If you've worked in a dealership long enough, you’ve either wrestled with your DMS-or ignored it completely. And let's be real: it's not exactly the sexiest part of the business. But it is the nerve center.
In this episode of the Dealership fiXit Podcast, I sat down with Justin Quinn, product manager at Dx1 and long-time dealership operator. From the parts counter to the general manager chair, he's seen the gaps in how powersports dealers manage inventory, communication, and sales data-and why most of us aren't getting the full value out of our systems.
This isn’t a pitch for Dx1. It’s a breakdown of where things go sideways with your DMS, what to do about it, and how to get your team aligned.
At its core, your DMS should be an inventory tool. It’s supposed to help you manage major units, parts, special orders, service tickets, and everything in between. But as Justin points out, most systems-and how we use them-have barely evolved.
Instead, they’ve become clunky bolt-ons with siloed processes across sales, parts, and service. In his words:
“Most dealerships are still clicking 5 different tabs just to find one answer. Your system should be doing that for you.”
If your DMS isn’t surfacing data in real time, helping manage your aging inventory, or giving leadership visibility into what’s moving (or not), you’re stuck in manual mode.
Here’s a key point that stood out: most sales managers still don’t know how to use their DMS to manage the full sales cycle. And many don’t realize that their system can and should act like a CRM.
Dx1, for example, has integrated lead management, real-time alerts, and notifications tied to sales workflows. Incoming lead? Assigned and tracked. Trade info? Logged and tagged. Appointment status, emails, texts? Built-in.
Justin says dealers often miss the full sales story because the lead starts in a CRM and ends in the DMS-with no connection between the two.
That disconnection shows up in things like:
A good system ties that all together.
If you’re not cycle-counting inventory regularly, tracking special orders, or measuring obsolescence, you’re leaking profit.
And if your parts and service departments aren’t in sync, you’re wasting hours. According to Justin, some dealers still don’t even integrate special orders with the sales side, meaning a bike might be sold without the accessories ever being installed-just because the process wasn’t in place.
“Inventory gets away from you slowly. One part at a time. Then you’ve got $20,000 in aged inventory and no clue how it happened.”
Justin talked about smart notifications-automated alerts that help dealers flag issues in real time: aging parts, uninstalled accessories, even slow-moving SKUs. Think of it like a virtual assistant that doesn’t forget or go on vacation.
Let’s address the elephant in the dealership: different departments don’t talk. Or worse, they talk at each other.
Sales doesn’t understand parts. Parts feels like service is sloppy. And service? They just want to be left alone to get the job done.
Justin’s take: that disconnect usually comes from a lack of shared visibility and cross-incentives.
“Everyone’s working in their own silo, but the customer touches all three. If your team doesn’t understand that, you’re setting them up to clash.”
The fix? All-store meetings. Shared goals. And making sure department heads understand how their decisions impact each other’s outcomes.
Justin spent years in the parts department. He calls it “the hardest job in the building.” Why? Because it’s the most transactional, the most pressure-driven, and usually the least supported.
Here’s the breakdown:
And unlike sales, there's rarely big commission to motivate the hustle.
One of Justin’s biggest recommendations? Get serious about cycle counts. Even if you just start with one vendor, one section, or one shelf-start. And if your DMS doesn’t support scanning or mobile bin counting, you’re years behind.
Here’s the short list of what your DMS should be doing to support your team:
If your system isn’t doing this-or if your team doesn’t know how to make it do this-you’re running half blind.
Technology only goes so far. The magic happens when your people use it well.
That means:
And maybe most importantly, it means leading by example.
As Justin puts it:
“You’ve got to create the culture first. The DMS just supports it.”
This blog is based on an episode of the Dealership fiXit Podcast featuring Justin Quinn, Product Manager at Dx1. Give it a listen to hear the full conversation on dealership systems, workflows, and running a more efficient shop