In 2020, we plan to do $17M in Gross Sales. In 2020, we plan to dismantle 2,000 vehicles. In 2020, we plan to turn a 14.7% Net Profit. Each of these are Outcome Goals. Outcome Goals are very hard to predict. You should be focusing on Input Goals, not Outcome Goals. What is the difference? We all know that in-stock sales are directly proportional to vehicle purchases. As a matter of fact, there is a known ratio between the two. For the average recycler, the Cost of Goods for In-Stock Sales is roughly 43%. This number could range from 40% to 50%, but we will use the average of 43% for this example. This is a facility that probably focuses on a 2012-2013 model year for its average year purchased. For this example, we will also assume that this facility is 50% In-Stock Sales, 40% Brokered Sales, and about 10% non-part revenue. So, if this site sets a goal of $17M in Gross Sales for 2020, that would mean that In-Stock sales would need to be $8.5M, which is 50% of the $17M Goal. Stay...

Too many operations manage by crisis instead of systematically learning and implementing changes. Today, I’m going to look into the two different mindsets of leading an organization: Reactive versus Proactive. Proactive A proactive leader is always looking to improve his or her operation. There is a constant yearning to learn something new and implement it. This type of person is probably a reader that reads several books per year - or listens to them (that’s what I do). There are two major components to being a Proactive Leader: Learning and Doing. Learning There are several ways to learn new ideas. I’ve already touched on reading. Don’t think that you have to read books or articles that are specific to our industry - any leadership or management material contains ideas that could be adapted to fit the Automotive Recycling Industry. The idea here is to constantly be trying to learn something from anything that you read. Figure ways to adapt ideas or suggestions to your opera...

Frequency, Reach, & Yield How have you worked to increase your gross sales in the past? Have you sent out mailers? Hired an outside sales rep? Made cold calls? Shared your data through a third-party? I stumbled across a simple idea a few years ago that changed the way I focus on increasing gross sales. Before I get ahead of myself, let me backup and explain another truth I live by: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. By measuring anything, you focus on it and start working to influence it. An example of this would be weighing yourself every morning when you get out of bed. By making a simple, mental note of your weight, you modify what you eat and how much you exercise on that one day. If you weigh on a daily basis, you will probably be working to lose weight or, at least, maintain your existing weight. By measuring it and knowing where you stand, you empower yourself to make minor adjustments on a daily basis that allow you to eventually reach your goal. My goal is 175 l...