Automotive consulting is a form of business consulting which is catered towards the auto industry. There are a number of areas in which an auto consultant can work. The consultant's goal is to improve business efficiency, increase profits, and help a company reach target goals which can range from penetrating a new market to addressing a safety scandal. People who work in automotive consulting tend to have years of experience in the auto industry.
One area of automotive consulting is dealer consulting. Car dealers utilize consulting services to learn how they can do business more effectively. The consultant can visit and evaluate a dealership and provide advice which is designed to increase sales, retain customers, and promote the service department at the dealer. Consultants can identify a wide range of areas for improvement, ranging form how the dealership markets itself with advertising to the layout of the floor in the dealership.
Sometimes, the parent auto company will hire an auto consultant to provide trainings at the dealership. In some cases, consultants actually work directly for the car company, and focus on making dealerships consistent so that the branding and values of the parent company are retained at dealerships all over the world. In other instances, dealerships will hire consultants independently because they feel that they have room for improvement.
Another area of automotive consulting revolves around providing consulting services to manufacturers. These services can include everything from improving the manufacturing line to helping companies build relationships with national governments. Consultants are often involved in identifying and working with new parts manufacturers, overall branding for the car company, and similar business activities which are intended to improve overall operations.
Work as an automotive consultant can involve a lot of traveling, including to foreign countries. It can help to be multilingual to work more effectively with people in other nations, and excellent people skills are required along with a good business sense. Pay for people who work in automotive consulting can be very high, especially if they have years of experience which have included key management positions in the automotive industry. People with an established history in the industry are in high demand as consultants because they have recognized skills and a history which potential clients can consider when making a decision about which consultant or consulting service to use. It is not uncommon for services to be headed by a former CEO or similar executive, who lends her or his name to the company to increase its reputation.
