​The Importance of Score-Keeping and Score-Boarding

by Garry House

 

Sometime in your automotive management career, I’m sure that you’ve all been asked, “How do you know whether you’re winning or losing without a scorecard?” Score-Keeping and Score-Boarding is one of the critical practices that falls under my often-discussed discipline of Effective Accountability Management.

​

• Plan your Work and Work Your Plan!

• Clearly Define and Communicate Your Expectations!

• Measure What You Need to Manage, and Inspect What You Expect!

• Develop and Implement a Systemic Structure!

​

Before you begin the practice of Score-Keeping and Score-Boarding, you must first perform the following important steps:

​

1. Envision your end results. This is part of “Planning Your Work.”

2. Determine the activities that are necessary to achieve the desired end result. Establish the objectives that you wish to apply to these activities. These steps are part of “Working Your Plan” and “Clearly Defining Your Expectations.”

3. Train your subordinates on how you wish these activities to be performed and what you wish produced from each activity. These steps are part of “Developing and Implementing a Systemic Structure” and “Clearly Communicating Your Expectations.”

4. Establish a method to accurately measure and report, on a timely basis, whether the required activities are producing the desired end result. These steps are part of “Measuring What You Need to Manage,” “Inspecting What You Expect,” and “Developing a Systemic Structure.”  

 

Once these steps are accomplished, you’re ready to begin the Score-Keeping and Score-Boarding process. It is important to recognize that, to be effective, Score-Keeping must be relevant, timely, and accurate, and Score-Boarding must be highly visible to all. Let’s look at an example of how you might wish to Score-Keep and Score-Board one critical set of activities.

​​

• The end result we wish to achieve is to maximize the used vehicle deliveries that result from “blind” inbound phone inquiries to the sales staff (or to the BDC).

• The set of activities that we need to Score-Keep and Score-Board, together with the objectives per salesperson, are as follows:

  • The number of “blind” inbound used vehicle phone inquiries handled per salesperson per month. Assume that our objective for each salesperson is 25 inbound phone inquiries per month.

  • The percentage of “blind” inbound used vehicle phone inquiries that are logged into the dealership CRM (completely, accurately, and timely). Assume that our objective is 100%.

  • The percentage of “blind” inbound used vehicle phone inquiries that result in an appointment being set by the salesperson. Assume that our objective is 60%.

  • The percentage of telephone appointments “set” that are confirmed by a manager or other 3rd party. Assume that our objective is 85%.

  • The percentage of used vehicle telephone appointments that actually “show up” at the dealership. Assume that our objective is 55%.

  • The percentage of “no shows” that are recontacted and re-appointed. Assume that our objective is 75%.

  • The percentage of appointments that “show” that are “closed” (verified by sales management). Assume that our objective is 50%.

  • The percentage of “closed” appointments that are actually “delivered.” Assume that our objective is 90%.

 

​Important question: Is there anyone reading this that does not believe that they would sell more used vehicles if this set of activities was accurately Score-Kept each day on a MTD basis and Score-Boarded on “the big screen” for all to see?

 

What other sets of activities should be regularly Score-Kept and Score-Boarded in the vehicle sales department? How about the service department? Or the collision center? Or the parts department? Or the accounting department? Does every reader now understand the impact of an effective Score-Keeping and Score-Boarding process?

​

 

Our primary mission at Garry House & Associates is to inspire, challenge, and equip dealership senior executives. Our approach is simple, however, it demands commitment and discipline from you. But that's why you've come to this site...to develop the leader within.

 

As long as you fulfill our expectations, we will accomplish our primary mission.

​