GM Readiness Program  ·  Full Curriculum

12 Phases.
Every Pillar.
No Shortcuts.

Every Concept installed, every Control measured, every Commitment enforced — broken down month by month. This is exactly what you're signing up for.

This program will make you a significantly better operator even if you never take the GM seat. The depth of understanding you build across all four departments changes how you run your current role — permanently.

12Modules
4Quarters
48Monthly submissions
80%Pass rate — every test
3Quarterly capstones
Key:
KPI tracked
Hard submission gate
Pass / fail requirement
Click any Phase to expand
Q1
Quarter One  ·  Phases 1–3
Financial Control

A GM cannot manage what they cannot measure. No student advances to Q2 without demonstrating real financial statement literacy on their actual store's numbers. The financial statement submission comes first — every single phase. This quarter installs the foundation everything else is built on.

01Phase 1
Quarter 1  ·  Financial Control
Read the Store
You can't run what you can't read
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Concepts
  • Anatomy of the DMS financial statement — every line, what it means, what it hides
  • Gross profit vs net profit vs operating profit — the distinctions that matter at the GM level
  • Fixed absorption rate: calculation, target bands (90–110%), and its impact on the entire store's break-even
  • OEM format differences — GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Stellantis, and how to find the same data points in any format
  • Semi-fixed vs truly fixed expense — the distinction that controls budget flexibility
  • Variable selling expense as a percentage of gross — where it should be and what drives it out of range
  • Frozen capital identification: aged receivables, CIT bottlenecks, factory holdbacks
  • Leakage detection: the most common margin compression points by department
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Fixed absorption rate Gross profit % by department Variable selling expense % of gross Semi-fixed expense % Frozen capital $
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — upload your store's most recent monthly statement before anything else unlocks
  • Pre-testP&L literacy baseline — diagnostic only, no gate, establishes your starting point
  • VideoRecorded lessons + downloadable PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required to advance to next lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: implement a weekly financial review — one department, documented
  • Post-test20 questions — 80% minimum required to advance to Phase 2
Hard gate:  Financial statement submission required before pre-test unlocks
02Phase 2
Quarter 1  ·  Financial Control
Control the Spend
Where money disappears before you see it
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Concepts
  • Personnel expense as % of gross — calculated separately for every department, not blended
  • Variable selling expense benchmarks by department — what the number should be and what moves it
  • Semi-fixed expenses: what qualifies, how they scale with volume, and how to manage them proactively
  • Vendor bloat audit: CRM, DMS, digital marketing, and reputation management tools — ROI or eliminate
  • Technology stack governance: adoption metrics, process ownership, and what implementation actually means
  • Advertising spend as % of total gross — the benchmark most stores violate without knowing it
  • Building a monthly expense trend dashboard — catching drift before it becomes a financial statement problem
  • Absorption rate engineering: the behaviors and department decisions that move the number
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Personnel expense % by dept Variable selling expense % of gross Semi-fixed expense % of revenue Advertising % of gross Fixed absorption rate
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — categorize all expense lines, flag top 3 reduction opportunities with reasoning
  • Pre-testExpense governance diagnostic — baseline only, no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: audit one vendor contract — confirm ROI or flag for elimination
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 3
Hard gate:  Financial statement submission required before pre-test unlocks
03Phase 3
Quarter 1  ·  Financial Control
Own the Capital
Running the store like a bank, not a car lot
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Concepts
  • Floorplan cost, curtailment schedules, and the math most GSMs never learn
  • Floorplan expense as % of new vehicle gross — the benchmark and what pushes it out of range
  • Working capital: cash conversion cycle, receivables aging, payables discipline
  • Frozen asset identification across all departments — warranty receivables, CIT, aged inventory
  • 90-day cash flow forecasting: seasonal patterns, capital requirements, and operating decisions that protect cash
  • Balance sheet fluency — what a healthy balance sheet looks like vs one with hidden problems
  • Dealer principal conversations about capital: how GMs frame financial requests and get alignment
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Floorplan expense % of new car gross Cash conversion cycle (days) Warranty receivables aging Frozen capital $ by category 90-day cash projection accuracy
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — identify all frozen capital by category, calculate floorplan cost %
  • SubmitCSI scores — factory screenshot submitted alongside financial statement
  • Pre-testCapital and balance sheet diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: build a 90-day cash flow projection for your store
  • Post-test80% minimum — Q1 Capstone: 3-month financial trend + 90-day improvement plan submitted and reviewed
Hard gate:  Financial statement + CSI submission required before pre-test unlocks. Q1 Capstone required before Q2 access granted.
Q1 Capstone:  Required before next quarter unlocks
Q2
Quarter Two  ·  Phases 4–6
Fixed Ops Domination

Elite fixed ops isn't about keeping the lane busy — it's about engineering throughput, protecting margin, and building a department that funds the rest of the store. Whether you come from variable or fixed, this quarter makes you dangerous on both sides of the building.

