General Sales Manager
GENERAL SALES MANAGER / SALES OPERATIONS LEADER
Trent Valley Honda | Peterborough, Ontario
This is more than a sales management opportunity. It is an opportunity to help shape what comes next.
We are looking for an accomplished and people-focused General Sales Manager / Sales Operations Leader who wants to do more than manage deals and numbers. We want a leader who can bring people together, build a consistently high-performing sales operation and help shape the future of a respected, family-owned dealership.
For more than 50 years, Trent Valley Honda has built its reputation by creating positive experiences, treating people like family and staying deeply connected to the Peterborough community.
Today, we are entering one of the most exciting chapters in our history.
Our dealership is undergoing a significant transformation, including a major facility redevelopment and an evolving leadership structure that will carry us confidently into the future.
The Opportunity
This is a senior leadership role for someone who is grounded, commercially strong and emotionally intelligent—someone who creates energy and accountability, communicates openly, develops others and is equally comfortable setting strategy and being visible on the showroom floor.
You will lead our Variable Operations, strengthen the connection between Sales, F&I and Service, and create the structure, coaching and accountability that allow good people to do their best work.
You will join an experienced management team, a growing sales team, an established Honda customer base and a dealership with strong community roots. You will also find meaningful opportunities to improve consistency, strengthen our Used Vehicle operation, develop emerging leaders and introduce new ideas.
You will work closely with our Dealer Principal and leadership team—not simply to maintain the operation, but to help build its next version.
For the right person, this role offers significant influence, professional growth and the potential to play an increasingly important role in the dealership’s long-term leadership, and succession plans.
The Leader We’re Looking For
You bring confidence and presence without needing to dominate the room.
You set clear expectations, follow through and hold people accountable—but you also take the time to teach, explain and develop. You understand that lasting performance comes from building capable people and repeatable processes, not from personally taking over every deal or decision.
You are visible, approachable and engaged. You notice when the showroom needs energy, when a salesperson needs coaching, when a process is slipping and when another department needs support.
You are strategic enough to see the larger business and operational enough to turn strategy into consistent daily action.
Most importantly, you understand that how results are achieved matters.
You May Be a Strong Fit If You:
• Have proven automotive sales leadership experience, ideally with responsibility for both New and Used Vehicle operations
• Understand the complete Variable Operations business, including Sales, F&I, CRM, inventory and customer experience
• Bring strong Used Vehicle knowledge, including acquisition, appraisals, pricing, aging, reconditioning and retail-versus-wholesale decisions
• Know how to use performance data to identify opportunities and coach better behaviors
• Have a track record of growing sales volume while protecting gross profit and customer satisfaction
• Can establish urgency and accountability without creating unnecessary pressure or negativity
• Communicate directly, professionally and consistently, and develop people rather than simply replace or work around them
• Build trust across departments and encourage people to work as one
• Remain composed, solution-focused and accountable when results fall short
• Are comfortable working closely with an experienced Dealer Principal during a period of change and succession planning
• Hold a valid OMVIC registration
Honda experience would be an asset, but character, leadership ability and a record of building successful teams are more important.
How We Define Success
At Trent Valley Honda, success goes beyond achieving monthly targets. How we achieve our results matters just as much as the results themselves. We measure success through our business performance, the way we lead and develop our people, and how consistently we bring our core values to life.
Our values—Own It, Work as One, Be Memorable, Grow Forward and Bring the Spirit—are more than words on a wall. They are the standards that guide how we make decisions, develop our people, build relationships, overcome challenges and ultimately deliver results.
OWN IT
We take accountability for the operation, our commitments and our results. We follow through, use data to identify opportunities, and address challenges rather than allowing them to become someone else’s problem.
• Sustainable growth in New and Used Vehicle sales
• Healthy inventory aging, turn and gross-profit retention
• Reliable forecasting, reporting and follow-through
• Consistent CRM and sales-process execution
WORK AS ONE
We understand that a great customer experience doesn't stop at Sales. We build strong relationships across Sales, F&I and Service to create an environment where people support one another.
• Stronger collaboration across departments
• Seamless customer handoffs and experiences
• A team that communicates, supports one another and works toward shared goals
BE MEMORABLE
We create experiences that customers remember and that employees are proud to be part of.
• Strong customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Improved appointment show rates and closing ratios
• A sales culture defined by energy, confidence and pride
GROW FORWARD
We are never satisfied with simply doing things the way they have always been done. We look for opportunities, develop our people and continuously improve the operation.
• A stronger and more proactive Used Vehicle acquisition strategy
• Improved salesperson productivity and performance
• Clear development and increased capability within the management and sales teams
• New ideas, better processes and a willingness to challenge the status quo
BRING THE SPIRIT
We bring energy, optimism and accountability to the dealership every day. We understand that leadership sets the tone and that culture is built through our everyday actions.
• A positive, accountable and high-energy sales environment
• Leaders who coach, develop and inspire rather than simply direct
• A team that takes pride in where they work and how they work together
Why Trent Valley Honda?
This is a rare opportunity to join a stable, respected dealership at a genuine point of transformation to:
• Help shape the future structure and strategy of our sales operation
• Develop a growing team and emerging internal leaders
• Build on more than five decades of customer trust and community involvement
• Work with an established Honda brand and loyal customer base
• Contribute to a major dealership redevelopment
• Have a meaningful voice in senior leadership decisions
• Build a role with long-term potential as our succession plans evolve
We offer a competitive senior leadership compensation package reflective of experience, capability and results that can range from 150k–190k annually.
If you are a proven automotive leader who combines operational strength with emotional intelligence—and you are energized by the opportunity to build people, performance and the future—we would like to meet you.
Please submit your résumé along with a brief introduction explaining what you believe creates a truly high-performing automotive sales culture.
We provide equal opportunities for all applicants and are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment where all candidates feel valued, respected and supported. Where needed, accommodations for people with disabilities will be provided upon request to support participation in all aspects of the recruitment process.
We inspire positive experiences and treat everyone like family, without exception.
