| Like other business plans, the contents of an | | | | reading the business plan expect that there will also be |
| automobile dealership business plan cover four primary | | | | an element of cash missing from the |
| steps towards success. These steps are | | | | entrepreneur’s capacity at the moment. Otherwise, |
| “opportunity”, “capacity”, “activities”, | | | | they would not be reading the plan in the first place. |
| and “results”. | | | | Activities |
| Opportunity | | | | Marketing and operations plans cover the activities the |
| The industry, customer, and competitive analysis in | | | | company will engage in to bring in car buyers (and car |
| your business plan proves the opportunity. This should | | | | sellers if you are a used car dealer as well), and run |
| identify that customers in your local market are in need | | | | the business as efficiently as possible. As a small car |
| of a dealer of the type you’ve chosen to be | | | | dealer, consider how you can make up for this lack of |
| because competitors are not fully serving their needs, | | | | scale, and the cost savings that come with it for dealer |
| or because their demographics are changing (more | | | | chains, through creativity and hard work. |
| population, richer, poorer, more families, etc.) The | | | | Results |
| opportunity could also be that a certain combination of | | | | Finally, the projections of business success and |
| services by your dealership could improve on what | | | | financial section of the plan show the results that you |
| competitors are currently doing. The overall industry | | | | and investors should expect. If results take into |
| situation should look ahead to how the car sales | | | | account the full costs of the methods you’ve |
| market will be doing six months, one year, or more in | | | | described, and include adequate compensation for |
| the future, when the dealership will actually be open. | | | | staff and key team players, readers will be less likely |
| Capacity | | | | to question elements on the cost side. If your revenue |
| The experience of the management team, your | | | | projections are based on reasonable, researched |
| license as a car dealer, and the financial resources the | | | | assumptions about the car buying behavior of your |
| partners can bring to the table cover the capacity of | | | | local market, then readers will be more likely to accept |
| the entrepreneur to jump on this opportunity. Funders | | | | this side of the projections as well. |