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By Earl Brown, Director of Marketing | Solera Dealer Solutions
If you run an independent store or a larger BHPH lot, you already know this truth: gut feel will get you started, but the data and ground-level know-how are what actually keeps you in business. Every day a car sits unsold is a day your money is driving off the lot. Between floorplan interest, insurance, and depreciation, all that guesswork is expensive. A simple, disciplined inventory plan turns profit leak into sales lift.
Know your market, not your hunches
Start with a snapshot of demand in your ZIP code. Which body styles seem to move fastest in the last 90 days? What price strategies pull the most leads? Which trims are getting the most clicks and GA4 engagement on your VDPs. Then buy into that pattern. If midsize SUVs under a set payment threshold are turning faster than compact sedans, move your money there. If older half‑tons with clean accident histories outperform the high‑mileage crossovers, change your auction hit-list. The goal should be obvious to any seasoned car pro: stock what sells, not what you like. Though in practice, we all know it can be tough to say ‘no’ sometimes.
A cost-effective and advanced platform like Solera’s Inventory+ can surface that local demand insight, help you develop more competitive pricing, and assess aging risk so you avoid the “lot zombies” that sit for weeks (or, and let’s face it- months). Use the data to set a spend plan by segment, then hold yourself to it. When the plan says don’t do it, believe it. Your cash flow goals need velocity more than another risky one‑off impulse buy.
Price to the market and revisit weekly
The first price you set will rarely be the last. So, commit to a cadence to review and adjust. Weekly is fine; you don’t need to micromanage it daily. Smaller moves made earlier on will cost a lot less than big price cuts made later in the lifecycle. If you are off by a few hundred dollars in a crowded price band, you should already know that that unit is essentially invisible. If you are too low, you leave front‑end gross on the table. Set guardrails around these dynamics so the team knows when to move: price check at 7 and 14 days, “must‑move” plan around 30, decision and action at 45-60.
Shorten time‑to‑lot so inventory gets online quicker
The clock starts when you’re still standing in the auction lane or clicking the bid-now button to acquire the car. Treat reconditioning like a sprint. Aim for a 48‑hour target on basic mechanical, detail, and photos. Pre‑approve the obvious and common repairs, stock fast‑moving parts, and schedule your detailers to live their work-lives tied to that acquisition calendar. If you use a recon workflow tool, set alerts for any unit stuck more than a day or two at one of these steps. Time saved here makes every other part of your business work better.
Make the car an easy ‘yes’ for the right buyer
Car shoppers are allergic to uncertainty. Tighten your online merchandising so each listing answers the top questions. Post 20 or more real photos, including tires, dash, trunk, and yes- even the engine bay (and make sure it’s clean enough to present). Show clear price, payment estimates, and associated fees. Share vehicle history highlights and recon notes. Give one‑click options to call, text, or start a credit app. If your site runs on a conversion‑minded platform like DealerFire, wire your lead forms, calls, and chats into one CRM view. Track which VDPs are converting, and which are not. Fix underperformers with better photos, cleaner descriptions, or sharper prices before you spend a ton of money randomly buying more traffic.
Hold the line on aging units
Set an age policy and keep it. Many of the top-performing retailers review at 21 days, decide at 30, and wholesale or blow‑out at 45 to 60 depending on your store’s risk tolerance and runway. Aged units need a same‑day plan: refreshed photos, tightened copy, targeted PPC for that trim, VLA’s on Facebook, or a trade‑only exit path. Do not let your personal sentiment replace math. Holding costs are real, even if you do not see them on the initial auction invoice.
Keep a scorecard to track your lot health
Track average days in stock, time‑to‑line, price changes made, leads per VDP, and sell‑through by segment and price band. Assign an owner to each metric. Celebrate the turns and fix the drags. Data will not replace your instincts. It will sharpen them. When stocking, pricing, recon, and merchandising are all pulling in the same direction, you sell more cars at better gross and stop the lot-zombie brain damage.
