I would never have been as successful as I have been without the support of many other individuals and organizations. I will be a student of the industry until the day I die, and I will never be too old to continue learning new skills.
When I’m asked about the one thing that has made the biggest difference to our dealership, my response is always the same. “20 Groups”. There are multiple providers to the Powersports, RV, and Marine industries, each one focusing on different areas of the dealership.
When you join a 20 Group, you submit your financials to your provider at the end of each month. These are combined into a “composite report” that compares each dealer against the other members of the group. Most groups meet in person 2 or 3 times a year for in-depth reviews of each dealer’s performance. The process can be overwhelming at first, but the lessons you can learn from your peers will make you regret not joining sooner.
Our dealership partnered with Spader Business Management in 2009, and it turned out to be the single best business decision we ever made. I describe Spader as a foundational company. Before they spend time talking about growing, they first assist you in analyzing your dealership to make sure that the foundations are solid. Once this is done, then they will help you to identify areas of opportunities and how to attack them.
After the 2009 recession, we restructured our dealership and have grown it into one of the largest Powersports dealers in Texas. We would have never been able to accomplish what we have done without the support of John Spader and his team. I should also point out that I’m not completely unbiased here, as in my free time I factilate a few 20 Groups for Spader. So you know.
If you want to supercharge your business, then join a 20 Group. While it would be great if that group happened to be a Spader group, you have plenty of other choices, and you will benefit from any one of them.
