding the product. Ensure that labels respects the legal requirements and adhere to regulations.

• Set commercial strategies in vehicle showroom

  Elaborate plans to increase sales of new or used cars in a local distribution of vehicles.  

• Negotiate with stakeholders

  Negotiate compromises with stakeholders and strive to reach the most beneficial agreements for the company. May involve building relationships with suppliers and customers, as well as ensuring products are profitable.

• Maintain relationship with suppliers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.

• Oversee the presentation of vehicles in dealership

  Direct and monitor the physical display of vehicles on the premises.

• Maximise sales revenues

  Increase possible sales volumes and avoid losses through cross-selling, upselling or promotion of additional services.

• Develop dealership forecasts

  Establish dealership forecasts by estimating total sales, incomes and expenditures. Proactively monitor sales targets and develop effective solutions should there be any lack of sales.

• Negotiate buying conditions

  Negotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.

• Manage theft prevention

  Apply theft and robbery prevention; monitor security surveillance equipment; enforce security procedures if needed.

• Supervise merchandise displays

  Work closely together with visual display staff to decide how items should be displayed, in order to maximise customer interest and product sales.

• Obtain relevant licenses

  Comply with specific legal regulations, e.g. install the necessary systems and provide the necessary documentation, in order to obtain the relevant license.

• Monitor customer service

  Ensure all employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to company policy.

• Provide information on trade-in options

  Inform customers who consider a trade-in of their used car about their options; discuss all required documents and signatures; negotiate prices.

• Measure customer feedback

  Evaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.

• Organise resources for the vehicle showroom

  Determine the resources and personnel needed for management and sales operations in a vehicle shop or vehicle showroom.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Apply procurement

  Undertake ordering of services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.

• Manage staff

  Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.

• Operate dealership management system

  Operate and maintain the management information system that caters to the needs of the finance, sales, parts, inventory and administrative aspects of running the business.

• Study sales levels of products

  Collect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency of sales methods.

• Use different communication channels

  Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.

• Oversee promotional sales prices

  Ensure that sale prices and promotions are passed through the register as they should.

• Recruit employees

  Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.

• Set up pricing strategies

  Apply methods used for setting product value taking into consideration market conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.

• Set sales goals

  Set sales goals and objectives to be reached by a sales team within a period of time such as the target amount of sales made and new customers found.

• Order supplies

  Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.

• Ensure customer focus

  Attitude that puts customers at the centre of the business in all cases.

• Negotiate sales contracts

  Come to an agreement between commercial partners with a focus on terms and conditions, specifications, delivery time, price etc.

• Apply health and safety standards

  Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB