How often you do assess whether the commission and bonus schemes you have in place are having the desired effect? Presuming your letters to staff laying out the terms of their schemes contain a...

It is a sad fact of the current downturn that the vast majority of staff in dealerships will be concerned about whether they are still going to have a job this time next year. Realistically, as a...

by Keith Butler At Fish Brothers, we have recently been focussing on reducing costs in three particular areas: • Mobile phones • Electricity • Credit vetting software Mobile phones...

by Keith Butler Although tax compliance normally concerns only the dealership accountant or finance director, the effect of getting it wrong can have serious effects on dealership profitability and...

The budgeting process for 2010 is rapidly approaching. In some dealerships, it may even be already underway. Two key factors in particular make the process for next year even more difficult than it...

From the 2009/10 tax year onwards, the way company car benefit in kind is calculated for dealership staff is changing. Up to now, dealerships and groups have been able to make individual arrangements...

One of the regular checks I make is how the fees charged by our auditors compare with those of other dealership groups. The variation is huge – fees per £million of turnover for financial...

In the current trading conditions, anything which can improve the dealership bottom line has got to be to be looked at – and that’s why more motor retailers are getting into service plans....

You may think there is nothing you can do about the ever increasing cost of local authority rates, but it is worth revisiting the rateable value calculation from time to time – especially if...

It is not just the ‘cost’ of corporation tax which impacts upon your business. The cost of having your accountants prepare the computations can also be up to half as much again as the...

We are all familiar with the anxious sales executive regularly calling Accounts to find out if a customer’s cheque has cleared so that they can deliver the vehicle. Late last year, the banks...

Given the current tightness of the labour market, the need to attract and retain competent and reliable staff has never been greater. The cost pressures on dealerships also mean there is only limited...

In the July issue of Auto Retail Manager I looked at the advantages of using online credit information providers for assessing whether to give credit to limited companies. Assessing unincorporated...

With rising interest rates and a slowing economy, it is unfortunately inevitable that some businesses will not survive. These may include your current and potential customers. What steps can you take...