Margaret Murphy
We have asked some of the many women working in motoring to share their Working Week with us. This week we catch up with Margaret Murphy, Financial Director at Cogans Toyota, Carrigaline.
Monday
I normally get up around 7am. I am a breakfast person and need my cereal before I can function for the day. My commute is only 15 minutes and I get into work for 8.30am. First job every day is to bring myself up to date with our current cash position and to manage our bank accounts. Cash management is a vital part of the motor business. When someone buys a car for say €20,000, we pay Toyota and the Revenue Commissioners the full cost of the car but the customer might only hand over €5,000 plus their trade in. You can run out of cash very quickly if you are not moving your used car stocks all of the time. Monday is a bit of a catch up day. I like to find out what was sold over the weekend, what kind of cars we are waiting on, lead times in the workshop.
Tuesday
Tuesday is meetings day. Like most car dealerships we have separate departments for car sales, servicing and parts. In Cogans we also operate an Esso service station. James Cogan who is the Managing Director and I meet with the heads of each department. I’ve been working in Cogans for 13 years and I consider myself very lucky to be part of a team of people that are second to none. We discuss whatever key performance indicators (KPIs) are used in that department and any issues arising. I finish the day at my Pilates class which includes lots of arm exercises with tiny weights which feel heavier and heavier as I persevere through the class.
Wednesday
I review quotes for some new IT equipment for specs and pricing. Later I discuss social advertising with my marketing colleague and the best way to use online ads. Some days I like to get into work early, take a long lunch and go for a swim in the middle of the day. Today is one of those days and I feel very pleased with myself when I return to work. When I get back I fill out a 9 page questionnaire from our insurers and deal with some emails.
Thursday
Our annual audit is coming up at the end of the month so I spend a lot of the day preparing and reviewing the audit file. On the way home from work I call into Cork on Ice where we have a promotional stand and I check that it is topped up with material.
Friday
I get into work early so I can run some pricing updates on our Dealer Management System before everybody else is logged in. I also update our weekly targets for the coming week. Later I am involved in a meeting with a representative from Toyota to discuss an upcoming campaign. The afternoon is busy in the showroom but everyone seems to be getting looked after. Home time is approaching and I’m looking forward to the weekend!
15th January, 2013
