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Vehicle margins are under pressure, and many variables are outside of your control. Consumers on increasingly tight budgets, high interest rates, and diminished dealer pricing power all factor into the difficulty of meeting your numbers.

If your store is feeling the pressure, you don't necessarily need to sell more cars to make more money. Instead, utilize opportunities to add more profit to every car sale. This is where the incredible staying power of accessories saves the day.

 While headlines warn of crisis, razor-thin margins, and rapid decline, accessories remain unbothered—giving dealerships a reason to believe Q4 doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.

We’re not going to stop talking about this. The accessory industry repeatedly sidesteps the automotive industry’s crashes and keeps thriving. It happened during the 2008 economic crash, when everyone held on to their aging vehicles and opted to accessorize them. It happened in 2020 when the world shut down, and everyone wanted racks and cargo management to hit the open road. And it’s happening again now, as tariffs, inflation, and supply chain friction are driving people crazy—and SEMA still reports over $52 billion in aftermarket sales.

A long winter in Chicago led one Illinois dealer to unearth an opportunity in accessory sales. The culprit was potholes, and the result was customer after customer limping into the service lane with blown tires and bent wheels. Fixed ops wasn’t the only department that stood to gain here. The dealership saw a clear path to deliver more excellent customer service as freezing temperatures and hazardous road conditions dragged on.

As summer winds down and routines begin to shift, customers start thinking differently about their vehicle. These seasonal shifts create new, natural opportunities for accessory sales.

Few statements create more frustration in a dealership than hearing, "The pay plan isn't working."

An unfortunate reality about school break and vacation mode is the disappointing truth that summer doesn't translate into lazy days on the beach for everyone. For most of us, summer means going to work in hotter weather and chasing down leads to hit our numbers.

As we quickly approach the summer months, dealerships can plan to combat the slump with a preemptive boost to their bottom line.

Every high-performing sales organization relies on structured communication—often called word tracks or sales scripts. Without them, conversations can become inconsistent, unfocused, and even uncomfortable for the customer (and the salesperson)!

The opportunity to cull accessory revenue doesn’t end when the vehicle sale is complete.

In fact, an effective way to introduce accessories and solidify customer retention presents itself after the sale—all tied up in one clean package.

The customer’s first service visit provides a natural touchpoint to reconnect, reinforce the relationship, and identify needs the customer may have since their initial purchase.