Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap newsletter—the key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today’s guest is Doug Gilmour, Dealer Principal of Malone Ford.
We get into Doug’s 13-year run at Ford, the 7% profit swing that put him on the map, and the all-in gamble that made his dream a reality.
Operating in bureaucracy can drain your sense of purpose.
Doug spent 13 years at Ford working on billion-dollar programs, but friends at his father's celebration of life told him point-blank he wasn't happy anymore.
"I was working on billion-dollar programs or running teams with billion dollar sales…but it was that bureaucratic atmosphere and it was no longer for me."
That conversation sparked his decision to leave corporate life and pursue dealership ownership.
Buying a dealership while working at the factory requires operating in near secrecy.
Because he personally knew everyone at Ford who would approve dealer applications, Doug prepared everything independently to avoid conflicts of interest.
"Nobody at Ford knew I was doing what I was doing. I ran everything behind the scenes. I didn't want to put anybody in an awkward position. When I presented an application, it was here's everything, signed, sealed, and delivered."
His regional manager later told him no one had done this in recent history.
A clerical error nearly bankrupted the store in the first 60 days.
The store's financials showed profitability, but the bank account kept draining because Ford wasn't paying weekly incentives due to an administrative mistake in their India office.
"I'm burning through cash and it was all coming up right before the NADA meeting. I was like, ‘If we don't figure this out before the NADA meeting, I'm going straight to the top at the factory meeting and letting them know that you guys are going to be the ones that put me out of business’"
Ford corrected the error and sent a true-up payment of several hundred thousand dollars, critical timing for a startup operation.
Emotional intelligence matters more than PowerPoints in small business.
The expectation was that dealership ownership would be about analyzing numbers like at Ford, but success required being present for team challenges.
"Coming from the factory, I'm ready for it to be all numbers and powerpoints, right? I can analyze and put together a great PowerPoint presentation on what we're going to do. And then I found out it's so much about hard conversations or uncomfortable conversations."
His team has been in the same office for 20-plus years, and they need leadership that understands the human element beyond operational metrics.
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Training your entire leadership team through NCM creates buy-in beyond just barking orders.
Coming from the factory, Doug knew he couldn't just tell 20-year veterans how to do their jobs without earning credibility first.
"I bought into the full training program said, ‘Hey, all the leadership team is going through this.’ Everybody's been through it and it's just amazing how much it's opened up their eyes."
By sending his team through NCM's general manager academy and senior training for sales and service managers, they heard best practices from industry experts across the country, not just the new factory guy.
Smart pricing fixes can transform profitability without overcharging customers.
The service department was leaving money on the table through heavy discounting and flat labor rates that didn't account for job complexity.
"I got a $50 warranty rate increase with Ford, which was massive. That's just all straight to the bottom line. Then we did the same thing with parts and got a nearly 40% parts markup increase."
Using Dynatron's regional benchmarks, the changes went straight to profit while keeping pricing competitive.
Used car growth requires leveraging your existing tools properly.
The store had vAuto, but only met with their coach monthly, while selling just 10 used cars against 40-50 new vehicles.
"I was at my NCM20 group…and I'm like ‘Hey guys, what do I need to do?’ One of the guys, he's like he's like you got vAuto? He goes how often are you meeting with your coach? I said, ‘I think the team meets with him once a month.’ And he's like, ‘Our team meets with our coach weekly.’"
After implementing weekly meetings and following the coach's advice, used sales jumped 30% year-over-year to 35-40 per month.
Reaching out to your network solves problems faster.
Facing $50,000 in obsolete parts inventory he couldn't move, Doug called Fred Beans at 5 p.m., someone he hadn't spoken to in three years.
"I called him at 5:00 at night. He picked up on the second ring. He's like 'Doug, how you doing?' He goes 'I'm in a board meeting right now…but I saw you calling.' He's like 'what do you got?'"
Fred immediately connected him with his head of parts distribution and shared his sales process, proving the value of dealer relationships.
Strong field teams create better partnerships than corporate mandates.
Manufacturers with robust field teams that act as true partners outperform those who rely on call centers and stretched-thin reps.
"The OEMs with the best field teams are the ones that kill it. Ford had that for years…I felt like we lost that for a little while, and now Ford is getting it back."
Doug's reps now cover 10-12 stores instead of 20-plus, giving them bandwidth to actually solve problems.
Believing in the brand long-term matters when betting everything you have.
Working on future products at Ford gave Doug visibility into the five-year vision that convinced him the brand would endure.
"I could see the vision behind the scenes of what Jim Farley's taken to the board of directors and what they want for the company. I believe in it right. I grew up with Ford. I've had family in Ford."
That conviction made the difference when deciding which franchise to stake his family's financial future on.
