Whether their compensation is tied to the parts department’s profitability or not, most parts managers recognize that adding profitability to the dealership’s bottom line is good for long-term employment opportunities. What stops many parts managers from actively promoting the department to improve sales is a mistaken belief that they don’t know enough about marketing to do the job right.

But anyone who’s capable of managing a parts department is more than capable of understanding enough marketing basics to get consistent base hits along with the occasional home run.