Casual Articles

Lazy Employees: A Cancer in the Workplace
There is very little in the workplace that has more of a negative and infectious impact than a lazy employee. Yet I am frequently approached by employers who are unable or unwilling to deal with this serious threat to their business. If left alone, this is a situation that invariably does damage to a business and it's employees.I recently counseled a man who was experiencing this situation in his own business:"I own a small business, and I have one employee who just never seems to be on the same page with everybody else. She never quite gets her jobs done, and there's always an excuse. Other people in the office do work very similar to hers, and they always get more done than she does. I've talked to her, but it's just one excuse after another. I hate to fire her---she's a nice lady, and she has children to support---but I don't know what else to do."You're running a business, not a social service, and your employees simply must be productive. It's not your job to provide an income for this woman's children, nor to teach her a decent work ethic. It's your responsibility to run a business where your customers are happy, your employees are treated fairly, and there is a profit at the end of the day.Sit down with this woman and speak to her directly but

expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a selle

Increased Website Traffic - A Blessing For Any Website
The modern world is now, a closely-knit community, in the web of the web world. This community is driven by the high tech world of internet. Today more than every other companies of the world is having their website. It is very indifferent whether it is a big company or a small one. In this scenario every one wants increased website traffic for their website.It is imperative that an increased website traffic is achieved, to ensure more successful business deal. Increased website traffic can be assured through a skilful and complicated process named search engine optimisation. Keywords research, link popularity development, search engine and directory summations all go hand in hand with SEO to achieve this goal.Rather, it can very well be said that SEO comprises of, all the other above-mentioned activities. Good website design is another aspect that can never be neglected; both SEO friendly as well as appealing to human is what is required. The content of the site is as important as any thing else. This would assure a proper search engine ranking as well as homecoming of visitors.Links work magic. They boost a increase in website traffic and plays a key responsibility in getting higher page rank as well as higher position in the search engine.Increased website

This article attempts to help give the investor a broader basis upon which to decide whether a dealership merits their time, money and attention.

Interviewing Factories and Financial Institutions

Lenders have an affirmative duty not to promiscuously disclose the financial condition of their debtors. In addition, most Sales and Service Agreements contain confidentiality agreements, with respect to the unauthorized disclosure of a dealer's business. Consequently, questions directed to factories and finance companies should be limited to pertinent, non-confidential questions.

The Buyer’s Responsibilities

230 Kan. 684, 640 P2d 1235 held that not only was a bank under no duty to disclose information to a borrower intending to purchase a dealership, but that the investor could not avoid responsibility of exercising reasonable diligence for his own protection. See too: 387 NW2d 373 (Iowa) and 773 F2d 771 (7th Cir.) A buyer may not abandon all caution and responsibility for his own protection and unilaterally impose a fiduciary relationship on another without a conscious assumption of such duties by the one sought to be held liable as a fiduciary. 724 SW2d 343

Courts have even held that a seller's accountants upon discovery its client's financial statements were misleading at the time they were given out, had no duty to correct them, even though they were included in a prospectus. See: 513 FSupp 608 N.D. Ga.

The Physical Inspection of the Dealership

Due diligence requires more from a physical inspection of the dealership then searching for defects in the facility, or potential EPA or OSHA problems. A skilled advisor can surmise how well a potential seller is operating by a visit to the facility. Such things as whether the sales people are energetic, or lethargic; the amount of time it takes sales personnel to greet customers; whether the store is clean and well maintained; whether awards plaques are kept up to date, all indicate the financial condition of the dealership.

Public Information

Data can be obtained from public information to determine not only the financial strength of the dealership, but it can also suggest how to structure an offer more attractable to a seller. Sometimes a seller will accept less money because of the manner in which the offer was structured. Determine what a seller needs, then find a way to enable him or her to get it.

UCC-1, title and mechanic's lien searches all supply information without having to seek permission to obtain credit reports and without violating contractual relationships with lenders.

The Fallibility of Dealership Financial Statements

Dealers are required to file financial statements each month. These statements, however, should not be materially relied upon in making projections.

A profitable parts department and a losing service department may mean the service department is doing poorly, or that a strong parts manager is intimidating the service manager into paying too much for the part.

