Growing Your Dealership in Today’s Environment

Special Guest - Ken Ganley

As we navigate the middle of 2023, we continue to adjust to the evolving industry and changing market. In this podcast episode, we dive into what inventory levels are prime for dealerships, continue discussions of vehicle affordability for your consumers, and discuss what the future role of dealers will be as technology increases and consumer purchasing habits change.

In this episode you’ll also hear:

The ideal inventory level at dealerships
More lessons dealers can learn from online retailers
What dealer relevancy/roles may look like in the future
Making vehicles affordable for consumers in a high-inflation period
From a dealer to aspiring dealers: advice for their career path and those new to the industry
Open-door policies and establishing an environment that encourages employee retention
How to analyze new dealership technology, EV adoption and more!

Episode Breakdown

0:00 - Introduction
0:11 - Welcome Ken!
3:57 - Best inventory level?
6:19 - Affordability advice
8:21 - Ken’s worries
10:33 - Future relevancy of dealers
12:15 - Lessons learned from online retailers
15:11 - Dealer/ lender relationships
17:15 - Evaluating auto tech tools
18:40 - Retaining employees while growing
21:43 - Addressing employee needs (or Work/life balance)
24:40 - Open door policy
26:07 - EV strategies & thoughts
31:08 - Advice for future dealers
34:36 - Is this a Schor Thing?

Ken Ganley, owner and CEO at Ken Ganley Companies, grew up in the car business – his father was a dealer and Ken developed a passion for the business while hanging around the family dealerships. He and his wife are both Northwood University grads that majored in Automotive Marketing.

Throughout his career, Ken held positions in Finance and Sales management. He began purchasing dealerships in 1995 and ultimately purchased his father’s former stores. Now with 50 franchised dealerships in four states, the Ken Ganley Automotive Group has grown significantly. The group was recently named the 14th largest dealership group in America and made over $3 billion in revenue in 2022.

For more about Ken and Ken Ganley Automotive Group, visit their company LinkedIn.