We all are aware of the fact that we only have a 11-14% connection ratio when contacting Internet leads.  And we also know that the hardest part of the job for Internet Coordinators is getting people on the phone which leads to a very valid point that we must ask and that is are we maximizing…

Chevrolet's Impala earned a reputation as a rental car for most of the last decade. Very few were purchased by real buyers and the Impala became the quintessential fleet vehicle.…

A common perception of what makes a business successful is as follows: the leader is a genius who has a vision, defines the strategy, and all the employees work to make that vision into a reality.

The reality, however, is far different. In the best-selling business book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins, a team of researchers discovered that the most successful leaders focus on getting the right people on board before they set…

Do you need showroom traffic? Of course you do! This week on Think Tank Tuesday learn how to drive your virtual showroom traffic. Leave Your Comments below the video and Share it Please.

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Do you want to be more successful? You can achieve greater success if you begin to follow certain secrets that blow open the doors that are closed for you now. I am comfortable in saying that all people have some closed doors that limit their achievement. What are the doors that I am talking about and how can you open them?

The doors are a metaphor for the gateways to successful achievement. The keys are the secrets that unlock them and allow you move forward faster and with…

Speakers/presentations reviewed and selected by auto dealers; Speakers deadline June 14th; DrivingSales Innovation Cup deadline June 28th; DrivingSales Best Idea Contest deadline July 12th

Salt Lake City – May 21st, 2013 – The fifth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) is now accepting applications for speakers and presentations, as well as for its coveted Dealer Best Idea Contest…

It’s not a new idea to have one of your salespeople working the service drive. Opportunities and circumstances exist where it may be beneficial for the customer to trade-in their car that needs to be repaired. Having someone who can not only identify those opportunities but who also knows how to present it to the customer…

Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, Kiss has their Kiss Army, and your dealership has ______? Where are your fans? Musicians focus their marketingon connecting with fans, that’s nothing new, but that approach is grounded in solid business sense. A 2010 Satmetrix study found that evangelists or fans, spend 13% more than the average customer, and they refer business equal to 45% of the money they…

Here’s the sad truth about the way that most dealers are posting their inventory to Facebook. It’s not getting seen. None of it. Not at all.

Currently, there are three primary ways that dealers are posting their inventory to Facebook. The most common method is to have a tab on their Facebook page with their inventory. This doesn’t work. The…

A quick look at the current state of auto retailing would suggest that things are good. Tough times (and a couple of notable bankruptcies) have thinned dealer ranks. Although pressures are mounting, the manufacturers are still demonstrating discipline around production volumes. Most importantly, customers are returning to showrooms.

Add all factors together and the result is that volumes and margins on both new and pre-owned vehicles are strong. So strong, in fact, that many…

 Attacking an issue is one’s way of defending their position. Personal attacks and deception are one’s way of attacking when one is uncertain of their position.

Let us remember as these issues unfold and we confront these important issues who the culprits are and keep a professional and objective approach in how we react .

"Remember-…

Our business culture has always been to let the customer have the last word, they are always right after all and although some of this way of doing business can still work; it doesn’t on…

The importance of time is something that we must never take for granted.  As we know the time that we have here on Earth is limited and it's imperative that we don't look back over our life when we get older and say "I wish I had of."  I remember…

1. Educate Yourself

Don’t wait for managers or anyone else to give you the sales education you need. Unfortunately, the automobile industry has been stuck for years in a, “Throw them in and see if they can swim mentality.” Some dealerships take new recruits to a meeting room and have them watch training tapes for a day and expect them to be trained. Neither of these options will increase your odds for success.

Begin a massive self-education program that will…

So, let’s talk about Website engagement. We spend thousands of dollars to drive traffic to our Websites, so why don't we proactively talk to 100 percent of our customers who go there? As a dealer or GM, would you want your sales people only talking to 50 percent of the customers who are on your lot right now? After you spent all that money to get them there, shouldn’t you engage the…

MarketingProfs recently revealed data by Curalate and Digitas, discussing the engagement of automotive brands and the automotive community on Pinterest. This information reinforces the need for dealerships to get involved on this social media site, and provides helpful information on when it is best to post your content.

Below are details from …

Yahoo is investing big-time in the social media. The company announced today that it has purchased Tumblr, the popular blogging and social media network, for $1.1 billion.

"I'm delighted to announce that we've reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr!," Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, announced on her own…

After nearly two decades in the Automotive Industry it still amazes me when a sales person is out there walking through features like a robot...emotionless...cold.

When I was a Nissan Manager I had a great guy on my team named Bruce. Bruce was a genius and he could tell you the inner workings of the Maxima's engine and how and why everything did what it did but Bruce, like many other intellectual giants, couldn't close a self closing cabinet door because often times he missed the most…

I’m not a broken record, at least I’m not trying to be. It seems that I’ve covered this topic from different angles a lot lately, but it’s simply that important to understand. In business in general and in automotive marketing in particular, getting more Facebook fans is a very low priority compared to reaching more people.…

This will be my last post for a while and I must be careful from where I write from. I found out some things that will shock the Industry and be talked about for years to come. 

Jim Ziegler is being attacked but now it is spreading. This is why my son has made this video on my behalf at an…