There’s a moment in every dealership, usually the moment I walk through the door, where a leader knows something has to change. Maybe gross is slipping. Maybe recon is out of control. Maybe the culture feels stagnant. Or maybe the store is running on a “what we’ve always done” method, even though what they’ve always done stopped working years ago.
And still, when we finally decide to rip the bandage off and commit to a discipline, it’s hard. Change is uncomfortable, disruptive, even painful. But it’s also necessary. Because in this business, if you don’t change, you don’t just fall behind…you die.
That’s why I tell every dealer I work with: Discipline Breeds Discipline.
THE DISCIPLINE TO START - EVEN WHEN IT'S HARD
A body in motion stays in motion. But a body at rest? That’s where most dealerships live when I first meet them.
People in our business aren’t usually resistant because they’re lazy. They’re resistant because change reveals a weakness or reality. When you finally get on the scale, you weigh what you weigh. When you finally analyze your business with clear, accurate data, you see the truth, maybe for the first time. And often, that truth isn’t pretty or painful to witness.
But the moment a dealer looks into this and commits to a new discipline, a process, accountability, or daily expectations, that’s when things begin to shift. Not because it becomes easier, but because discipline compounds. The first discipline fuels the second. The second fuels the third. And before long, that same dealer is gaining the momentum they didn’t know was possible.
THE PAIN POINTS DEALERS DON'T TALK ABOUT
Whether it’s independent or franchise operations, there are patterns I’ve seen in my 30+ years in the automotive business that are often dealer pain points worth mentioning.
1. Reconditioning Without a Plan
Recon is the single biggest pain point I encounter, especially with independents. Vehicles come in with no criteria, no “needs vs. wants” plan, and no consistent decision-making structure. Costs spiral. Turn time drags. Inventory ages.
A bulletproof recon process isn’t optional. It’s a discipline.
2. Aged Inventory Without Accountability
Dealers say they have an aged policy, but most don’t follow it. Why? There’s often a lack of discipline or maybe there’s no org chart that actually reflects responsibility or a standardized process that promotes quality of work, process time, and delivery.
3. Culture That’s Comfortable, Not Productive
Change pushes people out of comfort zones, and most dealership teams stay in the same behavioral loops they learned as kids. Often these habits aren’t great for the dealership and often it’s a repetitive habit that’s followed us into adulthood from childhood, then into management, into leadership roles and ultimately, into the store.
It might be good to check where we stand on this as it’s a destructive cancer I see often in the stores I visit.
4. Decisions Made on Feelings, Not Facts
This might be the most dangerous one. Most dealers simply don’t have accurate, reliable data. Whether it’s the wrong DMS setup, a weak controller, or a culture of “winging it,” decisions get made on hunches rather than logic.
You can't run a modern dealership on guesses. There are too many variables, too many choke points. Only disciplined, data-driven practices reduce variability and protect profitability. I like to say, “premium discipline practices reduce the “vary” in variables.”
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEALERS COMMIT TO DISCIPLINE
I’ve seen something amazing happen in stores that embrace discipline: the business improves and so do people’s lives personally.
I’ve watched marriages improve, stress decrease, and leaders become better fathers, mothers, friends, and teammates. Because when you get out of your comfort zone and build the discipline to change your store, that discipline shows up everywhere else too.
With me, my discipline and job is to find accurate information so that I can work towards healing my dealers, whether that be in their personal lives, their business objectives or their employee families as a whole. Whether I’m consulting one-on-one, moderating an ARC 20 Group, running our Adonis Fixed Ops 20 Group, or leading the next generation of technicians, my job is to ask questions, find accurate information and use it to right the ship, both the bow and the stern.
IF YOU WANT CHANGE, START WITH DISCIPLINE
If reading this hits a nerve, that’s good. It means you’re ready. I encourage you to contact me at 816-839-5040 or email me directly at Jason@arcnation.com and we can talk about your operation openly.
When you’re ready to stop guessing, make disciplined decisions, and replace chaos with clarity, here are some wonderful ARC Nation resources that can help:
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- Learn more about Jason Caley’s consulting approach:
https://arcnation.com/consulting/jason-caley/ - National Fixed Ops Consulting & Training Programs:
https://arcnation.com/training-programs/fixed-ops-training/ - National Online Technician Training:
https://arcnation.com/training-programs/online-technician-training/ - ARC Dealer 20 Groups:
https://arcnation.com/20groups/ - Adonis Fixed Ops 20 Group:
https://arcnation.com/20groups/adonis-fixed-ops/
- Learn more about Jason Caley’s consulting approach:
Disciplines Breed Disciplines. And the discipline you start today may be the one that changes everything tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet and talk with you! – Jason Caley
