Navigating 2026: How Automotive Dealership Professionals Can Thrive in a Slower Sales Environment
The automotive dealership landscape in 2025 presents a paradox. While overall car sales have cooled from the pandemic era frenzy, dealership professionals faced an unexpected opportunity, one that separates those who adapted from those who get left behind. If you're a service technician, service advisor, or service manager reading this, I want to be direct: the dealership market you're working in today isn't what it was in 2023 or 2024. Softer sales volumes, extended inventory cycles, and shifting customer behaviors are real. But here's what I've observed from my 35+ years in this industry and from working with hundreds of dealership professionals across the country: downturns create opportunity for those positioned to capitalize on it. The Reality Check: What Lower Sales Actually Mean Lower new car sales put pressure on dealerships. Gross margins tighten. Budgets get scrutinized. Some dealerships respond by cutting costs, including staffing. This is where many prof...