Industry Guides are available for each area of a dealership's operations. Guides, however, are good servants but bad masters. They are prepared by many different groups, using a variety of sources. A prospective purchaser should:

(1) Compare the selling dealer's actual performance figures, to the guides and obtain explanations for any variances; and

(2) Prepare a pro forma statement, based upon expected sales and forecast gross profits and expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a seller

Negotiation Isn't a Sometime Thing, It's an All-The-Time Thing!
When you’re buying a car or a house, you absolutely, unequivocally know you’re entering a big-stakes negotiation, the result of which will mean thousands of dollars saved, earned, or lost.So, it’s fairly easy to get up for the game, emotionally, but that doesn’t do much good if your haven’t built your skills to an equivalent point.You need to be READY to negotiate the big items of life, but because most of us do so only once every four or five years, we aren’t up to speed.There is only one way to get more experience and that is by (1) Perceiving the frequency with which you actually negotiate, daily, weekly, and monthly; and (2) By deliberately sharpening your bargaining tools within those encounters.I hired a pool cleaning service because I finally admitted I wasn’t going to get around to adding chemicals, investing in vacuum hoses, and testing the water on a regular basis.During the pool guy’s second visit, I noticed he was on site maybe 10 minutes, and he was about to split.Not good, because there was algae along the tiles and in various nooks and crannies.If I let him leave without pointing out these areas, he’d get the idea that his loose standard of pool cleaning effectiveness would hold sway during the course of our relationship, an

ection. See too: 387 NW2d 373 (Iowa) and 773 F2d 771 (7th Cir.) A buyer may not abandon all caution and responsibility for his own protection and unilaterally impose a fiduciary relationship on another without a conscious assumption of such duties by the one sought to be held liable as a fiduciary. 724 SW2d 343

The Physical Inspection of the Dealership

Public Information

UCC-1, title and mechanic's lien searches all supply information without having to seek permission to obtain credit reports and without violating contractual relationships with lenders.

The Fallibility of Dealership Financial Statements

Dealers are required to file financial statements each month. These statements, however, should not be materially relied upon in making projections.

(1) Compare the selling dealer's actual performance figures, to the guides and obtain explanations for any variances; and

(2) Prepare a pro forma statement, based upon expected sales and forecast gross profits and expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a selle

Tips on How to Avoid Bankruptcy
Sure there is one highly efficient and valid tip that can help you avoid bankruptcy. What is it? Well, staying out of debt. And yes, we all know that saying it is much easier than actually doing it. But for sure, this is the surest way to avoid bankruptcy and its damaging effects. But how? Is there any solid solution to avoid debt, when your finances are sinking? Well, staying out of debt requires a long term strategy and planning and therefore, there is no simple solution in this case. Sadly, the world and its individuals are full of debts, the society is based on debts and everything is basically built on debts. When starting and building on debt, it is harder to avoid bankruptcy.Still, some individuals manage to avoid bankruptcy, and yet, solve their debt problem. How? Well, there are certain solutions that might work from case to case. But these solutions imply a very realistic evaluation and strategy. And here is how it should work in order to avoid bankruptcy.First of all, you need to start from the idea that in order to avoid bankruptcy, you need to play fair, honest and to accept the undesirable situation you are in. And you should start from making a list of all your assets, a complete list that could clearly illustrate all your belongings, re

hings as whether the sales people are energetic, or lethargic; the amount of time it takes sales personnel to greet customers; whether the store is clean and well maintained; whether awards plaques are kept up to date, all indicate the financial condition of the dealership.

Public Information

UCC-1, title and mechanic's lien searches all supply information without having to seek permission to obtain credit reports and without violating contractual relationships with lenders.

The Fallibility of Dealership Financial Statements

Dealers are required to file financial statements each month. These statements, however, should not be materially relied upon in making projections.

(1) Compare the selling dealer's actual performance figures, to the guides and obtain explanations for any variances; and

(2) Prepare a pro forma statement, based upon expected sales and forecast gross profits and expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a selle

Credit Card Pitfalls: Simple Tips for Credit Card Management
While credit cards can be extremely useful, you have to be careful. It's not hard to run up a balance, and there can be hidden fees you won't find out about until it's too late. This section will show you what to look out for.If you use your card responsibly and read the fine print, everything should be fine.It's Easy to Get Carried Away If you are just getting your first credit card, it will be tempting to spend more than you can afford. Actually, it will be very tempting! Credit card companies know this, which is why most student cards have low initial credit limits of $200-600.Some students get into serious debt problems before they even graduate. The best way to avoid this is to never get in the habit of buying things you can't afford.Remember, using a credit card is like spending cash, you are just paying the cash at a later date.High Interest Rates Your first credit card will likely have an interest rate above 20%. Without a credit history, you are considered high-risk by the credit card company, so you're stuck with a high rate to start. Just don't miss a payment or screw up - the rate will jump up even more!Think about this: If you put $500 worth of books on a credit card at 18% interest, made monthly payments of $

lity of Dealership Financial Statements

Dealers are required to file financial statements each month. These statements, however, should not be materially relied upon in making projections.