04Phase 4
Quarter 2  ·  Fixed Ops Domination
Control the Lane
The most profitable square footage in the building
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Concepts
  • Advisor behavior systems — the daily standard that produces ELR consistently
  • Walk-around discipline, multi-point inspection presentation, and upsell process
  • Effective Labor Rate (ELR): calculation, target by franchise type, and how to move it with precision
  • Labor mix management: customer-paid vs warranty vs internal — how the mix destroys or protects ELR
  • Technician efficiency vs productivity — the distinction most service managers get wrong
  • Hours per repair order (HPRO): what drives it and what the advisor's role actually is
  • Dispatch discipline: loading the shop for maximum throughput without sacrificing quality
  • Stall utilization: the math behind capacity and why most shops are underperforming their own square footage
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Effective Labor Rate (ELR) Hours per RO (HPRO) Technician efficiency % Technician productivity % CP RO count vs prior period
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — service department page with ELR and labor mix identified
  • SubmitCSI scores — service CSI screenshot with written context
  • Pre-testFixed ops diagnostic — baseline only, no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: run daily advisor huddle for 4 consecutive weeks — document each one
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 5
Hard gate:  Financial statement + CSI submission required before pre-test unlocks
05Phase 5
Quarter 2  ·  Fixed Ops Domination
Own the Parts
The department most GMs inherit and never actually understand
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Concepts
  • Parts matrix pricing — repair parts, wholesale, and the margin management most parts managers never formalize
  • GROI (Gross Return on Investment): calculation, target by franchise type, and what moves it
  • Inventory turn rate: how to calculate it, what the benchmark is, and what slow turn costs the store monthly
  • Obsolescence identification and the disposal strategy that recovers capital before it becomes a write-off
  • First-time fill rate: why it matters to the service department and how parts loses RO revenue when it fails
  • Internal RO flow: the parts-service relationship that either accelerates throughput or kills it
  • Wholesale operation management — when it makes sense and what it costs when it doesn't
  • Parts manager accountability: the daily and weekly cadence that runs a parts department without the GM in the middle
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Parts GROI Inventory turn rate First-time fill rate % Obsolescence % of total inventory Parts gross profit % (CP vs warranty vs wholesale)
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — parts department page with GROI and inventory turn identified
  • SubmitParts inventory aging report — submitted alongside financial statement
  • Pre-testParts operations diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: complete a matrix pricing audit — document current vs benchmark
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 6
Hard gate:  Financial statement + parts aging report required before pre-test unlocks
06Phase 6
Quarter 2  ·  Fixed Ops Domination
Lock Fixed Ops
Close every leak. Build a system that runs without you.
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Concepts
  • Warranty reimbursement rates: how they're calculated, how to recover them, and what most stores leave on the table
  • Warranty receivables aging — the discipline that keeps money flowing from the OEM
  • Labor time disputes: when to push back, how to document, and what the escalation process looks like
  • Pay plan architecture for every fixed ops role: advisor, technician, service manager, parts manager
  • Aligning pay plan incentives with department performance — comp that drives the right behavior
  • Fixed ops leadership cadence: daily, weekly, monthly — the management rhythm that runs the department
  • The GM's fixed ops checklist: what to review, what to ask, and how often
  • Cross-department integration: how fixed ops connects to variable gross, customer retention, and CSI
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Warranty reimbursement recovery rate Warranty receivables aging Fixed ops net profit % Fixed absorption rate — Q2 vs Q1 delta
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — full fixed ops section with absorption rate delta from Phase 4 baseline
  • SubmitCSI scores — service and parts CSI with written analysis
  • Pre-testWarranty and pay plan diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: design pay plan for one fixed ops role — document the logic and the behavior it drives
  • Post-test80% minimum — Q2 Capstone: full fixed ops audit + pay plan for all fixed roles submitted and reviewed
Hard gate:  Financial statement + CSI required before pre-test unlocks. Q2 Capstone required before Q3 access granted.
Q2 Capstone:  Required before next quarter unlocks
Q3
Quarter Three  ·  Phases 7–9
Variable Ops Mastery

Variable ops is where most aspiring GMs think they already live. This quarter moves them from 'I know how to sell cars' to 'I know how to engineer a variable ops machine' — and holds them accountable to the numbers that prove it.

