We have asked some of the many women working in motoring to share their Working Week with us. This week we catch up with Alison Lawford, Director at Ken Lawford Motors
MONDAY
The day begins at 6am; I check my e-mails and prepare my notes for the sales meeting this morning. I wake the children and get them ready for school. We leave the house at 7.45am and drop off at three different schools. I arrive in work at 8.20 in time to open the showroom and grab a coffee. The sales meeting begins at 8.30am. We discuss the objectives for the week ahead. We then review the over age stock and discuss the options for disposing of this stock. This is left with the salesmen to liaise with the various motor traders to achieve the highest price for these vehicles. We are anxious to liquidate some stock to reinvest in newer stock from the UK which is profitable at the moment. I spend the remainder of the day with our accountant reviewing figures and preparing our year end accounts. I am quite involved in this as I prepare all the accounts for the accountant. With the accounts signed off I can head for home.
TUESDAY
Today is a little different to every other day as I am attending our national Nissan Dealer Conference which is being hosted in Mondello Park. The conference begins at 9.00am with an overview of the previous year including market share by model. Nissan then present their marketing strategy for the remainder of the current year and the New Year. We are then given a rundown on all of the Nissan Models with specifications and pricing for the coming year. The finale introduces a new model to the Nissan range for 2013, this remains confidential until the official launch. We break for lunch at 1.00pm. I give the office a call for an update on the morning’s events. After lunch we have the opportunity to drive a race prepared 370Z and the GTR around the Mondello race circuit. The surprise at the end of the day is a drive in the Nissan Juke R, this is a limited edition and raises great interest from the dealers. I head home to catch up on my emails.
WEDNESDAY
Today begins at 6.00am checking e-mails and getting the children off to school. I meet with the salesmen to review and agree the offers they have received on the older stock we want to liquidate. I contact our supplier in theUK to discuss our stock requirements for the month ahead. He will refer back to me with a list of suitable vehicles. My next job is to negotiate a good sterling rate with the bank. I may just watch it for the next few days as I have made substantial savings in the past by doing this. I have to set aside some time today for the day to day accounts paper work. I have to process invoices, reconcile creditor payments and reconcile the bank. I also have to book a flight to Heathrow for Friday as I have arranged to meet our main supplier of vehicles and go to two of the main car auctions with him. Time to finish up for the day.
THURSDAY
I arrive at the office at 8.00am as I have a lot of paperwork to clear as I will not be in the office tomorrow. I check my e-mails and prepare a lodgment. I will spend the majority of today preparing the VAT and PAYE/PRSI returns. I also have to review the vehicle sales washouts (the profit & loss calculations for each car sold) and calculate the salesman’s commission. I then run the payroll for tomorrow as I may not have time to do this online tomorrow. Before I leave I run a vehicle stock list and check all vehicles are accounted for.
FRIDAY
It’s a 5am start this morning to catch a 6.30am flight to Heathrow. OurUK supplier will meet me at the airport. We travel to two different car auctions one just outside the city centre where I purchase five small economy vehicles. We then travel to northLondon to a larger auction that specializes in newer ex-lease vehicles. I purchase seven higher end vehicles at this auction. On the way back to the airport I arrange the payment transfers and the transport for the vehicles back toDublin. With an hour to spare I visit a Nissan dealer we deal with on an ongoing basis. I have a coffee and compare the markets with the sales manager. It helps to hear how the markets differ fromIreland. I make it to the airport for my 7.30 flight home.
The end of another busy week!!
23rd October, 2012