(1) Compare the selling dealer's actual performance figures, to the guides and obtain explanations for any variances; and

(2) Prepare a pro forma statement, based upon expected sales and forecast gross profits and expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a selle

The Three S's of Website Design
Your audience is the main reason for building a website. Without someone to view the pictures, graphics, words and hundreds of pages of information, you might as well spend your time playing golf. With this in mind, your audience, customer base, targetted traffic, whatever you want to acknowledge them as, request you follow three simple rules when they visit your site. The designers three responsibilities are simplicity, speed and security.SimplicityIn terms of navigation and style of the site, simplicity is the best way to go. If the information a visitor needs can only be found by clicking on three seperate links, then 9 out of 10 times they will go to a site that they can get the information by just one click. Navigation is extremely important because 1) everyone is not an expert internet user, 2) people want what they are looking for, five minutes ago and 3) everyone is not using DSL or cable.In regards to simplicity, keep these tips in mind: Make sure there is a link back to the homepage on virtually every page of the site. Menus are highly useful in navigating a site with different sections. You will find menus to the top and bottom of most pages of a website. When dealing with forms, it is best to have all the fields

expenses, based upon personal experience, rather than the selling dealer's experience.

(3) Recognize inconsistencies and irregularities in the statements, and pursue a more thorough investigation of those items.

Financial statements do not provide answers about a dealership; they present a method to formulate intelligent questions in order to pursue answers.

Keys to Analyzing Dealership Financial Statements

Basic “flags” when analyzing dealership financial statements: see our website: http://www.automotiveadvisors.com for a checklist of some basic flags.

Consistency should exist from month to month in each individual account. All inventory and expense accounts should be compared. Note and receive an explanation with respect to major fluctuations.

Buying Without Relying

One buys a dealership without relying solely upon a seller's financial statements in the same way in which a manufacturer opens a new point. Major differences in these approaches generally inure to the buyer's benefit. For example, when opening a brand new store, there will be no existing wholesale parts business, retail sales base; yellow page advertising; or vehicles lined up for service the day after the escrow closes.

Buying an existing business, on the other hand, provides all that, as well as “historical” versus “projected” data to use with forecasts.

In addition to reviewing financial statement, three additional questions should be answered before making projections for a new dealership:

(a) the current retail sales volume;

(b) the planning potential, at closing; and

With those three figures, one may guesstimate the dealership’s earnings under proper management; and, he answers to those questions may be obtained from the factory and a reading of the lease.

Officer, Director and Shareholder Approval

Most dealerships are incorporated, or LLCs, and a check with the Secretary of State or Corporations Commissioner will reveal the shareholders, directors and officers of the corporation, and the members of an LLC. A check of local records will generally reveal a d.b.a., or general partnership, whether or not a partnership agreement or stock has been pledged or encumbered and, if so, to whom.

Information, regarding shareholders and officers should be acquired from sources in addition to the factory, as the factory may not have all the information needed to assure the buyer he or she is actually negotiating with the person who possesses the authority to make a contract. Dealers sometimes have silent partners, or sell an interest in the business without informing the factory. In either instance, a potential purchaser could be misled into negotiating with the wrong party.

You need that information to be sure you are negotiating with the right party. In 796 F2d 345 (10th Cir), Michael Gage, president of Michael Gage Chevrolet, signed a "Memorandum of Agreement" to sell his store. He had no approval from either the Board of Directors, or the shareholders of the corporation. Subsequently, the Board and the shareholders rejected Gage's agreement and entered into and approved a Buy-Sell Agreement, with another party that was consummated.

Gage sued the Board and the shareholders. The state court dismissed and Gage re-filed in federal court. The federal court held that when Gage (the dealer) signed a "Memorandum of Agreement" to sell, he had no approval from either the Board or the shareholders and "without such authority (he) could not validly contract to sell the corporation's assets."

Be aware too: states vary with respect to the number of shareholder votes required. Some require 100%, some a two-thirds vote and some a simple majority.

Attorneys, Accountants, Brokers and other Automotive Advisors

Attempt to determine the other party's advisors and whether they possess talent; are knowledgeable with respect to the automobile business; and their reputations for veracity and keeping their word. After an investigation is completed, a decision should be made whether or not to proceed. Some purchases are better avoided, regardless of the attraction.

Questions to Ask about the Business

Why did the Dealership Fail or Succeed?

As in "Valuation of Dealerships" (a topic for another article), the critical question is

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When you are first getting started in list building, the first thing that you need is a squeeze page on your website. A squeeze page is basically a webpage that has as its only purpose the opting in of subscribers to your opt in e-mail list. This squeeze page should basically be just the headline, some short copy, and a few bullet points, giving people a good reason to download your free giveaway item. After that, should be the opt in Web form for your autoresponder. There should be no other outgoing links on that page. No links to your articles, no links to your sales pages, no links to add works, no links anywhere. If you have any other links beside your opt in Web form, your conversion rate will drop drastically...

Investors worldwide are diversifying savings and retirement accounts into gold coins and bars. Especially in Southeast Asia smart investors know the value of storing wealth in gold and taking possession of the shinny yellow relic.

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