07Phase 7
Quarter 3  ·  Variable Ops Mastery
Win the Allocation
Work the manufacturer relationship as a business, not a franchise
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Concepts
  • How OEM allocation is determined — the metrics that control what you receive
  • Positioning your store to win more of the right units: sales velocity, loyalty, and market share signals
  • New vehicle days supply by model: the benchmark, how to calculate it, and what it costs when you miss it
  • Holding cost per unit on new vehicle inventory — daily cost, model-level aging, and the pricing decisions it forces
  • New vehicle mix management: balancing OEM requirements with actual market demand
  • Units past 60 days: the aging standard, the pricing response, and the conversation with the dealer principal
  • Sales pay plan engineering: comp structures that drive volume and gross simultaneously
  • Aligning the sales team's behavior with the store's inventory strategy
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
New vehicle days supply by model Holding cost per unit (new) New vehicle front-end gross per unit Units past 60 days by model Allocation received vs sold ratio
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — new vehicle department with days supply and gross per unit identified
  • SubmitNew vehicle aging report — annotated, every unit past day 45 flagged with action plan
  • Pre-testVariable ops diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: one allocation or inventory decision made — document the reasoning and the outcome
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 8
Hard gate:  Financial statement + new vehicle aging report required before pre-test unlocks
08Phase 8
Quarter 3  ·  Variable Ops Mastery
Move the Metal
The used car machine — velocity, discipline, and gross protection
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Concepts
  • Used vehicle aging buckets: the standard, daily holding cost per unit, and the pricing cadence that keeps inventory moving
  • Dollar days' supply: the metric that combines aging and cost into one number every manager should know cold
  • Recon cycle time: how to measure it, what the benchmark is, and what every extra day actually costs
  • Recon standard: the process that protects gross from the moment a unit is acquired
  • Trade appraisal execution: ACV discipline, market value gap management, and the conversation that happens at the desk
  • The trade walk process: how a GM runs it, what they're looking for, and how it connects to used car gross
  • Pricing strategy: market-based vs cost-based, when to drop, and how to protect gross without aging the car further
  • Used vehicle gross per unit: what it should be by segment and what compresses it
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Used vehicle average days to retail Daily holding cost per unit Recon cycle time (days) Used vehicle front-end gross per unit Units past 45 days as % of total
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — used vehicle department with gross per unit and turn rate identified
  • SubmitUsed vehicle aging report — every unit past day 30 annotated with action plan
  • Pre-testUsed vehicle operations diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: document one pricing or acquisition decision — reasoning, outcome, and what you'd do differently
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 9
Hard gate:  Financial statement + used vehicle aging report required before pre-test unlocks
09Phase 9
Quarter 3  ·  Variable Ops Mastery
Dominate the Back End
The highest-margin department most aspiring GMs have never actually managed
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Concepts
  • F&I product menu discipline: product mix, presentation sequence, and per-deal accountability
  • PVR (per vehicle retailed): calculation, target by franchise type, and what compresses it
  • Product penetration rates by product — what the benchmark is and what the gap costs monthly
  • Deal structure review: how a GM audits a deal before signing off and what to look for
  • Compliance architecture: adverse action, Red Flags, OFAC, and the documentation discipline that protects the store
  • Deal jacket review: what's required, what's missing, and what a compliance failure actually costs
  • Fraud detection: straw purchase indicators, income verification, rate participation manipulation
  • F&I manager accountability: the metrics, the conversation, and the pay plan that drives consistent performance
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
F&I PVR Product penetration % by product Back-end gross % of total deal gross Charge-back rate (trailing 6 months) Compliance audit score
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — F&I department with PVR and penetration rates identified
  • SubmitCSI scores — new vehicle CSI with written analysis
  • Pre-testF&I and compliance diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: audit 10 deal jackets — document findings and compliance gaps identified
  • Post-test80% minimum — Q3 Capstone: full variable ops audit + F&I penetration rates vs benchmark submitted and reviewed
Hard gate:  Financial statement + CSI required before pre-test unlocks. Q3 Capstone required before Q4 access granted.
Q3 Capstone:  Required before next quarter unlocks
Q4
Quarter Four  ·  Phases 10–12
GM Operating Identity

This quarter is where knowledge becomes operating identity. Every deliverable is a live tool you will use in the role. The capstone doesn't test what you know — it proves what you can run.

