How can someone progress towards a dealership general manager position?

A practical route is to move from responsibility for one department towards accountability across several parts of the dealership. Someone with a sales background can seek exposure to service and parts operations; a fixed-operations leader can build experience with vehicle sales and inventory decisions. When considering a promotion, examine the scope rather than the title alone. Responsibility for budgets, department leaders and dealership-wide projects can provide stronger preparation than a more senior title with narrowly defined duties.