OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -

Increased dealership profitability is the goal of a new addition to NCM Associates’ “38 in 8” program, announced by the company this week.

NCM says the new one-day operational review format for dealerships’ fixed operating departments is now offered as an additional option under its “38 in 8” in-dealership consulting program.

The service is designed for dealers who want to see immediate progress in departmental dealership profitability, the company said.

“The development of the one-day consulting engagement stems from our Retail Operations Consulting division’s first-hand observations in working with our clients inside their dealerships,” said NCM president and chief executive officer Paul Faletti Jr.

“Our retail specialists were seeing escalating rates of process evaporation specifically within the used vehicle and fixed operations departments that were having significant impact on departmental profitability,” he said.

The NCM Retail Operations team created department-specific 38-point checklists it says can provide “an efficient yet comprehensive way to identify issues, prioritize focus areas, and develop actionable business plans to correct identified issues and set a course for immediate profit improvement.”

The title of the departmental tune-ups, “38 in 8” refers to that 38-point checklist and the eight hours required for the program.

During the single-day, on-site consulting a retail coach holds preliminary discussions with the dealer and general manager, interviews the departmental manager and analyzes the operation using the detailed checklist.

This discovery process reveals the key implementation items that will form the basis of a business plan and Guarantee of Action assignments, NCM said. Once that business plan is developed, the coach explains the plan in detail to the dealer, general manager and departmental manager.

“Even though this is a very concise approach, it has produced significant profit improvement for our clients who’ve used the 38 in 8 program for their used car operations,” said Paul Stowe, divisional director of NCM Retail Operations Consulting.

“We’re pleased we can now offer the one-day format for our clients who are facing profit challenges in their service and parts operations, as we’ve been concerned with some recent downward trending in the fixed operating departments that could be quickly remedied with this type of focused attention,” Stowe added.

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