10Phase 10
Quarter 4  ·  GM Operating Identity
Build the Bench
You can't run a store alone — and you shouldn't have to
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Concepts
  • Recruiting scorecards by role: what to look for, what to ask, and how to score objectively
  • How to recruit before you're desperate — the pipeline discipline that prevents panic hiring
  • Behavioral interviewing frameworks for every key role in the store
  • Pay plan architecture across all departments: sales, F&I, service, parts, BDC
  • Aligning individual incentive with store performance — comp that attracts, retains, and drives the right behavior
  • Turnover cost analysis: what it actually costs to lose a producer and how most GMs underestimate it
  • Succession planning: identifying high-potential people, developing them deliberately, and protecting key roles
  • The difficult conversation framework — how GMs address performance issues without losing the person or the result
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
Personnel expense % (all departments) Turnover rate by department Time to fill open positions (days) Internal promotion rate
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — personnel expense by department identified and benchmarked
  • Pre-testHuman capital diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: build a recruiting scorecard for at least two roles — document the criteria and the reasoning
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 11
Hard gate:  Financial statement required before pre-test unlocks
11Phase 11
Quarter 4  ·  GM Operating Identity
Run the Store
The management cadence that runs the store whether you're in the building or not
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Concepts
  • The daily GM cadence: what Tuesday at 9am looks like — the numbers review, department check-in, and decisions made before noon
  • Morning report discipline: what to pull, what to look for, and what it tells you about yesterday
  • The weekly manager meeting: structure, accountability, what never to skip, and how to make it the most important hour of the week
  • Department manager one-on-ones: frequency, format, and how to drive performance without micromanaging
  • The monthly boardroom review: how to present the P&L to your dealer principal, frame gaps, and walk out with alignment
  • KPI scorecard design: what goes on it, how it's reviewed, and how managers are held to it
  • Cross-department accountability: when service, parts, sales, and F&I are all in the same room
  • The GM operating system as a whole — how daily, weekly, and monthly cadences connect into one management rhythm
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
KPI scorecard completion rate Department performance vs prior month Manager meeting cadence (held vs missed) Month-over-month financial delta (all departments)
Controls & Commitments
  • SubmitFinancial statement PDF — full store, month 11, with all department trends identified
  • SubmitCSI scores — all available scores with written analysis
  • Pre-testGM operating systems diagnostic — no gate
  • VideoRecorded lessons + PDF companion guides
  • Quiz80% required per lesson cluster
  • CommitExecution Mandate: run one full weekly manager meeting using the installed format — document the agenda, attendance, and outcomes
  • Post-test80% minimum to advance to Phase 12
Hard gate:  Financial statement + CSI required before pre-test unlocks
12Phase 12
Quarter 4  ·  GM Operating Identity
Defend the Seat
Prove you can run the store before you're handed the keys
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Concepts
  • Full store audit: 12-month financial trend, department by department, every KPI tracked from Phase 1 through Phase 11
  • Where you started vs where you are — the documented operating improvement that is your certification
  • 90-day operating plan: specific, measurable, built on the financial reality of the store — the plan a new GM presents on day one
  • Capstone presentation structure: how to frame 12 months of work for a dual-reviewer audience
  • Defending your numbers: how to explain performance gaps, what you did about them, and what you're doing next
  • CDO® — Certified Dealer Operator requirements: what gets reviewed, how it's scored, and what passing actually means
  • The standard you're being held to: not completion, not attendance — documented operating improvement over 12 months
Controls — KPIs Tracked This Phase
12-month financial delta (all departments) KPI improvement vs Phase 1 baseline Capstone presentation score Final exam score (40 questions — 80% minimum)
Controls & Commitments
  • Submit12-month financial trend — all departments, all KPIs, submitted for full review
  • SubmitPOE portfolio — all phase submissions reviewed as a complete body of work
  • Submit90-day operating plan — specific, measurable, reviewed and scored
  • VideoCapstone preparation lessons
  • Post-test40-question final exam — 80% minimum, no exceptions
  • CommitCapstone presentation — dual-reviewed, live defense of 12 months of operating improvement
Hard gate:  All 12 phase submissions must be complete before capstone access is granted. No shortcuts.
CDO® — Certified Dealer Operator:  Required before next quarter unlocks

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